Disney Store Muppet Merchandise Released

[beaker]

I have a feeling TRON Legacy underperforming may have had something to do with the lack of Muppet merchandise. Whether or not the movie was a hit, Disney probably didn't want a repeat of TRON just in case.

Like the James Cameron Avatar and Terminator Salvation figures, I expect these once $10 figures of Tron Legacy to begin flooding the dollar stores soon.

 

[Puckrox]

So I got a Gonzo shirt for Xmas that's definitely in a female size. NO clue where my brother got it, but it's some sort of Christmas miracle. I can't believe he found one!

 

[Carl23]

Like the James Cameron Avatar and Terminator Salvation figures, I expect these once $10 figures of Tron Legacy to begin flooding the dollar stores soon.

Oh, I could only wish. I'd love for that to happen (Despite the fact that it means bad things for the franchise) but since they're popping up in Big Lots, I doubt it.
Puckrox, COOL getting the shirt. I got the Plush Gonzo for christmas. He looks great other than nitpicks and his arms being way too short.

 

[Rowlf09]

Who do I have to kill to get a decent Rowlf shirt?

Furthermore: Wo do I have to kill for a descent plush of Rowlf???
But I have to admit, that the new Rizzo looks like the original - really awesome: Received him to Christmas

 

[Drtooth]

I have a feeling TRON Legacy underperforming may have had something to do with the lack of Muppet merchandise. Whether or not the movie was a hit, Disney probably didn't want a repeat of TRON just in case.

Those figures were very poor quality. The Avatar ones, the Terminator ones... they're all just horrid below Happy Meal quality stuff. Tron was a modest meh success if anything, Avatar was huge, Terminator was a complete flop. I'll throw in the Star Trek figures... all over produced, over ordered, overpriced, undersold. All in clearance markets.

But those were all movie specific. There's no reason why Muppet anytime stuff shouldn't be considered because the Tron crap didn't sell. That's 2 distinct different properties. One based on a cult bomb movie, one based on a 50 something year old franchise that includes 7 movies, 3 TV shows, a mess of specials and other great things. Muppet merchandise shouldn't be tied down to one movie... Maybe the Walter dolls (so far).

Still, nice to see that these things became almost impossible to find when Happy Feet and Arthur Christmas stuff at TRU goes untouched.

 

[Carl23]

Exactly my point. Disney (at least in their actions) doesn't seem to realize that The Muppets has a bigger Merchandising market than TRON, and We the fans wouldn't even compare the two, on the other side they are both theatrical films. But then again this is the same corporation that cancelled The Beatles' Yellow Submarine re-release becuase "Mars Needs Moms" flopped.

And honestly, it's a lot better getting a really nice set of Plush then tons and tons of stuff in the mass market that's pretty low quality. The TRON stuff for the most part does fall into this, that's what I was getting to with "Mis-managed", it's a lot to do with Disney asked for a series of Action Figures from a company that really doesn't do "figures" because they wanted Air-Hogs to do Lightcycles. That, and they wanted really small figures to light up, and stores like Target ordered way too much of the first set.

Anyway, it's a lot better for them to do a LITTLE bit of Muppets, completly drop the ball and on top of it struggle to meet demand, then to prepare tons of merch and have it rot in the corner and go from retailer to clearance to discount store and so forth. "Leave them wanting more" as they say.

 

[Carl23]

Still, nice to see that these things became almost impossible to find when Happy Feet and Arthur Christmas stuff at TRU goes untouched.

Sorry for the double post (if they don't merge that is), but this is such a brillaint point. Happy Feet and Arthur stuff has already started to be on clearance and I hardly ever see anyone even LOOKING at them, and EVERY time i've been in the Disney Store at least 2 of the characters are completly out, and several people in the store are looking at the Muppet merch, or talking about the movie. Very good sign.

 

[Drtooth]

Exactly my point. Disney (at least in their actions) doesn't seem to realize that The Muppets has a bigger Merchandising market than TRON, and We the fans wouldn't even compare the two, on the other side they are both theatrical films. But then again this is the same corporation that cancelled The Beatles' Yellow Submarine re-release becuase "Mars Needs Moms" flopped.

Well, I'm not sure there was to be a rerelease, but it definitely stopped Zermeckis from making his remake of the Yellow Submarine. Not so much due to Disney, but because Imagemovers, or whatever they called themselves, completely folded . I thought the Beatles' music and copyright holder was in charge of the movie. THEY should rerelease the film, at the very least on DVD.

I have a problem with the huge focus on movie merchandise of movies based on toy lines based on comic books (you know the rant by now)... but the thing is, Jazzware's Adventure Time line sold so well, I couldn't get the Jake action figure I wanted for Christmas... no one could find it. And that's a TV show. Everywhere else I go, I see DC and Marvel characters sitting there, not half as bad as movie specific Transformers. But then again, the action figure culture has change since last decade. Not every random thing is made into an action figure by some third party company. People would rather by Apps or digital things now... blind box vynals are on their way out.

But yeah... I agree that the under-ordering causing more of a demand is better than over-ordering and never seeing so much as a T-Shirt again. I just hope to see smaller Bean Bag sized plush by the time the movie drops on DVD. Not just so much the price, I don't have room for large Beakers and Gonzos. As it stands, the Pepe I got yesterday, I need to undo my place just to fit him in.

 

[Carl23]

Trust me, I hear you on the size issue, ha. And yes, I was referring to the Zemekis remake. Last i'd heard it was supposed to be a remake/re-animation, and I didn't hear about the company itself folding.

Thanks to the UK site, we know that the current plushes are considered "Medium" (as well as the Swedish Chef plush) and i've seen a few rare 21" Gonzos, and 25" Kermits which I could only assume would be considered "Large". Definently a possibility for smaller ones. I think we can expect some good stuff come March.

 

[Drtooth]

Trust me, I hear you on the size issue, ha. And yes, I was referring to the Zemekis remake. Last i'd heard it was supposed to be a remake/re-animation, and I didn't hear about the company itself folding.

I am nothing but glad we're not getting a re-imagined Yellow Submarine. Even if they got the 2 surviving Beatles to do voice work. There is no way they can improve on that film. It's one of the greatest animated movies of all time. Why soil it with stiff motion capture that's not half as good or fluid as TinTin was. Why soil it by having to do it again, anyway? Passing on it was a work of genius. That would have only ticked people off. We'd get a shirt and a rereleased DVD of it, sure... but at what cost?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageMovers_Digital

Well, the company didn't exactly fold... it's still out there and making a deal with Universal, but Disney dropped them like a hot potato after that one. Unfortunately the prior film, A Christmas Carol did well for some reason. But I blame the release of that in November for Princess and the Frog's lousy December opposite The Chipmunks slot.

Thanks to the UK site, we know that the current plushes are considered "Medium" (as well as the Swedish Chef plush) and i've seen a few rare 21" Gonzos, and 25" Kermits which I could only assume would be considered "Large". Definently a possibility for smaller ones. I think we can expect some good stuff come March.

Yes. There's a large Kermit and a large Animal too. I just hope for bean bags. I wish I could still collect them. I don't even have Dug from up yet. Did get Dr. Doof though. Shame they put him on clearance so fast and that Agent P disappeared quickly.