Do you know for certain that Mezco won't be doing anymore of the Universal Monsters in one:12? I wrote them a while back and they responded that they were planning on more.....
As for your thoughts on the monsters and their deaths, it is happening.... Being as you have been involved with them before, I have always questioned a theatrical re-release. Do you think a possible answer is to re-release the monster films at cinemas (not as a "special attraction on a saturday evening" event) as in a fair amount of marketing (obviously not spending a fortune) creating some new posters and new previews to tack on to summer films etc? I think the theme park is a good (if limited exposure) measure. How would you do it to keep them from dying is my question.
On the Mezco 1:12 front:
Someone on another forum I frequent suggested Frankenstein's sales were disappointing. A Mezco rep, who also frequents the boards, became defensive of this assessment/statement. A disagreement ensured between the two parties, and the Mezco rep basically ended the discussion by suggesting Frankenstein didn't under perform, and there would be more monsters.
That was almost 4 years ago, in 2016.
Frankenstein has subsequently been offered on ebay at discount/liquidation prices for awhile now. There have also been no more Universal Monsters showcased at toy fairs or offered for pre-order.
In contrast, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Ash From Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Pennywise have been pumped out. With Michael Myers actually beginning to increase in value. Newer properties, with brand identification and familiarity still more relevant and "fresh" in the public eye. If the Universal Monsters were going to continue, surely 4 years between figures (and counting) is a ridiculously long wait between releases if the line were successful. Or even continuing. I suppose time will tell, but it certainly appears to be discontinued for the time being.
One way Universal could keep the properties alive is exposure. The quite expensive licensing fees, ridiculous restrictions via strict adherence to outdated style guides, and the abandonment of actor likenesses have all helped to smother the creativity and licensing of the brand. Sideshow created a Universal Renaissance. Yet something happened, that no one speaks about. One day, everything disappeared from Sideshow's website that had anything to do with Universal Monsters. Since then, the boom ended. There have been interesting "ticks" upward from time to time. DST and their line of figures with TRU helped get the figures in the public eye. Introducing them not only as collectibles for old farts like me, but to get them in the hands of kids. Much like Sideshow did...in the beginning. If a species doesn't reproduce, it gets endangered and eventually goes extinct. Like foks who collected Roy Rogers memorabilia. Once all the rage, now a niche group at best.
There have to be new and inventive ways offered which bring folks back to the magic of those early flicks, and making folks realize that is what the whole thing was built on. For instance, one of the posters above suggested because of the success of The new Invisble Man flick, that the brand name was alive and kicking. Yet he states he hasn't seen the original film with Claude Rains. What's the answer? I don't know. Re-release is a good idea....embracing the pathos of the actors is a good one too. Universal, instead, seems to try and fight with the heirs, rather than ebnefit from sharing the wealth by keeping them actively in the public eye. Colorization might help some folks take a re-visit. Once it was viewed as "defacing art". Yet if no one comes to look at the art, it loses what it was created for. As long as the original prints in black and white are preserved, it might be worth a look. The blu ray releases, as steelbooks, with art by fan favorite Alex Ross was a nice bridge. I don't know how well they sold, as I am not privvy to best Buy's numbers. Yet they managed to reach a crowd of collectors who knew the films by rep, but only collected steelbook blus. I raised my kids on the Universal Monsters. Before that my kid brothers. Later yet (hopefully my grand kids0. yet neither my kid brothers nor my kids stuck with it. I did. They didn't.
In the 1960-70's and even the early 80's....everyone knew hte monsters, and had some item of merchandising. Now...not so much.
