Save the Fozzie Replica

I've been to the industry toy trade shows many times, it might help to have some Muppet fans there to pose and show off the product, maybe have some posters of how they have experimented with them, dressed them, posed them - nice idea.

I just think that if i am correct, MR has nearly two years on the license (i may not be right, but i thought i read this) and obviously there is going to be a lot of Muppet programming on TV in that time. If i was them i'd just keep on trying to get orders for Fozzie, use the TV shows coming up to try to get over how Disney is making a big deal with the Muppets (like show the trailer for the xmas movie at shows, show the Youtube viral videos if u are allowed) and hopefully if the interest in the Muppets has sold through the stores Gonzo/Animals they may come back for Fozzie later.

I do like the idea of having batches handmade to order, if someone like Terry could do that to a budget that was obviously more, but still realistic to the really hardcore fans it would be a good idea. If we were talking maybe $699 i think maybe 50 orders could be got but the vibe i get is that it would be much more expensive than that to do.

hey, sorry I wasn't very clear I meant edition sizes, i.e. amount made, not the actual size of the posers, sorry

Hi mickeymouse18,

No problem i was not mad or anything it was just something I thought should be pointed out sorry if it sounded angry. That's the problem with written words you could read several different ways that something could be said. That's why I prefer to talk to people one on one.

Take care all and have fun,

Terry Angus

In my post I was referring more to us joining the MR staff at cons, trade shows, etc. as one of their own, just non-paid, to help set up the booth, talk to people, and answer qestions to inquiries as to the materials, what's inside, "hand punched and dyed ostritch feathers", "one peice construction jawplate hinged." When the product was projected to pre-sale and release, etc.

Yes, there is not a shadow of doubt that limited edition of this would fall far, far, beyond $699.00.

I wonder if MR ACTUALLY put up a pre-sale for fozzie what response it would illicit? I know I wasn't going to pre-order from anyone else. Frankly I don't drust any other on-line retailer. It's a MR product, I get it from MR. But like Forbidden Planet's pre-sale. I sat here wondering ooh they jumped the gun. "It's not on the MR website, it's not available." Very very few people, the fanatical, visit their message boards. Most I would speculate, buy and that's it.

Manufacturing products (accessories) for products already produced? It reminds me of the move DAVE. "You wand to spend billions on a program that makes new car buyers more comfortable with their purchase." Maybe the best advice is for Master Replicas to simply wait on the project until there is the numbers. But I would definetely encourage them to start the presale then, and ust sit on our money till it's time. I would have no problems forking over the 8-$900 on a pre-sale until MR had the numbers they needed. Heck, sit on the pre-sale money for the next year and a half of the license if need be. Then put him hout at the end of the license. We have one guy who's dying for piggy, another who wants Uncle Deadly (?) but the overwhelming majority I believe is saying that we're comfortable with ending the line, just as long as we can purchase that one last one. Fozzie.

KK

(my comment on Piggy was that I would have bacon in my morning breakfast as my Miss Piggy replica.)

I pitched this on the other thread but I will propose it here as well.

To cut down on price and insure quality would it be feasible Fozzie's body was factory made his head separately handcrafted later?

I ask this because the head is what seemed to be the issue. I still feel that there's interest in Fozzie. Maybe after the new Muppet push goes forth there will be *enough* interest. Who knows?

Hey gang,
Does anyone thing that MR would be up for getting some really talanted puppet builders like Terry, together, to build a batch to pre order, maybe get a pre order open for like 3 months then close the preorder and make to order? The price would be dependant on the amount of orders so he may be expensive and would Terry and his clones (if we could make clones of him) be up for it LOL. I would be willing to pay up to £500 for a Fozzie like this....just a sugestion

Terry is obviously on this board and can speak for himself, but I'd guess for a master craftsman like Terry to hand build these, they would be more like $5,000 apiece than $500. Probably more than that, even.

Thanks for giving us a honest, non BS reply. It's nice to see in this day and age, even if it's all bad news.

This may be an incredibly stupid idea, but here goes...

Lets say each muppet cost $300's to make. Would it be possible to order them at a batch discounted price and sell them for say $150 at various stores like Toys R Us, or Best Buy, or even Walmart? I didn't find this site accidentally, I would not have even known about Kermit a few months back, and now he is proudly sitting in the corner of my room. The box is so beautifully done that I didn't have the heart to throw it out, so I made it a part of the display .

But at the original prices for Gonzo and Animal, I just couldn't afford the I think it was $400's that was being asked. Fans, just like companies, are not made of money, no matter how much we would just love to hand it over ;o). One reason why I am just dying to win the lottery so I can by that $5,000 life size 3Po and R2D2, but no way could I ever afford it.

Would they sell more at half the price and where put in retail stores, or sold on Amazon directly? Especially with a plaque in store explaining exactly what it is, what they where used for in the Henson company, and why it's so much more high priced than your average stuffed muppet?

it's my hubby who wants Uncle Deadly... heh..
and there's at least 2 of us (probably more) who would love to see a decent Piggy done...

Sorry should have put $ instead of £ so my $1000 pledge could be off the mark

I think they would be talking more like double that amount if the body was factory manufactured like Jamie said. More if totally handmade.

As for what Kevin said about pre-orders. The UK toy show happens prior to the USA one so it just happened that a UK distributor put him up on their site first. They would have just put him up on their website to work out how many orders to place from MR wholesale catalogue. I don't think there is anything stopping a retailer putting him up for pre-order anytime (infact some still have him up for sale) but obviously they don't want to get into the habit of taking orders and being known for not being able to fulfill them.

Why do you think the didnt get much interest at other shows? Do you think it was the really bad displays

Sounds like more a case of the same retailers going to the shows already were sitting there with stock of Animal and Gonzo, so however great Fozzie looked, they were obviously gonna balk at something even bigger and more expensive. So maybe the problems with, and choice of Animal and Gonzo kinda killed the line a bit - if only Fozzie had been No 2 i bet people would have bought into him off the back of Kermits great sales.

I'm sure the displays and photos come into it though - i've always thought the people who criticised them were right.

in my opinion i think that they should hold off on fozzie for now. i think they should release a smaller character. like pepe or rizzo. because one of the problems with fozzie was his size. also having it be smaller and easier to make, it could be less money! accsessorie packs would also be awesome. i think they should release those too. once they do that then maybe they can give fozzie another go!

I dont think they should hold off on Fozzie because the license is only for a limited time and once it expires, do you really think they will renew it with it's track record?

I'm the guy who desperately wants Piggy! I understand where everyone is coming from and need Fozzie badly as well. I don't think it's going to happen though.

I don't think it's a question of doing a cheaper character first. Animal and Gonzo underperformed and the company can't justify sinking any more of their limited capital into this line of products unless they can find a completely different way to do it. That's why MRTom asked if anyone knew of someone that could produce these in batches of 50 rather than have to amortize cost over 1,000 or more units.

Well it seems to me that the smart thing to do would be to re-release Kermit in some fashion to drive up revenue and bring life back to the line. Supposedly he did well the first time around. Put him the trenchcoat and hat from Great Muppet Caper and you have another product that I think would appeal to collectors and general fans alike. Oh, and getting a new photographer would help the cause immensely.

MP

I agree with you there.

However Kermit didn’t sell quite as quickly as some thought he should have. Maybe he did meet MR projections. I think part of the problem is that initial interest was in a Kermit Puppet. I think that changed in the early stages, but I have a client who saw the first proposed Kermit puppet at one of the conventions and was thrilled at the idea.

I'm just spit-balling at this point for ideas that would continue the line without initial purchasers feeling hosed. Part of the Kermit poser mystique is that he is a limited edition product.

First and foremost I think MR should take advantage of their license in other ways and make figurines and such. If those are high quality items they will sell and MR and other companies that carry them might gain confidence in their Muppet products again. After that a poser of any sort could be a little more viable.

Remember that Master Replicas distributor that started telling customers that they were doing a Reporter Kermit. MR denied it but being actually a division of the MR company u have to wonder where he got that news all of a sudden - maybe it was a rough idea being discussed unofficially. I think it would have done well, though obviously it probably wouldn't help interest in the other characters being a lot of people are just into Kermit wot with him being the "main frog" so to speak.