Linus might be a mild mannered blanket toting little boy by day, but under the full moon he becomes Linus the werewolf. Forever Fun’s Halloween poseable Linus has furry fabric arm and leg cuffs, and mask with fur tufts to complete his transformation. He’s just another adorable addition to our line of Peanuts Halloween poseables. We didn’t forget to pick out the perfect pumpkin to go with the gang; you’ll have to wait to see who’s hiding out in the pumpkin patch.
Look who’s following Charlie, it’s his pal Snoopy dressed as the Masked Marvel Forever Fun Halloween poseable. Snoopy comes equipped with his own mask and cape to remain a dog of mystery. What caped dog of mystery doesn’t have a sidekick? Of course we had to give Woodstock his own little bird sized mask to go along with his pal. These two fit right in with the rest of the Peanuts Halloween poseables. It looks like a full moon next week, Snoopy might have some company while howling. Be “were”.
Something spooky has been creeping around at Round 2… it’s the NEW Forever Fun Halloween poseables! As Terri mentioned before; they are a new size, 3-3/4 action size and all new sculpts. We are really excited about these adorable Trick-or-Treaters being at CVS. So, who will be ghoulishly decked out for Forever Fun’s Peanuts Halloween poseables? Well, you’re going to have to wait to see them all. This week we reveal the boy behind the mask, Charlie in his skeleton costume. Break out the birdseed and dog treats because Snoopy and Woodstock should be following right behind. Stay tuned for more Peanuts Halloween Poseables.
Looks like Forever Fun Peanuts poseables will be in the Halloween seasonal aisle at CVS — and that’s not the biggest news. We’re rolling out all new figures in a new size! That’s right! Our Peanuts Halloween poseables are new sculpts in a new scale – comparable to the 3-3/4 action size in quality and detail. We’ve been really busy keeping up with production schedules and working with sculptors and engineers to bring you the very best recreations of your favorite Peanuts™ characters. The image below shows hard copies of the sculpts. The engineers are very busy working out the articulation. I’ll post more once I see 1st test shots.
Keep checking back because Katie will be revealing more about the Peanuts Halloween poseables! She’s been at Round 2 for about a year, helping with the Forever Fun line. Yep, she having lots of FUN!
Captain Action’s big news this week is our announcement of the Marvel license for Captain Action costume sets! This is significant indeed, as it reunites Captain Action with his old pals Spider-Man and Captain America, and allows Captain Action to venture further into Marvel territory with costume sets of Thor, Iron Man and more! For the full scoop, see the official Captain Action press release here.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of a couple of sculpts-in-process of some special accessories for the deluxe version of the Spider-Man costume set. Keep in mind that these are not final, and are not yet approved by Marvel. Enjoy!
Tanks, But No Tanks!
Fans of the original Captain Action may remember that goofy (but, oh, so lovable!) “web tank” that was included in the original Spider-Man Ideal costume set. (Ominously, it was labeled on the packaging as “Spider Venom Spray.” Ouch.) Although some of those quirky original accessories have become very endearing to fans over the years, it is our intent to be faithful to the original source material. So – instead of Spidey’s questionable “web tank,“ we have opted to recreate those wonderful web shooters that Peter Parker ostensibly hides under his Spider-Man gloves. While these do not actually fit under the 1/6-scale glove/hands (more about that later!), it allows the 1/6-scale aficionado to display our friend Mr. Parker (using the alter-ego mask included with the deluxe set) getting dressed and ready to fight crime as everyone’s favorite web-slinger!
After over 40 years of faithful, superheroic service, we at Forever Fun decided it was time to give Captain Action a couple of well-earned upgrades. First of all, our Valentine’s Day gift to you, dear Captain, is a new and improved face.
Cap’s facelift was a matter of some debate. There are those who consider Cap’s original appearance a thing of sacred (that is “sacred” — not “scared” or “scarred”) beauty. That said, Cap had already been re-released, under the Playing Mantis regime, with (more-or-less) his original face. So, for this new release, did we want to go to that well one more time, and not mess with the supposed visage of perfection that our rose-colored glasses of nostalgia showed us? OR, did we want to look to the present, (nay, the future!) with our 3-D, HD stereoscopic spectacles and modernize our beloved Captain Action, youthify and meanify him so he fit more within a modern aesthetic?
With the blessing and assistance of our friends Joe Ahearn and Ed Catto at Captain Action Enterprises, the current licensor for Captain Action, we decided to give Cap a subtle facelift, a look that is slightly more modern, while not abandoning his classic appearance entirely. This Cap may have a stronger jawline and a more determined look, but he still has that subtle, fun-loving smirk that his original incarnation sported — a look that says he’s ready for adventure, fun and fighting off the bad guys! In any case, here’s a sneak peek at Cap’s new face.
Once upon a time there was an action figure with a blue laser gun and lightning-shaped sword. He had a skin-tight black and blue superhero costume and a captain’s hat. He had sort of a goofy grin on his face and looked a little like the friendly middle-aged neighbor from next door. (But, heck, this was the 1960’s and we didn’t mind if our super heroes looked like our dads.)
The cool thing with this action figure is that you could change him into OTHER superheroes and comic book characters, like Batman, Superman, Green Hornet, Spider-Man and Captain America. This great action figure even had his own alien nemesis, a freaky blue-skinned guy with an exposed brain! (How cool is THAT?!) He even had his own kid sidekick, who had a black panther as a pet! (That’s just crazy, man.)
There are a few of us that still consider this unique toy the best action figure ever. In fact, he was so beloved that a little toy company you may have heard of, Playing Mantis, even brought him back about 10 years ago.
Well, you can’t keep a good man down, and we at Round 2/Forever Fun are proud to be associated with this classic action figure once again.
We’ll have more news in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out this press release on Forever Fun and take a gander at the (very preliminary) images posted below.
Actually, 2011 spring is over at Round 2 and the 2011 fall and winter season is full swing. Of course I’m talking about our selling seasons. We have presented all our spring offerings to our buyers/retailers and they have all declined. We had some great ideas but they just didn’t ‘stick’ as they say. Below are sales images of the Easter and Valentine poseables we had planned. If you own the figures already, it might be fun to set up your displays using these ideas. My favorite is the Peanuts Easter Pig Pen with the egg coloring deco! You’ll notice the Peanuts Valentine Snoopy/Cupid sports the angel wings from the Sally mini figure in the pageant set. Well, there’s always next year. We will never give up trying.
Proposed 2011 Easter Poseables
photo by RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVES
There was a small item in the news recently, the kind of article that many casual readers could have easily overlooked. However, for those of us who are fans of Rudolph, it came as a big bit of very sad news: Billie Mae Richards, the voice of our beloved Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has died.
For most of us who have worked on the Rudolph line here at Round 2 and also previously at Playing Mantis, developing the Rudolph line was (and is) so much more than just a job. I grew up with Rudolph on television every Christmas, and to actually become a part of that holiday phenomenon, even in such a peripheral manner, is a real privilege and an honor. It is about so much more than just commerce. When we started adding audio to our figures, and the instantly identifiable sounds of the REAL Rudolph started coming out of our product, it was that perfect icing on our holiday cake, the final touch that at last made our product feel truly genuine.
We have Billie Mae Richards to thank for that. The dulcet tones of that shy little reindeer, humble and magnificent at the same time, will continue to be an indelible part of our holiday year after year, for generations to come. Maybe it was just a tiny incandescent bulb that really gave Rudolph his shiny nose, but it was Rudolph’s distinctive voice — full of insecurity, goodness and hope — that gave that little stop-motion puppet its heart.
Thank you, Billie Mae, for truly bringing Rudolph to life.