My Adventures with Master Replicas’ Gonzo Poser
(picture link at the end of this post)
It would be an understatement to cite my intense interest in this product. The depiction of my favorite Muppet on store shelves has always been important to me. To be honest, I had given up on ever seeing an even passable Gonzo reproduction until Palisades Toys welcomed my presumptuous and highly opinionated little frogboy fingerprints on their figure after the luke-warm reception of the series two version. Ken and company perfected Gonzo in series five, exclusive versions and beyond to the point where Mega Gonzo actually appears on the licensor style sheet for the character. Sideshow released a fantastic replica of the colorful weirdo as well. Later Disney parks appeared to have knocked off the figure design (that they own anyway) for their own Muppet knickknacks and for the first time Gonzo’s purplish hues are permitted to appear on his beak in licensed product! Okay, so sometimes it’s too purple, but you will never hear me complain about that now that the Baby Gonzo sky blue color is absent on classic Gonzo merchandise.
All was right with the world and then we see…Terry Angus’ masterpiece poser prototype build to MR. It was the Gonzo that set the bar of the products at - actually being Gonzo! Everybody's jaw was on the floor (mine had dropped through it). I understand how a handcrafted design has to be simplified for mass production, but many fans found the nose netting unnecessary. I’ve had my fill of talk on the subject and those thoughts are known. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the product and (after a few easy custom touches) it is my favorite Muppet item ever made. I thought everyone should feel that way and many do. So why the sluggish sales?
This could be the edition number of 2500 or the justifiably high SRP for the item even when discounted. After hearing the cancellation of Fozzie’s poser I set out to see for myself. I placed my Gonzo poser all around Action Figure Freddy – a client’s toy store where I just started working a few days a week. My feeling is that once people saw him in the store that they would fall in love with this fellow and pay him much attention.
There was some interest during his two day appearance, but only one real interested buyer. Some customers literally looked through him as if he weren’t there. I don’t get it, but those are the facts. I finally placed him in the window where he got a lot more attention, but still no real-world interest or price inquiries.
It is my conclusion that people do know this character well. They know his name, they do not mistake him for Grover, they like him and remember his fetish for poultry. There’s just no current project to support enough sales interest for anything but the frog. That is changing, but I do not know if MR will care by the time that happens. I wouldn’t fault them for that. They did what no other company has done. They have given us “real” Muppets. Well, as much as Disney can allow. I hope to see a Fozzie down the line, but I won’t hold my breath.
Them’s the facts from this aggressive Gonzo fan.
Enjoy the pictures.
(PS, the last picture is flipped, but it doesn't really matter)