Too Much merchandise?

[King Prawn]

Yesterday I finally broke down and realised I could no thave it all, ever since 2001 the Muppets have exploaded in merchandise and I as a fan tried to collect everything, the Palisades Figures, DVD's, Plushes, Statues, Chess Set etc...

And yesterday I made a £106.00 order with about £330.00 on preorder and I realised it's just to much to buy, I remember when there was hardly any Muppet Merchandise so it was easy to have it all but now there's so much out there and you can't really have it all.

I was just wondering if anyone else is like me, does anyone no matter the quality of the product force themselves to buy everything has anybody who does finally or recently broken down and realised you can't have it all?

There's been times when I havn't been able to even go out, every Friday and Saturday my friends and I go out to clubs and stuff and a few (actually alot) of times I've had to stay home not because I was broke but because the money I have/had I wanted to use on Mupet stuff that I had still not bought.

And it's worse for those not in the US cause the shipping costs sometimes comes to the same cost as the product's. Last night over at Mouseshoppe I made an $80.00 order and the shipping was about $55.00 and I knew it and yet I placed by order. Another thing is the Statues so much of my money goes to one side for those and in the UK they're about £50.00 a statue and that's without shipping.

So who's had to cut down or who does actually buy eveything, for one have decided to cut down, I'm no longer going to colelct plushes (not even the Em ones) not the statues except maybe Animal & Dr. Teeth, SS DVD's no more nor am I (which now that I think about it is really stupid) multiples of the Action Figure's. I have like 4 regular Piggy's, 3 Scooter, 5 Dr. Teeths (granted I do customise many of my repeats) and atleast two of each figure.

I'll only be collecting the action figures from now on, one of each, I won't make myself ill for not being able to get ahold of some of the exclusives and I won't make myself ill period because I can't have it all.

Anyone else like me?

Anyway thanks if you've read through all this, I just really needed to get this of my chest and tell someone I thought what better place than here where some might share my same problem.

 

[Whatever]

I am just collecting the action figures and DVDs that I like. Nothing else. I rarely spent much money, so that kinda pinches. I am only a poor college student. But I am very happy to be able to get this stuff. I remember when the only Mupet stuff I knew of was the Muppet Show on Oddessey, which broke my heart because I don't have cable (now I don't even have a TV). One of my very dear teachers recorded two tapes of Fraggle Rock and the Muppet Show for me. I am lucky to be able to buy MS on DVD now.

 

[mupvisiongirl]

Yeah- I'm the same way, I'm on a limited income right now so I just pick up the merchandise that I really can't live without. Even though I can't buy a lot of it, it still makes me way happy to see so much muppet merch in stores!

 

[Douglas Fir]

I made a decision before the first Palisades figure ever came out to not collect them - because I knew once I started I would have to get everything! It was a tough decision and I still look at pictures of all the great figures & playsets but I know deep down I don't need them and it would cost too much to collect them! I do kinda regret not getting a Zoot figure as he was my favourite character as a child and I may go back on my word when the Jim Henson figure comes out... but I don't really have any deep regrets about abandoning the line before they even came out!

Same with the mini-statues - really nice and a full set would look amazing in my glass-fronted book-shelf cabinets... but too much money!

So for now I mainly just collect the DVDs which I can justify buying because I get great enjoment out of them (I can't wait for the UK Very Best Of Vol. 3 DVD)!

Side note - the only toys I actively collect are Kevin Smith's Clerks InAction figures and even though they are only on their 2nd wave there have already been seven "convention exclusive" figures! I collect all of these and I justify the expense of the exclusives by keeping track of my total spending on the figures and then working out the average price per unit! Pathetic I know but it actually made me feel better when I paid about £20 for a small piece of plastic but my average was only about £14!

 

[Luke]

I agree that there has been almost too much merchandise in the last two years. Not that i'd like it to go away but you certainly do notice a lot of difference compared to before. Two things that make it worse is that Henson have gone more into the speciality toy side of the licensing & merchandise industry so loads of things are limited edition and premium prices. Also being in the UK and being a Henson collector is just a joke - JHC actually makes the manufacturers go through certain distributors (who pay Henson as well) and so they all put that cost back onto us, along with whatever other profit and ridiculous customs charges they decide to pass on too. At least the stuff is good, i guess, although those busts are scandalous at £50 each.

 

[Rugby]

I know exactly how you feel. I did the same thing with Star Wars stuff, and I finally realized I had to quit collecting. Now I have 1 and a half huge closets full of Star Wars toys and figures. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it all.

 

[Drtooth]

I think there is a lot of stuff, and I only buy what I really really like (or whatever I can get cheap). I would love to have it all, but I also am on a limited income. What a time to live in to be a Muppet and TMNT fan... there's worlds of stuff out there, and I can't even keep up with the Palisades stuff...

 

[Pug Lover]

I'm the very same way King Prawn.It's not just muppet merchandise either.CDs on my favourite musicians,my favourite movies or tv shows on videocassette,books on my favourite stars,you name it.I just get this incredible urge to buy it all,no matter what the price.It tends to become an obsession from time to time.On a few occasions,the money in my bank account reached a regretable all time low,from having purchased so much merchandise.It's not hard to do unfortunately.I'm getting better at managing my money these days.But all that merchandise out there can make it complicated from time to time.

 

[dmx10101]

I'm the very same way King Prawn.It's not just muppet merchandise either.CDs on my favourite musicians,my favourite movies or tv shows on videocassette,books on my favourite stars,you name it.I just get this incredible urge to buy it all,no matter what the price.It tends to become an obsession from time to time.On a few occasions,the money in my bank account reached a regretable all time low,from having purchased so much merchandise.It's not hard to do unfortunately.I'm getting better at managing my money these days.But all that merchandise out there can make it complicated from time to time.

That sounds EXACTLY like me, and my situation. Very well said.

 

[Zack the Dog]

Yeah I can understand, I wanted/tried to collect everything i could to a certain degree, one thing is that i don't buy much on-line, ebay once and a while and 2momluvme every now and then, I buy more at stores like Media Play and such, I knew i would not get into the Muppet bust because of the money/room for them and the "Floydlessness" But I had to get Rowlf, and so i got him for christmas the year before, I was just saying i would get my favortie character, now i'd like a Kermit one, but i don't want to then say...well now i'd like a Gonzo, Fozzie and Sam one, so i'm very happy with just Rowlf.

I do need to cut back on the action figure, repaints that is, I never got a Dr. Teeth one but something drove me to get the only EM inculding clifford as well (in which he is kind of part of the EM) still I was hoping, or still am hoping a new Dr. Teeth will come out. But i can't be getting into Marvin Suggs or the 2 other John repaints...but i'm thinking i might get one extra Johnny. I think buying the two new Koozbane Kermit repaints would be idiotic.

so yeah, now i pick an choose....Muppet video games and DVD yes i'll buy them all, plush, depending which ones and which characters, all the actions figs, but not as many repaints, and only cool items and such, hardly any SS street stuff, and a little FR stuff, i'm not geting into DC or Lab stuff though.