Save the Fozzie Replica

[Luke]

I would be willing to pay up to £500 for a Fozzie like this....just a sugestion

I think they would be talking more like double that amount if the body was factory manufactured like Jamie said. More if totally handmade.

As for what Kevin said about pre-orders. The UK toy show happens prior to the USA one so it just happened that a UK distributor put him up on their site first. They would have just put him up on their website to work out how many orders to place from MR wholesale catalogue. I don't think there is anything stopping a retailer putting him up for pre-order anytime (infact some still have him up for sale) but obviously they don't want to get into the habit of taking orders and being known for not being able to fulfill them.

 

[antonydavanzo]

Why do you think the didnt get much interest at other shows? Do you think it was the really bad displays

 

[Luke]

Why do you think the didnt get much interest at other shows? Do you think it was the really bad displays

Sounds like more a case of the same retailers going to the shows already were sitting there with stock of Animal and Gonzo, so however great Fozzie looked, they were obviously gonna balk at something even bigger and more expensive. So maybe the problems with, and choice of Animal and Gonzo kinda killed the line a bit - if only Fozzie had been No 2 i bet people would have bought into him off the back of Kermits great sales.

I'm sure the displays and photos come into it though - i've always thought the people who criticised them were right.

 

[Nick22]

in my opinion i think that they should hold off on fozzie for now. i think they should release a smaller character. like pepe or rizzo. because one of the problems with fozzie was his size. also having it be smaller and easier to make, it could be less money! accsessorie packs would also be awesome. i think they should release those too. once they do that then maybe they can give fozzie another go!

 

[muppetperson]

I dont think they should hold off on Fozzie because the license is only for a limited time and once it expires, do you really think they will renew it with it's track record?

 

[muppetguy]

I'm the guy who desperately wants Piggy! I understand where everyone is coming from and need Fozzie badly as well. I don't think it's going to happen though.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

I don't think it's a question of doing a cheaper character first. Animal and Gonzo underperformed and the company can't justify sinking any more of their limited capital into this line of products unless they can find a completely different way to do it. That's why MRTom asked if anyone knew of someone that could produce these in batches of 50 rather than have to amortize cost over 1,000 or more units.

 

[MarcusPiper]

Well it seems to me that the smart thing to do would be to re-release Kermit in some fashion to drive up revenue and bring life back to the line. Supposedly he did well the first time around. Put him the trenchcoat and hat from Great Muppet Caper and you have another product that I think would appeal to collectors and general fans alike. Oh, and getting a new photographer would help the cause immensely.

MP

 

[frogboy4]

Well it seems to me that the smart thing to do would be to re-release Kermit in some fashion to drive up revenue and bring life back to the line. Supposedly he did well the first time around. Put him the trenchcoat and hat from Great Muppet Caper and you have another product that I think would appeal to collectors and general fans alike. Oh, and getting a new photographer would help the cause immensely.

MP

I agree with you there.

However Kermit didn’t sell quite as quickly as some thought he should have. Maybe he did meet MR projections. I think part of the problem is that initial interest was in a Kermit Puppet. I think that changed in the early stages, but I have a client who saw the first proposed Kermit puppet at one of the conventions and was thrilled at the idea.

I'm just spit-balling at this point for ideas that would continue the line without initial purchasers feeling hosed. Part of the Kermit poser mystique is that he is a limited edition product.

First and foremost I think MR should take advantage of their license in other ways and make figurines and such. If those are high quality items they will sell and MR and other companies that carry them might gain confidence in their Muppet products again. After that a poser of any sort could be a little more viable.

 

[Luke]

However Kermit didn’t sell quite as quickly as some thought he should have. Maybe he did meet MR projections. I think part of the problem is that initial interest was in a Kermit Puppet. I think that changed in the early stages, but I have a client who saw the first proposed Kermit puppet at one of the conventions and was thrilled at the idea.

Remember that Master Replicas distributor that started telling customers that they were doing a Reporter Kermit. MR denied it but being actually a division of the MR company u have to wonder where he got that news all of a sudden - maybe it was a rough idea being discussed unofficially. I think it would have done well, though obviously it probably wouldn't help interest in the other characters being a lot of people are just into Kermit wot with him being the "main frog" so to speak.