Ask Ken at Palisades

[uncleduke]

Originally posted by Luke


...Disney can buy themselves out of any of Henson's merchandising contracts can they not ? ...They also have their own merchandising partners - who's to say they might want to make action figures through their own people ?

I don't see Disney abandoning this project, or trying to weasel out of the contract. They do not have any one manufacturer thay work with on action figures. Hasbro makes some, the new Kingdom Hearts series is being done by N2 Toys, and Necca got the Nightmare Before Christmas line.
If anything, I think the Mouse Muscle would help Palisades, by giving these fatastic figures more exposure.
Also, even if Disney buys the Muppets, Palisades still owns all the sculpts, molds and work that has already been done. So they (Disney) would pretty much be going to square one with the figures and starting over. It would be cheaper for them to just let the status quo remain.... IMHO

 

[frogboy4]

Hope so. Well put!

 

[sgtfloydpepper]

Hey all,

This is my first post, so I’m a little behind. I've been scanning the boards, but there are thousands of posts and just one of me, and I don’t have time to get through them all (i haven't decided to drop everything and become a full time muppet action figure appreciator quite yet)...so I was hoping that I could be brought up to speed on a few issues. Here goes...

1) What is the collectors club and can I still get involved?
2) Why exactly is a 1970's looking Piggy figure out of the question? Is it the Henson people who won't allow it? I personally always preferred that look.
3) Is the eventual goal of the playsets that they will all fit together somehow?
4) Is series 2 really shipping on august 3rd like EB games says? The palisades.com's schedule doesn't have it listed for August or even September.
5) Where can I see these series 3 prototypes?
6) My Bunsen has an ugly smudge on his head that won’t rub off. If I were to get a little paint and touch him up, does anybody have any suggestions/recommendations. I’ve tried to just replace him, but Bunsens are pretty hard to come by these days.

Well that ought to about do it for now. I appreciate you guys filling me in on topics which have surely been exhausted by now.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Hi and sgtfloydpepper and welcome! Let me try and answer a few of your questions:

1) What is the collectors club and can I still get involved?

The collector's club is something new Palisades Toys is putting together to try and help collectors get non-retail exclusive figures (figures made for shows). The collector's club will also offer sneak peaks at new stuff and MIGHT be expanded to include club-only figures or other interesting things in the future. To join, email Ken Lilly at klilly@palisadestoys.com

2) Why exactly is a 1970's looking Piggy figure out of the question? Is it the Henson people who won't allow it? I personally always preferred that look.

You are not alone! But yes, it is Henson that will not allow it. They see Piggy a bit differently these days.

3) Is the eventual goal of the playsets that they will all fit together somehow?

I don't think so. It is possible that an eventual backstage playset would connect to the deluxe stage playset. I believe the plan is for most of the playsets to fit on the stage playset-- so you can actually have Pigs In Space on your own private Muppet Show

4) Is series 2 really shipping on august 3rd like EB games says? The palisades.com's schedule doesn't have it listed for August or even September.

EB's information is out dated. Palisades has the most up to date information, but in general it is a good idea to consider all dates as soft.

5) Where can I see these series 3 prototypes?

Uh, can someone else jump in here?

6) My Bunsen has an ugly smudge on his head that won’t rub off. If I were to get a little paint and touch him up, does anybody have any suggestions/recommendations. I’ve tried to just replace him, but Bunsens are pretty hard to come by these days.

Artie, can you suggest something about the paint? I'm not sure. You could try ordering a replacement on-line from EB or TRU. Have you tried any cleaning products? I'm not sure what I would recommend, but perhaps Ken or someone else has a good suggestion.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[ResidentLilly]

5) Where can I see these series 3 prototypes?

Officially they have not been shown yet. People who received a club application have seen Rowlf in sculpt form, but we will debut Series 3 sculpts on the net a few days before SDCC.

 

[Shooter Johnson]

Ken,

With San Diego Comic-Con just a few short weeks away, how far along is the new exclusive? When will pictures be available? Is there going to be another industry giveaway?

 

[Foreignman]

Ken, you probably missed this before, so I'll say it again. My dad got a really nice digital camera and I took a picture of my collection as per your request, where should I send it to, and should I send it with any information?

 

[Blake Wright]

Animal figure questions

Hi Ken...

First off, my hat's off to you and the rest of the Palisades gang for the Muppets effort to date.

I had a couple of questions about Animal. Forgive me if these have been covered.

Will he have his drumsticks molded into his hands? If not, will he be able to hold them?

Given is thin frame, was arm and leg articulation an issue? How many point of articulation does he have?

Thanks in advance!

Blake Wright

 

[ResidentLilly]

Blake Wright Hi Ken...
I had a couple of questions about Animal. Forgive me if these have been covered.
Will he have his drumsticks molded into his hands? If not, will he be able to hold them?

Separate drumsticks...and yes he can hold 'em.

Given is thin frame, was arm and leg articulation an issue? How many point of articulation does he have?

Not really...the bicep swivel is gonna be a tough one to QC, and may be dumped if its too fragile...but he has no traditional knee or elbow joints. He has, right now, 14 points: Ball Neck, Eyebrows, Jaw, Ball Shoulders, Bicep Swivels, Ball Waist, T-crotch hips, Swivel Calves, Swivel Wrists.

Foreignman
Ken, you probably missed this before, so I'll say it again. My dad got a really nice digital camera and I took a picture of my collection as per your request, where should I send it to, and should I send it with any information?

Sweet! Send it to the Palisades e-mail address...

Shooter Johnson Ken,
With San Diego Comic-Con just a few short weeks away, how far along is the new exclusive? When will pictures be available? Is there going to be another industry giveaway?

No industry give away this time out. The figure is coming along fine, although the factory is telling me they may not have the rubber ducky ready. I'll keep you posted on that. We have the prototype in the office, but the photo studio is not set up yet (we moved this weekend). As soon as it is we will get a pic up on the net.

 

[frogboy4]

I know this was to Ken, but I can help you out a little here. The final Animal will have wilder hair sculpted than the prototype image appearing on store sites. He will be able to hold the drumsticks but they will not be sculpted in his hands. The figures so far have come with logo bases to help them stand, though most can stand without them. These bases will likely only come with figures that need them in the future. Ken can be clearer about the other stuff.

Hope this helped.