MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000
RETURNS WITH FIRST-EVER
CONSUMER PRODUCTS PROGRAMSTRATEGIC LICENSING PARTNERS ANNOUNCED
AS THE SHOW HEADS TO NETFLIXLos Angeles, CA – February 16, 2017 – The popular entertainment brand and cult-hit comedy series MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (MST3K) has announced its first consumer products program, which is gearing up for release as the new season heads to Netflix for its much anticipated premiere.
“MST3K is enjoying a new iteration on Netflix for both new audiences and longtime fans alike,” says MST3K creator Joel Hodgson. “We’re really looking forward to partnering with creative companies who are fans of the show and can capture the zeitgeist of the series with new products and ideas.”
Bob Emmer, COO of Shout Factory, adds, ”We’re eagerly pursuing licensing opportunities across all categories, with the goal of delivering fun and innovative merchandise that’s true to the show MSTies know and love.”
The licensing program is helmed by Elie Dekel, of Dekel Brands. Strategic partners for licensing and merchandising on board thus far include:
· Dark Horse (serialized comics, graphic novels, coffee-table book and gift items)
· FUNKO (vinyl figures, and FUNKO-POP figures)
· Changes (t-shirts, tops, sweatshirts)
· Insight Editions (Ultimate Episode Guide, trivia books, journals)
· Great Eastern (buttons, patches, stickers, pins, gifts and novelties)
· Just Funky (gifts, beverage/barware, key chains, auto accessories, table-top gifts)
· Zen Monkey Studios (t-shirts, sweatshirts)Products will be rolling out spring of 2017 throughout the 4th quarter, with new products and licensees to be announced over the course of the year. MST3K and its licensees will be working with specialty retailers to deliver the new merchandise to retailers and ecommerce stores.
Beloved by a legion of fans worldwide and ranked by top media culture critics as one of the best cult television shows of all time, MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 will highlight brand extension opportunities across all licensing categories, including apparel, digital gaming, publishing, toys, home goods and accessories.
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Licensing Partners AnnouncedSome news from the business side…
57 Replies to “Licensing Partners Announced”Commenting at Satellite News
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SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
· Dark Horse (serialized comics, graphic novels, coffee-table book and gift items)
Can’t wait for a nice oversized coffee-table book. Perhaps an expanded/definitive version of the “Amazing Colossal Episode Guide” that brings it up to date.
EDIT: Oh, just saw that “Episode Guide” is one of the items from Insight!
“Serialized comics” immediately made me think of “Cereal Novels” from the 409 Invention Exchange.
Oh, frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
I’ll take it.
Sign me up for one of everything.
Okay, maybe two.
I’m so excited! I’m gonna be so broke! Who needs electricity anyways?
This is both huge and so weird. They’re going to be marketing the hell out of the new show.
Pardon me while I faint…It’s soooooooooo good to be a MSTie,ya know? As Stephen Furst said in ANIMAL HOUSE,”Oh,boy,is this great!”
Insight makes some gorgeous coffee table books. Ultimate episode guide? How about a behind-the-scenes fanbook on sets, costuming, filming, etc?
“Digital gaming”? Bring on the Escape the SOL mobile game!
MST3K THE FLAMETHROWER!
Electricity might come in handy for actually watching the episodes.
So does this mean anything to Satellite News? They’ve already lost the ability to make the annual Short calendar. Will the catchphrase shirts (and other things) now have to go away?
Re: serialized comics and graphic novels, will Dark Horse be re-printing “Dark Empire” with the silhouettes at the bottom of each panel with riffing balloons?
Marvel published a Beavis and Butt-Head comic in the 1990’s that featured pages where they’d make fun of comic books, similar to the music video segments on the TV show. I expect we’ll see a similar format in the MST3K comics (except with the proportions reversed, of course; where B&B was mostly original content occasionally broken up by comic book riffing, MST3K would be the opposite).
Dark Horse has already reprinted a lot of classic comics that feel like they’d be in MST3K’s wheelhouse. Crime Does Not Pay seems like it would be a good fit.
If they get someone like Chip Zdarsky or Ryan North to write the MST3K comic, it could end up being a work of genius.
“Ultimate Episode Guide”! I thought this day would never come.
On a side note the original series is currently available from Hulu not Netflix. I wonder if they’ll move over to Netflix once the new episodes start, or not? Has there been an announcement already?
Hulu already lost Rifftrax (to Amazon Prime) and Cinematic Titanic (nowhere–that really needs to be available again!) over the last year.
Will the original cast get royalties for the use of their likenesses? That’s always a sticking point, for any kind of merchandising really, but specifically for MST it was a big part of the bad blood with Mallon.
Man, Ryan North would be perfect. Not only did he get popular writing funny dialogue over an existing comic strip, he basically MiSTs his own comics with the little jokes he writes at the bottom of each page.
Zdarsky would be a great pick too. So would Chris Hastings (of Dr. McNinja, and also the guy who took over writing Adventure Time after North left it). Somebody who writes jokes about old comics on comics news sites could work too, like Chris Sims.
I know Gail Simone’s a fan (and friends with Bill); she’s written licensed comics before. And IIRC Mary Jo was working on a comic a few years ago, though I don’t remember it ever coming out.
Course, depending on the format, experienced comics writers may not be necessary. If they’re just taking existing comics and adding riffs to them, then the writer(s) wouldn’t have to worry about things like panel breakdowns, clear storytelling, or even communicating with a penciler at all (except on “host segment” pages, which I assume will be in there). Dialogue balloon placement would be extra-important given that they’d be working around panels that *already* had dialogue balloons in them, but most of the skills in a comics writer’s toolbox would probably be unnecessary.
(Snark compels me to add, “You know, if you want someone who’s used to just adding dialogue to a comic that somebody else already wrote and drew, you could always ask Stan Lee.”)
The idea that each issue would only have a few pages of new art could present an opportunity too. I’d like to see it treated like a cover gig: something that in-demand artists could do without having to commit too much of their schedule to it.
There are some great comic-as-in-funny artists who I’d like to see take on a host segment or two. Ty Templeton’s the first name that comes to mind. Art Baltazar, Skottie Young, Faith Erin Hicks, or Kate Leth would be good too, off the top of my head.
i want the whole “lights, gamera, action!” figure set! (i know, fat chance… damn you, sandy frank!)
p.s. far as comics, now that the “chic” guy’s dead, maybe they can license those to riff on! his estate’s probably chomping at the bit to cash in…
This is my whole Christmas list, right here :D
Oh no. Joel said “zeitgeist.”
He may be compromised. It may be Pod Joel.
We will know for sure if we see Angry Birds MST3K edition.
How about:
A Joey the Lemur puppet.
Master cape,Torgo Hat and walking stick.
Mega Weapon toy.
“Why don’t they look?” T-Shirt complete with Characters from Short film.
Tickle me Carlo Lombardi doll.
Small Robot Mike from Prince of Space.
Hamlet Doll with spring pull for soliloquy.
Cool looking SOL model.
Deep 13 and Gizmonic Institute patches to sew on my favorite jackets.
I don’t care who has the license, as long as the right people get paid for their intellectual property or trademark.
My paper route money will fund my purchases.
i like to always say anymore… “you vote with your money!” every day, all the time! (after all, who spends your money on -what,- after you give it to -them?-) so, hence as i also say, also anymore… “-everything’s- political…” so! at least spend your money in good conscience.
I hope the theoretical books includes that collection of development work that was getting bounced around as an idea before the revival became a thing.
I probably won’t be checking the new series out (sorry!), but my interest is definitely piqued by the promise of an episode guide.
This is fantastic news. I have long felt that MST3K is under-merchandised. BBI did the best they could back in the day by providing first-party merch, but it occurred to me back then that it would have been better if they followed the same formula pioneered by Lucasfilm (and since copied by just about everyone) by signing licensing deals with other companies.
I have long wanted a Tom Servo figurine for my desk at work, so he can riff on my coworkers. This dream may soon become a reality. :)
I’m glad this is happening. One hopes all those connected with the show’s history that can receive royalties are able to. They should market it as much and as intelligently as possible. The snowball is getting larger.
:-)
I am starting to feel the difference. And old. There is a shift. I think I have all the mst3k t-shirts I’m gonna need for a while. Remember when we had to make our own robot heros. Remember when we had to circulate the tapes. I’m not complaining, just saying.
I would love it if they produced life-size replicas of of the robots. Anyway to contact these people?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what’s meant by “Ultimate Episode Guide”? Is it a guide to the reboot episodes only, or is the old MST3K episode guide book going to be updated, completed, and re-released? I LOVE my old guide and wish it was updated to include all episodes. Thanks.
While I’m not strictly against the licensing aspect of MST3K and the idea of an Ultimate episode guide intrigues me, to a certain extent, and this is just a curmudgeonly old fart fan talking so bear with me, it just seems to cheapen the show a bit. Fans can buy whatever they want, let your dollars do the talking. Heaven knows how much I’ve spent over the past 20 years in MST-related merch and shows.
But I look at what oversaturation of merchandising for something like Monty Python has done over the years and it just weakens the overall output in my opinion. Now Python has always been upfront about being blatantly interested in money, so that takes a bit of the sting away from it, but I now hate seeing any trinket having to do with Holy Grail.
Look at how a relatively funny and small cult film like A Christmas Story was prior to it exploding all over. Now I just can’t watch it anymore due to the barrage of merchandise that has accompanied it. I used to love seeing that leg lamp in the window; now I cannot stand seeing the damn thing. Will I feel that way about seeing Tom Servo everywhere one day? Do I really want shelves of Crow shirts hanging at Spencer’s gifts? I know this sounds ridiculous, given the Cowtown puppet show roots of MST believe me I know, but this reboot makes it a whole new ballgame.
I realize this might not be the popular sentiment, and that’s fine. Again: buy whatever you want to. I begrudge no fan in indulging themselves in what they love. I want the reboot to succeed. I’m a Kickstarter donor too. But I don’t want the cart to come before the horse either. Focus on the reboot because there’s a huge past to live up to before you go diving headfirst into the merchandising pool.
I can’t help thinking of all the Krusty the Clown merchandise. MST3K home pregnancy kit anyone? :-)
Yeah, yeah. WHEN DOES THE NEW SEASON PREMIER??????
George Carlin on flamethrowers…
Why not?
I gotta say, what killed A Christmas Story for me wasn’t the merchandise, it was the days-long frickin’ cable TV marathons.
I get what you’re saying. Funko-Pop dolls are really not my cup of tea. (Though I gotta say, their Servo and Crow are probably the best-looking Funko-Pop designs I’ve ever seen. Probably doesn’t hurt that Crow’s already got giant eyes and Servo doesn’t have any eyes at all.) But a lot of this stuff sounds like the kind of merchandise most of us can get behind. I’m seeing a lot of enthusiasm for a new episode guide or scrapbook, and I’ve already expressed my interest in MST3K comics. (Not a new idea, BTW; Acclaim Comics was slated to do an MST3K comic around the turn of the century, but the deal fizzled — not sure if it was due to MST3K getting cancelled or Acclaim going bankrupt, but one way or another it never happened.) There’s been MST3K merchandise before, from soundtrack CDs to the little figurines that came with some of the DVD sets; my VHS copy of MST3K: The Movie even came with a chunk of foam that was apparently cut out of the Deep 13 set.
As for T-shirts — what on Earth does it matter where they’re sold if they’re good T-shirts?
…they *did* focus on the revival (not a reboot, does not supersede any past continuity) first. It completed filming before we heard about any of this stuff.
I still want a stuffed Tom Servo, dang it.
Satellite of Love drones?
I think this is a perfect opportunity to mention that this past Halloween, I made a Tom Servo costume for my 2-1/2 month-old grandson, at his parents’ request. It was fabulous (hint: start with a baby-sized tutu for the hoverskirt framework, cover it with fabric, and you’re on your way).
Just more plastic junk to fill up landfills.
Sorry to be a killjoy, but I am ever more becoming a vocal opponent of “brand extension,” which is just bizspeak for “whoring intellectual property like there’s no tomorrow.” To be clear: I do not deny any person’s right to spend their money any way they wish. This is a democracy (I think); you be you. However, I think we’re failing the younger generations if there isn’t a voice somewhere decrying capitalism run riot. People should hear the message that you don’t HAVE to spend your money on junk. You can save it! Wow! Because someday you might not want to work anymore, or maybe you might have a serious medical emergency that you have to pay for, and on and on.
There. I feel better now.
@Thad:
Well, I don’t want to pollute this thread with my downer opinion, but I checked out some of the work of the newer guys on the team. Personally, they don’t make me laugh. That’s just my taste however; they could adapt to the MST style pretty well, for all I know. Just not very interested at the moment (besides, I still have a whole lot of the first series that I’ve yet to watch).
That said I hope the show succeeds and that you all enjoy it! I understand a lot of money went into it and MST3k deserves a good successor.
As if we didn’t need any more clues that our beloved cowtown show has gone Hollywood in a big way.
(Also rather amusing, though not surprising, given the hard left politics of most the people involved, who always love capitalism when it benefits their wallets)
WHITLtech Whittling Kit –
Now there is a piece of merchandise guaranteed to appeal to new, fire-tending MSTies everywhere. Particularly those Arkansas bottoms MSTies. Don’t look for the union label, but certified “environmentally friendly” by the new head of the former Environmental Protection Agency.
Wow, a completely gratuitous and irrelevant political comment. Pretty sure we’re not supposed to do that here.
So how long before we finally see a date for the series premiere? How much is it going to cost to view this on Netflix?
I don’t see Hanes or Fruit of the Loom on the list.
I want me some Crow T. Robot underwear that say “Bite Me”. ;)
But, who will make the official MST3K “Gates of Hell” bathroom door frame, so that I can constantly ask why people feel compelled to wander into it?
Streaming on Netflix is a one price package of $8/month. Not free but better than cable!
Sandy Frank has no rights to Gamera, let’s clear that up.
I hope the comic book isn’t just riffing old comics, that could get old real quick. I’d like side adventures of the cast.
All of this merchandising should’ve happened back when. I always thought MST3K should be as big as The Simpsons. Know it looks as if it could finally happen. I know we like to have it as our own little cult thing, but the more people that watch it, the better.
And I would hope that similar to profit sharing from episodes being sold now will port over to the merch, than everyone gets paid, and I’ll feel even better about the whole thing.
And please, patience. We’ve waited so many years, we can wait a little longer. New episodes are coming. We’ll never have this limbo time again, so let’s enjoy it. Merch coming staring in Spring indicates a Spring release. NO SPRINGS!