Diamond Select Toys to Produce new Muppet figures and mini mates!

[antonydavanzo]

If I were a betting man I'd say the upgrade is the piano!

Or an extra Muppet..
Just kidding though wishful thinking.

 

[muppetperson]

Upgrade? Hm maybe the wait will be warranted

Maybe they will become Cyber-Muppets!! (Dr Who fans will get this).

 

[floydnjanicefan]

If I were a betting man I'd say the upgrade is the piano!

I believe the piano was already planned, but who knows!

 

[muppetperson]

I believe the piano was already planned, but who knows!

No it wasn't. They previewed series 3/Rowlf at Toy Fair without the piano and also said how they would be packed with who and what, and the piano was not listed either.

 

[floydnjanicefan]

No it wasn't. They previewed series 3/Rowlf at Toy Fair without the piano and also said how they would be packed with who and what, and the piano was not listed either.

The piano is right next to Rowlf in the Toy Fair 2017 pictures: http://news.toyark.com/2017/02/19/toy-fair-2017-diamond-select-toys-nbx-muppets-243324

 

[antonydavanzo]

If DS thought it was worth pumping cash into this line and getting it out there then these items would not be so delayed.They would have had them out by now. If we get S3 then I doubt S4 will come.

 

[floydnjanicefan]

Palisades also had some huge delays between waves. I believe the gap between Palisades waves one and two was about six months (with the date being pushed back again and again), so this really doesn't feel all that strange to me. I am sure we will get series 3 of Diamond, and I am hopeful for 4.

 

[muppetperson]

The piano is right next to Rowlf in the Toy Fair 2017 pictures: http://news.toyark.com/2017/02/19/toy-fair-2017-diamond-select-toys-nbx-muppets-243324

Yes, they are displaying the revision since they displayed them from 2016 Toy Fair with no piano. http://pop-critica.com/sdcc-2016-di...ets-select-marvel-select-minimates-vinimates/

 

[floydnjanicefan]

Got it. I just thought not all accessories were ready at that time since they were in the early stages, but maybe the ones they added for 2017 were the additions, including the piano.

 

[jvcarroll]

It's reckless for fans with no real knowledge on the situation to post uninformed musings as fact on the matter, people.


I swear, the amount of pessimism and thoughtlessness in nearly every area of MC these days has me about gone from this place. Geez!


I had the distinct privilege of working closely with Ken on the Palisades line and have continued legit product design work on other action figure lines and branded products since. Here is my informed opinion on the likelihood of what's happening and what's going to happen next.


Both Series' Three and Four are due to be released. They both have active preorders and my work in the legit industry of action figures informs me that a DST-quality company would not have Series Four up if Series Three wasn't active. Postponements are annoying, but they happen. Heck, the whole Palisades line was bumped a year later than planned and there were huge gaps between series sometimes.


Here are some possible reasons for such delays:

• Factory defects requiring correction.
• The slow boat from China.
• Adding some extra awesomeness.
• Packaging issues.
• Political issues at the factory.

The fate of Series Five, however, is the real mystery. While they've said there are ideas rolling around, DST has publicly stated that the determination will be made based on Series three and Four sales. That means this fall. It takes at least nine months to create, refine and release an action figure. Seeing that Series Four is due out in third-quarter 2017, they'd need to pull the trigger around that time in order to release a Series Five by second quarter 2018. That's not a far-fetched possibility, but right now - not even DST likely knows the answer to that - and preaching doom to fans is not only libelous, but counter-productive if any of you want to see Pepe or Walter sometime down the line.


While Series One had a few manufacturing defects (i.e. Kermit's eyes), I really like the DST line and what they've been trying to do. This stuff is not easy to do. It's a huge undertaking and the Muppets are still considered relatively niche in the toy market. Excitement about toys doesn't always translate into actual sales.


As for the Minimates, they already produced all of the important characters. Sure, Sweetums, Lew and Veterinarian's Hospital mates would be awesome, but would not likely reap an awesome enough profit. That's what eventually happens to almost every toy line after a few waves. Popularity and interest wanes. I think that sucks, but that's how it is. This doesn't mean the mates weren't successful. It merely means that everything has an ending point.


I think Hot Toys Muppets would be kick-butt too! But you know why that's not likely to happen? Because of all the fan whining and doomsday speculation of a niche product for an already niche license. Buzz does have an impact on decision-making. Previous sales do too!


I miss the DST PR rep coming around here too. The truth is that there tends to be a huge gap between the manufacturing of these units in China and when they reach warehouses in America. That's not rare at all, people! So the reason that he hasn't been here is probably because he has no new info to report yet - and who would willingly even want to enter this pessimistic thread anymore unless they absolutely had to? TRUTH!


My advice here: Cool your jets, people. Nobody's landed. The only thing jeopardizing this line is the reckless talk about it. Even so, Series Three and Four seem like a done deal. Could things be going better? Probably! But there's so much love for these - and if you ever want a Pepe, I'd try to keep spirits high.