Ns Plush / Doll Wouldn't It Be Neat?
starvey
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 5922Members
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 5922Members
I read the SA forums somewhat regularly (Say what you want.. etc..) But after the recent extravaganza simply known as "Fiesta Ca" someone suggested the idea of making a Fiesta Cat Doll/Plush (Like a Beanie Baby..)
Apparently, in our modern society, this is doable. Hell, you can even find places on-line that do it.
What maybe someone who has the Super-organizational powers of god might want to consider doing is setting up a fund for this if there was enough interest.
Case in point: <a href='http://www.customplushtoys.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.customplushtoys.com/</a> offers.. well custom plush toys. Minimum order is 500 (!), and the manufacturing cost is between $1.90 - $7.90 each. So, if someone was super organized, they could collect about $12 per plush toy. That would yield a very tidy profit of a couple of bucks per toy for Flayra, and would support this mod very well.
Another thing to note is that the order of 500 would only be for one type. So you couldn't go to this company saying "I want 200 Ohnos, 300 Gorge etc.." Probably would be best to vote/pick one Alien for the first run of 500, and if it sells out totally, consider another. Hell, I nominate the Gorge, since they are so freaking cute.
Obviously this would be a hell of a logistical nightmare. Probably need a Webpage/form that would accept Paypal/CC's, and people would have to (in good faith) pay for their order before they got it. And it might take awhile to get 500 Total units ordered. Plus you need and extremely trustworthy person to manage all of this, since they'll be juggling several thousand dollars, and then having to deal with Shipping hundreds of cute little gorgies out.
Still, it's just a thought. I'd just love to have a little stuffed Gorge sitting on top of my monitor. And I'd happily pay $12+ for it.
Just a random thought. And my apologies if this has been brought up before or beaten to death.
<!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo--> (Imagine him sitting on top of your monitor, how can you resist?)
Apparently, in our modern society, this is doable. Hell, you can even find places on-line that do it.
What maybe someone who has the Super-organizational powers of god might want to consider doing is setting up a fund for this if there was enough interest.
Case in point: <a href='http://www.customplushtoys.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.customplushtoys.com/</a> offers.. well custom plush toys. Minimum order is 500 (!), and the manufacturing cost is between $1.90 - $7.90 each. So, if someone was super organized, they could collect about $12 per plush toy. That would yield a very tidy profit of a couple of bucks per toy for Flayra, and would support this mod very well.
Another thing to note is that the order of 500 would only be for one type. So you couldn't go to this company saying "I want 200 Ohnos, 300 Gorge etc.." Probably would be best to vote/pick one Alien for the first run of 500, and if it sells out totally, consider another. Hell, I nominate the Gorge, since they are so freaking cute.
Obviously this would be a hell of a logistical nightmare. Probably need a Webpage/form that would accept Paypal/CC's, and people would have to (in good faith) pay for their order before they got it. And it might take awhile to get 500 Total units ordered. Plus you need and extremely trustworthy person to manage all of this, since they'll be juggling several thousand dollars, and then having to deal with Shipping hundreds of cute little gorgies out.
Still, it's just a thought. I'd just love to have a little stuffed Gorge sitting on top of my monitor. And I'd happily pay $12+ for it.
Just a random thought. And my apologies if this has been brought up before or beaten to death.
<!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo--> (Imagine him sitting on top of your monitor, how can you resist?)
Comments
Back when 1.0 was released we were all clamouring over plush skulk toys... I never did find out if we got around to actually MAKING any... I *think* I saw screenies but now I'm really not sure (twas over a year ago)
But I do remember one guy having made a lifesize cardboard cut out of either a skulk or an onos, and having carried it down the street past a nearby news crew... <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
So we have a rather limited target audience - NS players. Pricing is not appropriate. There is a segment of people who play HL mods because they're PC's are too old and cannot support any other games. We could link that to their financial status. Take not that the above example is only present to SOME people, I'm not sterotyping here.
The minimum order is laughable. 500? Have they heard of supply and demand? Do you think retailers will want to risk buying 500 plush toys in one go? With absolutely no marketing (surveys, research etc.) this is a bad idea.
eh?
scary but owns none the less
The idea is not to sell these silly things at retail stores, it's only to Sell them within the NS community. 500 Plush gorges probably could sell. It's just the logistical hell of gathering money beforehand, plus the trust issues, etc, that makes it all freaking nigh-impossible.
Still... My GF has one of those wacky aunts who run the local sewing circle thing. I'm half tempted to ask her to prototype a Plush Gorge. The woman certainly has talent. I just fear the conversation that involves trying to explain what the hell a Gorge exactly is. I don't think she's even aware of the Internet.
<!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo-->
I am not sure whether or not it would be possible to sell 500 of them within the community. We should probably ask the dev team how the sales are in the NS shop, and I think that if it is ever going to be realistic, it should be the devs investing in a batch and selling plush gorges through there. I don't think they are going to do that. If starveys GF's aunt or some other sewing ninja could produce a limited series for a cheap price, it would probably have a better chance of success.
(And then again, who wouldn't want a plush <!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo--> ?)
In US? US is really big.
How far do you live from everyone else?
R people willing to drive for 20 hrs to buy a overpriced NS doll?
How many potential customers are there?
Have you run a survey yet?
Do you have a marketing director?
Do you have the NS dolls design?
Does anyone have the RESOURES to run this campaign?
Is the price suitable?
How do u distribute the products to the NS community?
I say the answers to all the above questions is "No".