Mattel Answers!!!! Save Journeyman?

Thanks for another round of questions from Toy Guru:

Kastor’s Korner: We know there are some characters off limits in the JLU line, and some limits due to copyrights.  With all the fan polls on Fwoosh, AFI, and my own Demanded Characters column (have you checked it out?) are there any characters right now that are off the table for the classics line that does not have to do with copyrights? 

Toy Guru: Several characters have been off limits in the past such as Lobo (due to violence factor) and some of the Charlton and Fawcett characters due to legal restrictions. We are working through all of these in an attempt to bring every fan request to life.

Kastor’s Korner: Any news on JLU?  In another interview you said that Mattel is aware of some of the scarcity of the figures in the JLU line in the past year.  While we have seen Vigilante in a 3 pack and at some Big Lots, the real hard find this year seem to be the Star Girl, Parasite, and Volcana.  Are there any chances those will be incorporated in the 2008 line, or in an exclusive 3 pack?

Toy Guru: We will be announcing new JLU figures in the Feb issue of Toy Fare magazine.

Kastor’s Korner: With the increase in oil prices going on, how do you see that impacting the new line coming out?  Will in decrease the amount of pack-in items?  Will we see a decrease in the size of the Collect to Connect figures? Will there be possible a price increase but no change in what is offered?

Toy Guru: It is likely that there will be a slight price increase for many of our action figure toy lines sometime down the road. Whenever raw materials increase in price eventually the cost does trickle down to the consumer.

Kastor’s Korner: Through Costco we got all of the DC super Friends in multi-packs at a reasonable price, can we look forward to this trend continuing to get the average collector and parents those shorter packed figures?  Can this idea get some females into a primarily boy line?

Toy Guru: Nothing to announce quite yet but we are working on getting some female figures into the line for collectors.  The Costco packs will likely continue next year. They have been a huge success for the Super Friends line.

Kastor’s Korner: The phrase collect to connect is not a build a figure so does that mean it is possible to connect things that are not action figures?

Toy Guru: The line could mean connecting other things, but for the moment we are only offering Build a Figure options. Anything is possible in the future.

If you have any questions please go to one of the message boards and post for me or email me you questions. 

             This might be the last week to see new shows for Journeyman.  This is a great show that really has potential, but maybe cut short.  For some reason the 10 pm time slot on Monday is a bad time for new shows.  This will mark the second year a show will start and not get the chance to grow.  Please if you have time support this show tonight at 10 on NBC and Wednesday at 10 pm for the possible series finale. 

Set your Tivo’s or sit and watch a great show, which is hard to find in this age of reality and cop shows.

Journeyman

Well I wanted to wait till I saw another episode of NBC’s new show Journeyman before I made my decision, all I have to say I love this show.  It almost seems to pick up right where Quantum Leap ended.  When we last saw Dr. Sam Beckett he had just found out he had control of his leaping and did not need the project to help him.  Sam would now be on his own and would have to adapt to the time and person who he was there to help. Same had the ability to leap in as him and not need a host body.  Without the host he also lost the need for Al and the waiting room.   Losing Al would change this show dramatically to something different, which I think is the new Journeyman.   The new show takes up the same type of idea and updates it.  Dan follows people through different important parts of their lives, and has to figure out how to change a tragic mistake or missed opportunity.  Though our main character, Dan, is not a genius but he is willing to participate and embraces his new gift right away.  Both Sam and Dan have tragic pasts which although they may want to make changes in the past they fear radically changing for the their present lives for the worse.  While watching the first show, and wondering how he would prove to himself and anyone else he was not crazy, he did what I would have tried.  He buried something in his back yard helping to prove his sanity to himself and his wife, who makes excuses to help him hide his mysterious disappearances.  The one twist is he is not alone in his time hopping, but joined by his former dead fiancé Livia, who is also following someones life.  From the first minute this show had me hooked and I can’t wait for more.  After a lack of interest in TV this year I found myself waiting for Monday and a new idea and a fresh start form my favorite sci-fi topic time travel.