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The Vintage Collection / Re: Tonnika Sisters coming?
« on: January 30, 2012, 11:53 PM »
I have always been of a mind that the likeness rights issue has been a cover story. Especially after hearing Christine Hewitt talk about it at Star Wars Celebration. I think I may even have been nearby when Colman was asking her about it, too. Be that as it may, I think the likeness rights issue is a sham, and that the real issue regarding the Tonnika's stems from what they were known as during filming: Star Whores.
From a PR standpoint, making Star Wars figures of characters that the filmmakers clearly acknowledged as prostitutes could potentially be disastrous to Hasbro's brand as well as Star Wars. If somehow the figures got made, you never know what could happen. Lucas has clearly thumbed his nose at a number of Hollywood institutions and other political elements in this country. He's not as universally beloved as we might think. If some of his enemies found out that Lucas Licensing had approved figures of (fictitious) prostitutes, they could have a field day in the press over the matter. The EU explanation that they were spies or whatever wouldn't matter to anyone other than the hardcore fans. It wouldn't erase headlines of STAR WARS PROSTITUTE ACTION FIGURES that would run in papers all over the country. How this could read in the mainstream seems to be the guiding principle here.
Star Wars is a multi-billion dollar brand. I don't think that the higher ups at Lucasfilm or Hasbro want to upset that apple cart by doing something that could turn into a public relations fiasco. And when you look at the climate in corporate America today, so many things are predicated on what comes out of legal departments, human resources and the like. These companies have become extremely risk averse because of how something negative in the press can affect the public standing of a company. And in the age of social media a story like this can span the world with greater speed than ever before. Basically: I think the lawyers have ****** this up for us.
From a PR standpoint, making Star Wars figures of characters that the filmmakers clearly acknowledged as prostitutes could potentially be disastrous to Hasbro's brand as well as Star Wars. If somehow the figures got made, you never know what could happen. Lucas has clearly thumbed his nose at a number of Hollywood institutions and other political elements in this country. He's not as universally beloved as we might think. If some of his enemies found out that Lucas Licensing had approved figures of (fictitious) prostitutes, they could have a field day in the press over the matter. The EU explanation that they were spies or whatever wouldn't matter to anyone other than the hardcore fans. It wouldn't erase headlines of STAR WARS PROSTITUTE ACTION FIGURES that would run in papers all over the country. How this could read in the mainstream seems to be the guiding principle here.
Star Wars is a multi-billion dollar brand. I don't think that the higher ups at Lucasfilm or Hasbro want to upset that apple cart by doing something that could turn into a public relations fiasco. And when you look at the climate in corporate America today, so many things are predicated on what comes out of legal departments, human resources and the like. These companies have become extremely risk averse because of how something negative in the press can affect the public standing of a company. And in the age of social media a story like this can span the world with greater speed than ever before. Basically: I think the lawyers have ****** this up for us.
