So, I’ve mentioned some of the issues we’ve had with our Peanuts holiday figures, especially with Peppermint Patty. It is rare that we have any problems with the factory on this product. Sure things happen here and there but they are pretty dependable.
Last year we were getting ready to include her in our Halloween assortment at CVS. I got the painted test shots back and was horrified. She had blonde hair! I thought it was a practical joke. Turns out the joke was on me as I had picked up specs for Sally and rewritten over them. I missed correcting the spec on the hair. Luckily, it wasn’t too early to correct it. (occaisionally, we get “test shots” and they are actually production pieces- Yikes!) Here’s a look at bleach blonde Patty. One of about ½ dozen in existence.
Our most recent miscue has been Patty packaged in Christmas packaging. She was not in our plans for this year but somehow the one shown ended up on the shelf at Meijer. Sure it is a little beaten but it is still factory sealed in spots. Closer inspection shows that she was actually placed in a Franklin inner blister. Notice the lack of an insert- it doesn’t actually say Peppermint Patty anywhere. I’m guessing that the factory had to do some planning for something packaging oriented and they sealed a few of her in the package. (Franklin may have lagged behind in production because parts of him are new) Somehow, she got put in cases and out she went. There is no way of knowing how many are out there. We would never have known about her if Bob hadn’t actually found her in our local Meijer store. What are the odds?
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52 Responses to “Peanuts Holiday Figures: The Misadventures of Peppermint Patty”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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November 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Interesting. If anyone has a Meijers in their area and is going there, can you pick one of these up for me? Contact me at superthingmaker@gmail.com, I’ll send you payment for everything.
By the way- Is this the general stripped-down packaging used for the CVS releases, too?
November 24th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
So is there a chance tha Patty could be included in the assortment for Christmas next year. I know she wasn’t in A Charlie Brown Christmas but it would be a seller. I know you guys at Forever Fun have great ideas for product but have to weight it agaisnt price point for some retailers . Do the retailer make request for items that you make .. I think it was nmentioned somewhere on the blog that retailer ask for price point items
Is there a chance next year that Franklin could more common then this year. Finding him reminders of the some Star Wars figures that were hard to find. Any chance that other character ( lesser) could be added to assortment .
November 25th, 2009 at 10:32 am
SpaceCrawler- I think the packaging style is essentially the same. I can’t say that the accessories are the same though. one may have more or less than the other. (It’s been so long and there were so many last minute changes due to costs, etc. and we are concentrating on next year so my memory is fuzzy)
Vader- Right now Franklin isn’t in our plans for next year. He is short packed partly because we didn’t feel he would do as well with the wider public but to also make him a real collectable figure. We did sell solid pack cases of him to Time&SpaceToys.com. Check for him there.
November 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hi guys. I’m another long time collector of all these lines since the early days. I collect most of the variants, repaints, different accesories, etc., so this post caught my attention. Unfortunately, there are no Meijer stores in my area for me to check this out. But, the more I looked at this picture, the more I started wondering about it. Were more than one of this figure found in Meijer stores?
For starters, all the Peppermint Patty figures that I found from last year’s 2008 CVS Halloween line, and this year’s 2009 Toys R Us Halloween line all were the same figure: open eyes, smiling face, orange shirt, orange sandals. Basically, the figure on the right, but with the correct brown hair. Was there a variant with closed eyes? Last year’s 2008 CVS Halloween line had variant facial expressions for all the other characters: Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy, but I looked for a variant Peppermint Patty with closed eyes, like shown on the card back, but I never found one so I just assumed that it wasn’t produced for retail. Was their a variant Peppermint Patty with closed eyes produced for either the 2008 or 2009 Halloween lines?
Now, since you have both figures in the same picture, you can also see the coloring difference in Peppermint Patty’s shirt and sandals. Packaged Peppermint Patty has more of a yellow color than an orange color. In fact, this looks more like Peppermint Patty from the Good Ol’ Charlie Brown line of figures from 2002. And that Peppermint Patty did indeed come with about four different facial expressions including closed eyes. Did the factory that produced the 2009 Charlie Brown Christmas figures for the Meijer stores have a supply of the 2002 Good Ol’ Charlie Brown figures of Peppermint Patty that they could have substituted for Franklin?
I could be wrong on all these assumptions, and there really is multiple Peppermint Patty figures on Charlie Brown Christmas packaging floating throughout these Meijer stores, but if there’s only been one found so far, I’m beginning to think differently. Based on the damage to the package, I’m more inclined to believe the factory is innocent. And some shifty Meijer’s customer bought the Charlie Brown Christmas Franklin figure, brought it home, opened it enough to get the figure out, and also the inner cardboard piece with Franklin’s name, then substituted in a 2002 Good Ol’ Charlie Brown’s Peppermint Patty figure complete with twist-tie, resealed it as best they could, and returned the figure to Meijer’s to get their money back. And the store then put it back on the shelf.
Or it really is a factory produced oddity. In any case, keep up the good work guys. I’ve loved all the 2009 produced lines of figures. And already looking forward to 2010. I know it’s too late to put in suggestions for next year, but here’s an easy one for future thought: Add Peppermint Patty and Marcie to the Easter Beagle line. Use the existing Peppermint Patty sculpt but with pink colors, use the existing Marcie sculpt from the All-Star line with maroon colors, same Easter basket accessories as this year. Since Peppermint Patty and Marcie were a big part of the Easter special, it would appeal to both casual consumers, fans of the special, and collectors alike.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Are you planning to add any new characters for any of the Peanuts line for next year. Is is possible that you can add the three King playset to the other two that you have..
November 30th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I also would agree that adding Patty and Marcie would sell because they are known characters for Easter
December 4th, 2009 at 11:52 am
If you are still looking for Franklin, a friend of mine runs a comic shop nearby and does web orders. He has some in stock right now.
buymetoys.com
We wanted to do the 3 kings this year but had to cut the assortment back. It’s a possibility but I don’t know if it will be 2010.
We don’t gain enough sales to do new tools for Easter products. We do have a sculpt for Marcie but I’m not sure we could introduce her any time soon. Besides retailer “requests” about the characters in the assortment, we’ve also had to cut back the number of characters in assortments due to testing fees which have become a significant money sink. With fewer characters per assortment, there is less to have tested.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Yes I sm still looking for the Franklin figure since he is newest figures in the Christmas set I understand from a creative standpoint there are endless possible figures but at the same time retailers want the standard figures . Again it would be great to have Marcie for Easter since she in that show.
December 20th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I’ve never been able to find that variant of Patty either and I believe Bob told me last year she wasn’t released.
Can you say anything on Valentine/Easter product yet? In 3-4 weeks they should start hitting CVS stores so it would be great to give mine a heads up if anything is coming.
It would be nice to get a Marcy as she was only released in a Baseball paint job so far. Easter would be a great place for her but I see the issue there.
In case you missed it in the other thread my TRU has sold out of everything but he Rudolph trains. Is that a nation wide event?
December 21st, 2009 at 11:10 am
Valentine & Easter won’t be much different from what you’ve seen in the past. New packaging but the content really is unchanged. Same characters, etc.
Good to hear that our product has sold well in your area. We’ve gotten mixed news on sales. It will be interesting to see how it all works out.
December 25th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Jamie - Do you mean that the Valentines and Easter figures will be the same as what was released last year or variants of previous released Peanuts figures (not released under these lines in the past)? I remember seeing some 6″ figures in one of your photo updates for Valentines Day. Will these be done or are we seeing more clip ons?
How will mixed sales affect 2010 product? Does it dicate less over all or just in the stores where it sold less? Knowing ToysR Us they’ll cut it here too even though it sold through as they always do stupid things like that.
December 26th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
All of the Christmas lines sold very well in Western New York too. TRU has been mostly cleaned out, minus the large-sized Peanuts, which were probably the slowest sellers besides the trains. At least my main CVS sold-out of the Peanuts actions figures a long time ago. The other items — ice rink, etc — sold moderately well.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Easter and Valentine- There won’t be any new characters introduced to those assortments. I’m pretty sure it will be mini figures for Valentines and poseables for Easter.
Sell “through” looks like it has ended up looking pretty good this year. Sell “in” was a problem. Forever Fun sales (into the retailers) were down substantially for the year and this has really impacted us from the standpoint of development (anything new) costs. There are positive signs for next year though. We’ll see how this selling season goes.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Three questions:
1. I have seen the Easter figures that Time and Space Toys carried in the past, and they seemed to be available only from them (was that in fact the case?).
2. Are there now going to be Easter figures available in stores, and will there be any difference between the ones available from Time and Space Toys and this year’s releases?
3. Also, any future plans to reintroduce Santa Clause is Coming to Town figures?
Thanks!
January 4th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Will there be any changes (variant) to the Valentines and Easter figures? Will trhe Valentines bve clip ons again?Will the Easter have any color changes of facial changes?
Thanks!
Glad sell through was good. Is it too late for this to alter 2010 Christmas line up plans then or just the first quarter holiday figures?
January 6th, 2010 at 10:18 am
SC-
1- They are available at CVS. We have witnessed ourselves that distribution seems spotty. (haven’t seen them in local stores in the past)
2- Other than packaging, Easter figures are the same as before.
3- Highly unlikely.
Ed-
The Valentines minis will just be figures with no clips (to the best of my knowledge). Instead of the charm, the figures come with temporary tattoos. They will be in box packaging rather than blister cards. No other changes.
Our dictate for 2010 product has been clearly spelled out out to us to do as few new items as possible for the Forever Fun line. If a big box store doesn’t order something new, all product will look very familiar but with color/ paint changes galore. Once the line re-proves itself in 2010, we can explore new stuff in 2011.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Hi Jamie,
So does this mean that he Peanuts Wisemen playpack would be a no go for 2010 then? Does this also mean that probably nothing new will be added to Rudolph, Frosty, and Drummer Boy since they’re all very hard lines to do color variants with? Even so, would it at least be possible to sneak in Patty and/or Marcy into the Christmas line via a play pack or something since you already have sculpts for them?
I surprisingly found the new Valentine’s figures on Tuesday. That’s the earliest I’ve ever found them and the easiest it’s ever been. It was at a store that carried them last year though. I like the new packaging a lot as I keep my boxes even when I open. These are way easier to store than a blister pack. I hope this becomes a standard. I haven’t compared them with the clip ons but I do prefer the figures to the clip on. Speaking of whichj, is there any hope of you issuing the original Charlie Brown Christmas clip ons in this style? Since you’ve never done Charlie Brown PVCs this seems to be your version of that and not many of those Christmas clip ons were ever issued in this form without the chain. Even with a trimmed budget could this mabe happen?
To add to Spacecrawler’s question, what would need to happen for Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town to be revisited again? Is there anything we fans could do to help make it happen? You know, write retailers, etc. Since it now airs every year on network TV there should be more awareness now to the show than there was before. Is there any way to determine public interest for certain? Perhaps contact a retail store aboul snagging onto a classic Christmas property like they did a few years ago? (CVS/Rudolph, Mervyne’s/Frosty, Hallmark/Grinch, Polar Express, & Charlie Brown, Walgreens/It’s a Wonderful Life & Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Sears/A Christmas Story, JC Penny/Disney’s A Christmas Carol, etc.)
Also, how is classic Frosty looking for 2011 now?
January 7th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
The poseable wisemen play pack is not in our 2010 plan. I am skeptical that we could get all three full size figures in at the correct cost. If we do it, 2011 would be the first we would explore it. So few of the 2009 playpacks sold in that they will carry over to next year based on this year’s strong sales of that item. Payy and Marcy aren’t in any plans for 2010 right now. Speaking further towards the issue of getting the secondary characters placed- one comment we keep hearing from buyers this year is “just give me the three (or four if we are lucky) best characters in the property”. That’s what we are up against.
Good to see that Valentine product is out there and is being found. If the outlook stays the same, you’ll see more individual mini figures in the market at Christmas.
There is a bad taste in some folks here and at the retailers about SCICTT. ALthough the product was great quality and well executed, it was a sell through failure. It was over bought at a major retailer and I’m not sure any letters would make an impact even if they made it to the right hands.
January 7th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Jamie - If for 2011 you could do the wisemen might I suggest breaking them up so you could include Patty in the Sheep costume she wore in the second Charlie Brown Christmas program? That way you’d get the kings and a new character in the line who is show accurate.
I’m not sure if you can comment on this further but my question for the retailers is why would they believe the same characters in the same scheme will sell year after year without additions or changes? There are several figure line ups that tanked because of overkill of the same few characters wavbe after wave and I’d hate to see this happen here. I keep buying as long as the figure is different. If you must be forced into reusing the same characters all the time I hope you can at least do some variation of what’s already been released but even then it must get hard as time goes by. In 2008 I thought we’d see a skating variation with the Peanuts gang in the near future since Charlie Brown was done like that. What I’m saying is that might be a future variation that would sell well because it made sense. By the way, do you happen to know if in the first year which Charlie Brown face variant sold the best, the smiles or the singing faces? I’ve always wondered if the singing ones failed as we never saw those reissued again.
The real test will be how CVS handles the Easter line. Last year no store in a 150-200 mile radius of me carried them and we’re talking big markets like Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.
SCICTT was probably overbought at two major retailers but I had always hoped it could return in a scaled back version ala Frosty or only in PVC form like Drummer Boy. When Bob gave that one interview a few years back saying he’d love to give it another try I was hoping it might still be in the cards but I guess not? What’s the reason the guys at Forever Fun have a bad taste about the line? They didn’t like it or how the retailers over ordered? Isn’t this why MIckey’s Christmas Carol died off too? It was a nice line but I still liked SCICTT better.
January 8th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I just found the Valentine Peanuts figures. I live in NJ and had to go to a few CVS to find one that had them. They were somewhat hiding . Also notices that the tray I saw had one Lucy and Linus and the rest were Charlie Brown and Snoopy .
It would of been better if they were the same scale as the Halloween and Christmas . Also noticed that in another picture that you had up it looked the figures wwere packaged in a red box and the snoppy looked like it included Woodstock .
I think someone mentioned that after a while don’t the retailer find the same figures not selling . The beauty of the Peanuts is that there are so many characters to draw from beside the top four ( Lucy , Linus , Charle, Snoopy) Is there a reason why retailer only look at those four? I have collected Star Wars figures in the past and stopped after they started doing the same figure in diffrent pose. They have to see the Franklin figure had to been a hot seller .
January 10th, 2010 at 10:44 am
I just picked up the Valentine Figures as stated nothing new to the figures and to be quite honest if taking out of the package you can’t tell that they have a Valentiner theme. If the line does reprove it self in 2010 is it possible to get 5inch figures for Peanuts Valentine in 2011. As a suggestion Charlie Brown could have a mail box for the Valentine he doesn’t recieve . Linus could come with a candy heart shaped box . etc Also just a wild thought but possibly could you sell the idea to Time and Space Toys for a exclusive set of Valentine figures or perhaps do a preorder on your own site to see if there is interest. With the understanding that if you don’t get enough interest it wouldn’t happen .
You could take the figures you have for Easter and repaint them for Valentine . I know it hard to get companies to expand beyond the core figures but the interest is there for fresh new figure not just retrends. As always keep up the great work ..
January 12th, 2010 at 12:32 am
Hey guys. I was also able to find the new 2010 Valentine Charlie Brown mini-figures at one of my local CVS stores this past weekend. Nothing screams out Valentine’s Day like Charlie Brown with a tattoo. So, how come the packaging doesn’t say “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” or even Valentine’s Day anywhere on the box, like last year’s 2009 mini-figures? Oh wait, it does mention “Valentine’s message” in the fine print on the back of the box if you look really hard. Are there now licensing issues using the brand name “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” or does this have something to do with the new official style guide graphics that was mentioned elsewhere? With the 60th Anniversary sticker, these could easily pass for generic Peanuts 60th Anniversary product.
I’ll also be surprised if these mini-figures sell well. It looks like the case comes with 3 Charlie Brown’s, 3 Snoopy’s, 1 Linus, and 1 Lucy. Already it’s hard to get a complete set, if you’re not the first one to buy them when they are first put out. At $4.99 a piece, they also seem kinda expensive. At Halloween, you could get the same exact 4 mini-figures, plus 5 pumpkins, plus 9 decor blocks for $14.99. And placement on the shelves, if you can find them, are usually next to some similar size cute frogs and monkeys holding obvious Valentine’s Day hearts for only $1.99 to $3.99. Or next to some huge plush puppies holding “Hug Me” hearts for only $1 or $2 more than the Peanuts mini-figures. If you were a casual consumer, which would you pick up for Valentine’s Day?
As a Peanuts (and Memory Lane/Forever Fun) collector, I buy just about everything you guys put out. In fact I actually like these figures boxed better than last year’s clip-ons in the blister packs. But as an average consumer, I’d probably pass on these as a Valentine’s Day product. And that’s where the problem lies. If I’ve sounded critical, it’s because I’ve really loved all your lines, and I’d hate to see them start to disappear again.
I was actually hoping we were getting those 5″ boxed poseable figures seen in the April 29, 2009 blog picture: the red boxed ones with Charlie Brown with red shirt and lipstick kiss on his cheek, and Snoopy as Cupid with bow and arrows and Woodstock. It even says “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” on the display tray. Now that screams out — Buy me for Valentine’s Day. Were these items cancelled for this year?
For 2011, if you guys are still forced to use only existing sculpts and existing accessories, I like Vader’s suggestions. You even already have a mailbox that came with Sally from the Christmas line. But if you have to stick with mini-figures for Valentine’s Day, my thoughts would be to couple them up: Linus and Sally, Lucy and Schroeder, and uh, I guess Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Sally and Schroeder are available from the mini-nativity sets. Then add one accessory, like the heart from 2009, with an existing message like ” I’m not your sweet baboo!”, “Never fall in love with a musician!”, or “Happiness is a warm puppy!”
And as for Easter 2011, I’m still pushing for Peppermint Patty and Marcie to replace Lucy and Linus in the 5″ poseable line. Existing sculpts, same accessories, new colors. Why? Because when it comes to the Easter Beagle property, Peppermint Patty and Marcie ARE in the “3 (or 4) best characters in the property”. Take care, guys.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Guys - The color of the outfits on the characters is what’s sup[posed to read Valentines Day/Easter. If you have all the various years like I do it’s obvious that this is changed to fit the season. I’d love to see the action figure scale released with accessories too.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Actually I do have a quite a collection of figures as well. I think the point I was trying to make is after a while it would be refreshing to get a new figure or two . Just like they add Franklin hopefully they can add Marcie or Patty to next years Easter assortment Also the latest Valentine figures (even thou they are the same figures as last years could not be seen as Valentine figures when taking out of the packaging unlike the ones that came with heart 2009 and these come with stickers ). Is the trend going to be smaller figures ? I was just hoping that perhaps other figures or accessories could be added in 2011. The molds are there . Also in the one picture you, guys have up it does clearly show the Valentine figure in red boxes . I had a very hard time finding the Valentine figures this time around because the boxes kind of blending in and did not stand out . Also noticed not all CVS at least here in NJ are carrying them . I just hope that you can find a retailer that will allows for growth in the line ,
January 19th, 2010 at 12:15 am
Vader - From what I’ve been able to determine in my years of following this line is that CVS dictates the smaller figures. When the Easter figures debuted 3 seasons ago they were small figures with eggs. I forget what the price point was but it was something like 6.99 or 7.99 and I know some collectors were complaining while others waited for the sales CVS had in the past with other Forever Fun bigger action figures at 4.99 but those sales never happened. Last year the Easter line used the big figures. Last year with Valentines it was clip-ons, now the smaller figures so my guess would be CVS is getting its feet wet and testing the waters with smaller stuff before they get their feet wet with full blow action figures like we all want to see made. I too prefer the larger action figures but will take whatever does get made. I think the Forever Fun lines are the best out there right now and almost on par with the sorts of lines we saw earlier this decade like Palisades Muppets line, one of the only other similar lines I‘ve collected in the long term. The only reason I say almost is because of some of the cost cutting/quality choices forced upon FF by having these lines not in a wider range of retail stores beyond Toys R Us or CVS. I still enjoy what they can give us that’s new but understand how this is seen as kind of a fringe market by the major retailers whereas 10 years ago the retail stores only wanted the older, time tested, baby boomer type lines rather than risking the new hence how so many lines akin to the Forever Fun lines got started in the first place.
Speaking of the smaller Charlie Brown figures, how come Charlie Brown PVCs have never been made like the other Forever Fun lines? Couldn’t you get more characters into a box set without the jointed tooling that needs to be done with these? And in regards to PVCs, with the Rudolph line, what determines what characters are included and dropped each year in the box set? By now aren’t there enough characters molded to do 2 big box sets or several half size box sets at the 20.00 price point? When I’ve seen new people to the line buy the box set every given year I often feel sad for them having missed out past PVC characters and I’ve seen several people in Toys R Us over the years when I was there who were just discovering these lines for the very first time. It would also be kind of fun to see larger themed sets like the Elves or the Misfit Toys ready to display in the box sets.
January 19th, 2010 at 11:45 am
For the Easter and Valentine seasons, buyers are very leery of bringing in higher priced items. These are not gift giving holidays like Christmas. Halloween isn’t either but it does receive a lot more decorative attention than Spring holidays. Many times we get a mandate from the buyer of “I want products below $x price point”. So we bring items to the table that we can get done for that price. Production or material prices may go up or down each year but the price points never do. So in some cases we aren’t able to put as much into the product as we would like. We would love to include holiday centric accessories more than we already do but we can’t do that and bring the product in on budget.
As for mentioning the title of the specials, we can no longer do that unless we want to pay more in licensing fees. We should indeed mention the holiday somewhere on the package though. Dealing with adapting to the style guide was difficult for us to accept this year so that put us off of our game just a bit.
We don’t have Peanuts PVC planned right now. We keep using the mini figures because the are already tooled. We include PVCs in our Rudolph sets that we feel provides the widest appeal. We have made attempts to theme the sets but usually by the time every buyer gets their input or we find a tool is missing (it happens) we end up with a selection of the primary players.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Thanks for the answers, Jamie. Yeah, I don’t see why Peanuts have gone to this new style guide on all product. The stripes are just meh to a lot of people.
Were Peanuts PVCS ever planned or would that have required a different license?
Have you ever lost a tool for good? That happened to Palisades a few times when they changed factories mid line.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Ed I can’t agree with you more . I would love for the line to continue in whatever form as FF really do make great figures . I do remember the figures at Target under Memory Lane as well as a series of the Rudolph figures at B J Wholesale . It’s funny that CVS will carry the large Halloween figures but wouldn’t thgink there a market for Valentine or Easter .
Jamie H : I also understand market and would see why store would be hesitate to buy the 5 inch figures. Hoping you guys find a retailer that will allow you to grow the line .
January 20th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
If you continued with the smaller Peanuts in 2010 would you possibly be able to add more holiday centric accessories . Again the Peanuts collector is gratefully for what you do bring out .
January 25th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Since CVS will have the Peanuts figures for Easter will they be the same 5 inch? or smaller? Wil they be blisterd packed or boxed? Jim
January 28th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Vader,
Scroll back to question number 13, they say that for Easter they should have “posables” (so, 5 inch I’m assuming) for Easter. My following question reveals there will be nothing new about these releases, except maybe changes in packaging.
Questions:
1. Any chance of the large Santa’s Sleigh Team being released again?
2. What about the large Bumble?
3. Or any of the large/ultimate figures (Charlie Brown, Santa, Charlie, Rudolph, etc)?
It seems each year things are being whittled down more and more as far as releases by the retailers. I love the add-on/diorama aspect that some of the releases from past years (like male and female elves, band players, igloos, woodland scenes, etc). And as discussed already, the SCICTT line was one of the best you guys have done, and I’d love to see it again (I have all items, but I’d like a second set to open). Do you foresee any chance in the coming years of these lines expanding back to where they were a few years ago? Or do you think there will be only orders from retailers concentrating on a few specific main characters and fewer and fewer new additions?
January 28th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
SpaceCrawler
that is my guess with the Easter Figures However since CVS is the one that will be selling them again this year they could go smaller or stay the same I think at this at point Jamie mentioned that it would be same stuff coming out . Which from a collector stand point doesn’t make sense because there no incentive to pick them up if nothing new is added, Also CVS espcially in NJ usually only puts out one try of figures . Once they are done that it . The only thing new is if they are boxed Jim
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 am
How often do you guys reads these blogs?
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 am
In most cases, I read the posts as they get approved. Sometimes when I see that there is a lot to read, I’ll take note of it and read it as I find time. Same with posting responses. It all has to do with finding the time.
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Jamie H Thanks for listening and reading. It seems sometimes that there a huge lag time between post. Jim
February 4th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Sorry about that. Sometimes it is a matter of not having the time to write indepth responses or having something worth writing about to begin with. When I say we are “busy”, there really are not words that can communicate how busy we really are. There is a LOT going on with this line and others that we have to handle.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Understood I know it alot to bring this line as well as other out . Again glad you are listening Keep up the excellent work with the Peanuts line . Nio matter what direction is will go
February 11th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Hi Folks,
I posted the following on your CollectorModel site:
” I am very fond of your Rudolph and Peanuts line, especially the Charlie Brown Christmas mini clip-on figures from a couple years ago. Those sculpts are the among the best I have ever seen of the Peanuts characters and I would like to see an expanded set to include other characters from the original Peanuts Christmas special, in that same 3 - 3 1/2 inch tall scale. In my home Christmas display, I team up those figures from the Peanuts mini clip-on set with the Lionel Snoopy and Woodstock handcar (from about 1990-91) on a circle of O27 3 rail track. I realize that the economy is tough right now, but I believe, from my own personal perspective, that your company and Lionel could do well together offering a set of figures with a handcar. My own interest is just as a hobbyist who would like to see toy trains and beloved cartoon / storybook characters become a bigger part of our culture and family Christmas traditions.
Please continue to offer more wonderful products!!!!! ”
When I was a kid, there weren’t many well done sculpts of the Peanuts characters, and nothing could be found related to the Rudolph special. Thanks to your company, very affordable figures are readily available. Another nice thing about the smaller 3 - 3 1/2 inch figures is that dollhouse miniatures can be used along with them for people who like to set up little vignettes/scenes. One thing I am rather particular about is Charlie Brown’s head. I think in most cases Charlie Brown looks best in a hat if the shape of his head isn’t just right. Perhaps the hardest thing for the sculptor to render is his round head (and Snoopy’s snout).
I look forward to your future offerings!
Take care, Joe.
February 19th, 2010 at 1:55 am
Well, I stopped by my local CVS this past evening to pick up some birthday cards and to see what left-over Valentine’s Day product there was at 50% off. There were still some left-over Valentine’s Day Peanuts Charlie Brown and Snoopy mini-figures with the tattoos. I must have been the only one who bought some when they first put them out, or maybe they re-stocked at some point.
But more importantly, it looks like CVS doesn’t waste time between holidays. The Valentine’s Day product had already been moved to the back aisles. And all the Easter product was out in full swing. Including the new 2010 Peanuts Easter figures.
These are the 5″ poseable figures. They come 6 to a display tray as usual: 2 Charlie Brown’s, 2 Snoopy’s, 1 Lucy, and 1 Linus. They are in blister carded packaging in the exact same size and shape as last year’s 2009 CVS Easter and Halloween Peanuts packaging. But the packaging card back is a lime green color. Remember how the 2010 Valentine’s Day Peanuts boxes were striped red, well, think striped lime green in the “official style guide graphics”. Lime green must be the new pink this year for Easter.
And once again, the packaging is generic looking. It just says “Peanuts” on the front. That’s it. There’s no “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” or the word “Easter” anywhere on the front of the packaging. If it wasn’t for the obvious Easter basket accessory with each figure, then like the 2010 Valentine’s Day figures, these could easily pass for generic Peanuts figures that would be found in any toy aisle. Even the cardboard character insert inside the blister is now a generic picture of Snoopy instead of the individual character. Easier to make your own Meijer’s version though.
And because of all the green in the packaging, they might get mistakenly put with the St. Patrick’s Day products if your store carries any like mine does. Heeeyyyy, replace the Easter basket accessories with shamrock tattoos, and we have “Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Charlie Brown” figures without changing the front of the packaging at all. And also, don’t get confused with the Giant Snoopy Marshmallow and Cookie Coloring Easter Set that CVS has out. That was the first Peanuts Easter product I saw that CVS has prominently displayed.
And finally, yes, these are the exact same figures as last year’s 2009 CVS (and Time and Space Toys) Easter figures. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, and Linus all have the exact same shirt and dress color schemes, exact same smiling facial expressions, and exact same Easter basket accessories. EXCEPT for one small variation, which I’ll save you the fun of figuring out when you find these figures, these are exactly the same Peanuts Easter figures as last year. Take care, guys. Peppermint Patty and Marcie for Easter 2011!
February 19th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I haven’t looked at my CVS as yet but guess these would be the same as last year . On a bright spot I found mini St Patrick hats and have put them on the figures I have . To make St Pat Say Charlie Brown I also believe part of the problem is retailers only looking for safe figures to put in their stores . Also the time widow between season are getting shorter Should they make Marcie and Patty of course . Will they ? only if a retailer request it I would love to see them bring back the Peanuts All Star figures . Will they ? Only if a retailer wants them .
I think the best short of getting anything new is Halloween or Christmas . Short of those Holidays I doubt it .
February 26th, 2010 at 12:45 am
I see CVS is giving you guys the same distribution problems in my area as they did last year. I haven’t tried Buffalo or Cleveland yet but to date no stores I’ve checked so far are carrying them and no one who works there knows what I’m talking about. A few stores have blamed this on their warehouse collapsing this winter but it’s the same stores that didn’t carry them last year. In every case they look at me like I’m nuts and try to sell me the Snoopy candy dispensers because “that is the only Snoopy item we sell”. You guys need to get them to give you that sort of distribution because everyone has the candy dispensers and they NEVER sell. I just hope they don’t blame the product for not selling when it’s not in stores for people who want it to buy them. I was interested in seeing if the new set had any unintentional color changes from last year.
Hey Mike, what’s the variant with the basket? I’d like to know before I tear all over the country side trying to locate a set.
I don’t fault Round 2/Forever Fun for cutting packaging corners if that means more figures can be released. I’m more interested in their lines continuing with any new product in any form instead of dying again. It would make my life a lot cheaper if they did though. Ha ha.
The only CVS in my area that had the Valentines figures also had them after the holiday too. I must have been the only customer for those in my area but they weren’t very easy to find on the end cap they were sitting on. I’m sure that played a role. For most people these would be a “Oh, look at that!” impulsive buy item, not everyone pines away all year for this stuff like we guys do. I don’t think CVS even has the Charlie Brown figures in their ad for any holiday. How sad.
jprampolla - Forever Fun makes trains too but never a Peanuts train. Jamie, do you have the license to do that or do you just not feel there’d be a market for a Charlie Brown train?
February 26th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Ed- Sorry to hear about CVS’s distribution shortfall. I wish there was something we could do. As for placing our product in an ad, they often do such things for items they can land at a discount. We don’t have any wiggle room in that product so they can’t put offer “on sale”.
As for a Peanuts train. We can do it and have tried. It seems each year we have someone interested in it but they never buy in at the end.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Again I have gone to several area CVS stores ( Union Co, Morris Co NJ) all of which have not had the figures out as yet.
Ed: I too would love to see the figures continue in whatever form possible 5 inch or 3 inch as long as newer stuff is made or additional items added to the figures .
Jamie H : Again thank you for producing the Peanuts line . Did you guys have a booth at Toy Fair in NYC ? If so can you comment on what was shown? Or what can possibly be made for the 2010- 2011 line?
monarchmike: I too would be interested in known what is diffrent about these figures ?
February 26th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Ed: I do remember I believe in the CVS ad for Halloween 2008 figures were in the ad . As a matter of fact they were on sale if you had the CVS card $4.99 . But since that time nothing which is kinda funny because CVS was supposed to be one of the big retailers for the 60th Anniversary along with Hallmark ( which seem to be doing a good job of placement in their stores )
February 26th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Maybe we could post a list of what regions of the country that seems to have these? I just don’t see how they determine where to sell these since I always buy out the case each holiday. My local CVS has expressed the same thing to their company but was given the brush off on how corporate knows best (even there they have a customer here who wants to buy a full set) It sure is a strange way to do business.
I’ll take your word on the Halloween ad Vader. I haven’t caught them in an ad at all for years but they used to be there. I think the skating ponds were both there the first 2 years they came out at 14.99 but I always got them at 20.00.
Speaking of Easter figures, have any of you collectors seen the larger plastic Peeps they sell at Toys R Us and Big Lots? They go great with the Easter action figure display. There’s also some talking egg action figures. TRU has them as 4.99 but Target has a 4 pack for 14.99 (after I already bought them all of course) These are the same ones Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS sell for 8.99 each. Since Easter figures are kind of rare I thought someone may be interested.
I hope the Peanuts train can one day happen. I love buying the extra trains to make mine longer. It’s just a shame that the original Rudolph train doesn’t fit on the same track as the new one.
Try doing a google search for Toy Fair 2010 photos. I haven’t done that yet myself but it always makes me sad when we see the announced stuff that never gets released.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Ed: I’m from Northern NJ and have in the area quite a few CVS . But none have figures out as yet . I did a search for Toy Fair came back nothing for 2010 . If you have any luck let me know. I would love to see what they might bring out . I believe it mentioned somewhere that Memory Lane was going to a series of Thanksgiving figures ( each having part the table etc ) That of course didn’t happen because I guess retailers didn’t feel that they would sell. But if those parts were added to the current figures for next Halloween perhaps ,
I hope and wish they continue to add figures to the lineup but I think it is becoming very bad when they have the same figures but diffrent costumes ( Halloween) or the same exact figures for ( Easter ), Again it for Forever Fun fault because they are taking orsders from retailers . Jim
March 1st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I finally found the figures at CVS today. They are exactly the same as last year . The big diffrent is that no where on the front of the packages does it say the characters name. Except for Peanuts in Lime blister packaging, Nothing to say it Easter.
Also my last comment should read :
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 am
Round 2 has never set up at Toy Fair. In the past, we have sent personnel to take meetings but did not do that this year.
We did have a nibble about Thanksgiving this year. The problem retailers have is that they generally go straight from Halloween into Christmas.
We do not get high enough order quantities to warrant individual identification of the characters. It is sad but true. You are right on the point that we should say Easter somewhere. Again, we had been battling with the licensor on packaging and were worn down. It was an oversight we plan to improve next time.
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Jamie : Again not Round 2 fault you are trying to sell a product and the retailers are one who buy the product to place in their stores . I went to a CVS and it took me some time to find the figures . I had to pass because I already had them from last year. Shame because if there was new figure added I would most certainly gotten it .
I can see that retailer buyers don’t look beyond the core figures ( Snoopy , Charlie Brown, Lucy , Linus) for Halloween . But there is Hope
Sound good about Thanksgiving … Perhaps you can add accessories to the Halloween line such as Pilgrim Hats and such. You already produce the Peppermint Patty figure for Halloween so it would
I know it too early to say but this give collector hope that something new will be added. Or of course a total different direction and produce Thanksgiving mini figures . I’m keeping my fingers crossed and looking forward the Fall collection Jim
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Jamie after you mentioned that retailer were looking at the top 3-4 characters in the Peanuts Universe that got me thinking about looking on the Internet to see if there were any list I found quite a few but here a samples from the Dailypress.com. Of course this doesn’t mean anything
1. Snoopy
( United Media )
A dog who knows no limits. Proud to be a beagle, but never content to be “just a dog,” and possessing an imagination that allows him to take on countless alter egos.
2. Charlie Brown
(United Media)
He’s the franchise. An existential hero, never allowing himself to be defeated by life. If you can’t relate to him in one way or another, there must be something wrong with you.
3. Peppermint Patty
(United Media)
A delightfully human bundle of confidence and neuroses. We should all have her zest for life.
4. Linus
(United Media)
The solemn philosopher who still needs his security blanket
5. Woodstock
(United Media)
An international symbol of devoted friendship.
6. Lucy
(United Media)
The lovable fussbudget. For all of her bossiness and meanness, there’s a real person deep inside.
7. Marcie
(United Media)
Peppermint Patty’s sardonic sidekick. The only character who seems to know that she’s being funny.
8. Schroeder
(United Media)
He plays Beethoven despite the fact that the black keys on his piano are only paint smudges on the white keys. That takes dedication.
9. Pigpen
(United Media)
He tries to keep clean. He really does. But he knows what he is, and he accepts it.
10. The Great Pumpkin
(United Media)
Of course he exists. Take it on faith. And he doesn’t pick a pumpkin patch based on size or glamour. It’s all about the sincerity.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:25 am
The only difference I found with the actual figures and accessories between the 2009 CVS Easter series and the 2010 CVS Easter series has to to do with the Woodstock accessory that comes with the Snoopy figure.
The 2009 Easter Woodstock is the old “walking” sculpt with his wings and feet both extended. And no facial expression. The 2010 Easter Woodstock is the new “standing” sculpt with his wings at his side and his feet standing together. This is the same new sculpt that came with the 2009 Halloween Masked Marvel Snoopy, the 2009 Halloween WWI Playset, and the 2009 Christmas Snowboarding Snoopy. AND this 2010 Easter Woodstock comes with a smiling facial expression, which makes it a unique Woodstock accessory I believe. You can clearly see the difference when you look at the back of the 2010 Easter package which shows pictures of all the characters, but the pictures are of the 2009 versions.
I’m in the central New England area with plenty of CVS stores in the surrounding towns and cities within reasonable driving distance. However, after checking out some of the other closer ones, it is noticeable that many of them, even some of the larger ones with HUGE Easter aisles, are NOT carrying these figures.
Ed: If you are still looking for and want a full set, or even just the Snoopy one, I will gladly pick up a set for you. There are stilll full sets available in several local stores. There doesn’t seem to be much of a rush to buy these around here yet, other than me of course.
I also noticed that there is an October 2009 manufacturing date stamped on the feet of these new figures. So, it shows that these are not left-over figures from last year. That being the case, I would have thought we could have shaken up the color scheme a little for us collector types. Maybe give Lucy a lime green dress, Linus a dark blue shirt, and Charlie Brown a pink shirt to match the egg colors in the basket. I can believe that CVS might dictate they want the exact same figures, but I hate to believe they wanted the exact same colors again too. Many collectors of these sets who would normally go out of their way to buy them may pass on them instead.
Anyways, I’ve added Sally with the pink dress from the Good O’l Charlie Brown line to my Easter display, now that I have extra Easter baskets, and she fits in like she belongs there. Have I mentioned Peppermint Patty and Marcie for Easter 2011?
Oh well, the long wait until the fall releases begins. Mike
March 5th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Mike: Thanks for heads up on the Snoopy Easter figure. As I mentioned I was passing on the figures but could reconider only to get another Easter Basket or two . I also looked at the Sally figure from the Good Old Charlie series of figures and have to agree that she fits in perfect for Easter . Jim