Weinstein rolls with Fraggle Rock movie

[frogboy4]

Catch 22. They won't make the movie until it's popular enough and that falls on merchandising... and bigger companies won't want to merchandise them until there's a movie. The general retail stuff isn't the greatest in the world, I have to admit. I like the wall clock and the uh... Shooter glasses... but no way am I wearing a snuggie (even if Bullwinkle, Kinnikuman and Inspector Gadget were on it), the beanies are for girls, and the plush... well, I like SOME of the plush, but you can only buy them in upscale local toy shops that sell only educational toys rich snobby parents buy their kids. No matter how you look at it, though... it IS a start. OH. The comics too. I forgot those.

I'm sure if the movie WOULD get made and IF it ever comes out, we'd see a more accessible toy company do more affordable general retail plush and figures of some sort. And if they ever BOTHER getting the Doozers series off the ground (please tell me they're NOT waiting for any signs of the movie to get that out or we'll never see that either) that would help be a nice push. But so far, just some odd nostalgia based merchandise, the DVD sets that have been out forever (and I never got )and reruns on an obscure channel... there's not that much of a push. Though, I guess that's the best they can do. I really want them to go stronger with this stuff. I'd hate to see Henson's anchor license to be Dinosaur Train. It's not even Waldo CGI.

It's funny. There's an old story the fabulous Ms Prell once told me involving the first wave of Fraggle merchandise. Due to some snag in the system, Gobo and Red Fraggle plushes arrived in stores months before the pilot episode ever aired resulting in sluggish initial sales souring a lot of retailers to Fraggle merchandise. Some of this was remedied later on, but when I remember where I purchased my Fraggle stuff during in the mid 80's it was always mail-ordered or purchased directly from Muppet Stuff NY.

I personally turned down loading up the Manhattan Toys Fraggles in my toy shop because they weren't attractive enough to warrant the price it would cost us. We'd have to sell them at $28 and buy them in bulk. Most of them would just sit there. People aren't willing to pay more than 14 bucks for a plush or puppet. The owner tried to get the Sababa ones waaaay back before my time, but they never responded to his requests. I think something internal besides quality and sales figures brought Sababa down. They made some beautiful and well priced pieces! Those would move like crazy here! So would $5-9 pvc figures. Project or no project.

But toy companies just see the sales figures and don't take the time to understand why. Manhattan Toys, Mindstyle blindboxing and that Dr. What'shisface's T-shirts are the absolute wrong way to market the Fraggles and could be why Weinstein believes the movie needs to be edgy - - catering to the "high-end" exclusive market of well-to-do young adults instead of any and everybody. Go back to the Schleich people for fraggle's sake! Stores can purchase a case of Fraggles that would cost a couple bucks each and mark them up between $3-6. Heck, who wouldn't buy a Wembley figure for $5?

Anyway, I digress. The fish smells from the head. Fraggle leadership starts with the Henson Company and I've seen great strides by way of the comics. It's that kind of savvy thinking that greases the wheels of brand awareness. I think they could do more of it with accessible product companies.

 

[Drtooth]

I keep seeing more and more places carrying the German made Schliech Smurf figures... even before talk of the movie started. If they could only get the license, I'm sure they could dust off some old molds (if they still have them) and make batches to sell in toy shops. Love for them to get Disney's go ahead to reissue Muppet ones as well. Even if they have them sold only in box sets... again, like the Smurfs.

But it really smacks of what the general retail market is like. I'm wondering if they went with the high end stuff by choice. I'm sure the Mindstyle stuff was negotiated while they were doing the Jim Henson's City Creatures line... but was Manhattan the only company that actually wanted to go to them, or the only one Henson could get a hold of? Seems back in 2002-2005, Sababa got the Fraggles possibly as a parcel package with the rest of the Muppet line. If only someone at SW could have pulled a few strings and got Gund's attention... though, quite honestly, their larger plush cost just as much as the Fraggles... but at least Gund has varying sizes. If only Manhattan would make smaller ones in scale with the first Sababa wave, I'd buy those, definitely... As for the T-shirts... uh, were they for charity? I forgot if they were or not. Anyway, NOTHING can justify me spending that much for a shirt... heck, I barely ever pay over 10 bucks for one. If they could just get some Boober shirts into Kohls, I'm sure things would work out.

The way things are going, Henson NEEDS to push out that Doozer series. It really looks like their anchor project (as far as Family stuff goes) is Dinosaur Train. At least, that stuff is easily accessible. Even if someone's willing to spend that much on a Fraggle Plush, upscale toy stores aren't all over the place. I'm lucky enough to see some of them, but they only have one or two Reds on a shelf.

 

[frogboy4]

Dinosaur Train is apparently the marketing darling Sid never was. It's successful, but I fear Henson is being seen as either kiddie fare or hard-R adult puppetry. Both are great, but it's the meeting in the middle that set Henson apart. I think the Fraggles fit somewhere in that middle.

 

[lotusoftheleaf]

I think an edgy Fraggle Rock movie would be da bomb, yo!

Check it, Mokey could, like, totally rebel against unhealthy foods 'cause those be whack. Afterwards, Boober can have this seriously dope discussion 'bout how peeps who don't look both way before they cross the street is just straight up trippin'. To cap it all off, Red can bust out some mad beats on her turntables while Gobo and Wembley drop a stoopid, phat rap about how the potty is your homie. When the fraggle crew head on back to their crib, they can rename the joint "Fraggle Hood." Now, doesn't that movie sound off the hook? Fo' shizzle, my nizzle!

 

[Drtooth]

Dinosaur Train is apparently the marketing darling Sid never was. It's successful, but I fear Henson is being seen as either kiddie fare or hard-R adult puppetry. Both are great, but it's the meeting in the middle that set Henson apart. I think the Fraggles fit somewhere in that middle.

I don't even think Sid airs anymore. And that truly is a shame, since it at LEAST was digital puppetry. The toys weren't really all that good looking, and they weren't accessible (I only found them in TRU, over priced as usual) and even then, kids like dinosaurs a pretty big deal. I mean, it's nice to see a PBS kid's show staring dinosaurs that doesn't suck... but I'd hate Henson's core family brand go to a CGI cartoon that doesn't even employ any puppet techniques.

 

[beau]

I don't even think Sid airs anymore. And that truly is a shame, since it at LEAST was digital puppetry. The toys weren't really all that good looking, and they weren't accessible (I only found them in TRU, over priced as usual) and even then, kids like dinosaurs a pretty big deal. I mean, it's nice to see a PBS kid's show staring dinosaurs that doesn't suck... but I'd hate Henson's core family brand go to a CGI cartoon that doesn't even employ any puppet techniques.

Sid still airs here in the PHX, I do believe.

 

[Drtooth]

Not much of an update on the movie, but Weinstoopid has finally decided to release Hoodwinked 2

Of course, Cory stated this in his blog:

You’ll see that the sequel is distinctly different from the original in look and tone, but a film is shaped by its director and I did not direct this one. Forgive the abundance of fart jokes and crotch kicks — those were not in the script we wrote (okay, ONE… but that was really a “nerve gas joke”). Also, this trailer has some sound effects and lines that aren’t even in the movie. I guess the Weinstein machine thought it needed ONE more fart sound and ONE more joke about Twitchy not wearing pants. It’s weird to write something four years ago, have it evolve in others’ hands, and then finally see it hit the screen. And I’m going to miss the unique musical stamp Todd put on the first movie with all his original songs — not here on this one.

Yeah... we're in good hands..

 

[ZeppoAndFriends]

I think an edgy Fraggle Rock movie would be da bomb, yo!

Check it, Mokey could, like, totally rebel against unhealthy foods 'cause those be whack. Afterwards, Boober can have this seriously dope discussion 'bout how peeps who don't look both way before they cross the street is just straight up trippin'. To cap it all off, Red can bust out some mad beats on her turntables while Gobo and Wembley drop a stoopid, phat rap about how the potty is your homie. When the fraggle crew head on back to their crib, they can rename the joint "Fraggle Hood." Now, doesn't that movie sound off the hook? Fo' shizzle, my nizzle!

I sincerely hope that you are jesting.

If not, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Gobo is the one with the turntables, not Red!

 

[Daffney]

So far, no progress.

The last I heard about the Fraggle movie was that those silly willy Weinsteins put the film on an infinite hold. That tells us that they don't want to do this film, even after their edgy concerns on Cory's script.

The movie's been stuck in development for almost six years now, and a script hasn't been approved yet? Now that's silly.

I know it's been said and done, but the film's never gonna get made at this rate. Henson, jump ship and find a new studio!

 

[Drtooth]

There is no way this is going to happen unless Henson does indeed find a GOOD studio. Weinstoopid has been dragging their feet for 6 years... they've been dragging their feet with the script for almost 3. We're talking about a studio that held a finished film (Hoodwinked 2) hostage for over a year, presumably to add farts and crotch bonk and poopoos to make the film "edgy." You know, something hip and trendy and like a certain fairy tale movie from 10 years ago like we all got tired of halfway through 2006. No telling what damage they would have done to the FR movie... like "Wembley should talk like how rap people talked in 1996 like we think all ethnic people currently talk" or "Boober needs to be gassy to make slow witted 2 year olds snicker for a second!"

Seriously, this is the reason they went to a powerless indie studio in the first place. So they wouldn't make some lousy movie that should directly go to DVD so parents can buy it for their snot eating brats to be quiet for 90 minutes... you know, like every kids film since December with the exception of Rango.

The Weinos mismanaged their own studio, and Henson has to pay for it. Time to move, guys...