Palisades Mega Muppet line debuts this Winter

[grail]

you know, i kinda figured that was the case

TRU may in fact be the biggest toys ONLY store, but many of the otehr stores that sell toys do a better job of it. Wal-Mart has decent prices, usually know what's going on (if you ask the right person) and have a surprisingly good selection. i may not like their politics much, but i do buy many of my toys there

 

[ResidentLilly]

It is possible in dollar amount that even Target outsells TRU...but I am not certain about that.

 

[ResidentLilly]

Here ya go...

US chains also lead the global toy retail market. Wal-Mart Stores is the #1 toy seller, having surpassed #2 Toys "R" Us in 1999. Other leaders are discount stores, including Kmart and Target, as well as K-B Toys (the only pure toy retailer in the top ten, since even Toys "R" Us sells children's furniture and apparel). Toy sellers such as F.A.O. (which owns Right Start, Zany Brainy, and FAO Schwarz) hold small portions of the market, relying on specialty appeal and exclusive items. Most toy retailers also have an online presence, although many toy e-tailers, such as eToys and even Walt Disney's toysmart.com, did not survive the dot-com fallout. The online toy sellers that remain are linked to bricks-and-mortar retailers. Even toyrus.com, despite its chain-store parent, has grappled with distribution problems; it has teamed up with Amazon.com to take advantage of the online giant's shipping and fulfillment prowess.

Don't say I never gave you anything...

 

[grail]

you know what, that explains a lot.

i used to work for Zany Brainy, met a couple of the higher-up people while i was at it. they were all about selling educational toys. stuff that helped you learn. it was an awesome place to work (except that i was the only one moving stock at christmas...i was the receiving manager, and we couldn't hire anyone for winter help). it was independantly owned then.

fast forward to last week, when i was driving by and stopped in...they had action-figures, and video games!! 2 things that were against policy while i was there. i couldn't believe it.

knowing that they're owned by FAO makes that a little better i guess.

 

[Luke]

Ah right - i was talking pure toy stores. I've been researching a lot of the business side of it, where the head guy at FAO left what was one of the worlds biggest toy stores to be one of the head guys at TRU and then build the worlds biggest toy store an all that. It gets pretty interesting - very cut-throat.

 

[FellowWLover]

Grail,

I used to work for Zany Brainy too. I was actually in store number 3... not to far from headquarters in Wynnewood, PA. I know just what you mean about their educational toy policy. I almost dropped over when I later saw cartoon merchandise in there. But then again, I did work for them in 92-93-94 so I guess times have changed. I also knew a lot of people in the head office, including the then-President. Did you hear they had to physically remove him from his office once he was voted out? I could tell stories...

 

[MaxGoof]

Ken--I was away all weekend so I wasn't around for the announcement and all the negative reactions around here.

All I have to say is... I WANT THAT BEAKER!!!!!!!

When you asked if we'd be interested in this, there was an overwhelmingly positive response. I can't figure why that's not still the case. Logically, Beaker is not only the BEST choice for the first Mega Muppet, but the ONLY choice...

Bunsen is somewhat liked, but has nowhere near the appeal or popularity of Beaker.

Dr. Teeth would be extremely difficult to do, being such a chunky figure and having to have a freaking HUGE piano with him. Plus, he's not nearly as iconic as Beaker because he wasn't in Muppet Babies. A LOT of kids (myself included) knew of Muppet Babies before the Muppet Show or movies.

Kermit and Piggy are almost oversatured right now. In most areas they're sitting on the pegs, and there are already exclusive versions of each available. Picking one of them for the first Mega Muppet would be silly. I'm not saying that there should NEVER be a Kermit--but he's not going to be available in the regular line for a while, so he's a prime choice for later in the line, as in Piggy.

In my eyes, Beaker is perhaps the most sought-after and popular figure in all of the Muppets main cast. Everyone loves him, everyone wants him, and this figure WILL be a success.

Only question I have is... how about a cloth lab coat, Ken? Most large-scale 12" and up figures have some cloth (a la Star Wars/GI Joe), and it looks really nice. A cloth lab coat on Beaker would be wicked-cool, if possible.

 

[frogboy4]

Max Goof

I don't believe the figures will come with accessories - just the figure. So it is not likely a piano would come with Teeth if he were ever released.

First of all - eeeeeek! You brought up the dreadful Muppet Babies. LOL! Besides that - Bunsen was on Muppet Babies - almost always with Beaker. I don't see how you could have missed him.

I do agree out of series 1 characters that Beaker is the best choice (even if I wanted someone else first). I think he will do well in the stores and it's good to hear someone being excited about it!

 

[MaxGoof]

Actually, I was making a point about why Dr. Teeth isn't as popular or well-known. I know Bunsen was on Muppet Babies, but we already know he's not as popular as Beaker.

I didn't realize the figures wouldn't have any accessories, but most large-scale figures like this don't. The only ones who would really need accessories are the band, and they probably won't get made anyway.

So, in short-- it's all good.

 

[Smig]

Originally posted by MaxGoof

Only question I have is... how about a cloth lab coat, Ken? Most large-scale 12" and up figures have some cloth (a la Star Wars/GI Joe), and it looks really nice. A cloth lab coat on Beaker would be wicked-cool, if possible.

Yeah..since the figure is so big, what about cloth clothes, rooted hair, and this time around, can you guys paint the pupils in the CENTER of the eyes so they he's looking straight ahead- not upward? (on the Disney beanie, the eyes are looking DOWNWARD..)

If the clothes DO end up all plastic, maybe we can take the lab coats off the Disney/Igel dolls and fit them on the Megabeaker..

Smig