Preliminary Thoughts on Master Replica's Fozzie Bear

[ElecMayhem]

I feel betrayed after we were told that Gonzo had gone back to the drawing board and that Amy told us that his nose was still being tweeked, yet we still have the sock nose!

Hey Eric- First of all, I think to say that you were "betrayed" is a bit extreme, regardless of the outcome of the situation.

The truth of the matter is that we did go back to the drawing board, as I mentioned in my previous post. We tried a number of different options, and delayed the product for months -- in turn, delaying our cash flow and the ability to recoup the money invested in this very expensive product -- trying to get a more accurate nose. Ultimately, two factors contributed to the appearance of the final product -- (1) we reached a point where we HAD to move forward or kill the project, and (2) this is the direction that Disney signed off on.

All I can say (again) is that I love the product. Is it 100% accurate? No. Is it the best Gonzo ever produced -- and most likely, that ever will be produced. Yes. I will try to get better pictures this week or next, but the only thing that I can say -- man I feel like Ken -- is that you vote with your wallet. So you can either buy him, or not. And that's that. And if you DON'T like him, I don't begrudge you that. It's okay to not be pleased with the final product. But please don't infer that we misled or lied to anyone. We did everything humanly possible to get the nose 100% accurate, but it simply was not possible. Not when we're producing these en mass, and not for the price.

My only suggestion would be that if you want one with a foam nose that exactly mirrors the real Gonzo, you can either (a) commision one from a puppet builder (for probably somewhere between 8-9 x the price), or (b) have someone build you a nose for the MR one. (This, by the way, I do not advocate, as you void your MR warranty...)

I hope this reply does not come off as snippy... I just don't think it's fair to say that we betrayed anyone. Strong word, and we've been honest throughout the process.

 

[Luke]

My only suggestion would be that if you want one with a foam nose that exactly mirrors the real Gonzo, you can either (a) commision one from a puppet builder (for probably somewhere between 8-9 x the price), or (b) have someone build you a nose for the MR one. (This, by the way, I do not advocate, as you void your MR warranty...)

I can agree there, an exact made to order Gonzo would be about $5,000 from a puppet builder so it is really a testament to what you are achieving for just a few hundred bucks. I would say though that seeing as you near enough managed for $300/$400 to nail Kermit, Animal and its looking like Fozzie too - it's kinda understandable that customers will be dissapointed. It's not just the nose build either, there are things that could have been changed like the suit color, eye position, the color painted on the nose that would have made him a lot more accurate. Obviously not everythings possible but i hope now you have the controls again these will be as close to 100% humanly accurate as possible. They deserve it, its such a cool product.

 

[frogboy4]

I couldn't fathom any company tackling such a task in the first place. Until Palisades, Gonzos always looked crummy. Ken pushed for a lot of changes with Henson to make for a new standard! It was not easy.

 

[muppetperson]

muppet fleece would of been better than the material ladder nose.Travis, no hard feelings.I said I Felt betrayed, not were betrayed, but looking back, they were strong words.just the dissapointment I expect of not hearing anymore since we were told he was getting re done, and then later hearing he is the sock nose again,which I wasnt expecting to hear.Sorry.

 

[ElecMayhem]

muppet fleece would of been better than the material ladder nose.Travis, no hard feelings.I said I Felt betrayed, not were betrayed, but looking back, they were strong words.just the dissapointment I expect of not hearing anymore since we were told he was getting re done, and then later hearing he is the sock nose again,which I wasnt expecting to hear.Sorry.

Hey man, no hard feelings at all. Believe me, as a fan I agree with you. But I've watched the process and seen (or at a minimum, heard about) everything that we tried to do... and ultimately, our hands were tied.

Anyway, no harm, no foul. Hope all is well with you!

T

 

[Kevin Knight]

Bring on Da Bear! Looking at photo's I was surprised to see a difference in fur length. I am not saying a word about the future product of Terry's proto. I was just really surprised when looking at pics. Figured Henson would just always use the same um.. stock fur? I would assume for sake of charater that henson makes their own fabric? It would only make sense or am I giving them too much credit? Rock the next 6 months till the Bear! **** I'd be happy to see even more pics of the proto! (yes I think i've seen all the ones out there by now too! lol)

Kevin

 

[Was Once Ernie]

Looking at photo's I was surprised to see a difference in fur length. I am not saying a word about the future product of Terry's proto. I was just really surprised when looking at pics. Figured Henson would just always use the same um.. stock fur? I would assume for sake of charater that henson makes their own fabric?

Kevin

My understanding is that they buy in large quantities and store it, but when it's gone, it's gone. I don't think they use enough of any one fabric to have it made. The amount you would have to buy to make it cost effective would be massive.

Look at the current Cookie Monster. That looks like completely different material to me. But even the fleece used has changed over the years. It was originally Nylon Fleece, then Antron Fleece, which has gone through several generations itself.

They're in the same boat as Master Replicas when it comes to searching for the right material.

 

[Kevin Knight]

Wow I really appreciate it! I must say I'm really surprised to hear that though. Figured it might be somewhat cost effective to make it then just color dye it depending on making it for cookie, then oscar, elmo. etc. Thanks alot for the info though. I wonder just how many of one character they've gone through. If they have a hero puppet for filming, a traveling, an international, etc. Or even if they just go through the process of making a new puppet say before production of a movie for some consistancy. I hate talking about the Muppets like this though to tell you the truth. Like when I was asked about TMM how did they get them to ride bikes through central park. I responded put one leg over and started peddling! LOL Gotta keep the mystique. OH well.

KK

 

[Kevin Knight]

sorry to post twice but I just noticed that Fozzie pre-order looks like it should be within a month. Well they said spring 2008. That is also the "date" they specify for gonzo's shipment, and he's been launched from what I've heard. thoughts?

 

[MuppetCaper]

sorry to post twice but I just noticed that Fozzie pre-order looks like it should be within a month. Well they said spring 2008. That is also the "date" they specify for gonzo's shipment, and he's been launched from what I've heard. thoughts?

How did you figure this?