Re: Absence of supporting castpics...

From: chance <chance_at_unix.infoserve.net>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 07:30:18 -0700

Ed wrote:

>In addition to showing what the characters should look like, a style
>guide also gives suggestions on the sort of merchandise that could
>be produced. It doesn't necessarily mean that such merchandise will
>be produced; that's up to a potential licensee. If no company
>believes that they can produce the items and sell at a profit, the
>items don't get made. Sad but true.

True to an extent, but just as with most carnival hucksterism, the sale
is *entirely* due to the effort put into promotion. I believe that some of the
toycos approached to do Katsuff by Tedco passed up the opportunity
because it *was* Tedco; not because of the Kats themselves. The
sale and manufacture of kid-TV related toys is very much a partnership
affair between the Toyco, the syndicator, and the cartoon's producer.
There was considerable (and understandable) trepidation on the part of
the toy companies because none of them believed that Tedco would
hold up their half of the promotional bargain. Looks like they were proven
correct.

All the conceptual stuff in the "Style Guide" that *did* end up making it to
the shelves was of the ultra-low-budget Gordy Toy Taiwanese-trinket
variety, leaving all the up-market stuff unrealized aside from a few items
available in the H-B Employee Store. Oddly, no concept work for
action-figures appears within the 'Guide - only colour models and some
line drawings of the principal characters and accessories.

(Oh yeah, BTW - if you take a look at the art on the Home Video covers,
  I think it becomes readily apparent what they were trying for with the
  Remco ac-figs. The only problem is that the realities of the assembly line
  don't readily lend themselves to that kind of rendering, and most of the
  potential ac/adv figurine market wouldn't even be *aware* of the
  Tremblay's comic-book style of artwork - let alone recognize the ac-figs
  to be a compromise of two styles. They still collectively all broke Rule One:
  "if they don't look like the Show, they don't sell")

>Out of curiosity, how many here have style guides for SK? No, I
>don't want one myself, but am just curious, as the style guide I
>want, for a different property from a different company, is proving
>very hard to get, as that company considers it their property even
>when given to a licensee.

A friend has one for "Care Bears", I've got one that's more along the lines
of a character "bible" for "Tale Spin", and of course there's the Kats one.
There is only the one Kats one, and even Christian Tremblay was amazed
that I was able to get one (well okay, a *copy* of one, but it's the thought
that counts). It evidently cost Hanna-Barbera something like $20Kilobucks
to come up with a limited number of copies of this thing (I've heard
there are only something like eight), and if the same holds true for
your e-add namesake, then good luck. You'll need it. Diz (and now even
Warners) are printing dire warnings on even storyboard panels nowadays, so
the chances of something as interesting as a "Style Guide" making it out of the
House of Mouse diminish accordingly. I've heard of bootleg copies of same
showing up for sale at cons (something I *won't* be doing with the Kats one),
and ex-employees have been known to keep stuff like that for posterity
when they move on to browner pastures.

Maybe post it as an open question on either furry or rec.arts.animation? Some
very, er..."resourceful" individuals have been known to lurk about such places.
_____________________________________________________
"Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed
 antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters,
 through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in
 the winter of 1925. Endurance, Fidelity, Intelligence." -- "Balto"
_____________________________________________________

Received on Fri Jun 21 1996 - 10:53:35 PDT