Since my last post concerning the Lego movie, and because of all the recent success surrounding toy-based movies like Transformers and GI-Joe. I decided to make a few pitches for other possible plaything motion pictures.For the most part, I'm veering away from the obvious. Smurfs, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Dolls and Mr. Potato Head won't get a pitch from me. I'm also avoiding toys that wouldn't have a great box office draw. Let's face it, no one is going to go to a Lincoln Log movie and a Silly Putty versus Slinky flick won't cut the mustard.But there are some forgotten toys that I feel need my help. Toys that are too young for the antique shop and too old for the rummage sale.
Teddy Ruxpin
This is a toy I was never fortunate enough to had. But the commercials always amazed me, and I didn't rent some of his videos on VHS from Jones Intercable back in the day. Ruxpin was an animatronic teddy bear who had a tape-deck in his back that controlled his movements. Teddy Ruxpin also had a wormy caterpillar friend named Grubby. I think it's about time Ruxpin makes a comeback.
Any investors out there let me know and I'll start working on the script.
Alphie and Magic Mike
Artificial Intelligence is a subject that has captured the imaginations of many filmmakers. A couple of AI toys I played with as a youngin' were the kid computer Alphie and the robot on wheels Magic Mike.
Alphie was an educational toy. You stuck flashcards in his belly and Alphie would make happy noises and flash his face, if you got it right. If you got it wrong he made a sad noise that made you feel like you had really let him down.
I got Magic Mike for Christmas one year. It was also the first year I ever found where my parents hid the presents. When you turned him on he started rolling around and would bounce of the wall and start going in a different direction. We used him to feed milkbones to our dog. The coolest part about Magic Mike was that he blew puffs of smoke out his mouth. But it did kind of stink up the house.
Maybe these guys would be better in supporting roles.
Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake
I didn't know a lot about the girl toys and cartoons, but there are a couple I remember. Once I found a Strawberry Shortcake toy underneath the gum and candy bars by the cash register at a Red Owl grocery store. It smelled like you could eat it. But my mom told me some kid might have lost it and want it back, so I put it back underneath the gum.
From what I do remember about Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake both were super happy love everyone kind of characters. Maybe they should team up to fight Gargamel from the Smurfs.
Stretch Armstrong
Here's a guy who definitely deserves his own movie. I be a lot more kids had a Stretch Armstrong than a Green Lantern action figure. The look of tenacity on his face gave me the courage to carry on and take on all the challenges of childhood. Ok, maybe not. There have been some movies with heroes that have skills similar to Stretch. But Mr. Armstrong is an "everyman." All it takes to defeat him is a kid who pulls hard enough to make that weird goopy stuff ooze out. I think it would be a great roll for Packers Linebacker AJ Hawk if he ever tried to act
Board Game Movies I heard they're going to remake the Clue movie. So why not make a film out other board games. Take Hungry Hungry Hippos! If Pixar and Hasbro team up they could make some really memorable characters out of this game. Although it may not be great for preventing childhood obesity.
My other board game suggestions would be Mouse Trap for a kids Action Adventure film, (kind of like Jumanji in a cartoon world) and Don't Wake Daddy would make a great Family Comedy.
My Buddy
I never had one of these either. The only thing that made we want one was the kid in the commercial also had a Power Wheels truck and looked like he was having a lot of fun. I already had a Cabbage Patch Doll, and my parents probably figured that was enough dolls. There was also the Kid Sister doll for the girls. I don't know what exactly would make a good movie idea for a My Budy doll. I mean they already have Chuckie movies.
Bravestarr
Finally, my pet project, the Bravestarr movie. I usually have to jog memories pretty hard to get people to recall this cartoon and line of toys. It was all about a planet called New Texas and the Marshal Bravestarr who fought off the villain Tex Hex. It was created by the company Filmation, which also gave us Ghostbusters. Columbia Pictures bought the right to Ghostbusters, maybe they should do the same with Bravestarr. Here's the tagline to the Bravestarr cartoon.
We needed a hundred lawmen to tame New Texas. We got one. You know something? He was enough.
Yes, it's true, Hollywood is once again looking to the Toy Department to find inspiration for its next "block"-buster. I found the article on Variety.com yesterday, and could hardly believe my eyes. The toy that defined my childhood will most likely become the basis of a new movie backed by Warner Brothers. According to the article, the movie will be part live action, part animation.
Dan and Kevin Hageman are writing the script. The brothers are pretty new to the writing scene, (at least as far as getting scripts made) IMDB lists all projects as in development. There's no word on a director yet, but Variety says Dan Lin, who is Executive Producer of Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Homes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. is also producing the Lego-flick. The plot of the film is being kept under wraps for now.(Read the Variety Article)
Hollywood has had some pretty good luck with toy based movies lately. GI Joe is doing well at the box office, and both Transformers movies have also made big bucks. For the studios and the toy companies it's the perfect chance to sell some merchandise to a new generation of kids.
When I was growing up, Legos had to be my favorite toy. When I played by myself I would create entire worlds and storylines. There would be a character based on myself, and usually a girl who I would rescue from the bad guys. The bad guys were one of my favorite creations. My friends and I made what we called the "blockheads." Remember the mean characters on Gumby? Well, if you take a regular Lego brick and stick it on the neck of a Lego body, you can creat all different sorts of Lego species. Usually things would escalate to all out war until I had to start rebuilding all over again. Legos allowed me and my friends to be creative, you could create a world where you could be anything you wanted.
Today, things are a little less imaginitive. Legos have already gone into the cross-marketing game. You can buy sets that are based on Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter - just to name a few. As kids, we played Star Wars Legos long before the actual sets were created. Stick a black knight helmet or maybe a space helmet on a Lego space-man and you've got your Darth Vader. Yoda and Chewey were a little harder, but the cool thing about Legos is you could also bring other toys into that world.
Besides Legos based on pop-culture, there are even extremely popular video games where you can play as Lego characters. That's another idea that seems a I just don't get. I guess I understand playing Star Wars Legos, but why would you want to play a video game like that? Why not just play a Star Wars video game? I suppose if the game is fun, the game is fun. I'm still trying to beat Super Mario Bros. for NES, so I'm not one to talk about gaming.
I always had a little bit of "Lego-envy" against the kids who had the sets I wasn't lucky enough to get. Particularly the Lego Pirate Ships. I was a big fan of the pirate sets because they had some of the most interesting characters. I'd combine Space Legos with Pirate Legos to make SPACE PIRATES! Nowadays, there are a ton of different characters to pick from. I've noticed that not all Lego men have that same smile on their yellow faces. Some of them look downright angry and mean!
Plus, Legos are no longer one race, you can now find minority Lego people. This way kids can reenact the confrontation between Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and Sgt James Crowley, and then hold a Lego Beer Summit at the Lego White House.
Some people who were fans of GI Joe and Transformers were disappointed with the movie version of the favorite toys. You can't always feel like a kid again when you see movies like that. Remember, they're intended for a new audience. So maybe your kids will enjoy playing with GI Joes and you can remind them that "knowing is half the battle." Even though Legos are more commercial than they were for previous generations, at least this movie could encourage kids to be creative. I already bought a big bag of Duplos for my unborn son at a rummage sale.
There is definitely evidence that kids are still coming up with their own ideas with Legos. A recent fad on the internet is what's sometimes referred to as "Brick Films." It's stop-motion animation using Legos. Here is one of my favorties, it's also one of the wierdest.
Examiner.com, a national web service based in Denver, Colorado has expanded it's reach to 20 new U.S. cities including Green Bay (read the press release). Basically it is a collection of local writers. The content is extremely varied from News, Politics and Sports, to Arts and Entertainment to Bars and Restaurants.
Here's the idea: Examiner.com recruits local writers who are potential "experts" on a certain topic. That topic could be as broad as Green Bay Top News, or as specific as The Michelle Obama Examiner or the Britney Spears Examiner. If it's a topic that gets a lot of hits, then it's probably a topic on Examiner.com
I'd been keeping an eye on this site because it seemed legitimate and interesting. However, for quite some time, the only Wisconsin communities it was based in was Milwaukee and Madison. Now that the service has expanded to Green Bay, I've started writing. Please feel free to check it out, and let me know what you think. Criticism and the pointing out of spelling, punctuation, factual and grammatical errors are welcome.
Examiners are paid what the site calls a "competitive rate." It's based on the number of page views and subscribers. You can apply to write for your hometown, or there are also national Examiners. You can even create your own idea for a topic and apply. Once a writer is accepted, the first article is reviewed, and after that they are basically left alone (unless there are major violations). Examiner.com will do some marketing of your work, but writers are also expected to use social networking and word of mouth to promote themselves.
I'm sure there are questions about journalistic integrity and accuracy. This is basically a newspaper/blog, almost like the Wikipedia of journalism. Examiners can label their posts/articles as reports, op/ed commentaries, how-to, etc. The quality of the article will depend on the writer.
The site also encourages writers to promote other local news agencies on the blog. The goal is to create a local environment online. It's potentially competition for local news agencies, but at the same time, it will be promoting them. You've probably seen an Examiner.com article before. The stories often come up when you search Google News.
It's not just writers, you can post videos through YouTube and use your own photography as well. Check out the sites YouTube Channel.
To learn more about writing for Examiner.com click-here.
This is an interesting opportunity for people who want to work on their writing or get their name out there on the Internet. If you have a special area of expertise like stand-up comedy, or think you'd be good at reviewing restaurants in your area, check it out. The site is honest enough to tell you that you most likely won't be able to quit your day job. However, it is the opportunity to earn a little extra cash.
So far, I've earned about enough to buy a bag of beef jerky. But that stuff can be expensive, why is that?!?
For years, one of the only places you could find regular entertainment in the Green Bay Area was at Comedy City. The improv theater that started in downtown Green Bay moved to the old De Pere Library a number of years ago. Today it offers The Venture Theater, and now some of the members are branching out to create laughter online.
Table 8 Productions is an undertaking involving some of the funniest guys and girls of Comedy City. They've put together some hilarious viral videos produced here in the Green Bay Area. Table 8 Productions has only been up-and-running a few months, but already there are dozens of videos to check out on YouTube and Funny or Die.
One of the more popular series the group has put together so far is Boozer Cruiser created by local filmmaker Craig Kinnit, who also operates Out of Whack Productions. It involves a local cab driver who holds his own game show for the usual /unusual drunks who need a ride home (or to the next bar).
Another interesting idea from Table 8 features the extremely popular video game RockBand. This ongoing saga is a a little bit VH1 Behind the Music, and a little bit Spinal Tap with plenty of geeky gamer humor.
If you like your comedy a little dry...Table 8 can serve up your humor that way as well. The series Checkers features two buddies, their board game, and some bizarre conversations.
The Annoying Roommate series is another creative idea from Table 8. Plenty of us have had roomies who are a little weird. But these guys have some seriously bad luck.
There's plenty more to see from Table 8, and the team is uploading new material every week. Now it's true, you may not love every single one of the videos. But how often have you laughed at every skit on Saturday Night Live? So help out some local talent by supporting these guys! Sign up to be fans, rate some videos, leaves some comments!
If they ever end up getting their own show, you can say you were a fan before Table 8 became "mainstream crap."
