eFX Collectibles to produce Muppet Replicas

[Barber]

I agree with dwmckim: these forums are for companies to get a feel for opinions, so I'm going to share mine.

SW Muppets are a total NO GO. I'm someone who doesn't really care about the price of a collectible; if I want it, I'll figure out a way to pay for it.

I wouldn't pay for Muppets dressed as SW characters. I'm not into SW at ALL.

I'm still interested in Rizzo and whatever classic Muppets are made, but I intend to skip whatever Muppets in "character" they make. I wouldn't even buy Piggy as Princess Leia (whatever her name is), even though Piggy is my NUMBER ONE Muppet. I'd hold out in the hopes that they release a regular one.

Star Wars Muppets? Are they for real? I almost think it was one of those round table discussions on a Friday when wine was being served that got taken too seriously the next day when everyone sobered up.

I know efx produces Star Wars and Muppet collectibles, but that doesn't mean they go hand-in-hand.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

Oh and Ernie, I completely agree with you about not wanting to see Muppets as other characters (but I like them doing a quick spoof once in a while).

I want to see the Muppets as the Muppets, not Muppets do Treasure Island, A Christmas Carol, Wizard Of Oz, etc. To me, that's why the Muppets became so de-railed once Henson died. They were so lacking in new, creative ideas that all they could do was re-make something that had already been written.

Exactly! If I didn't make it clear enough, this is precisely what I was trying to say.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

I'm still interested in Rizzo and whatever classic Muppets are made, but I intend to skip whatever Muppets in "character" they make. I wouldn't even buy Piggy as Princess Leia (whatever her name is), even though Piggy is my NUMBER ONE Muppet. I'd hold out in the hopes that they release a regular one.

Now, "Pigs in Space" Piggy would be a completely different story. That's a poser I would buy because that's an original character that she played for many years, much like Reporter Kermit.

 

[antonydavanzo]

I'm in support of SW or any other licensed line of Muppets. The way I see it is EFX will make a batch of lets say Kermits, enough to keep the price down, then maybe 1/2 of these will be sold as regular Kermits and the other as SW Muppets. Marketed in the right place, the SW Muppets could sell well this in turn keeping the replica line going. Its a very obvious way of creating more sales to drive the production cost down.
I dont think the Muppets of Oz characters would sell, maybe Indiana Frog may work!

 

[OSUperman]

EFX really needs to think about this before they commit to it.As much as I personally would love to see a cross over of two of my favorite franchises I don't want it to kill the line. I'm new to collecting these and love them. They are by far my favorite possessions and I'm looking forward to getting more. For me I really feel like Kermit, Gonzo, Animal, Piggy, and Fozzie are the core muppets. Those are the ones I want to have more than any others. That being said I think Jedi Kermit, Princess Piggy, and a Darth Gonzo would be very cool, but that's just because I'm a big Star Wars fan too. EFX has to weigh the number of customers they would lose on these particular items versus those they would gain in the Star Wars market. I think this could be a great way for EFX to make a little more $ to support the life of this line. Star Wars collectors will buy EVERYTHING with that name on it. I personally don't currently collect Star Wars but I have in the past. If the marketing is done right and if these were available at the Disney Parks, especially during Star Wars Weekends I think they would sell like crazy. If I am wrong about that it could potentially halt production on other replicas that would be more sought after by Muppet collectors like Fozzie. We definitley don't want that to happen! So that is the fine line I think EFX has to walk and they must determine how creating these will affect the line.

 

[Barber]

I honestly didn't know SW collectors were that crazy for anything SW that they'd spend hundreds of dollars on something that's only half SW. If you really believe they'd buy Muppets just because they're dressed like SW characters, then that's not a big deal. Maybe it WOULD help keep the line running.

I, however, collect a few things, one of which consists of 10" dolls that sometimes cross over with movie characters. Even when I LIKE said movie character, I pass on it--and they only cost about $40 apiece. I couldn't imagine many people buying a crossover piece that costs anywhere from $400-$1,000.

Maybe I'm not as hardcore as most.

 

[frogboy4]

My store sells this Princess Leia lifesized stylish maquette from Gentle Giant. They made 1000 of them and only half of them survied the shipping process unscathed so that makes our piece pretty rare. It's a beautiful piece and for the quality it's worth the $900-$1400 pricetag from most sellers, but ours has just sat there in a heavily traveled area surrounded by mega Star Wars fans for years! No takers. I'm not sure how a Miss Piggy Leia at half the price would do? Just my pseudo-informed thoughts.

 

[OSUperman]

My store sells this Princess Leia lifesized stylish maquette from Gentle Giant. They made 1000 of them and only half of them survied the shipping process unscathed so that makes our piece pretty rare. It's a beautiful piece and for the quality it's worth the $900-$1400 pricetag from most sellers, but ours has just sat there in a heavily traveled area surrounded by mega Star Wars fans for years! No takers. I'm not sure how a Miss Piggy Leia at half the price would do? Just my pseudo-informed thoughts.

I completely understand that. Not only is it around $1,000 it is also huge. So they would need a lot of space for it. Maybe I'm wrong but I think this could sell well amongst Star Wars fans, but only if it is marketed correctly. They would really need to push these at Star Wars conventions and the Disney parks. However, I don't have enough data to support this idea, it's just my opinion. That is something EFX needs to evaluate very carefully.

 

[Ignohippo]

My guess is that they want to get the number produced higher than 1,000 but are concerned about selling that many of the signature versions. If they could make 500 of each, they'd get the cost saving benefits of higher production with essentially two different products.

Cooperation with the DisneyParks would be a must. Especially with the WhatNot Workshop and Star Wars Weekends coming to Disney Hollywood Studios, eFX would have an enormous opportunity to have the products seen by thousands of people with minimal marketing costs.

 

[momble]

For me this line would be fantastic. Im the muppet fan and my husband is a huge Star Wars fan so a double win for us. I think the best way forward for Efx is to increase the original amount of Kermit & Piggy being made and to market both SW and Signature at the same time - the overall costs would come down which would only be good news for all. As for selling the extra SW version it could be possible to have them on the market ready for SW Celebration in Florida (June I think) which, if like the european version, attracts 30,000+ visitors so this could be a good bit of marketing. Maybe make the SW one a little more expensive so the cost could come off the sig version . These SW events happen every 1-2 years so at least we would be guaranteed an extended line....well who would only want a part collection?