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Gonzo Muppet more than toy
BY JOHN LEPTICH
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
I sit corrected. (This one knocked me off my feet.)
The Diamondbacks must have known something about those Gonzo Muppets dolls they gave away two weeks ago.
To recap: The team handed out 15,000 9-inch plush dolls of Gonzo the Muppet dressed in an Arizona uniform with "Gonzo 20" on his back.
They weren't given just to children - who even slugger Luis Gonzalez (known as Gonzo) said should get them - but instead everyone in attendance had an equal chance to get one via the scratcher cards the D-Backs have used for collectibles the past two years.
Are these collectibles or toys? A check of eBay shows the least any of the dolls that have been sold fetched $19.99. One went for $45.69. Another had a buy-it-now price of $40.95. The average price of those sold is $31.
Child's play?
By using scratcher cards - reserved for bobblehead dolls in 2002 and this season, and two Randy Johnson Hartland figurines this year - the Diamondbacks created a collectible. Give 'em to kids and who would have cared? Give fans the impression that they are collectibles - the Diamondbacks came right out and said they were collectibles - and people buy into it.
Anyone remember the line from an old "Saturday Night Live" spoof commercial: "because you'll buy anything"? Obviously, some collectors do.
But, even the Diamondbacks couldn't have anticipated - or believed - some of the craziness that occurred on Gonzo night.
With a promise of anonymity, one Diamondbacks employee told me: "I was just told that a patron had one stolen within about five minutes of walking in the ballpark. The people that told me said that people were hiding them so that they wouldn't be stolen."
Stolen? A fan who attended the game said people were examining their dolls for rips and tears, checking the tags and clothing. You know, making sure the piece was in mint condition, as in a collectible.
But a kids' doll? Bobbleheads didn't even get this much scrutiny.
What about the children who didn't get one? I've been told stories of several teary-eyed youngsters who didn't understand why the adult next to them got a Gonzo doll and they didn't. Try explaining that to a 4-year-old. It isn't a situation a parent should ever be put in.
Indeed, the Diamondbacks are far more marketing savvy than I am or ever will be.
I wonder how pitcher Jose Valverde would react to having his nickname changed from "Papa Grande" to "Cookie Monster"?
If the Diamondbacks decide there's something left in the bobblehead tank and go for a fourth year (they cut back from five the past two seasons to three this year), they have a perfect chance to give away some Baby Backs in 2004. How about bobbleheads of Brandon Webb, Matt Kata, Robby Hammock, Oscar Villarreal, Lyle Overbay, Alex Cintron, Chad Moeller, Andrew Good or Valverde? They could even make miniature sizes (get it, Baby Backs) that would be even less expensive for a sponsor to pay for.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6890187.htm
BY JOHN LEPTICH
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
I sit corrected. (This one knocked me off my feet.)
The Diamondbacks must have known something about those Gonzo Muppets dolls they gave away two weeks ago.
To recap: The team handed out 15,000 9-inch plush dolls of Gonzo the Muppet dressed in an Arizona uniform with "Gonzo 20" on his back.
They weren't given just to children - who even slugger Luis Gonzalez (known as Gonzo) said should get them - but instead everyone in attendance had an equal chance to get one via the scratcher cards the D-Backs have used for collectibles the past two years.
Are these collectibles or toys? A check of eBay shows the least any of the dolls that have been sold fetched $19.99. One went for $45.69. Another had a buy-it-now price of $40.95. The average price of those sold is $31.
Child's play?
By using scratcher cards - reserved for bobblehead dolls in 2002 and this season, and two Randy Johnson Hartland figurines this year - the Diamondbacks created a collectible. Give 'em to kids and who would have cared? Give fans the impression that they are collectibles - the Diamondbacks came right out and said they were collectibles - and people buy into it.
Anyone remember the line from an old "Saturday Night Live" spoof commercial: "because you'll buy anything"? Obviously, some collectors do.
But, even the Diamondbacks couldn't have anticipated - or believed - some of the craziness that occurred on Gonzo night.
With a promise of anonymity, one Diamondbacks employee told me: "I was just told that a patron had one stolen within about five minutes of walking in the ballpark. The people that told me said that people were hiding them so that they wouldn't be stolen."
Stolen? A fan who attended the game said people were examining their dolls for rips and tears, checking the tags and clothing. You know, making sure the piece was in mint condition, as in a collectible.
But a kids' doll? Bobbleheads didn't even get this much scrutiny.
What about the children who didn't get one? I've been told stories of several teary-eyed youngsters who didn't understand why the adult next to them got a Gonzo doll and they didn't. Try explaining that to a 4-year-old. It isn't a situation a parent should ever be put in.
Indeed, the Diamondbacks are far more marketing savvy than I am or ever will be.
I wonder how pitcher Jose Valverde would react to having his nickname changed from "Papa Grande" to "Cookie Monster"?
If the Diamondbacks decide there's something left in the bobblehead tank and go for a fourth year (they cut back from five the past two seasons to three this year), they have a perfect chance to give away some Baby Backs in 2004. How about bobbleheads of Brandon Webb, Matt Kata, Robby Hammock, Oscar Villarreal, Lyle Overbay, Alex Cintron, Chad Moeller, Andrew Good or Valverde? They could even make miniature sizes (get it, Baby Backs) that would be even less expensive for a sponsor to pay for.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6890187.htm
