Too Much "Star Wars"?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by GLUDFSSR, Nov 23, 2015.

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  1. Clipper Sylvania

    Clipper Sylvania L'écharpe d'abricot

    Much like Magnavox: Smart. Very smart.

    The version that I heard had Twentieth Century-Fox, having made that mistake once, intended to reap the benefit of the toys from their next science fiction picture. A deal was struck with Kenner for a toy line and plans were, apparently, expansive.

    One little problem: The movie was Alien. "May the facehuggers be with you" doesn't work quite as well.
     
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  2. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Kenner (or someone...) actually made Alien(s) toys in the 90's that seemed to sell very well. I always thought it was a really weird thing to make toys based on a movie that kids probably wouldn't be seeing (Aliens).
     
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  3. Not to mention the Rambo toys (and cartoon.)
     
  4. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I still can't believe they made those! :laugh:
     
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  5. Texastoyz

    Texastoyz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas, USA

    It was a different era by that time in the early to mid 90's than it was 10 years before. Those toys were more based on Aliens film and the more conventional storyline of the Colonial Marines that were attacking and then being besieged by the Aliens. Even then, these toys came like 6-7 after the movie and with the release of the third Aliens movie it just kept up the interest even though I never saw any toys overtly based upon the third movie.
     
  6. Clipper Sylvania

    Clipper Sylvania L'écharpe d'abricot

    There's at least some justification for the Rambo cartoon, especially in the wake of the second picture. If you gloss over the whole Vietnam thing, then you've got something to work with as a generic action hero and there were kids watching the second and third entries for mindless action, so there's your audience. As for contemporary toys for Aliens, I'd love to see the pitch for a talking Hudson with authentic movie dialogue. Pull his string and hear his uplifting speech on the dropship or his heroic dialogue while defending the civilians in the colony operations center.

    The 1990s toys could be considered somewhere between disposable 3 3/4" figures on the one hand and the quasi-collectible/quasi-statue McFarlane Spawn figures. At least, that's how I remember their pricing at the late Kay-Bee Toys. I don't know if they sold very well, not being backed by a successful movie other than Aliens and Predator from the previous decade.
     
  7. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Of course we can't forget the Rambo Nintendo game with it's.. uh... infamous ending.

     
  8. questrider

    questrider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle, Nowhere
    As far as all the promotional tie-ins: if you paid $4.2 billion for a company and other companies were lining up to throw money your way to license properties you secured through that acquisition, you'd line your pockets too. It's business. Disney is going to try to make back that $4.2 billion—and then some—any way they can. They didn't buy Lucasfilm, Ltd., out of charity. And if that means putting C-3PO, Darth Vader, et. al., on Coffee-mate creamer bottles, then so be it.

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I bet they will make back that money within a decade when you consider how many people will go to Disney World to see the new Star Wars land once it's up and running.
     
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  10. :sigh:
    ...and now back to Star Wars...
     
  11. Clipper Sylvania

    Clipper Sylvania L'écharpe d'abricot

    Oh, they'll make that back. You've got the world's best entertainment marketing machine fused with one of Western cinema's great marketing performers, a team made if not in heaven then on Madison Avenue. If Disney can equal or surpass the numbers that Frozen rang up, they'll be essentially half-way to paying for the transaction with one film. If I was in Disney's shoes, I'd do the same thing they're doing now and that they've done for any other number of franchises over their recent history. As a great sage once put it, "Moichandising!"

    After all, someone has to cover ESPN's costs these days.
     
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  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I would bet there were so many executives and higher-ups scrutinizing this thing, it's Too Big to Fail at this point. Though I think the disappointing sales of the Star Wars Battlefront game indicate that not every facet of the movie is guaranteed to be a success.
     
  13. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    I was 9 when Alien came out in 1979 and we saw the commercials for the Alien action figure during the morning cartoons before school. One thing I couldn't understand was how did they expect to sell these toys to kids when we couldn't even see the film (it was rated R up here, meaning you had to be at least 18).
     
  14. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Answer- Make sure you have cool parents or a cool older brother of a friend to get you into the movie. :)
     
  15. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    No dice, that wasn't allowed here at the time...
     
  16. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Wait... There's something they don't let you do in Canada? :)
     
  17. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    Actually, a year or two later they introduced PG-14 which allowed adults to take under-14's under their supervision.

    Running with scissors is still frowned upon in these here parts...
     
  18. Texastoyz

    Texastoyz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas, USA

    Kenner couldn't give the figures away to a Rated R movie at the time so many figures ended up quickly in the discount bin. I read one time that Kenner eventually bought up the remaining stock from retailers in the early 80's and had them warehoused and destroyed them. That's why the large 18" Alien action figure from Kenner demands big bucks today in the secondary market.
     
  19. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    Yeah, it's funny - some of the biggest failures command the biggest prices in toys - much like records...
     
  20. Mirrorblade.1

    Mirrorblade.1 Forum Resident

    I did not know that? Stupid Kenner, to market a r rated product and turn into a toy in the first place back then.
    And it being scary too. at the time
    As far Stars wars I predict most of toys will be on discount early February ...
    It's too much of friggen product push...........................................:laugh::rolleyes:
    This just like SpaceBalls..:winkgrin:
     
  21. Deuce66

    Deuce66 Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    I've tuned out, I'll be watching the original trilogy in advance and avoiding all promos t'il the premiere.
     
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  22. forthlin

    forthlin Member Chris & Vickie Cyber Support Team

    There was a large display of SW merch yesterday at the grocery store. THE GROCERY STORE! I'm not talking about food items, it was toys and tchotzkes. I'm just a casual SW fan, but I think it's kinda cool that the stuff is everywhere. I like that there is something besides sports that a large number of folks can get excited about.
     
  23. Indeed. I haven't played the game itself. A lot of it stems from a backlash of greedy DLC (downloadable content) practices rather than the quality of the game itself (I think). For instance:
     
  24. Pinknik

    Pinknik Senior Member

  25. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    The remote control Droid is pretty cool. Made we wish I was a kid again walking down the toy isle.
    Saw some micro machine play sets and was like wow.
     
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