General > Brainstorming For Playmobil
The Wizard of Oz - Perfect for Playmobil?
GrahamB:
Thanks for that story synopsis, Klicky_ghost. The image of the Wicked Witch of the East's legs sticking out from under Dorothy's farmhouse after the Cyclone dumped it on her (manslaughter rather than Murder with Malice Aforethought) is a vivid memory from my childhood, much more so than those flying monkeys. Another memory I have is of being disappointed at the start of the film (we went to a local cinema to see it) because it was monochrome, like many films of that time. Then it burst into Technicolor when Dorthy gets to Munchkinland.
Some great sets there for Playmobil to emulate...
Great customs, Tiermann! I'm surprised geobra aren't jumping on the potential here!
Was Malice Aforethought an early serial killer?
Tiermann:
My flying monkeys were definitely inspired by Oz. They come in handy in other places of course. Every Halloween display I do, plus an appearance in Christmas 3000. Great as space aliens of course.
tahra:
--- Quote from: Tiermann on June 08, 2021, 17:10:37 ---My flying monkeys were definitely inspired by Oz. They come in handy in other places of course. Every Halloween display I do, plus an appearance in Christmas 3000. Great as space aliens of course.
--- End quote ---
They are great! :love: Would look awesome on The Gathering too ;)
Adam16bit:
--- Quote from: Ismene on May 14, 2021, 05:18:27 ---The Baum books were published between 1900 and 1920, so they should be public domain. A license wouldn't be needed as long as the theme side-stepped anything specifically from later adaptations (e.g. the ruby slippers). Sometimes companies will hold trademarks for specific phrases/images associated with a public domain work (ex. the Beatrix Potter publisher is sitting on some Peter Rabbit trademarks), so that would have to be researched.
It's an interesting idea, although thus far Playmobil hasn't created a large theme for the American market, and the Wizard of Oz is very American.
--- End quote ---
The great thing about this is the Fi?ures - there's nothing stopping from Playmobil making a Classic Oz set (should they bypass the movie license) and then just coincidentally selling a mystery figure line for Everdreamerz or the general twice-a-year series that just happens to include a set of legs with ruby slippers on them for customization purposes. (There were some interesting knockoff action figures in the 1990s that were imported to the USA on trapdoor blister cards so they could insert the helmets separately and assemble them here - crafty!)
Oz is one of those licenses that transcends generations and tends to perform well - generally with older fans, which could be people who buy toys for young fans. I was just skimming the thread and noticed some anti-license sentiment, and I can say this: I work at a toy store where I watch the numbers coming in for Playmobil Trek, Ghostbusters, BTTF, etc. and at least from where I sit, the licenses are doing well, even at those higher price points. This reminds me a lot of what LEGO went through over 20 years ago and despite some growing pains, it paid off for them as a company and I've shown some of these to co-workers who never considered buying Playmobil when I showed them awesome things like the dumpster fire or the 5504 set whipping out their credit cards for an Enterprise or a DeLorean without a second thought. I have to assume an Emerald City could be equally exciting - after all, Mattel's doing great with a big green castle playset of their very own right now.
Also the Wicked Witch of the Witch is probably the image most Americans think of when you say "imagine a witch." (And I don't have a green Playmobil witch in my toy stash.)
With LEGO just introducing that Seinfeld set this week, there's constant proof that there's an older fan who will pay $50-$90 for a nice set with a playset/vehicle and some figures - which is a lot more fun than a statue or a mini-bust, which also have their place in the market. With Oz I've seen Potato Heads, dolls, film cells, ornaments, puzzles, playing cards, and a couple of LEGO items too. But I'd be particularly interested in Playmobil.
Rasputin:
Oh, a Wizard of Oz set would be great. So simple and most molds could be found.
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