Willrow Hood

[Scott]

Well, 5 lucky kids will now be able to buy them for the next 20 years at your local OkieMart.  So I thank you for thinking of them

[Matt]

Well, 5 lucky kids will now be able to buy them for the next 20 years at your local OkieMart.  So I thank you for thinking of them

And I thank you on their behalf for making it all possible to begin with.

[Scott]

I've been thinking this weekend about something we discussed a few months ago.  And that is if anyone thinks the community could get behind something like this again?

I personally think there are two




Ackmena is sort of a Willrow type character in that she has some humor involved.  The whole Golden Girl thing and all that jazz.  She is also very polarizing in that many people don't see the point.

The Tonnikas IMO are essential background Cantina figures who have some good screen time...they have ranked high on many people's wishlists since the late 90's and the whole mystery behind them makes them an easy target for repeated begging.  The petition deal was lame in 2002 but it worked.  THese days with the Tweeting and Facebooks, there is probably a much easier way to get it to happen.  My campaigning days are done.  I can consult though for a rather hefty fee

[Darth_Anton]

This figure could peg warm, but he certainly has many more usable parts for customs.

[Carpeteria3000]

Forget new figure petitions - I say go for an ICMG Lego figure now.

[Keonobi]

Forget new figure petitions - I say go for an ICMG Lego figure now.

Neverwork, they don't make "portly" LEGOs.

[David]

How about Lee Phenets the Human Ugnaught?

[Nicklab]

This figure could peg warm, but he certainly has many more usable parts for customs.

Based on Hasbro's statements about the lessons learned from Yarna, I think that's less than likely.  I can see ICMG being about as scarce as Tarados Gon or Concept Anakin.

[Adam_Pawlus]

Ackmeena is pretty unlikely to happen with the current mentality from Hasbro/Lucas-- the Holiday Special's stigma is something they don't like too much.  Of course, with a Fan's Choice poll, if she wins?  She'll probably get made.   But I wouldn't expect it in the next 3-4 years, and even in 4 years, I'd probably say you need to start another ICMG-style campaign and start it yesterday.

The Tonnika sisters have nothing to do with Hasbro preferences and everything to do with legal mumbo jumbo.  That's probably why we're getting Leesub Sirln, which pretty much nobody asked for (or can spot on film), rather than the sisters, which I think have been customized and asked for pretty regularly since 1996/1997.   I've been told that Hasbro wants to do them, so really, at this point you probably just need to beg Lucasfilm to iron out the wrinkles or convince Dark Horse (or Del Rey) to include the characters or similar lookalikes (let's go for quads!) to get them out there.  Or, again, vote on it and be disappointed when Hasbro says "uh, we can't do that one, srykthxbye."

[JACKOFTRADZE]

Before any of these happen we have to buy the **** out of ICMG in order to help alleviate some Hasbro fears that he will be another Yarna. If he peg warms kiss the really obscure goodbye.

As Adam pointed out Lucasfilm is the one that is saying no to the sisters being made. That may change since one of them died. It would be nice that the other release the rights upon her death.
I do not get why people are not satisfied with the grim reality of these being off limits.

Ackmena should be our new ICMG. Bea ruled! I think she has a shot so long as she ranks somewhat strong in the Fan's choice poll and the ICMG does not become Yarna 2.0. I plan on buying 10-15 Willrow for customs/gifts. Maybe more.

So step up people when you see him, he is the key to the next true Fan figure! Buy at least 3 of him.

The current "Fan" poll is mostly made up of characters that they would get to anyway, at least 50%. ICMG and Yarna, in my opinion, are the caliber of what that poll should be about and the kind of obscure characters that should be made.

If they are that worried sell a Holiday Special Battle Pack with core characters:
Smiley X-Wing Luke with eyeshadow
Debut Boba Fett
Ackmena
Chewbacca with soft goods red Wookie cult garb.

The above proposed Battle Pack set has it all:
- 3 redeco's and one new sculpt. (Cost efficient!)
-3 Kid focused characters (Satisfies both audiences!)

How could it fail?

[Scott]

Just looking at the Jedi Wave carded pics...for everyone belly aching about potential pegwarming must not have been around for the Winter of 98-99...



Bets on a repeat?

[CorranHorn]

As Adam pointed out Lucasfilm is the one that is saying no to the sisters being made. That may change since one of them died. It would be nice that the other release the rights upon her death.
I do not get why people are not satisfied with the grim reality of these being off limits.

People are not satisfied because the issue of likeness can be easily worked around as I mentioned in a previous discussion on the topic (not to stray away from the Willrow Hood topic, but this deserves an answer I think)...

I'm of the thinking that these are still valid choices to suggest as Hasbro could still make these figures IF they were not to use the likenesses of the actresses. The headsculpts and any packaging material can be made such that they do not look like the actresses - we know Hasbro already does this as many times the headsculpts don't match the actors and they use stylized imagery for their packaging. Unless Lucasfilm puts the kabosh on this, I don't see any reason for Hasbro not making the figures so long as they don't resemble the actresses that played the characters. In fact you can go one step further, in EU the two women we see in the Cantina have been established as NOT being the Tonnika Sisters, but instead members of the Mistryl Shadow Guard. So in essence Hasbro could create a new look facial look for the sisters with the proper explanation in the bio.

It's doable, but Hasbro pretty much has their panties in a bunch regarding this, so a much desired pair of figures is left to apparently never be done. Meanwhile we got the re-sculpt no one wanted in the form of one of the biggest pegwarmers from the vintage AND modern eras. I'm not taking Scott's bet, I'm SURE that the Rancor Keeper if produced in standard numbers will be pegwarming in the same fashion as Saesee Tiin and Breha Organa.

Willrow Hood on the other hand if not produced in standard numbers, which is quite possible, I believe will not be readily available after the first month or two of full retail distribution. Similar to the Concept Anakin right now, I can find every other AOTC wave figure easily but not that figure, or the 30AC McQuarries of 07.

[CHEWIE]

Just looking at the Jedi Wave carded pics...for everyone belly aching about potential pegwarming must not have been around for the Winter of 98-99...



Bets on a repeat?

I don't think it will be quite as bad as what we saw back then, but who knows.  I was still seeing some of those on the pegs during the POTJ era...

At least this new one has a B.A.D. part, and is 100% better quality than the POTF2 version.  Great sculpt, articulation, removable hood, etc.  Will make for a great shirtless Porkins custom someday too, or even of Wuher stripping down in the cantina.

[Adam_Pawlus]

People are not satisfied because the issue of likeness can be easily worked around as I mentioned in a previous discussion on the topic (not to stray away from the Willrow Hood topic, but this deserves an answer I think)...

I'm of the thinking that these are still valid choices to suggest as Hasbro could still make these figures IF they were not to use the likenesses of the actresses. The headsculpts and any packaging material can be made such that they do not look like the actresses - we know Hasbro already does this as many times the headsculpts don't match the actors and they use stylized imagery for their packaging. Unless Lucasfilm puts the kabosh on this, I don't see any reason for Hasbro not making the figures so long as they don't resemble the actresses that played the characters. In fact you can go one step further, in EU the two women we see in the Cantina have been established as NOT being the Tonnika Sisters, but instead members of the Mistryl Shadow Guard. So in essence Hasbro could create a new look facial look for the sisters with the proper explanation in the bio.

IANAL, but let's look at the line over the years.  Likeness isn't necessarily about quality-- there's a fine line and after talking to toy companies, I'm still trying to figure it out.  Brick figures (Kubricks, Minimates) seem to be "parody" because there's no nose and there's a vague resemblance to an actual human being.  As such, there are Madonna Minimates based on <i>Desperately Seeking Susan</i>-- and no other licensed figural goods.  The vintage Kenner figure line required likenesses for its toys, despite the fact that none of the Han Solos really looked a damn thing like Harrison Ford.  (For that matter, R2-D2 didn't really either.)

The problem really is how sufficiently different would they need to be to be toys that a jury wouldn't rule against the starving actress' estate and for Lucas?  There's a potential PR issue here too.   At this point this is really the only Cantina character I'm really jonesing to get-- partially because Galoob made a micro Action Fleet figure before the doo-doo hit the fan-- so I'd love to see it, support it in a poll (even over Vlix), etc.   These two would make a lot of fans happy, but at the same time, the very real cost associated with potential likeness issues   Just because it isn't perfect doesn't mean that it isn't close enough to be a problem, and I can't imagine that the suits at Lucas and Hasbro would be willing to risk the ire of the media or anyone's estate just to make one more action figure when they could just as easily crank out another obscure cantina alien which would likely sell just as well, if not better.

While I'm no fan of copyright infringement, a lot of companies have sprang up in Asia making high-quality unlicensed add-ons for LEGO toys, Transformers, etc.  Perhaps it's time someone in the USA do a limited run figure kit that uses none of the trademarks or images but would provide an adequate substitute... after consulting their attorneys, of course.

[Carpeteria3000]

Will make for a great shirtless Porkins custom someday too, or even of Wuher stripping down in the cantina.

I really hope that's a joke.