Ask Ken at Palisades

[Luke]

I dunno, wouldn't it be the same cost as say doing Gonzo and Camilla, if Johnny and Sal were done without accessories ? I mean Camilla's officially a Muppet character too and there isn't that much in the way of different paint colors on Sal ... he's just a monkey and only really needs limited articulation. I didn't think Sal was that tall, he just kinda flops down. I guess Palisades as a toy company look at it like they would be giving away two Muppets for 7.99 where they could sell them individually but i bet you'd sell a load more of them than if they were single carded and just had poor sales.

 

[Telly]

I don't remember much of Muppets Tonight so i can't really say what accessories Sal and Jonny should come with from that show. I think it would be kinda cool to have Sal come with a half eaten piece of cake as an omage to Muppets From Space. Maybe even a full cake with one piece missing.

 

[Crazy Harry]

I think the cost problem is not only in packaging to two together, but also in the fact that they'll have to make a whole new figure to fill in that empty space in the line up.

 

[C'irdan]

Johnny and Sal

About half the time I think they're funny-and it's only because of Johnny Fiama-I hate Sal, and the other half the time I think they really overact too much, and they get on my nerves. Sal is ok sometimes, but most of the time he's such a stereotype!

I would make him a pack-in at LEAST. If I had my way I'd have them be some kind of exclusive 2-pack or something.

then again..if they HAD to be separate...Sal could come with his book on Boneology I guess...


And marvin Suggs is so cool! I love him...and he made it all the way to Muppets From Space! Most of all...there aren't enough blue muppets, and his sculpt would just be so cool anyways...I love Marvin Suggs...in general I like the old obscure characters much more than the new ones!

 

[WiGgY]

What is Sal a stereotype of? Bodyguards? I liked Sal, but in small doses. He's like Andy and Randy Pig or even Lew Zealand. If you based a whole movie around them, then it would suck, but they are there for small comedic bursts. Jonny is great but you need Sal for him to play off of. It's like making a Bert figure, but no Ernie. It's not Jonny. It's not Sal. It's Jonny and Sal! I think all Sal really needs as far as articulation is a head swivel, shoulders, maybe legs, maybe mot legs. I think the problem, though, is that he's a chuncky monkey!

 

[Luke]

Originally posted by Crazy Harry
but also in the fact that they'll have to make a whole new figure to fill in that empty space in the line up.

Yeah but as i said, the Wave 7 line up isn't definite, or not that we've heard. So Johnny & Sal don't seem to be anything more than pencilled in, there are plenty of other characters on Ken's radar that he could move up to fill that spot.

It is kinda confusing having Wave 7 listed on the Muppet Central page along with the definite line-up for Waves 1-6. I think a lot of people are being mislead into thinking thats whats been officially announced. I remember Ken commenting that he wished the ideas for Wave 7 hadn't got leaked out by Toyfare and he left it out of his official announcement on the upcoming waves at the Palisades forum because it was just so early and would probably change.

Personally, i can't stand Johnny OR Sal - they are just too different from the other Muppet characters for me and very obnoxious. Putting them both in a wave as single figures would mean thats 50% of the wave that i wouldn't buy, usually i only dislike maybe one character per wave, if any. As seen from the previous peoples comments, i bet for every one of us, theres tons more with the same opinion. In merchandising terms these are 'love em or hate em' kinda characters so it's an incredibly bad decision to put so much emphasis on them selling half the wave.

 

[WiGgY]

Ok, how about this. All those people that hate Jonny and Sal can buy them and smash them.

That way the people who like them get them and the people who hate them can GET them.

 

[radionate]

Originally posted by Luke
Personally, i can't stand Johnny OR Sal - they are just too different from the other Muppet characters for me and very obnoxious.

I think that maybe part of the reason you don't "get" their humor, is that it is the most specific type of humor I've really seen the Muppets do. To me, their humor is very New York and Hollywood. Maybe its just me, but thats my take on them, and I find most everything they do pretty darn funny. Bill and Brian have chemistry, and it showed thru those two characters.

 

[frogboy4]

Sal is a stereotype of the stinky monkey Americans everywhere and should be stopped. LOL! Actually, I love that character. He has grown from his early generic look and developed a personality bigger than the puppet. Can't wait to get him.

I agree that Suggs should be made. He's almost as much of a TMS character as Lew or Harry. His image has been on so much merchandise from teh 70s/80s in relation ti the show. My only comment is that a character like him should be mixed in with a strong wave. One with a couple really big guns. Naked Sam, Blown up Beaker, Bean Bunny and Marvin. Something like that.

 

[Luke]

Originally posted by radionate
I think that maybe part of the reason you don't "get" their humor, is that it is the most specific type of humor I've really seen the Muppets do.

Yeah i fully understand that, i can see all the reasons why they should be made as figures, and i can also see they have their fans who are more into that kind of humor ...... obviously being British doesn't help me on that score. As i said, they are kinda 'love em or hate em', either you get it or you don't - for every person i've ever talked to who's liked the characters i can count another person who's really disliked them - i've rarely encountered a middle ground like you might with the other Muppets.

It's a bit of a gamble really .... i can't see people just having one of them in a collection, so it makes sense in that respect to have the two sitting together on the shelves. At the same time i can see a lot of people buying neither of them which would affect sales. Maybe the solution is to have a limited articulation Sal as Johnny's pack-in or if that really is no go, then have them single packed in alternate waves so the picture of Sal is on the back of Johnny's blister card as coming up next. I agree with Jamie pretty much that Marvin needs to be in with stronger characters.