eFX Collectibles to produce Muppet Replicas

[MWoO]

If I need a payment plan to buy a muppet replica then I am not buying a muppet replica.

For Rizzo, I think anything over 300 would be too much. Look at how long it took Kermit to sell out and he was under 300. And that's KERMIT!

If they can make Rizzo look like the prototype they may be able to get away with a higher price tag, but we've seen perfect prototypes before.

 

[Luke]

Looking at the Rizzo proto i think anything under 400 is wishful thinking, but i would hope not over 500. I can see Fozzie at around 800-999 but i do agree that anything in that price range is not good territory for a Muppet product, perhaps the edition size would be 500 or something to give it any hope of selling well. I think a 6 month payment plan at least would be needed for these, maybe even let people start paying towards a Fozzie now while Rizzo is released.

It does all come to whats been said about proto vs actual product. For this to be released at any of these kind of prices it needs to be way more authentic than the Master Replicas stuff was.

 

[hoopless]

The price raise is ridiculus. It's hard enough to afford the things we need for everyday life. Now they want to raise the price(s) on one of our (collecting) hobies. In SOme nice ways we should kindly and approperiatly protest against this.

there hasn't been a price announced yet, and i don't think any kind of protest is a practical idea. eFX obviously know that if they get too expensive people won't buy them anyway so i'm sure they're gonna do their utmost to keep the costs down.

just have to wait and see what the quote is when we get one. price plans sound like a good idea though.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

I also just wanted to make it clear that what I posted above about the price is 100% speculation on my part. eFX has not announced ANY prices yet, nor do I have any other information than what we all have read here.

I based my guess on a number of factors, including what other full-sized replicas have been sold for in the past (like Star Wars or Star Trek or similar franchises.) For instance, the large scale Enterprise that MR made sold for between $1200 and $1500 dollars. Then there are those statues of Yoda and Darth Vader that go for even more money (I'm not sure who made those.) I think the Darth Vader was something like $5,000 or $6,000.

Anyway, I don't want anyone to panic here. I'm just guessing.

 

[frogboy4]

I also just wanted to make it clear that what I posted above about the price is 100% speculation on my part. eFX has not announced ANY prices yet, nor do I have any other information than what we all have read here.

I based my guess on a number of factors, including what other full-sized replicas have been sold for in the past (like Star Wars or Star Trek or similar franchises.) For instance, the large scale Enterprise that MR made sold for between $1200 and $1500 dollars. Then there are those statues of Yoda and Darth Vader that go for even more money (I'm not sure who made those.) I think the Darth Vader was something like $5,000 or $6,000.

Anyway, I don't want anyone to panic here. I'm just guessing.

No problem. I'm working in a collectible toy shop as I'm typing this. I have first hand knowledge that Star Trek and Star Wars fans are far different than Muppet fans. Sci-fi fans are more willing to spend top dollar on something that a Muppet fan typically wouldn't. There are so many crummy yet expensive Star Wars things I've sold while the beautiful Palisades SwineTrek with First Mate Piggy just sat there - and it was bargain priced at $20 at one point!

Pricing is going to be tricky. MR Kermit lingered on the market for a year even at a fantastic price.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

Pricing is going to be tricky. MR Kermit lingered on the market for a year even at a fantastic price.

That's true, but I believe that was because of marketing... or lack thereof. The year the Fozzie prototype was at Comic-Con, which was maybe 2 years after Kermit came out, I took a friend of mine by the booth and he was blown away. He bought Kermit immediately. But had I not physically taken him there, he never would have known that it existed.

And we all know and have griped about the poor pictures of the products. Here's hoping that eFX will do a better job of marketing.

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

MR were looking at having a box for Fozzie that looked like one of the wooden crates that fell into the lake in "The Great Muppet Caper".

that wouldve been awesome and if we don't get i may have to make my own.....sucks about the price

 

[hoopless]

That's true, but I believe that was because of marketing... or lack thereof. The year the Fozzie prototype was at Comic-Con, which was maybe 2 years after Kermit came out, I took a friend of mine by the booth and he was blown away. He bought Kermit immediately. But had I not physically taken him there, he never would have known that it existed.

And we all know and have griped about the poor pictures of the products. Here's hoping that eFX will do a better job of marketing.

I too didn't know about the posers until i saw them by chance in a shop window in london about a month before pictures of fozzie showed up. they're part of what got me on this forum, but that's beside the point. the marketing was clearly off in the beginning and couldn't have helped, but also there were 150% more kermits made than the proposed maximum number of rizzos. that may have played a part too. just like it did with gonzo and animal.

 

[frogboy4]

The marketing strategy for Palisades' Muppet figures and MR's Muppet posers was really heavy in ToyFare mags, but fans of Muppet figures and posers aren't necessarily regular readers of those usual collector trades.

It is my belief that Disney could help remedy this in many ways by including ads in the Muppet (and Pixar) comics along with displays in Disney Stores and Theme Park gift shops. Key retailers could be lent or provided with a display posers so that customers could special order the item through their store. Any displays in shops that can excite customers and bring in traffic are welcome in this economy. Few shops would turn down a display Rizzo with option to purchase it.

I’m not a marketing expert, but I do work in both freelance design and actual in-store toy sales on a regular basis. These ideas are rooted in that experience.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

The marketing strategy for Palisades' Muppet figures and MR's Muppet posers was really heavy in ToyFare mags, but fans of Muppet figures and posers aren't necessarily regular readers of those usual collector trades.

It is my belief that Disney could help remedy this in many ways by including ads in the Muppet (and Pixar) comics along with displays in Disney Stores and Theme Park gift shops. Key retailers could be lent or provided with a display posers so that customers could special order the item through their store. Any displays in shops that can excite customers and bring in traffic are welcome in this economy. Few shops would turn down a display Rizzo with option to purchase it.

I’m not a marketing expert, but I do work in both freelance design and actual in-store toy sales on a regular basis. These ideas are rooted in that experience.

I agree they should be marketed in the Disney Stores and Parks. That's an enormously huge number of people that would see them. I would almost think they'd sell out in practically no time if they were there, no matter what the price.