Will There Be News From Toy Fair 2009?

[beaker]

Since 2002, Muppet/Jim Henson fans online have always anticipated Toy Fair in New York. Like what beamed in photos from Mars rovers are to NASA and astronomy enthusists, pictures and news from Toy Fair is always exciting to Muppet/JH fans. Whether you prefer Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Creature Shop movies, etc. there's been for some time cool figure and toy/merch news...even, if a lot of those toys stayed in the prototype phase and were never released.

Just wondering if anyone's heard any news on Muppet related news from Toy Fair?

 

[frogboy4]

I plan to visit Wondercon at the Moscone Center next week. We'll see if there's anything about. My guess is that the Muppet comics will be promoted as well as the Skeksis figure from NECA. Anything other than that will be anyone's guess. I haven't heard anything.

MindStyle's postponement of the Fraggle property is still odd to me. They're more uber-figure-collector friendly than actual Henson-fan friendly. The same seems true for their Dark Crystal line. I don't need some huge super articulated and textured Gobo with karate grip and kung fu action. But I don't want some prohibitively expensive blind boxed figure of him with kiddie letters and numbers either. Honestly, I'd really like to see some PVC three packs for comic stores and Hot Topic. You know, a pack with a main character and two more obscure ones. I also think a hollowed giant Gorg container would be a great exclusive that the PVCs could be kept in for travel. Anyway, I digress. I'm still hopeful something cool with come from MindStyle. They just need to form a better product plan for the Fraggles. I want some figures.

 

[beaker]

I plan to visit Wondercon at the Moscone Center next week. We'll see if there's anything about. My guess is that the Muppet comics will be promoted as well as the Skeksis figure from NECA. Anything other than that will be anyone's guess. I haven't heard anything.

MindStyle's postponement of the Fraggle property is still odd to me. They're more uber-figure-collector friendly than actual Henson-fan friendly. The same seems true for their Dark Crystal line. I don't need some huge super articulated and textured Gobo with karate grip and kung fu action. But I don't want some prohibitively expensive blind boxed figure of him with kiddie letters and numbers either. Honestly, I'd really like to see some PVC three packs for comic stores and Hot Topic. You know, a pack with a main character and two more obscure ones. I also think a hollowed giant Gorg container would be a great exclusive that the PVCs could be kept in for travel. Anyway, I digress. I'm still hopeful something cool with come from MindStyle. They just need to form a better product plan for the Fraggles. I want some figures.

It all takes me back to 2003, when Fraggle Rock stuff could be found all over. I remember getting some really great Doozer figures at Hot Topic, plushes, etc. Some stores at that time I would actually find cool stuff from all four franchises: Muppet Show, Sesame Street(collector's stuff not the baby fisher price stuff), Fraggle Rock and Bear in the Big Blue House.

Anyways, Toy Fair is always full of surprises...even if most the cool stuff shown(including Muppet related) is prototypes that will never be released.

Btw, is Wondercon any good? My friends want to take me there next week.

 

[frogboy4]

It all takes me back to 2003, when Fraggle Rock stuff could be found all over. I remember getting some really great Doozer figures at Hot Topic, plushes, etc. Some stores at that time I would actually find cool stuff from all four franchises: Muppet Show, Sesame Street(collector's stuff not the baby fisher price stuff), Fraggle Rock and Bear in the Big Blue House.

Anyways, Toy Fair is always full of surprises...even if most the cool stuff shown(including Muppet related) is prototypes that will never be released.

Btw, is Wondercon any good? My friends want to take me there next week.

This will be my first Wondercon so I don't know. The biggest stars mentioned are Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Adam West. I'm not so much into the meet and greet stuff so I'll probably just wonder around the product sections. There are also many programs featured.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, there is the new Fisher Price Tickle Me Elmo.... Hulk hands crossed with a TME.... not all that impressive, but the potential for some dirty videos online.

MindStyle's postponement of the Fraggle property is still odd to me. They're more uber-figure-collector friendly than actual Henson-fan friendly. The same seems true for their Dark Crystal line. I don't need some huge super articulated and textured Gobo with karate grip and kung fu action. But I don't want some prohibitively expensive blind boxed figure of him with kiddie letters and numbers either. Honestly, I'd really like to see some PVC three packs for comic stores and Hot Topic. You know, a pack with a main character and two more obscure ones. I also think a hollowed giant Gorg container would be a great exclusive that the PVCs could be kept in for travel. Anyway, I digress. I'm still hopeful something cool with come from MindStyle. They just need to form a better product plan for the Fraggles. I want some figures.

Well, their postponement will definitely be related to not just the FR movie, but the change of license of Hit to Brandolutions or whatever they're called. Remember, the change of licencee for the Muppets from ETV to Henson, to Disney hurt the Palisades TMS line up... unless this new company wants to see these on the stores as HIT did, this line is in jeopardy.

I thought there was loose talk of the Letters being dropped anyway... but I still dislike the "lookit! We're Japanese" blind boxing stuff (which is why it took me so long to buy a City Creature) and would rather see these in window packaging, or in labled blind boxes that tell you who's inside.

 

[beaker]

Yeah, sadly nothing JH or Muppety related this year(for the first time in ages)

http://toyfair09.figures.com/showgallery.php?cat=519

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah, sadly nothing JH or Muppety related this year(for the first time in ages)

Not quite- Miss Piggy Tonner Doll

Not quite as amazing as plush, figures, or anything like that... but it's still something.

 

[beaker]

Not quite- Miss Piggy Tonner Doll

Not quite as amazing as plush, figures, or anything like that... but it's still something.

So is that pretty much it?

 

[Drtooth]

So is that pretty much it?

There in lies why I'm completely underwhelmed by Toyfair this year... The reason that we don't have Muppet toys is because they don't fit into the 4 major categories. They aren't comic book characters (1), Video game characters (2), Sci-Fi Characters (3), or ugly looking fake Japanese Super Deformer vynal figures of the first 3 categories (4). Don't get me wrong, there's some cool stuff... but the era of adult action figures based off of nostalgic (or even current) cartoons/Tv shows is over. I at least want to know if the Fraggle toys will happen at all.

Personally, I'm still miffed that Fisher Price can't come up with a decent line of quality Sesame Street PVC's, but they can always come up with a ridiculous Elmo product.

 

[Mister Hoggoth]

It's a sad state this year for the toy industry. I have a friend in Hasbro PR who told me that most companies are scaling back for several reasons:

1. The new "lead law" (link here http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lead11-2009feb11,0,4050347.story)that requires all toys not to be tested for lead content. Which even of course effects toy and puppet makers. These small toy companies that make collectable toys are having tough times due this new morgate law.

2. The Economy, but hey Obama is going to pay for everyones bad mortgage soon, so maybe we will get a Toy Stimulus package!

3. You have to have a movie. Biggest toys for 2009 Transformers and GI Joe. Of course this guy is a Hasbro PR fella, but he does speak true. Also these toys have huge fan bases. Hasbros last quarterly business report contributed a lot of there earning to there new venture in to the movie business with their properties.

Sad to say for the Muppet properties, unless Disney and the Henson Company don't work on promoting their characters in the media more, I am afraid there will be less and less toys available. Even more so with the new lead law hitting the smaller toy makers!