Fun-4-All may produce Sesame Street Action Figures

[Luke]

Licenses last for a few years usually, and in any case Sesame Workshop rejected Palisades bid when they tried to scoop it up before.

 

[The Count]

Yeah I know, but a guy can dream can't he? Besides, could the second chance be the charm? Well, we'll wait and see what happens, cause there's nothing else to do for right now.

 

[Gonzo]

Sesame Workshop rejected Palisades bid when they tried to scoop it up before.

Maybe they'd accept it now...seeing that the company they went with can't put out a single freaking toy...

And because I keep sending them threatening letters with scraps of fur and foam and fingernails in them...

 

[Luke]

Yeah maybe they would. I think Sesame were more after the big bucks and stocking the figures in kids stores though. Palisades are all about adult collectibles and high quality so there is a conflict but by taking on things like Fairly Odd Parents they do seem to be making a transition of sorts.

I wonder if Palisades would still want Sesame Street? We know they did before but the Muppets sales have been erratic. Maybe they'd take the chance because Sesame has a stronger kiddy profile but then again they are seeming to specialise in 2D cartoon licenses now.

 

[mikealan]

So, will SS Action Figures Series 1 be sold in fourth quarter of 2004? And, will Fun-4-All create more Sesame Street action-figures like Elmo? I think two series is just enough as I heard from the news.

Oh, I heard Series 1 may be bumped into fourth quarter of 2004 or it would be on sale in third quarter of 2004...I'm not sure...

 

[LadyVader]

Didn't Know

I think Fun-4-All didn't know what they were in for they really didn't exept all the fans I think they thought it be a nice easy line for kids and then Wam they got hit with all the Palisades fans who wanted all detail and articulation also all the accessories like the muppet line. Witch I don't think Fun-4-All was experting to beheld up to Palisades and compaired. I do think that Fun-4-All should make the Sesame Street Action figures for the Fans with all the detail and articulation also all the accessories we have wated 35 years for them. The kids have plenty of Sesame Street Stuff there tons of the stuff for them but what do we have. It makes me so I want my snuffy!!!
with a trunk that moves and leges that move and a eyes that can open and close.

 

[Luke]

The thing is there's more money in doing it for the kids, that seems to be what SW wanted and what F4All wanted. They saw Palisades had got a corner of the market where they had built up a nice following of nostalgic adults buying Muppet toys and seemed to think they could try and do that as well to bump up the income in addition to the kiddie sales but then realised that Palisades weren't just simply putting out a toy but had upped the quality and the method the figures were released to cater specifically for the adults. F4All see the kids as the main market so they don't want to change what they are doing that drastically, and don't really want to put the money into the figures or have the know how to do it Palisades way which they had foolishly promised.

I think with action figures you can either do kids toys, or collectable figures for adults. In the few licenses where adults have bought figures from kids licenses it has usually been that the manufacturer has made and targetted them for the kid market but the adults have bought into them regardless (Spiderman, He-Man, Transformers Armada). I don't think Fun4All should have ever made the move to try and emulate Palisades. Sesame is a license geared at much younger kids anyway, they should have just made them soley for little kids and seen it as a bonus if adults picked up on it, not gone after them in addition. That's how Muppet merchandise was sold for 25 years. Trying for the best of both worlds doesnt work - you've only gotta look at how Palisades have bombed with the kiddie market and the main kid focused bricks and mortar stores like TRU to see that. The difference is that Palisades tested the waters, saw kids were not that interested in Muppets anyway and pretty much knew that their niche would be the adult collectables market and stuck to it. Maybe the sales aren't as fantastic as they could be but it is a steady consumer base, if they had dumbed down for the kids and tried to attract the adults too (like F4All were trying to do) i think they would have been in the same situation as Fun4All right now where the product has to be kid friendly but then having to try to appease the adults needs (meaning the price has to rise due to the quality which in turn starts to price themselves out of the kid market) and basically ending up alienating both groups of consumers and getting in a right mess.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

And because I keep sending them threatening letters with scraps of fur and foam and fingernails in them...

That's funn-ee!!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I don't think Fun4All should have ever made the move to try and emulate Palisades.

By their own posting in the first post in this thread:

I would like to announce that Fun-4-All corp., will be producing a Sesame Street Action Figure line (due out March 2004)!!! They are going to be a little more stylized than Palisades' Muppets line, but they will have the same level of detail, articulation, and quality. Next year is the 35th anniversary of Sesame Street, so this line is coming out at the perfect time! We have plans to do all of the coolest characters down the line.... So please let me know who all of your favorite characters are! I definitely would appreciate all the comments and feedback I can get. I really want to make this toy line a success, and being a fellow collector, I think I can give you guys what you want.

They made a promise that it would ahve the same level of detail, articulation, and quality, but also said it'd be more stylized than Palisades' Muppets. They're sticking to that with their design, but I think they could have done better. Although, last time I looked at the figures, they looked okay. I mean, they are purchaseable, but I'd much rather they stuck with likenesses of the puppets rather than cartoons. I mean, how far can they really go with cartoons of the puppets before they run out? And THEN will they begin doing puppet likenesses? They just messed up in my opinion. I still belive that they didn't have to dumb it down for kids, kept the actual likenesses of the puppets (which the kids recognize anyways) and all things in the world would have been great.

 

[LadyVader]

I really do not agree with that. first there are already Sesame Street Action Figures that the kids have them and there dumed down for kids. But Its been 35 YEARSand about a 35 tons of Sesame Street toys. There been nothing for the adult fans and I think it's time there was. I AM SICK OF KIDS GETING ALL THESE TOYS AND WE GET NOTHING. I want to see a slew of accessories 14 point articulation of more and don't worrie about the price tag because if the quality is there people will buy its that simple.