A Sad Day in Warner Bros' History
gook...@my-deja.com
Bros Studio Store. You always appreciate things more when you don't have
them, and the nearest WB Stores to me were once a 200 to 450-mile drive
in any direction.
Then I moved back to my hometown, where the nearest WBSS was only 20
minutes from my house - good for my hobby, bad for my wallet.
But when Hanna-Barbera/Scooby-Doo merchandise began to overrun the WBSS,
it overshadowed the staple WB characters, and caused the production runs
of my favorite lines of collectibles (A! & P&TB) to be cut short.
Now I don't have anything against Scooby - I've always liked the show,
in fact. It's a sentimental attachment I have to the show, regardless
of how poorly-animated it was. But when Scooby mdse outsells even Bugs
Bunny during the Christmas Holidays, it means that they're going to
neglect the classic WB characters even more to cash in on higher-selling
characters.
My friends, it pains me to announce that the WB has gone a step farther
in neglecting the classic Looney Tunes characters.
How could it get any worse, you ask?
The WBSS has been invaded by The World Wrestling Federation.
I should have seen it coming when Looney Tunes tees and even the most
recently-released P&TB tees were fashioned to spoof designs from the
WWF/WCW/NWO.
When I visited the WBSS yesterday, I was extremely disheartened to see a
massive display of WWF/WCW merchandise being assembled in the very heart
of the store, with various wrestling paraphenalia - video tapes,
t-shirts, action figures, and et frickin cetera. It's not Looney Tunes.
It's not DC. It's not Animaniacs or Pinky & The Brain. It's not even
Hanna-Barbera. And it's most definitely NOT Warner Bros.
I was so dissapointed that I didn't buy anything at all - I think that's
the first time I've ever been to the store that I didn't at least buy
something.
It would have been an altogether sucky day except that I got the new
Animaniacs game in the mail from Southpeak. I thought Southpeak's PR
guy would just send a demo of the game in the CD packaging, but he sent
me the FULL VERSION of the game, and in the store packaging even! And
with that, 4 detailed press releases, two of which I'll be sending to
Brian Cruz shortly for his news page.
I'll have a review up on the game hopefully before the end of the week.
But I'll say this about it for now - the animation is the best of any A!
game to date, IMO, and the character movement is more fluid and the CGI
is really nice too. And it's really a lot of fun to play. I've already
beat the first 3 levels, but I was playing on the easiest setting too.
Anyway, I just thought I'd give a heads-up on the changes of late at the
WBSS, so you won't experience the same shock I did. At least now you're
prepared for it - I wasn't. Even though all the watches at the store
had been discounted 25% (meaning I could afford to buy at least one of
the 5 new A!/P&TB watches released this year), it wasn't enough to lift
my spirits. That much wrasslin' stuff is an assault on my senses.
Gookie
--has nothing personally against wrestling - he just hates it is all.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Lee Cremeans
>There was once a time when I looked so foward to visiting the Warner
>Bros Studio Store. You always appreciate things more when you don't have
>them, and the nearest WB Stores to me were once a 200 to 450-mile drive
>in any direction.
>
>Then I moved back to my hometown, where the nearest WBSS was only 20
>minutes from my house - good for my hobby, bad for my wallet.
>
>But when Hanna-Barbera/Scooby-Doo merchandise began to overrun the WBSS,
>it overshadowed the staple WB characters, and caused the production runs
>of my favorite lines of collectibles (A! & P&TB) to be cut short.
>
>Now I don't have anything against Scooby - I've always liked the show,
>in fact. It's a sentimental attachment I have to the show, regardless
>of how poorly-animated it was. But when Scooby mdse outsells even Bugs
>Bunny during the Christmas Holidays, it means that they're going to
>neglect the classic WB characters even more to cash in on higher-selling
>characters.
>
>My friends, it pains me to announce that the WB has gone a step farther
>in neglecting the classic Looney Tunes characters.
>
>How could it get any worse, you ask?
>
>The WBSS has been invaded by The World Wrestling Federation.
[ahem]
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Wakky collapses and dies. ugh. x.x
>When I visited the WBSS yesterday, I was extremely disheartened to see a
>massive display of WWF/WCW merchandise being assembled in the very heart
>of the store, with various wrestling paraphenalia - video tapes,
>t-shirts, action figures, and et frickin cetera. It's not Looney Tunes.
>It's not DC. It's not Animaniacs or Pinky & The Brain. It's not even
>Hanna-Barbera. And it's most definitely NOT Warner Bros.
* Wakky spontaneously combusts.
>It would have been an altogether sucky day except that I got the new
>Animaniacs game in the mail from Southpeak. I thought Southpeak's PR
>guy would just send a demo of the game in the CD packaging, but he sent
>me the FULL VERSION of the game, and in the store packaging even! And
>with that, 4 detailed press releases, two of which I'll be sending to
>Brian Cruz shortly for his news page.
>
>I'll have a review up on the game hopefully before the end of the week.
>But I'll say this about it for now - the animation is the best of any A!
>game to date, IMO, and the character movement is more fluid and the CGI
>is really nice too. And it's really a lot of fun to play. I've already
>beat the first 3 levels, but I was playing on the easiest setting too.
Nice...I'll be looking forward to this.
>Anyway, I just thought I'd give a heads-up on the changes of late at the
>WBSS, so you won't experience the same shock I did. At least now you're
>prepared for it - I wasn't. Even though all the watches at the store
>had been discounted 25% (meaning I could afford to buy at least one of
>the 5 new A!/P&TB watches released this year), it wasn't enough to lift
>my spirits. That much wrasslin' stuff is an assault on my senses.
it's just wrong. wrong, i say.
>Gookie
>--has nothing personally against wrestling - he just hates it is all.
-lee...who *used* to like it. in 1990. I'm sorry, but WBSS and WCW just
don't mix.
--
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Lee Cremeans -- Manassas, VA, USA (WakkyMouse on WTnet) |
| lcre...@erols.com | http://wakky.dyndns.org/~lee |
Larissa J Ranbom
But, how can anything bad be
said about a place that stocks
Drew Carey action figures.
If "action" is the right word...
lari
TnAdct
Jamie Kellner to Eric Bischoff, the clueless head of WCW.
WBSS contains products from the different branches of Time Warner, which TV and
film wise includes Warner Bros., MGM, and New Line Cinema.
As part of the merging of Time Warner and Turner, Time Warner was also able to
get WCW Wrestling, which is owned by Ted Turner's WTBS.
Thus, since WCW is part of Time Warner and since wrestling is big these days,
there is no reason why there shouldn't be a WCW area of the WBSS.
Joe "Colleen Crow" Klemm
Paul Neubauer
That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
'something special' and reduces it to being just
another K-Mart with the usual dreck found therein.
*sigh*
Another bit of the Silver Age tarnishes away.
--
Vakkotaur
A Guy Called Tyketto
> WBSS contains products from the different branches of Time Warner, which TV and
> film wise includes Warner Bros., MGM, and New Line Cinema.
>
> As part of the merging of Time Warner and Turner, Time Warner was also able to
> get WCW Wrestling, which is owned by Ted Turner's WTBS.
This, I hate to say, is correct. They do get this out of the
merger, so it is excruciatingly legit. WB does own the WCW. WWF on the
other hand, is owned by Titan sports, so they shouldn't have anything to do
with WB (Why I know this, I have know bloody idea).
> Thus, since WCW is part of Time Warner and since wrestling is big these days,
> there is no reason why there shouldn't be a WCW area of the WBSS.
This, I'd have to disagree on. I'm not saying that you're wrong,
because in essence, you'd be right. since they are now owned by the same
company, they could be in there. Only thing I can say about this, is that
fortunately, this will not be the case, in Las Vegas. Tehre's a lot of
controversy going on here, with wrestling. Because of the
Time-Warner/Turner merger and MGM being part of it, WCW, has the rights to
show all of its matches, etc., at the MGM Grand Hotel. To counter that, the
WWF Bought out a hotel here, and are wanting to do the same. To counter
that, WCW has opened up this "Nitro Grill", at Excalibur Hotel (across the
street from MGM Grand). All their merchandise will be sold there/put on
display/shwed off, call it what you will... Leaving the WBSS, at Caesar's
Palacee, Free of all of it. Makes me happy. :) Like I said, I don't agree
with it, but I can see where it's coming from, and it's getting out of
hand.
On a nicer note, at least the WBSS, is toning down on it's
"Friends" merchandise, and catering to more grander audiences, and stocking
things for Felicity, Buffy, Dawson's Creek, Charmed, et al. Take your pick.
BL.
P.S. I'm lucky I got to the WBSS in Omaha, Nebraska, at the time,
and am now relaxing in the bliss of my Wakko Warner slippers. ;)
--
Brad Littlejohn | Email: tyk...@omnilinx.net
Unix Systems Administrator, | tyk...@acm.unomaha.edu
WebMaster, NewsMaster.. Smeghead! :) | http://www.omnilinx.net/~tyketto
PGP: 1024/E9DF4D85 67 6B 33 D0 B9 95 F4 37 4B D1 CE BD 48 B0 06 93
gook...@my-deja.com
lra...@wellesley.edu wrote:
>
> But, how can anything bad be
> said about a place that stocks
> Drew Carey action figures.
Maybe if you collect Drew Carey stuff.
And maybe I'll stop complaining if they make a set of "action figures"
from the WB's CHARMED. I want an Alyssa Milano figure to call my own -
it's the only way she'll ever come home with me.
Gookie
--notes that that joke was probably in poor taste.
gook...@my-deja.com
tna...@aol.com (TnAdct) wrote:
> Ahem, you forgot an obvious thing that I sometimes point out when I
compare
> Jamie Kellner to Eric Bischoff, the clueless head of WCW.
No, I didn't forget. I just didn't take the time to mention it.
My point was that the WBSS is not the place to sell wrestling crap.
They'll learn when the stuff just sits there and they end up having to
discount it heavily to get rid of it. They don't have anything
exclusive to offer - you can get the stuff they're selling there
anywhere, and for a lot less money too.
Gookie
gook...@my-deja.com
va...@frontiernet.net wrote:
> That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
> 'something special' and reduces it to being just
> another K-Mart with the usual dreck found therein.
Thank you. That's exactly the way I feel about this.
> Another bit of the Silver Age tarnishes away.
Yes, the silver has turned to dross.
A sad day, indeed.
Kane Leung
In a previous article, va...@frontiernet.net (Paul Neubauer) says:
>In article <19990618094546...@ng-ba1.aol.com>, TnAdct wrote:
<...>
>>Thus, since WCW is part of Time Warner and since wrestling is big these days,
>>there is no reason why there shouldn't be a WCW area of the WBSS.
>
>That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
>'something special'
I seem to have given up months ago (before I was even working the long
hours). Last time I recall buying an A! shirt (of the Warners) at WBSS
was the "You ain't seen nothin' yet" one. How unfortunate that we are
seeing nothin' ... :(
(and I ain't selling it - even if they're going for a lotta $ on ebay).
> and reduces it to being just another K-Mart with the usual dreck found
>therein.
I stopped going to K-mart when they stopped selling A! shirts. Not
that I really go there in the first place, but you get the poit.
The only stores I go to nowadays in hopes of A! shirts are thrift
stores. There's about a 2% success rate ...
-- Kane ... unfortunately ppl don't give 'em up. Though that does say a
good thing - ppl still love 'em.
--
Lee Cremeans
>
>In a previous article, va...@frontiernet.net (Paul Neubauer) says:
>
>>In article <19990618094546...@ng-ba1.aol.com>, TnAdct wrote:
><...>
>>>Thus, since WCW is part of Time Warner and since wrestling is big these days,
>>>there is no reason why there shouldn't be a WCW area of the WBSS.
>>
>>That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
>>'something special'
>
>I seem to have given up months ago (before I was even working the long
>hours). Last time I recall buying an A! shirt (of the Warners) at WBSS
>was the "You ain't seen nothin' yet" one. How unfortunate that we are
>seeing nothin' ... :(
The last A! shirt I bought was the mt. rushmore one, at a K-Mart in 1997
(TWO YEARS LATE, dammit). Haven't even seen any others since (and even if I
did, they'd not fit very well. they only go up to XL I think.)
>> and reduces it to being just another K-Mart with the usual dreck found
>>therein.
>
>I stopped going to K-mart when they stopped selling A! shirts. Not
>that I really go there in the first place, but you get the poit.
same here.
>The only stores I go to nowadays in hopes of A! shirts are thrift
>stores. There's about a 2% success rate ...
Hm, ahven't checked there. But then, i can't really say i've been looking.
>-- Kane ... unfortunately ppl don't give 'em up. Though that does say a
>good thing - ppl still love 'em.
>--
-lee...still have all 2 of mine, and they're not for sale!
Kane Leung
Wakky wrote that Narf wrote ...
>>I seem to have given up months ago (before I was even working the long
>>hours). Last time I recall buying an A! shirt (of the Warners) at WBSS
>>was the "You ain't seen nothin' yet" one. How unfortunate that we are
>>seeing nothin' ... :(
>
>The last A! shirt I bought was the mt. rushmore one, at a K-Mart in 1997
>(TWO YEARS LATE, dammit). Haven't even seen any others since (and even if I
>did, they'd not fit very well. they only go up to XL I think.)
I think it was only in later production runs that WBSS included XXL's. I
certainly don't recall seeing the Chevy one or the Names ones offered in
XXL. First time around the PatB cage and the white A! shield didn't have
XXL's either; they were availiable later on, though. I know b/c one of
my white A! shield shirts is in XXL. Stupid me, though - it wasn't the
one I brought along to have Jess autograph w/ Wakko's "special quote".
IIRC, "Totally Insaney" and "There's baloney in our slacks" ones were the
first of the "new" (back then") designs to be offered in the size.
Never seen any Giant one come in XXL. Changes never had any directly
labeled XXL, though they're so defective that some might as well be.
<...>
>>The only stores I go to nowadays in hopes of A! shirts are thrift
>>stores. There's about a 2% success rate ...
>Hm, ahven't checked there. But then, i can't really say i've been looking.
I have. There hasn't been a single time in which I have *not* ran across
either studios' classic characters. Over the past few years, I've only
ran across 15?,16 A! shirts. In the past few months, I've ran across
prolly like 30 South Park shirts.
>>-- Kane ... unfortunately ppl don't give 'em up. Though that does say a
>>good thing - ppl still love 'em.
>-lee...still have all 2 of mine, and they're not for sale!
-- Kane ... down to ... uhhh, 316? ^*&@#^%^$@!!!
--
Larissa J Ranbom
> In article <376A4847...@bms.com>,
> lra...@wellesley.edu wrote:
> >
> > But, how can anything bad be
> > said about a place that stocks
> > Drew Carey action figures.
>Maybe if you collect Drew Carey stuff.
No, thank you. They frighten me.
> And maybe I'll stop complaining if they make a set of "action figures"
> from the WB's CHARMED. I want an Alyssa Milano figure to call my own -
> it's the only way she'll ever come home with me.
*Lari ponders what sort of definition of "action" you use
there...
> Gookie
> --notes that that joke was probably in poor taste.
Well, if your taste is poor, at least it means that you have
some.
Larissa (who doesn't care if the taste is poor, rich, or
whatever, so long as it tastes good.)
Lee Cremeans
>gook...@my-deja.com wrote:
>> In article <376A4847...@bms.com>,
>> lra...@wellesley.edu wrote:
>> >
>> > But, how can anything bad be
>> > said about a place that stocks
>> > Drew Carey action figures.
>>Maybe if you collect Drew Carey stuff.
>
>No, thank you. They frighten me.
WCW still frightens me more. And anything with Michael Jordan's mug on it.
>> And maybe I'll stop complaining if they make a set of "action figures"
>> from the WB's CHARMED. I want an Alyssa Milano figure to call my own -
>> it's the only way she'll ever come home with me.
>
>*Lari ponders what sort of definition of "action" you use
>there...
Let's Not Go There. (it's not quite an MGE, so don't fret.)
>> Gookie
>> --notes that that joke was probably in poor taste.
>
>Well, if your taste is poor, at least it means that you have
>some.
>
>Larissa (who doesn't care if the taste is poor, rich, or
>whatever, so long as it tastes good.)
-lee...same here. though I must say my taste tends toward the poor most of
the time (mmm ramen).
Ryan Mead
and he also owns WB!
Time Warner Companies they are,
Teddy has a very...big car?
("Ted, Warner, and Goldberg" from "World's Dumbest Nursery Rhymes, Vol.
5")
Ryan "You never see Turner and Bill Gates in the same room..." Mead
Alsis30
> va...@frontiernet.net wrote:
>> That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
>> 'something special' and reduces it to being just
>> another K-Mart with the usual dreck found therein.
You know, I've still never been to the nearest WBSS. I'm not even sure
where it is. Malls scare me, though.
>Thank you. That's exactly the way I feel about this.
>> Another bit of the Silver Age tarnishes away.
>Yes, the silver has turned to dross.
>A sad day, indeed.
Tell yourself that those aren't the *real* Warners, anymore than those
shills in *Space Spam* were. The real ones went underground rather than sell
overpriced garbage to the aesthetically challenged. But they'll be back
someday.
Alsis "If You Live, Your Day Will Come." 3...@aol.com
"I went down to the river just the other day,
Tried to keep from cryin' myself away.
I walked and I walked 'til I wore out my shoes.
I can't walk no further.
Yonder come the blues."
--Ma Rainey
Lee Cremeans
>On 6/19/99, gook...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> va...@frontiernet.net wrote:
>
>>> That may be, but this takes WBSS which at one time was
>>> 'something special' and reduces it to being just
>>> another K-Mart with the usual dreck found therein.
>
> You know, I've still never been to the nearest WBSS. I'm not even sure
>where it is. Malls scare me, though.
I haven't either; in fact, the last WBSS I remember setting foot in was the
oft-mentioned-by-now 3-story one at Times Square. There's one at Fair Oaks
(15 miles away), but damned if I ever get over there on a regular basis...
>>Thank you. That's exactly the way I feel about this.
>
>>> Another bit of the Silver Age tarnishes away.
>
>>Yes, the silver has turned to dross.
>
>>A sad day, indeed.
>
> Tell yourself that those aren't the *real* Warners, anymore than those
>shills in *Space Spam* were.
Spam is too kind for SJ, I hear.
>The real ones went underground rather than sell overpriced garbage to the
>aesthetically challenged. But they'll be back someday.
-lee...one can only hope. can we get back the first-season writing too?
Kane Leung
> You know, I've still never been to the nearest WBSS. I'm not even sure
>where it is. Malls scare me, though.
Tigard. Get off the MAX at Beaverton, head south on ... 71? I'm too lazy to
check the bus schedules upstairs.
-- Kane ... who also has the train schedules from NYC during A!7
Chris Saia
> -- Kane ... who also has the train schedules from NYC during A!7
I still have my ticket from the Empire State Building. ^_^
...and a grand total of 174 pix during the whole escapade.
--
===============================================================================
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PGP Public Key is available at http://www.wtower.com/~csaia/Personal/pubkey.asc
===============================================================================
Lee Cremeans
>ap...@lafn.org (Kane Leung) writes:
>
>> -- Kane ... who also has the train schedules from NYC during A!7
>
>I still have my ticket from the Empire State Building. ^_^
I'm not sure what I did with my ESB ticket from j!. I know I still have my
NJ Transit ticket from where we had to take the train into town that
monday...
>...and a grand total of 174 pix during the whole escapade.
-lee...I got about 30 pics at j!. not all of them are good.