Fun-4-All may produce Sesame Street Action Figures

[The Count]

OK, here's the wishlist of figures I sent the guy and the questions I asked him. No reply as of yet, so I'm asking it right here. Whosoever can help me out, please drop me a message. Thanks for the help and have a haunted day.

Wishlist
1 The Count von Count.
2 Sherlock Hemlock.
3 Little Bird.
4 Placido Flamingo.
5 Grungetta.
6 Prairie Dawn.
7 The Honkers.
8 Lefty the Salesman.
9 Guy Smiley.
10 Countess Dahling von Dahling.

As I understand it, you'll be sending pictures of the
five figures already in prototype form planned for S1
to those forum members from Muppet Central or
Palisades Toys who send you their wishlists. However,
I'd appreciate it if you could send me text
descriptions of what the figures look like and answer
the following questions to the best of your knowledge
instead. The reason I'm making this request is cause
I'm partially blind and can't see pictures on a
computer screen.

Here are the questions I have, feel free to use
examples/references to the Palisades Toys' Muppets
figure line whenever possible.
1 What texturing will the figures have?
2 What details have been included for each character's
figure?
3 What does the figure, specifically, look like?
Please include skin color, nose color and/or shape,
head shape, distinguishing features, clothing and its
coloring, and any other pertinent details for a
complete description.
4 What articulation points will each figure have?
5 What accessories will each figure have?
6 Will they come with figure bases/stands?
7 Will their packaging resemble that of Palisades
Toys' Muppets figures from Series 1-3 or from S4
onwards?
8 Will their packaging have bio-filecards on the back
similar to the ones for Palisades Toys' Muppets
figures?

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I didn't think they looked so bad, however I absolutely will NOT buy anything anymore if the true integrity of the character is not captured in the piece. I've passed up many Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters, Peanuts, and Muppets items because I didn't feel the items captured the true essence of what those characters are.

I've done the same, and probably many of us here have--most of us probably aren't made of money. Still, I'm really excited to have 3-D likenesses of less traditionally-marketable characters like Guy Smiley and the Two Headed Monster. I hope I like the final product, but mostly I'm just happy to see the Sesame Street characters treated as a property that has a broader appeal than pre-schoolers. Of course they need to be suitable for a younger age as well, and there would be something wrong with an Ernie toy that a three-year old couldn't have safe fun with, but I'm glad to see this company reaching out to the older fans as well.

 

[jtatooine]

Of course they need to be suitable for a younger age as well, and there would be something wrong with an Ernie toy that a three-year old couldn't have safe fun with, but I'm glad to see this company reaching out to the older fans as well.

I don't think they need to worry as much as they do about really young kids. I don't think really young kids(under 3) even play with action figures. Aren't they already past that stage and moved on to computer games? Kidding.

Whoever it is mentioned these were based on the "retro" artwork and that they would be sold in shops like Hot Topic and more and as far as I know, there aren't any 3 year olds buying their toys in there. The core market is going to be guys in their 20's so why not gear them more to that?

 

[Drtooth]

AHMEN!! I mean, sure concerns like "Ernie's Feet are slightly bigger than they should be" that I think is valid and is a suggestion. Saying these are out and out "Junk" is just... I don't know, and I don't want to go into it.

We don't have any pictures of the final final with texture, details, finalized articulation, and the rest. I think we should keep it to suggestions and concerns like changing the sculpts and waiting for the "These are junk" comments till the end. That is what has got me up and mad. I bring to mind other lines from other companies that are far worse, and people just want to spit all over it...

I hope this guy is still with us. Here are the comments I have worked on in compromising what you guys want.

Firstly, is there some way to make a marage between stylization and Puppetry?

Bert) okay...I guess you could make the pointing finger work. Maybe it's his perch for Bernice. We can't tell yet. Is there any way to get a ball and socket joint for the arms without losing the preschool audience? And is these some way to tone down the Flirty expression he has, within the regions of the style guide?

Ernie) His feet need to be a little smaller, and so does his stomache. I see a lot of potential for him and Bert to have great fabric texture in the sweaters, especially the cuffs and collars.

Cookie) Firstly, his stomach needs to be a bit longer, and less buldgey. Secondly, his eyes need to be a bit smaller. His color needs to be darker, but that could be fixed with the layered painting. And once agian, how about more cookies and some letter of the day stickers to go with them? I think he should have a semi-satin like finish to make his fur seem to have a little sheen without making it too shiny.

Oscar) I bet a lot of us would like to see Oscar removable from his can. Is that possible at all. If not, could he be out more of the way so he can have articulated arms? Is it possible for him to ome with things like rotten shoes?

Grover) Is his super hat, super cape, and super embelum removable? A lot of fans would think this makes the character into 2 toys in one.

Upcoming figure questions:

Guy Smiley) WIll his hair be tossled or neatly parted. I've seen the Puppet have both. Is there any way he can come with the letter E, with a removable cloak and crown?

Biff) Will he come with the letter J, as one of his signature songs is "My J?" Will he have tools?

Sully) Again, tools?

Count vonCount) Making sure we don't follow in the footsteps of tyco's die cast cars, will he have a goatee and a monacle? Will the moical be painted on, or will it be attatched to the figure securely so it doesn't break off? And it would be great to see him come with a Number in Liu of a letter (or mayhaps both) and Sasha, Misha, and Grishia, his pet bats?

Big Bird) Amoung other things, will he have the white feathery puff just above the middle of his eyes, like the Puppet? This will make it stand out from all the Big Bird Sculpts over the years. And Please don't shorten his beak as the Pez company did.

 

[frogboy4]

Lets face it, these aren't terrible. They are C-grade, run of the mill figures. I'm not that impressed, but I'm not shocked at the quality either. I am disappointed that the licensor came over for a dialogue and disappeared when members asked questions and made suggestions. I hope he returns to answer them.

 

[jtatooine]

I still haven't decided that these are "junk". They're better than that. I am simply saying there is a lot of junk out there with characters that I like on them and I wont buy it.

For example:The Christmas Story figures. The mom looks more like my mom than the actress. I wont buy them. I may get them for christmas because it's one of my favorite movies and I've been waiting forever for stuff to come out. But I think we are already saturated with bad products from this movie... and the stuff just started coming out. Look at the 3 pack from Pre-Toy Fair, it comes with an "Exclusive" christmas tree. Now thats junk.

As for the SS figures. I really hope they turn out much better than the prototypes. I know sometimes things change. But right now they look like they'll be sitting next to those corny Jesus and Moses figures. Thats kind of what I've been picturing. Novelty items... not quality action figures. We'll see what happens...

 

[Drtooth]

If everyone's gonna call them C grade figures, no wonder the guy left.

All we have to go on are first test shots on the internet of these figures. They may be lame, they may rock, who cares. They're making a line that isn't 3 standard characters (Big Bird, Elmo, and Ernie) and we have great characters like Guy and 2head on the way. I mean, even if they are PVC's with articulation, they are still better than the summer blockbuster garbage that gluts up most of Target and TRU. Even if they were 20 bucks a pop, I'd rather buy one than a Hulk for 99 cents. I mean, it is a far cry from Palisades quality so far of course, I'll compromise on that, but it's still way better than the real glorified Happy Meal toys like the Simpsons line, the Peanuts line, and especially the Incredable Hulk garbage.

I mean, sure if Applause still made PVC's I'd rather get those. But they haven't made them since the early 90's and even then, we had no obscure characters like Guy and 2Head (to my knowledge. They are probably obscure.)

I mean, if you want only ultra high Quality stuff like Palisades figures, go right ahead. But if you turn around and buy Muppet Lolipops and tissue boxes... you really need to rethink stuff...

 

[MuppetQuilter]

I think this line has a great deal of potential. We've seen fairly small pictures of some very early prototypes, so it's too early for me to judge the likenesses or where they are going with the sort of retro look. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and see where they go with the figures. But I've wanted Sesame figures for a long time.

I don't feel used. Again, they're just starting out with this line. They may take a lot of our ideas into account when doing revisions and planning future lines. I do think there is a danger with manufacturers and retailers using the forum-- they could dangle the idea of having a voice in Muppet product in front of us when all they intend to do is use the forum for free advertising, but I don't see evidence of that in this case at this point. I don't think it is reasonable to expect personal responses to every question or idea-- Ken and the good folks at Palisades aren't able to do that either.

Now, about the figures, I want to see:

Fat Blue
Regular Grover
Snuffy
Zoe
Prarie Dawn
Roosevelt Franklin (if Sesame Workshop will allow him)
Gladys the Cow
Sherlock Hemlock

If any of the humans make it into the line I'd start with Mr. Hooper and if playsets come along I'd want Mr. Hooper's store first (followed by Big Bird's nest, Ernie and Berts' apartment, and the steps of 123).

I love the idea of the including letter figures with eyes! When they run out of letters they can start in on numbers (0-10 gives us 11 more figures)....

 

[Drtooth]

I think this line has a great deal of potential. We've seen fairly small pictures of some very early prototypes, so it's too early for me to judge the likenesses or where they are going with the sort of retro look. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and see where they go with the figures. But I've wanted Sesame figures for a long time.

That's all I'm asking. Give them the beinfit of the Doubt. We've only seen beginning prototypes of like 5 characters. We cannot judge what the entire line will look like based on the begining.

But the Palisades comments are harsh and one sided. They all want the exact same stuff Palisades makes from a different company. Hey. While they are at it let's do something that really needs to be fixed. Like the Looney Tunes BIA line. Let's boy cot them and use them for chew toys, not this line.

I mean, really. It's Sesame Street, not torchered souls. Of course the Sulpts are going to be child oriented. No one takes this into account. They just crap all over it without seeing a more realistic side.

Yes Palisades shopuld have got the line, but they didn't We have to suck it up and wait for these to be finished before we make a final judgement. That's all I ask.

 

[frogboy4]

If everyone's gonna call them C grade figures, no wonder the guy left.

All we have to go on are first test shots on the internet of these figures. They may be lame, they may rock, who cares. They're making a line that isn't 3 standard characters (Big Bird, Elmo, and Ernie) and we have great characters like Guy and 2head on the way. I mean, even if they are PVC's with articulation, they are still better than the summer blockbuster garbage that gluts up most of Target and TRU. Even if they were 20 bucks a pop, I'd rather buy one than a Hulk for 99 cents. I mean, it is a far cry from Palisades quality so far of course, I'll compromise on that, but it's still way better than the real glorified Happy Meal toys like the Simpsons line, the Peanuts line, and especially the Incredable Hulk garbage.

I mean, sure if Applause still made PVC's I'd rather get those. But they haven't made them since the early 90's and even then, we had no obscure characters like Guy and 2Head (to my knowledge. They are probably obscure.)

I mean, if you want only ultra high Quality stuff like Palisades figures, go right ahead. But if you turn around and buy Muppet Lolipops and tissue boxes... you really need to rethink stuff...

We’re not supposed to he honest? Ken was grilled a lot more when he first entered MC. Lets face it; these are middle of the road representations. They are not remarkable in any way. Cute, but nothing new. They began the Palisades comparison - trying to get mileage out of the accomplishments of someone else. Their ethics and business practices are questionable to say the least.

I want to like these, but the truth is I don't. I'm not going to pander to a guy just because he's a licensor. There's nothing wrong with honesty. I've given low scores to Muppet films before, why not SS figures? Opinions are fine around here, but attacks on opinions are not. Neither is it okay for a member to dictate what we can post as long as we are following the guidelines written my the Muppet Central moderators. If you want to praise the guy simply because he's making these, that's your prerogative. I've learned that many Muppet/SS fans have high standards. There's nothing wrong with calling it as you see it.

It would be nice for licensors to respect the forum enough to answer questions and comments, good or bad, rather than just plugging their product and leaving. You can't just be approachable when people are giving you praise. We were asked for our thoughts. Let's hear some feedback on them.

You can't really compare tissue boxes to action figures. It makes no sense. I have yet to see tissue boxes with stellar art - Muppets or otherwise. Those were the coolest tissue boxes I've ever seen and I passed on them. They are what they are. Nothing more, nothing less. The lollipops and tins were an interesting idea that I agree - didn't work. I passed on those too. I'm not thrilled by the Vet’s Hospital beans. I will get them for Camilla, but will mark my comments as them being C-grade beans. I'm happy they're out, but wish they were better.

There's nothing wrong with honesty. Forums are about mutual communication. It's a shame that criticism could have run off this guy, but we shouldn't feel the need to pander to anyone. *Opinions are welcome here.* I hope he comes back and addresses our issues. I also hope they rethink their stragegy for these. Early protos or not, I don't like the direction they are going. It appears to me that many people want to see these skew toward puppet accuracy rather than kid-toon style.