Seemed Like Way More Merch A Decade Ago

beaker

beaker

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I can't help it...I know I made the same thread in 2011...and I know the Disney store has a little Muppet corner tucked into the back corner of the store...but am I the only one who feels we really haven't seen much in the way of merch? Especially in the wake of a zillion dollars used for marketing the new film?

You go to Toys R Us for example...you have a whole row of Despicable Me/Dreamworks. Another row of Pixar. Another row of those Disney Infinity game figurines. Several rows of Disney merch for toddlers and tweens. Yet the only Muppet merch are a couple plushes from a couple years ago and Playskool Sesame toddler toys. Now you go to any other store, and there's pretty much zero Muppet stuff. (least, again, here in America...I hear UK and European folks get a lot of cool excl. merchandise)

We were told that if the Muppets 2011 film was successful, which is most definitely was, we'd get a bunch of merch this time around. Which, didn't happen.

Yet I think back to 2003-2004, and I couldn't even keep up with all the merch coming from a number of companies. I think the last interesting merch to come out, least to me, was the last wave of the Disney Parks excl. Star Wars Muppets figures...which have also ceased production. From what I see on ebay, not even Disney parks got much new merchandise
 
beaker

beaker

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Re: dvds/bluray, as I posted in another thread: I have my doubts about Disney releasing anything on the home video market other than TMM/GMC/MTI re-releases for the zillionth time and MMW's bare bones $22 release.
Season 4/5? MT? M@WDW? ahahahah....in our dreams. Lionsgate would have released everything and more by now. INCLUDING JHH
 
DutchMuppet

DutchMuppet

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beaker said:
I can't help it...I know I made the same thread in 2011...and I know the Disney store has a little Muppet corner tucked into the back corner of the store...but am I the only one who feels we really haven't seen much in the way of merch? Especially in the wake of a zillion dollars used for marketing the new film?

You go to Toys R Us for example...you have a whole row of Despicable Me/Dreamworks. Another row of Pixar. Another row of those Disney Infinity game figurines. Several rows of Disney merch for toddlers and tweens. Yet the only Muppet merch are a couple plushes from a couple years ago and Playskool Sesame toddler toys. Now you go to any other store, and there's pretty much zero Muppet stuff. (least, again, here in America...I hear UK and European folks get a lot of cool excl. merchandise)

We were told that if the Muppets 2011 film was successful, which is most definitely was, we'd get a bunch of merch this time around. Which, didn't happen.

Yet I think back to 2003-2004, and I couldn't even keep up with all the merch coming from a number of companies. I think the last interesting merch to come out, least to me, was the last wave of the Disney Parks excl. Star Wars Muppets figures...which have also ceased production. From what I see on ebay, not even Disney parks got much new merchandise
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You are right. With The Muppets movie we got tons of merch in the Netherlands. Some plush, mugs, plates, backpacks, lunchboxes, jigsawpuzzles and lots more. With MMW there is nothing in the shops. I called the company who was responsible for most part of the exclusive merch (the plush were imported from Disney) and they told: The Muppets merch sold poorly. Even the DVD sales were terrible. The movie was in the cinema a big hit but the merch didn't sell.

When I walked in the shops last year, several had still the same merch. At one point I thought "Is that still the same mug after six months.". So I putted a dot on the price tag of the mug. After two years the same mug with the dot was in the shop! With 75% discount! And still no-one bought it!

When I asked the company, they said they had the exclusive rights but will not make new merch. Only when MMW will be a succes like TM, then they will release some stuff with the DVD/Blu-Ray release. But it will not be as much. Terrible news.
 
D

Drtooth

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If the movie did better, I'd agree with you. In fact, I'd venture to say the merchandise dd better than the movie, and Muppet stuff actually sold solidly in places that carried it. I saw the Wallgreens Muppet Plush once and never again. Either they never carried them or they sold that well. The Yogurt, the Pez, the cereal boxes... why didn't they buy some movie tickets? At least this time we got more than what we got with The Muppets.

But the movie's box office performance only solidifies the message to Disney that kids prefer formulaic talking vehicle movies to well crafted features aimed at as many audiences as possible. MMW may have had a few bum reviews (because it wasn't the emotionally manipulative Jason Segal vehicle the last one was), but Planes was universally hated. I almost feel bad for pitching so much scorn on Turbo, when that one was at least imaginative and charming (plus the Netflix series is AWESOME!).
 
beaker

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I saw Turbo in 3d in theaters and enjoyed it(cept for the eye rolling third act)

I think Drtooth, we just have to face the music: the public at large(the mainstream public) is not as into the Muppets as we kid ourselves. Sure, everyone "has a favorite muppet"...but 9 times out of 10 kids and adults are gonna reach for Disneyana/Pixar over Muppet merch. Its not a perception problem(ie: the theory people conflate Muppets as Muppet Babies/Sesame kid stuff), its just the fact society today unlike in the 80s and 70s is detatched from what makes the Muppets special.
 
GonzoLeaper

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