TMNT "partners" to shut up Steve "Murph" Murphy

[Kendamu]

There seems to be a little confusion as to who to blame for what here. So, let's refer to the blog itself:

Two months or so ago the blog came to the attention of the executives at Imagi Studios, the animation company responsible for the most recent TMNT film, and the folks currently holding the rights to a sequel. For a few months prior to their discovery I had been blogging the process of that sequel, updating you on where things stand, sharing with you a bit of insight as to how the sequel meetings were progressing, giving you a sense of Mirage’s collective frustration and befuddlement at the glacial pace of the development. As you may be aware (I pointed this out in a comments section somewhere), the Imagi execs didn’t like what I was posting and asked the Mirage CEO “to tighten the lid” on me. Which he did. Hence the lack of Imagi updates (not that there’s much to report). Mind you, I only wrote about the process itself and did not discuss the various plots under consideration except in the broadest terms (“more a comedy with action than an action-adventure with comedy”).

Angry Company #1: Imagi

Last week a producer and friend of mine at 4Kids Productions – the folks who make the TMNT cartoon – told Mirage that my postings of Playmates Toys’ Fall 2008 action figure designs had “sunk” 4Kids’ plans to publicly release such designs over the course of the coming year - via a viral marketing campaign that they were planning to undertake - trickling and doling out the images and concepts on the tmnt.tv and ninjaturtles.com websites. To quote directly from his email: “One part of their [the marketing team’s] plan was to strategically ‘leak’ designs. Of course, by the end of the week they discovered that you guys had already posted EVERYTHING and their plans were sunk!” Hmmm, everything? Really?

Angry Company #2: 4Kids.

Clearly, my sharing information will have little to no impact on anyone’s marketing plans. Needless to say, the complaint went to my CEO, and although he and I are in agreement with regards to the value of this blog as well as to the relative absurdity of the 4Kids “sunk” claim, I have been told that I can no longer post unauthorized images, nor discuss story concepts or creative directions related to Playmates (even though they’ve never complained), 4Kids Productions and (for some reason) NECA.

So, apparently, NECA didn't really care all that much about what happened with Lee's exclusive reveal.

So, Imagi and 4Kids can go sit in a septic tank. NECA and Mirage are getting my money through figures and comics. My attitude will change when their attitudes change.

This makes it really hard for me to justify buying Season 2 Part 1 of 2k3 now.

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by Goongasnootch

Angry Company #2: Playmates

Actually, this is wrong. Read again. 4Kids was mad because Murphy posted pics of the Playmates toys. The toys tie into the TV show, and 4Kids wanted to use the toys to promote the TV show (beyond the simple existence of the toys, as promotion is the sole reason they exist anyways). Playmates didn't do the complaining on this, it was just 4Kids. But as I've said, Playmates is far from innocent in the overall situation.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Goongasnootch

Angry Company #2: Playmates

Um Goonga Wrong Angry Company #2 if you read is 4kids.

[Kendamu]

Sorry. It's fixed.

[ToTheNines]

I love ignorant, corporate greed.

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

I don't think this'll really alter my buying habits. I mostly just get comics anyway, anything figure related is only when I see it for really cheap. I did start getting the 2003 series, and I'll continue to do so possibly because other companies have done worse in the overreaction category. I remember Marvel trying to sue City of Heroes a few years back.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by Putrescent

That's not what I ment and lets please not turn this into a FF bashing thread.
This is about 4Kids or $kids if you want and how they keep changing the show all the time, trying to make tmnt like all their other shows, and how they bully mirage into doing things.

Exactly what I was thinking. I can understand the Neca thing, as the toy company made a deal with a toy magazine so people would actually go out and buy them (as print media keeps creeping towards the edge. and who wants to see 2 month old sculpts that were leaked already anyway?). But 4Kids and Playmates are being pretty greedy here. Nothing except the barest thread of a plot was leaked. And action figure designs- designs- were leaked. And other than that, we've been getting nothing but mouthwatering samples. It's not like this guy posted all the episodes of the new series on Youtube and said "Here you go, I'm willfully trying to steal from these companies." He's basically saying, "this is a small bit of what you can expect."

This reminds me of a case where Hasbro bullied a Transformers board for leaking a prototype, and having every member that asked to see it banned or something. That was a story I heard years ago, and this is sort of the case here.

I really wish Laird would come out to vouche for Murphy here, saying, "By leaking small amounts of info, we're just wetting their appitites."

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Drtooth

Exactly what I was thinking. I can understand the Neca thing, as the toy company made a deal with a toy magazine so people would actually go out and buy them (as print media keeps creeping towards the edge. and who wants to see 2 month old sculpts that were leaked already anyway?). But 4Kids and Playmates are being pretty greedy here. Nothing except the barest thread of a plot was leaked. And action figure designs- designs- were leaked. And other than that, we've been getting nothing but mouthwatering samples. It's not like this guy posted all the episodes of the new series on Youtube and said "Here you go, I'm willfully trying to steal from these companies." He's basically saying, "this is a small bit of what you can expect."

This reminds me of a case where Hasbro bullied a Transformers board for leaking a prototype, and having every member that asked to see it banned or something. That was a story I heard years ago, and this is sort of the case here.

I really wish Laird would come out to vouche for Murphy here, saying, "By leaking small amounts of info, we're just wetting their appitites."

Not only that by showing us these items we can give our opinions on them before they are released, helping them make it into an even better product.
Just think where the NECA TMNT would be if it wasn't for the fans saying things or a billion other things for that matter..some good some bad, in my opinion.
They just need to shut the hell up and keep letting him do what he was doing, and to be honest I can't wait till the new series finally ends and hopefully Mirage will be done with those pricks @ 4kids 4good.

[Janus Prospero]

I can't fathom how anything Steve has posted has hurt Imagi or 4Kids in any shape or form.

I'm just very disapointed in the turn this has taken. The ones who really get hurt here are of course the fans striving to stay informed about their fandom.

I feel keeping good fan relations is something every franchise leader should strive for. Unfortunately the extent of 4Kid's fan interaction is, "Shut up, watch our show, and buy whatever crap we put out."

One could argue that we're not in their "market," so why should they care about our opinions/involvement. But then what's the big deal if Murph feeds us info? grr...

[Raphael_]

OH THE DRAMA