Should we write to Disney?

[OverUnderAround]

I'll tell you what concerns me. From the best we have been able to learn
The Muppets Holding Company is under the leadership of Russell Hampton.
A part of Disney Consumer Products.
https://licensing.disney.com/Login/displayContent.do?layout=executiveDetail&execId=russell_hampton


Consumer products?
This does not sound like the department that should be running the MHC.
This seems wrong.
Seems as if this department is only about merchandising.
Maybe that's all the new Disney CEO Robert Iger wants from the Muppets, to re-hash and re-sell the old videos.


Here's a quote from the Disney site what Disney Consumer Products is all about:

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company that extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home décor and books to interactive games, food and beverages, electronics and animation art.
https://licensing.disney.com/Login/displayContent.do?layout=lobDetail&lobId=overview

This is not a division of Disney that develops TV programming or TV shows.
Take the Muppet Holding Company out of their hands!


Hey Robert Iger and Disney Board of Directors CEO George Mitchell wake up! You got a million dollar property in your hands and you stick the MHC in Consumer Products? Bad move! You don't develop TV or movies in the Consumer Products department!

Put the Muppets where they belong... in TV and film development departments.

Here's a link to Disney's Management Team.
http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/management_team.html

Perhaps people like:
Richard Cook
Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios

George W. Bodenheimer
Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks

Anne Sweeney
Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group

Should be the ones overseeing the MHC.

The website says this about Miss Sweeney:
Named the "Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment" by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune and one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes..."

Maybe we should all write to Disney and ask them what direction they plan on taking the Muppets Holding Company and that they don't belong in the Consumer Products division.

Here's Disney's address if anyone want to write them:
Walt Disney Pictures
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

I think I'll write to Anne Sweeney.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

I'm On Board

 

[dwayne1115]

yea she would might be good but i really think you should write to the Hensons i dont know why i just have a feeling that they are the only ones who can help us as fans and the muppets as a whole. Espacly Brian but check out my other Thread about when will us muppet fans say somthing i put in in classic muppets. i think if eough people will speak somthing might be done. all i know is WE GOT TO SAVE THE MUPPETS

 

[muppetperson]

yea she would might be good but i really think you should write to the Hensons i dont know why i just have a feeling that they are the only ones who can help us as fans and the muppets as a whole. Espacly Brian but check out my other Thread about when will us muppet fans say somthing i put in in classic muppets. i think if eough people will speak somthing might be done. all i know is WE GOT TO SAVE THE MUPPETS

Disney now control The Muppets.Hensons are only advisers and offer production facilities for Disney.I imagine any Muppet letters would get refered back to Disney as Hensons no longer have juresdiction.

 

[OverUnderAround]

yea she would might be good but i really think you should write to the Hensons i dont know why i just have a feeling that they are the only ones who can help us as fans and the muppets as a whole. Espacly Brian but check out my other Thread about when will us muppet fans say somthing i put in in classic muppets. i think if eough people will speak somthing might be done. all i know is WE GOT TO SAVE THE MUPPETS

I read the thread you mention and it's also on the right track. Perhaps forwarding a copy of my letter to Disney to the Hensons just so they know Muppet fans care since apparently the Henson's can't do anything about it anymore.


Fired Chris Curtin appears to have had good intentions for the Muppets.
But Iger fired him and put the Consumer Products division in charge of the Muppets (from the best info we have, that department runs the MHC) and it's probably only to exploit and sell the old Muppet Videos, T-shirts and toys.
The Consumer Products Division is not in the business of developing TV nor movie projects.

I wish we had all thought of this before.

 

[muppetperson]

I read the thread you mention and it's also on the right track. Perhaps forwarding a copy of my letter to Disney to the Hensons just so they know Muppet fans care since apparently the Henson's can't do anything about it anymore.


Fired Chris Curtin appears to have had good intentions for the Muppets.
But Iger fired him and put the Consumer Products division in charge of the Muppets (from the best info we have, that department runs the MHC) and it's probably only to exploit and sell the old Muppet Videos, T-shirts and toys.
The Consumer Products Division is not in the business of developing TV nor movie projects.

I wish we had all thought of this before.

From the start of Disney's control,the Muppets Holding Company has always been under the control of Disney's consumer Products division, but Chris Curtin was in charge.I dont know how Disney is set up as although it is the consumer products division, there still seemed to be production things happening, such as Muppets Wizard of Oz, guest appearances, and then the cancelled ideas of Kermit's Tour and Christmas Special.So it seemed that CPD can have business of developing TV and Movie projects but now they have been ordered not to.So it looks like it is New Management's value of the Muppets rather than what Department they are under.I guess our only hope is that either Disney sells to someone else or we wait till there is another change in Management.

 

[Luke]

Yeah this subject was raised in the Kermits 50th/Christmas Capers cancellation thread. They have been under the control of DCP right from the start so it does seem the main goal has been to sell merchandise. MHC are a subdivision of them so do seem to be able to pitch TV/Film productions but i guess the main purpose is for those productions to be used to build up the Muppets profile for merchandising and licensing. I agree it isn't the best place for the Muppets to be. Perhaps Curtins very ambitious greenlighting of so many productions didn't sit right with DCP, who the management obviously answer to as it seems the management has changed to people with a very different outlook.

 

[dwayne1115]

see thats what i have a problem with . Its kind of like in Tommy boy the Dan Aycoked guy only wanted the Callahan name and close the factory. it make sence if you have seen the movie. they dont really care if the muppets do anything new or even good but just want to make money off of them. That is so not what Jim Henson wanted his muppets to become.