Disney Theme Park Merchandise Q&A Round 2
Written by Brian Curran Monday, 01 October 2007
The Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team was AGAIN nice enough to take the time to answer several questions for us. Read the exclusive Q&A here!
1) EE.NET: Last time, you told us that the Muppet/Star Wars crossover figures and the Leia/Padme dressup dolls were still in development. Has there been any major progress with either of those concepts?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: Sculpts were approved by LFL on the dress sets, so we are moving along nicely. We are still working on sculpt revisions for the Muppets. I still plan to launch both items in the spring.
2) EE.NET: We were happily surprised that the first wave of Disney Characters as Star Wars Characters action figures hit shelves in early September, well ahead of your projected October release date. How have sales been?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: The response has been great! Darth Vader Goofy definitely seems to be the favorite. We gave Disneyland an early release on the series, and Walt Disney World followed shortly after. I will probably balance things out by giving WDW a little advance release on the MPH line, which should hit locations very soon. (EE.net note WDW has the MPH line at the Resort now)
3) EE.NET: We know a second wave is being worked on now. Are there any plans for a third wave of Disney/Star Wars crossover figures after that?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: I have begun early work on a 3rd wave, but the characters are not finalized yet.
4) EE.NET: Are there plans for additional Mr. Potato Head Star Wars characters after the first wave of five?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: No plans currently. The series of 5 was originally a series of 6. "Chewtater" didn't make it all the way to production. If the first 5 do well, maybe we can bring him back to the line. Who knows?
5) EE.NET: Will the Star Wars Mr. Potato Head pieces be exclusive to the packaged characters, or will they also be available as loose parts in the Build Your Own Potato Head kiosks?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: For now, they will be exclusive to the packaged sets. I don't have any current plans to add them to the bulk fixture. However, as soon as Hasbro has sold through on the packaged sets of Darth Tater and Spudtrooper, I will use some of their parts for the bulk experience.
6) EE.NET: Several toy-collecting websites conduct regular Q&A's with Hasbro, and we know from their replies that they are knowledgeable about what the toy-customizing community does. Do fan-made items ever inspire or otherwise influence your work?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: We try to stay involved with anything related to our product categories. In coming up with new product lines, we definitely get inspiration from a variety of places. Fans and collectors definitely have a say in our new items by what they purchase, write BLOG's about, dedicate website's to, etc.
7) EE.NET: We loved the lights-and-sound StarSpeeder 3000 vehicle, but when it was first announced many people assumed it would be scaled to the action figures. What is the likelihood of ever seeing this nifty vehicle 'supersized' to a 3-3/4 inch scale format?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: No current plans, but anything is possible.
8) EE.NET: Do you work closely with Imagineering? At what point when a new attraction gets the green light do you start work on Merchandise for the ride/show?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: Yes; we do work closely with Imagineering. The timeline is different for new attractions, vehicles, parks, etc. as to when we get involved in development. With toy development lead-times being long, I normally like to be involved as early as possible.
9) EE.NET: The monorail toy line has included some awesome 'landmark' accessories with the facades of beloved Park attractions. Will we ever see a Star Tours building for our monorails to pass?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: No current plans, but I did do concepts on such an item a few years ago. The set was scaled to our 3-3/4" droids; however, the project was canceled. In the case of Star Tours, the exterior facade is mostly a soundstage building. When trying to sculpt it as a playset, its exterior is not as interesting as some of our other icons such as Spaceship Earth, Cinderella Castle, or Space Mountain.
10) EE.NET: So, in wave two, Mickey Mouse is Anakin Skywalker, but in wave one, Goofy is Darth Vader. Is this one of those 'certain point of view' things that Obi-Wan Kenobi always glosses over? When you turn to the dark side, you actually become goofy?
Disney Theme Park Merchandise Product Team: That's a funny analogy. However, the decision was more based on character scale (Goofy is taller than Mickey and Vader is taller than Luke) and, in general, Mickey is normally the central character or "hero" in our Disney storytelling.
Thanks to the Disney Team for answering our questions. Also a Thank You to those of you that submitted Questions.
