Lobsterman Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 This is a fantastic discussion thread. Kudos to all who are talking about this calmly and rationally as we try to think about what could be next, not just as personal wishlists (City of Heroes 'mates dammit!!!) but what may sell in these troubled I just hope the Powers That Be are reading. It would be great to hear sales figures, or even anecdotal evidence, that our theories are right or wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 well i can only think of one license that would be great for nostalgia...fit the minimate 2 inch translation and speak to children of the 80s inner child Masters of the Universe. Why not Thundercats, MASK (Minimates are about the same size as the original MASK figures ), GI Joe, etc.? I say a whole line, where different waves fit together different 80s cartoon icons would be great. We could get a Smurf/MASK, Care Bear/He-Man, and Ninja Turtle/GI Joe wave. This is the first time I'm thinking of this, but how awesome would a Minimate Voltron team be, with little guys that actually fit in 6 or so inch tigers that fit together into a Minimate-style Voltron robot? That thing would fly off the shelves, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tones Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Well, I mentioned this in another thread, but I think The Matrix could last for a while, if the character were spaced out well. Now would be a great time to do it too, the 10th anniversary is this year and they will be pushing the original with a new, single Blu-ray release. Here’s what I came up with: In the Matrix: Neo (lots of variants possible) Trinity (w/ motorcycle helmet) Morpheus (normal, beaten, dojo, etc) Cypher (w/ big lightning gun used on Tank & Dozer) Mouse (w/ machine guns and woman in red poster ) Apoc (w/ lots of guns) Switch (w/ "bug locater) Thomas Anderson (w/ hollow book & a no mouth/ripped shirt variant) Agent Smith (normal, angry, no glasses, burly-brawl, station bum transformation variants) Agent Jones (SWAT transformation) Agent Brown (Chopper pilot transformation) “Matrix” Agent (black body w/ green code) The Oracle (The Matrix) (w/ tray of cookies and spoon) The Oracle (The Matrix: Revolutions) Seraph Woman in Red Twin #1 (phasing variant) Twin #2 (phasing variant) The Conductor The Merovingian (w/ chocolate cake ) Persephone The Keymaker The Architect Niobi Ghost Rama-Kandra Sati +various Captains, crew members, policemen/SWAT The “Real” World: Neo (rescued, showing plugs variant) Trinity Morpheus Cypher Tank Dozer Link Zee Mouse Switch Apoc Bane Captain Niobe Commander Lock Captain Mifune The Kid +various Captains, crew members, Councilors, Priests, etc And if they could figure out a way to do Sentinels and the APU machines, that would be cool. They could do mates from the Animatrix too. I want to add my vote for Ghostbusters AND The Goonies too. They are both having anniversaries this yearas well, with new DVD/Blu-ray releases. Ghostbusters has a video game out this year too. Now is the perfect time for both of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 No way that the Matrix would last that long. There are only four characters from there I would buy: Neo, Morpheus, Smith and Trinity. They're the only ones I give half a rat's ass about. Though, I probably would get a second Neo as he's basically a ready-made remake-Klatuu custom. Just change the suit and remove the obligitory sunglasses (which I hope they do like Blade if they do it) and you have Klatuu! (You don't need to worry about the expression. He's just as emotionless in TDTESS as he is in The Matrix.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjwspider Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'm not sure there is anything in the current economic climate that is sure-fire . The only rational way to decide what would sell is to think of it as 'your money & your risk'. That said if I were in a position to invest monies into a particular license that would lend itself to Minimates I can see no further than two British shows that have cult status . My choice isn't necessarily because I'm British but yes if it were my money I'd risk it on something I at least would absolutely love even in the unlikely event of them failing. The first is NOT Captain Britain because the current comic is a bloody shame .Bob Harris was recently on about stereotypes , you really ought to see this crap to believe it...but don't please don't believe it Guv'nor, Cor Blimey. No ,Captain Britain would be nice but not yet. Surprised? No prizes then for Doctor Who which would undoubtedly sell ,absolutely no problem.I'd put my house on it ..which is paid for Everything worth saying about this license has been said ....so I'll leave it there. The other license which begs for a quick 'in out' is one that would sell just about everywhere ,needs no vast range of variants & is loved by generations except those who saw the recent shite film . There were probably only about a dozen characters & they were all iconic ............ .......Thunderbirds. I'd put this ahead of Doctor Who in potential commercial success, 2 perhaps 3 Waves & your done. No strings attached either. Couldn't fail. BHM - If you're pulling out the Thunderbirds card, how long until we get the inevitable proposal for Postman Pat mates? As someone that lived in the UK at a very young age, I seem to recall a black and white cat and a cast of characters that he had to deliver to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdubya Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Tom Hanks movies, perhaps? yeah - 'cause Tom Hanks' movies are soooo much better than Desperately Seeking Susan. All kidding aside, I remember one of the Q & A's mentioning that serious thought was given to Jaws... I'd like to see that Unfortunately I have to agree with the masses - this is not gonna be a great year for 'mates. I foresee little on the ST front - maybe a couple of waves (if we're lucky), BSG died on the table and I'd bet that the T2 set ends up on the shelf too. It'd be my call that DST brings a handful of Marvel movie stuff to Toyfare, and little else. On a semi-related note - if the economy is so bad, who's gonna have $$$ for all those $80 ultimate quarter scale figures or the $2,300 replica Enterprise Captain's chair. I'd bet that the small ticket things would be a better bet when money is tight. This is a very good point. Petroleum-prices, recession, and the ever popular "shrinking toy-market" are all excuses (while quite valid) that keep being thrown-around. You would think that with these factors weighing heavy on toymaker's minds that Minimates (and collectibles of a smaller nature) would be a God-send and receive top priority. It's amazing to see some of the "high-ticket" collectibles being solicited and think "but we can't get some stink'in 2" figures in boxsets?" I am aware of licensing-fees, and other production costs that make Minimate's prospects a little less cut-n-dry as it seems on the surface (small, uniform bases with only paint app.s and minor accessories differentiating them), but it just seems like a product like MMs would be ideal for times like these. However, then I read too many posts about people "loving Minimates" while admitting that they didn't buy any of a particular line (for whatever reason) and am reminded all to quickly on why these struggle so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 As Danny pointed out...... great thread..... with some potentially successful commercial ideas. 'Thunderbirds' however displays that my 'special era' won't necessarily be your 'special era', TBT emphasising that even he watched it albeit when it was repeated . Many of you had never heard of Thunderbirds ,would I therefore conclude that few of you would have enjoyed the irony of Team America? Team America was ,I believe ,produced by the Family Guy team & was a commercial flop & I am beginning to see why it's target audience failed to see the joke (which I'll confess were few) . Thunderbirds ,I therefore concede might not be the one but ,again, how ironic that kubrick (sorry guys) produced the Team America kubrick DVD Box Set. Some (most) of the great ideas thrown up here could work & again if it were my money I'd still stick with my idea . I would also like to add my support to the 'Westerns' which leads me on to the politically-incorrect portion of my post. Hollywood made the movies ,not me, so can we have some Red Indians & Mexicans for our Cowboys to shoot at. That brings me on nicely to Deadwood which surely has to be a winner . There must be some love here for that show. Al Swearengen .....I dream of an Al Swearengen Minimate & when I grow up I want to be Al Swearengen. Where would any US movie or TV show be without the sterotypical ,English, bastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkerbean Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 how about minimates based on (must be over 18) Vivid Entertainment Movies I'm sure they'd go down well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthRaider Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 It's amazing to see some of the "high-ticket" collectibles being solicited and think "but we can't get some stink'in 2" figures in boxsets?" I am aware of licensing-fees, and other production costs that make Minimate's prospects a little less cut-n-dry as it seems on the surface (small, uniform bases with only paint app.s and minor accessories differentiating them), but it just seems like a product like MMs would be ideal for times like these. However, then I read too many posts about people "loving Minimates" while admitting that they didn't buy any of a particular line (for whatever reason) and am reminded all to quickly on why these struggle so. Just to comment on your last sentence, I really would've bought all the other miscellaneous TV/movie minimates if given the opportunity. The big problem is that minimates are crazy-hard to find here: literally only a handful of stores in the whole country actually carry them, and mostly they just stick to the really popular licenses like Marvel and DC (meaning on this side of the globe we miss out on somewhat obscure stuff like the promo blanks and the Dollars Trilogy, Platoon, DSS and Chef Duff sets, which I would've bought in a heartbeat). Obviously the financial stuff is a huge issue in my collecting as well: One of the stores here has the classic BSG colonials boxset for approximately 25 dollars, which I just cannot afford given my current student allowance. This is also why I do not order mates online (except eBay.ph and the local toy-collecting community here) or from abroad, I simply cannot afford them. In short I cannot emphasize enough one of the biggest problems with collecting Minimates, which is that not enough places are committed to carrying them, thus making life that much more difficult even for the most avid, dedicated collectors. Come on, we have guys here from TEXAS having trouble finding the TRU Marvel packs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) Okay, wait. Pulp Fiction Minimates. Vincent and Jules, obviously. Butch, with katana. And Mia, with reversible heroin overdose face. Eh? Eeeeeeh? Edited January 8, 2009 by Lobsterman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Okay, wait. Pulp Fiction Minimates. Vincent and Jules, obviously. Butch, with katana. And Mia, with reversible heroin overdose face. Eh? Eeeeeeh? Didn't someone already do these as another block figure? T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) These are the Pulp Fiction mini-figures already produced, though they don't look very interesting to me. Al Swearengen .....I dream of an Al Swearengen Minimate & when I grow up I want to be Al Swearengen. Where would any US movie or TV show be without the sterotypical ,English, bastard Deadwood was a great show, though much of that is due to the amazing actors they got on (apart from McShane, it had Brian Cox, Powers Booth, "Hitman," Major Dad, Veronica Mars, etc.). Should have lasted a couple more seasons, at least. Edited January 8, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Deadwood was a great show, though much of that is due to the amazing actors they got on (apart from McShane, it had Brian Cox, Powers Booth, "Hitman," Major Dad, etc.). Should have lasted a couple more seasons, at least. Too radical too awesome to last two seasons more. I am so glad that you liked that show K as I have invested too much into your recco'd "The Wire" to find out our tastes differ I recall that there was a promise of 2 further Deadwood sequel movies ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) Don't go into the Wire expecting Deadwood, my friend . They are very different shows, though Omar (the baddest bad-ass on the Wire) rivals Swearengen for all-time awesome TV characters, in my opinion. There was speculation of Deadwood movies a while back, but I haven't heard anything materializing (unlike Arrested Development: the Movie, which seems on its way ). From a google search, I just found this, unfortunately. However, Olyphant and McShane have made nice post-Deadwood movie careers for themselves, which is nice. I kept expecting the bad guy in Kung Fu Panda to shout out, "cocksucker!," but he never did Edited January 8, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) I swear & I cuss but I am typically double-standarded (unsure if that is a word))in the respect that I don't like swearing 'out of place'. When I first watched Deadwood I was genuinely horrified at the language ,"gratuitous & disgusting" was actually heard within the realms of my humble abode ......uttered by ...er...um..me. Whilst I still try, rather unsuccessfully ,here not to swear I genuinely (truly, honestly) don't think it's clever , you'll only know when I'm truly rattled that I descend into the vernacular*. Deadwood's language was disgusting but so bloody real & eventually I didn't even notice . I'm sure the PC brigade helped kill that one. Al Swearengen .....if I weren't me I'd need to be Al Swearengen . *Trust me when I say that I re-read some of my hastily replied comments recently & cringe as much as you lot probably do. Sorry! Edited January 8, 2009 by buttheadsmate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Lets see, MGM movies: A Christmas Story Boxed Set: Ralphie w/ BB Gun Randy (has a slip over puffy coat like how Hannibal's straight jacket) Mom w/ Turkey Dad w/ Leg Lamp 2-Pack: Bunny Suit Ralphie Flick w/ pole Killer Klowns From Outer Space Mike Debbie w/ Popcorn Aliens in hamper Clown w/ Gun Clown w/ Crazy Straw Cotton Candy cocoon as an extra accessory Lucky Number Slevin Slevin w/ guns The Boss (Morgan Freeman minimate!) Lindsey in bathrobe Goodkat w/ guns (Bruce Willis minimate!!) Clerks 2 (maybe we can get black and white Clerks too) Boxed Set: Dante w/ Engagement Ring Randal w/ Hat and Coffee Pot Elias w/ Onion Ring and Moobies Hat Becky 2-Pack: Jay and Silent Bob Jay with skull cap and "got christ" shirt Silent Bob w/ hat and boom box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7EVIN Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 Lets see, MGM movies: [ Lucky Number Slevin Slevin w/ guns The Boss (Morgan Freeman minimate!) Lindsey in bathrobe Goodkat w/ guns (Bruce Willis minimate!!) im all for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brinen Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Not really a movie, but I'd love minimates based on Hercules & Xena. There could be two four-packs: 1.) Hercules, Iolaus, Callisto, and Autolycus 2.) Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and Ares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthRaider Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Welcome to the boards Brinen! And thanks for the interesting thread necro Well, I just skimmed over this thread and realized the uncanny-ness of all the stuff we've talked about... Within the span of six months we've gotten news of upcoming Minimates we've not only wanted for years but never imagined would actually happen (Ghostbusters, Terminator, Godfather... Beverly Hills Cop?!) I'm starting to think the recession may have been a false scare after all, as we're still getting new mates at a feverish rate. As far as Minimate-able licenses go, I'm starting to really wonder about the seemingly paradoxical workings of DST: they claim that Minimates are a kids' product, but some of the lucky licenses that have seen Minimate form are of a decidedly "older-generation" bent. Terminator and Ghostbusters make sense in context, but Godfather and BHC are pretty left-field as far as the "for kids" idea is concerned. I'm seriously questioning what DST must really be thinking when deciding who gets the Minimate treatment or not. DST must really be banking on the crossover appeal of these, otherwise I think they must be joking themselves if they keep insisting that twelve-year-olds will be interested in an Al Pacino minimate. (Kid walks into a store: "Oooh, I want the one with the gray suit!") Seriously, what factors are DST really considering when choosing new Minimates? The colorfulness of the characters? The cult/nostalgia appeal of the license? Or are they just going with whatever random license they can actually afford to Minimate-ize? I think it's clear DST is not setting out to create a new long-runner like Marvel, most of the licenses had been around on a transitional basis, and in the long run work as Minimate experimentation at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dio Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 The Mask: Jim Carrey as The Mask with normal civilian clothes and normal head Milo as The Mask with normal head too Dorian as The Mask with normal head too Cameron Diaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquis de Carabas Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Lucky Number Slevin Slevin w/ guns The Boss (Morgan Freeman minimate!) Lindsey in bathrobe Goodkat w/ guns (Bruce Willis minimate!!) that would be AMAZING!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I think it's clear that the cost of the license weighs heavily on the decision to make Minimates. I know that's obvious, but, I would say that they had to cough up significantly less to acquire the Beverly Hills Cop license than the Terminator 2 license, and have scaled the outputs accordingly. I would guess it's a fairly cheap license, and along with the other 80's TV/film product they have already produced to varying degrees of success, they think Beverly Hills Cop is worth a boxset. If it does well they can put out stuff from the sequels. Keep it in comic stores for the nostalgia-based purchase. T2 and Ghostbusters are huge licenses. The are well known, iconic, marketable and most importantly, they are relevant to today's toy markets, with the videogame/DVDs and the new T4. Therefore the output is scaled to incorporate TRU as well as different comic shop releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr baghead Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Clerks 2 (maybe we can get black and white Clerks too) Boxed Set: Dante w/ Engagement Ring Randal w/ Hat and Coffee Pot Elias w/ Onion Ring and Moobies Hat Becky 2-Pack: Jay and Silent Bob Jay with skull cap and "got christ" shirt Silent Bob w/ hat and boom box If Clerks is an option I hope we'd get some done in the animated style as well. I was a fan of the Clerks Inaction Figures (and Steve Silver's design work in general) and think it's a style that would lend itself well to Minimates. My ideal set up would be: Clerks 1/Animated Box Set 1: -Dante -Randal -Leonardo Leonardo -Mr. Plug Clerks 1/Animated Box Set 2: -Jay -Silent Bob -Charles Barkley -Bear Who Drive Car Clerks 1 Box Set 3: -B&W Dante -B&W Randal -B&W Jay -B&W Silent Bob Clerks 1 2-pack (color version normal, B&W as exclusives): -Caitlin -Veronica Mallrats Box Set 1: -TS -Brandi -Mr. Svenning -Silent Bob Mallrats Box Set 2: -Brodie -Rene -Le Fores -Steve Dave Mallrats Box Set 3: -Willam (with real working Magic Eye poster! that's actually not a sailboat but a series of geometric shapes) -Tricia -Jay -Walter the fanboy Unnecessary Mallrats Characters 2-pack: -Shannon -Gwen Chasing Amy Box Set: -Holden -Banky -Alyssa -Hooper X Dogma Box Set 1: -Bethany -Bartleby -Jay -Hockey Demon Triplet 1 Dogma Box Set 2: -Loki -Serendipity -Rufus -Hockey Demon Triplet 2 Dogma Box Set 3: -Cardinal Glick -Metatron -Silent Bob -Hockey Demon Triplet 3 Dogma 2-pack: -Azrael -God (female version but with revesible head and second hair piece and coat to be in man disguise!) Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back 4 pack 1: -Jay -Bluntman -Justice (normal clothes) -Missy (spy) Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back 4 pack 2: -Silent Bob -Suzanne the Monkey -Marshall Willenholly -Crissy (spy) Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back 4 pack 3: -Justice (spy) -Sissy (spy) -Chronic -Moriss Day Clerks 2 4-pack: -Dante (Mobey's) -Becky -Jay -Silent Bob Clerks 2 2-pack: -Randal (Mobey's) -Elisas Will we ever see this happen: NOPE! but it was fun to write a giant list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Bill and ted's Excellent Adventure 2 pack: Bill and Ted. Gotta admit, it's pretty bodacious. It could be the most triumphant two-pack ever dude. Edited June 18, 2009 by Trekker 42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSIxidor Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Clerks mates would be fantastical. I'd also enjoy several of these movies/TV shows, and some examples of what I want: (realize I'm all about the pipe dreams) Half Baked Anchorman (4-Pack from the fight scene, incl Brick w/ Grenade) Mash (I really just want a Radar w/ teddy bear and a Klinger in dress - Normal uniform should be exclusive and come with car parts in a bowl) Arrested Development (Gob w/ Segway ftw) I swear I had a big list in my head the other day that was much larger . . . oh well Maybe I'll do a whole Arrested Development and MASH wishlist later . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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