Ask Ken at Palisades

[Walker Boh]

Originally posted by Squigiman
Oh, speaking of which, does Flowd have a mustache-trim, or did that not work out? No matter where I look, I haven't seen a finished-product of him, cleaned up, even on the Palisades site.

Check out this great review of the final figure:
Action-Figure Review
Lots of photos.

 

[Luke]

I actually really hate the idea of the Theatre Playset being so big that it's main purpose is just to fit all the other playsets on the stage and be a premium priced shell only really for hardcore collectors of the line.

That'd pretty much IMO be way over the top and make this thing far too expensive and really limit the market for it. Make it a deluxe playset sure, but there's no need to slot in the other playsets - after all they are entire worlds of their own. The creativity and budget would be better spent designing the actual theater and making a nice band pit, and stage area to have the characters perform on - hopefully with the nice curtains and maybe the option to slot the backstage area on. Statler & Waldorf in a box too even !

If you design the theatre around the playsets then people are restricted to the themes of the playsets that come out but just having a stage with backdrops means that endless amounts of backdrops can be produced cheaply so really obscurely themed backgrounds could be made and sold through the club or in packs as well as the better known PIS, Arches or Vets Hospital you'd actually get with the set.

This theatre really needs to be worthy of being a display piece like the Chefs Kitchen as well as being playable too. It should be about the sculpting around the building, the deluxe feeling of the curtains with the logo, and little in-jokes for posters, accessories and signs all over it so it's truly the place we all recognise and ideally needs to come in at a decent price too. Making something massive that you plonk playsets down in the middle that you might not even have, and then selling it at like $60-$80 is really IMO gonna wreck it.

I'm not gonna cry and whine if it doesn't happen this way, and i'm not being adament about anything and not doing it wouldn't let me down, it'd be cool eitherways, but i really think downsizing it a little and making it more about being a beautiful Muppet theatre rather than a hub for the entire line is what might be a better end result, and being one of the most recognisable sets sell well. It can be the best playset ever because of the workmanship and the creativity - not just because of its size !

 

[Gorgon Heap]

Luke-

It does seem to be the main reason fans want the Koozebane to be made

Remember there are those of us who are really passionate about getting our hands on some aliens.

And as to the stage playset, I must admit I'm still on the side of making it bigger to house the other playsets. If a stage is made with backdrops for the sets we have playsets of, then it puts the playsets out to pasture.

There's another size issue I meant to throw in, this one specifically for the attention of Ken. Sweetums is a widely anticipated figure. He's very popular, and Ken, if you've ever read the fan fiction around here, you know that a lot of folks love coming up with situations and sketches for the big monsters, esp. Sweetums. Ergo, I think it's safe to say we'll want a stage that Sweetums can fit on. Last I heard he was set for 11 inches, correct? That'll make for a tall stage anyway, one that would also have to be wider to look right (and at that point would be big enough to house the playsets anyway). It'd be a shame if he didn't fit. Just something else to keep in mind.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Walker Boh]

Originally posted by Luke
I'm not gonna cry and whine if it doesn't happen this way, and i'm not being adament about anything and not doing it wouldn't let me down, it'd be cool eitherways, but i really think downsizing it a little and making it more about being a beautiful Muppet theatre rather than a hub for the entire line is what might be a better end result, and being one of the most recognisable sets sell well. It can be the best playset ever because of the workmanship and the creativity - not just because of its size !

Very well said, Luke.
I, too, hope that the stage's main purpose doesn't end up being a box for the other playsets.

I guess the two schools of thought on this issue will have to agree to disagree. Based on what we've seen so far, Palisades isn't going to do anything that's not top-notch, so I'm confident that whichever way they decide to go with this, almost everyone will be happy with the end result anyway.

 

[Luke]

Re: Luke-

Originally posted by Gorgon Heap
Remember there are those of us who are really passionate about getting our hands on some aliens.

Yeah i did acknowledge (at least i think i did) the people who as fans would like a Koozebane set, but the majority of people who posted at the time were more into the fact it was the only way they'd get Reporter Kermit so it didn't give me that great a feeling about it. As a fan, it's a cool idea to get something obscure but i was just looking at the line in a wider sense - it's not just for the hardcore fans. It does just seem wierd to be putting out something so obscure amidst such a strong line-up. If the marketing is good at the time, and people are made aware of exactly what this is and it can do, then things shouldn't be too bad. I've seen the Labs struggle though so it just kinda made me think how something way more obscure would go.

As for the Theatre, yes including backgrounds for the playsets already out might not be a good idea, i guess that is something for Ken & Co to consider although it'd be too late to sell more of the past playsets by then anyway so it's not a sales issue. It's worth thinking about the Theatre from a design and budget point of view though - either they concentrate on it being a shell and make the main focus the size of the stage so it can slot it these already very large playsets or they simply design a beautifully sculpted theatre with all the deluxe bits and bobs so you can stage a simple Muppet Show on there.

 

[Squigiman]

Luke-

Hey,
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that only size matters (throw in juvenile joke here). I, too want a beautifully crafted stage, complete with the box for Statler and Waldorf. However, I think, in doing so, the ability to hold the other sets should not be sacrificed. If we have a stage as a PLAYset, it should be something to be played with, not just look nice. I tried to let it be known in my previous posts, that I feel that Ken and co. would totally do justice in this department, even if it's a little bigger, which I think is a necessity. As Gorgon Heap brought up, having backdrops for sets we're already getting seems contradictory, and as far as other backdrops, I feel like they'd be better suited to situations where there's not much SET, but more BACKDROP, such as Fozzie's jokes, At The Dance, the Logo, maybe even the News. Either way, as suggested, these could also have more added, subsequently, so as to not take directly from the stage's budget.
I just think, even though the sets are fantastic on their own, the stage would only make them better, giving them a context. For example, rather than being Muppet Labs on the carpet of my bedroom by my drawer, it could be a Muppet Labs sketch on the Muppet Theater's stage, on the Muppet Show, a dream come true for young fans of this classic piece of our popular culture. Imagine it, to be able to re-enact all your favorite Muppet Show moments, on the Muppet Show stage. The way this line is going, we'll be able to see many of those classic moments come alive, right before our very eyes (tears begin welling up).
This is all just opinion, obviously, but it's honestly the ultimate playset for this line, the very mother of all other playsets, and must be treated properly. Thank you for hearing me out. Take care.


-Squigiman

 

[MuppetQuilter]

The Great Stage Debate

Just remember, Ken, whatever you do with the stage playset, the stage itself needs to be raised high enough off the ground to allow two or three puppeteer action figures to fit underneath and work the Muppets....

 

[Bean Bunny]

Any chance of a variant of Gozo as he is seen in "Muppets From Space" with talking Sandwich.

 

[Squigiman]

Oh, by the way, thanks for the link, Walker. Also, Ken, any chance we could see the wild-haired Harry, now that I've seen the toy and picture side by side on the reviews? I bet it'd look cool, now that I think about it. Oh, well, at least we got a non-toilet-head Animal that looks awesome. Oh, and cute joke, Quilter. That's all. Take care.


-Squigiman

 

[Luke]

First off LMFAOAROTF at Annika - unless she was serious in which case i'll go off right now and stick pins in my Fozzie doll.

I totally respect your opinion Squig - just i think you want maybe a little too much for a playset coming in at a price point that these guys would need to actually get a decent amount of sales in the mainstream market. As a Muppet fan all thumbs up to you for wanting that - you should do, but Ken & Co has to think about sales, budget, marketing. I'm sure they'll make their own decision when they can get a clear idea after a couple of waves how $30 playsets sell but personally i think anything that comes in over $40 will be quite hard, especially if you are catering mainly to people who have bought playsets in the past. It's not a good idea to market to one small group when you could go for the potentially bigger one. I agree it should be larger than the other playsets but deluxe rather than super deluxe.

I do see the point about being able to play more with a PLAYset but then Muppet Labs is huge as it is - if they do this shell idea thats going to take a heck of a lot of space up in the larger Theatre playset and leave room for little else. I don't really see how they'll do all the other interior, Statler & Waldorfs box AND bring it in at a decent price - there has to be sacrifices somewhere. While playability is important the majority of the people into this line is probably action figure collectors and 20-30 somethings. The majority of them are going to be keeping this stuff in the packaging or having it out as a display piece. Thats why i think the emphasis should be more on creating a nice display piece that also happens to have a good amount of playability than putting the main focus on the play aspect. If they were to price it just a bit higher than Chef's kitchen, make it a bit larger and focus their energy on making a beautifully sculpted all round theatre with all the bells and whistles, detail and nods to fans then i think they'll end up with a better and much more successful end product.