The Wizard of Oz - Perfect for Playmobil?

[GrahamB]

Thanks for that story synopsis, Klicky_ghost. The image of the Wicked Witch of the East's legs sticking out from under Dorothy's farmhouse after the Cyclone dumped it on her (manslaughter rather than Murder with Malice Aforethought) is a vivid memory from my childhood, much more so than those flying monkeys. Another memory I have is of being disappointed at the start of the film (we went to a local cinema to see it) because it was monochrome, like many films of that time. Then it burst into Technicolor when Dorthy gets to Munchkinland.

Some great sets there for Playmobil to emulate...

Great customs, Tiermann! I'm surprised geobra aren't jumping on the potential here!

Was Malice Aforethought an early serial killer?

[Tiermann]

My flying monkeys were definitely inspired by Oz. They come in handy in other places of course. Every Halloween display I do, plus an appearance in Christmas 3000. Great as space aliens of course.

[tahra]

My flying monkeys were definitely inspired by Oz. They come in handy in other places of course. Every Halloween display I do, plus an appearance in Christmas 3000. Great as space aliens of course.

They are great! Would look awesome on The Gathering too

[Adam16bit]

The Baum books were published between 1900 and 1920, so they should be public domain. A license wouldn't be needed as long as the theme side-stepped anything specifically from later adaptations (e.g. the ruby slippers). Sometimes companies will hold trademarks for specific phrases/images associated with a public domain work (ex. the Beatrix Potter publisher is sitting on some Peter Rabbit trademarks), so that would have to be researched.

It's an interesting idea, although thus far Playmobil hasn't created a large theme for the American market, and the Wizard of Oz is very American.

The great thing about this is the Fi?ures - there's nothing stopping from Playmobil making a Classic Oz set (should they bypass the movie license) and then just coincidentally selling a mystery figure line for Everdreamerz or the general twice-a-year series that just happens to include a set of legs with ruby slippers on them for customization purposes.   (There were some interesting knockoff action figures in the 1990s that were imported to the USA on trapdoor blister cards so they could insert the helmets separately and assemble them here - crafty!)

Oz is one of those licenses that transcends generations and tends to perform well - generally with older fans, which could be people who buy toys for young fans.  I was just skimming the thread and noticed some anti-license sentiment, and I can say this: I work at a toy store where I watch the numbers coming in for Playmobil Trek, Ghostbusters, BTTF, etc. and at least from where I sit, the licenses are doing well, even at those higher price points.   This reminds me a lot of what LEGO went through over 20 years ago and despite some growing pains, it paid off for them as a company and I've shown some of these to co-workers who never considered buying Playmobil when I showed them awesome things like the dumpster fire or the 5504 set whipping out their credit cards for an Enterprise or a DeLorean without a second thought.  I have to assume an Emerald City could be equally exciting - after all, Mattel's doing great with a  big green castle playset of their very own right now.

Also the Wicked Witch of the Witch is probably the image most Americans think of when you say "imagine a witch."   (And I don't have a green Playmobil witch in my toy stash.)

With LEGO just introducing that Seinfeld set this week, there's constant proof that there's an older fan who will pay $50-$90 for a nice set with a playset/vehicle and some figures - which is a lot more fun than a statue or a mini-bust, which also have their place in the market.   With Oz I've seen Potato Heads, dolls, film cells, ornaments, puzzles, playing cards, and a couple of LEGO items too.  But I'd be particularly interested in Playmobil.

[Rasputin]

Oh, a Wizard of Oz set would be great. So simple and most molds could be found.

[Janilew]

I agree with those who say we go the generic route. The original story is well within the public domain, so there's no reason why we can't just make new material inspired by it. While Glenda's dress from the movie is iconic (absolutely beautiful), I don't see why we can't just make another dress as equally lovely beside it. Geobra knows that Playmobil is beyond capable of doing it, as they have a bajillion different designs for full skirts and such already. The wicked witch should be easy as they reuse their face from knock off Maleficent or just straight up "greenify" existing heads like they did with Frankenstein's monster or Mr. Toothache.

I believe y'all already tackled those monkeys beautifully already though.

Related/unrelated I also have a flying cat made for me by MsOmega that uses the crow wings

Halloween Castle 2012 no11 by Tim, on Flickr

But if Playmobil were truly to do it, maybe they'd use a model much like the new demons coming out, or the old Super 4 Mysterios to create them? Perhaps the wings could attach to the vest (they did have those right?) like fairy wings do. Just make sure to give them tails! Monkeys aren't apes!

As for the ruby slippers, I think the best route for this could be those wonderful new clip on shoes (always wanted Playmobil to make those!) with glitter added to the plastic. That way they can be added and removed without having to change the whole bleeding legs!

For the lion, I'm torn between just using a plain ol lion with options to put ribbons in his mane, or an "anthropomorphic" design akin to the tiger trick-or-treater from 4770.

For buildings....I'd be in heaven!  The village and yellow brick road would be WONDERFUL for a fairyland diorama. The witch's castle could be a repurposed 3665 (all hail Steck!) and the Kansas cottage could be a welcome addition for Western too. I just hope and pray they'd keep the faces generic and not go the Ayuma or Dino Rise route with too different of faces and body types. That way we can still have that glorious option to customize!

Siiiiiigh. Why do you people give me so many ideas....