Plushie Fail, Figurine Win
Posted September 19th, 2008 by Howard TaylerIt’s time to come clean: I’ve been working with a plushie company on Schlock plushies, and after $1000 in prototyping I have nothing to show you.
Yeah, they were that bad. The company was nice to work with, but when I paid for additional prototyping it was because I didn’t want to be told “oh, we can adjust that in the production run.” Hah. I asked them to close their file with me, because I know better than to send good money after bad.
It’s all the more frustrating when I see brilliantly successful merchandise from friends like Scott Kurtz. Check out this figurine of Scratch Fury!
If you like the figurine, it’s a limited-run, pre-order only collectible and now is the time to act.
Congratulations, Scott!
September 19th, 2008 at 7:50 am
A set of collectable figurines would probably sell really well.
You could even have multiple figures for different characters eg Schlock in the bathtub, Schlock with his 3 cannons, Schlock with 4 eyes, Schlock with mini-schlock, Schlock and a tub of Ovalqwik, Elf with the large boots, Elf on the reality show with really long hair, Tagon doing his happy dance etc etc. There are so many possibilities that I think your biggest issue would be narrowing it down for the initial run hehe.
However that does give you options down the line to add new figures to the set, especially at key selling times like xmas.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I’m not so sure I want to think very hard about a soft, squishable Schlock…
September 19th, 2008 at 8:10 am
it’s like huggable violent poo
juengter1701
September 19th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I went beyond plushie Schlock and imagined a sort of beanbag chair where you sit in Schlock’s mouth.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Expendable, I, erm … That just screams of wrong, in the “I’m being violated by a smiling sentient mound of poo!” way.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Oh man that stinks, a schlock plushie was the number 1 thing I’ve been hoping for since you started offering merch! Thank you for trying, but now i have to console myself when I know there won’t be one in any near future.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I know it’ll probably be a while before you try again on plushies… but when the time comes, you might consider consulting with Pete over at sluggy Freelance (his wife(?) hand-makes their plushies) or Sohmer ofer at lfg who found a good plushie company out of country… I’m honestly not sure who does the ones over at User Friendly, but they’re also very good.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Speaking of resin, I’d buy a new Schlock ornament, each and every Christmas. . .
September 19th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Linxan: No, see, that’s what Schlock does NORMALLY.
The difference is, of course, if you decide to sit in the SchlockBagChair, you’re doing it to yourself. Can’t violate the willing.
I can imagine this toy going over really well with the kids, though. You know they like the character furniture and character clothing-and everybody likes beanbag chairs.
Where this might go wrong is if there are any closet vores in the Schlock fanbase.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Of course you can violate the willing. Just give ‘em more then they expect… and is that why Sgt Schlock likes the plasma cannons so much?
Jake
9. ishidan Says:
September 19th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
The difference is, of course, if you decide to sit in the SchlockBagChair, you’re doing it to yourself. Can’t violate the willing.
Where this might go wrong is if there are any closet vores in the Schlock fanbase.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I can’t really see Schlock in plush OR resin. What I see him in is rubber. (Get your minds out of the gutter) Like the classic bendable Gumby figures, except for the Sarge you wouldn’t need a wire skeleton, for the human characters, yes, but not Schlock. Just a capability for a little rubbery wobble, that’d be cool to me.
Just a little food for thought. I don’t have a clue who even makes things like that any more.
September 20th, 2008 at 5:11 am
perhaps a fan can hand-prototype a workable schlock and use can dissassemble it as a pattern.
And Howard, I know it was horrible, but could we please see just HOW horrible it was?
Please? Pretty please?
September 21st, 2008 at 1:50 am
Drop two different-sized craft store googly eyes into tub of green slime.
Take out slime and manipulate it.
Presto: Scale model carbosilicate amorph.
I think I’ll go make Schlock and mini Schlock, and then recombine them for Schlock with four eyes…
And yeah, I want to see this alleged disaster, too.
And where’s my Attorney Drone plushie? Hmmm??