New Changes in Muppet Show figures line

[Phillip]

Raech had posted this in the "Ask Ken" discussion, but I wanted to also put it here so that it wasn't missed since it's some pretty big news and changes to the Muppet Show figures line.

Beaker/Muppet Labs
As you know Beaker is way messed up. Lab Playset still coming out, but shipping a bit later than expected. Probably gonna leave Hong Kong in mid to late May. That puts it on shelf about 3 weeks behind the figs. You should see this piece of...um, no objectionable words. I might show pics one day when the real one is finished. I got some test shots! I got some test shots! Bwuhahahahahahahahahahaha! If only it wouldn't be a huge breach of etiquette to sell those bad boys on e-bay! I'd be RICH!!!!! LOL.

Patrol Bear
Out of Series 2. Been much concern about the exclusives. Board posts indicate fear and nervousness about getting them. We were discussing it over IM a few days ago and decided that we are gonna pull back on the choice exclusives. We will still do some repaints with minor sculpt change, like the Piggy, but don't feel real comfortable with the possibility that someone out there, in UK or anywhere else, might get scalped on a premo figure like Patrol Bear. So the major re-sculpted exclusives are gonna be put to rest for a while. Ain't saying they aren't coming back for sure, but we think we should hold and see where stuff goes. Patrol Bear will be moved into the regular assortment of a series, possibly series 5. This also means that all aforementioned big time sculptural exclusives are going bye bye for now. They will get re-integrated as the series continues.

I don't consider that bad news. Some might. If you really were gnashing your teeth to get your hands on it you might be steamed. If you were worried about gettin one, you can now vacuum up those hairs you were pulling out.

Schedule
Some unforeseen events have caused the Muppets 3 series to move on the schedule. That affects the entire year. That means Muppets 2 has to be bumped a month out and so does 4 so that they don't crowd each other. So 4 will now ship in August and 3 will ship in late October and 4 in late Dec/early Jan. Now to me this is the bad news. I wanted those figs on my shelf before the end of the year. But it does have an upside...series will last longer and allow for more cool stuff.

THE BEST NEWS OF ALL
Electric Mayhem stage. It is sculpted. OHMYGAWDOHMYGAWD. It was so cool to walk into the office this morning (not my office, the factory office) and see it in 3-dimensions. I had only done technical specs on it and had yet to see any real 3-D stuff. I was floored. Of course then I felt sick when I started to realize what it will do to my budget. It is WAY more complicated than even I was expecting. I can't wait for you to see it. If we get approval on the sculpt I might try to show it on the Daily Bit next week. That's a big IF though...so no promises.

Oh so, that is what I was getting at about Harry. I didn't even realize I had dropped that hint until I read people's posts. Now since the schedule slid Harry is coming out in September. And the funny thing is that we had bumped him to Series 2 because we were hoping to avoid that! Weird how things work out. I just hope people understand that this is a character, a puppet, and nothing more. People reacted so harshly to Marvin Nash (our ResDogs guy) that much of the product got pulled from shelves and destroyed. Tragic. He was just a character too. No one was saying it was cool to beat up a cop. But the climate created a sort of hazy frenzy from which there really was no escape. Oh well.

That's the news from Hong Kong, where all the women are small, all the men are good at looking, and all the children will one day grow up to dominate the global economy.

Later,
Ken

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Figure Changes--

HIYA!

I think I missed it somewhere: What the heck happened to the Beaker?

FOZ

Speaking of "figure changes," I need to go on a diet!

 

[Raech]

The machine that makes the figures smooshed the test shot (I think that is what it is called). Anyway the one they make the figures from got muched.

A new one had to be made very quickly. His mouth with be in a partially open state. Instead of the opening closing mouth in the last one. It is going to be a week late now (shipping 3 weeks after the figures - instead of 2). They could not put it off longer to get a moving mouth version again, cos stores could cancel their orders.

There are no pictures of the new Beaker yet, but stay posted to the Ask Ken from Palisades thread.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

Re: Beaker

Maybe if they did a Beaker repaint in his white lab coat they could get the time to do an opening closing mouth.

Too bad about the original. He was perfect.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[Raech]

Yea I agree. BTW Ken had emailed me, he had the idea to do a Blown up Beaker (long b4 it was suggested on the old board). He wanted it to have the following accessories: a lampshade for over his head, a mini (PVC) Beaker (for when he is shrunk), and a flattened Beaker packaged in. The Blown up Beaker itself should have a moving mouth. No clue when it would be released, but it would be a regular carded figure.

 

[beaker]

>>>a mini (PVC) Beaker (for when he is shrunk)<<<

OMG! I would *love* a pvc beaker!!!

///beaker///