I would have preferred Mrs Claus, but I see uses for the kids. I might grab one at least. The sleigh looks great and if I had space for it and money for all the Reindeer I'd need, I'd pick it up. The centaurs are hilarious. I hope next year, in addition to the Mrs, we get a chair for Santa, something that would allow for a more affordable, smaller dio than the sleigh, but which would work for a mall santa scene with the kids. till hoping if/when we get Mrs Claus they do her as a regular lady and not the more sexed up versions we sometimes see. Also in the camp where I'd love to see Mari Lwyd, but guessing if that happens it'll probably come from Four Horsemen first(which I wouldn't mind).
Interestingly, I think we've still not seen the Santa that was part of the bbts anniversary initially. That silhouette had a hood and none of the new Santas do... curious.
The kids being $30 seems off.
Giving each kid 4 heads has to add to the retail price, as does the added articulation compared to the elves, but I think they may have overshot at $30.
It's not just me, right? They included a figure stand for their 4-legged characters? Do they separate into satyrs or something?
Also, when FMF first brought up the sleigh, they mentioned an idea to have it be able to connect with future, tactical gear. No specifics, but I imagined jet boosters and rocket launchers. I don't quite see where that would happen here, or if they followed thru on that idea.
HOWEVER, the idea of having a centaureindeer leading the sled team is kind of appealing on its own.
The absence of Mrs. Claus is truly baffling. The could get reuse out of her by also making Frau Perchta and maybe a Gremlin Queen. Also kind of hard to believe they haven't added some sort of spin on Frosty or an Abominable Snowman.
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Need 1,000 for the sleigh - likely.
Need 2,000 combined for the centaurs - maybe? Might be close.
Need 3,000 combined for the kids. I have my doubts.
I wonder if Mrs. Claus wasn't ready in time, or they have concerns about her selling, or given she likely would have a dress how to do the articulation? Because it seems like a no-brainer given the potential reuse - just do what they did with the Santas.
Also, when FMF first brought up the sleigh, they mentioned an idea to have it be able to connect with future, tactical gear. No specifics, but I imagined jet boosters and rocket launchers. I don't quite see where that would happen here, or if they followed thru on that idea.
Can't see what's in the back seat of the sleigh, so there could be a port there to attach stuff to. The Underside could also be an option for attachment points. All that said, it's just a render and could definitely be updated before release. They've done stuff like that before.
I don't recall hearing that about the sleigh previously, but it would be a good idea. I didn't notice before but the sleigh appears to also be set up to do a one-reindeer pull, and that feels like it was made to tempt folks like me low on space and who don't necessarily want tot go in for a full team.
Aw man, am I the only weirdo who thinks the kids are a fun idea? They're very "Alfred E Newman" in execution, and way overpriced, but such is the case when it comes to smaller companies like Fresh Monkey Fiction. I'd have bought one of each if they were 20, but they are loaded with accessories and have more articulation. I think the bump is warranted, and I might have bit if they were $25 each. At $30, I might get just one. I still want just one reindeer eventually.
Come on, though. Where is Mrs. Claus? Three years in, and no sign of her is a crime.
Agreed with others, those kids smiles are creep af. You can't tell me with all the re-use on this line, that they couldn't afford to put Mrs. Claus in this wave. This means if she's in next years assortment, the earliest Christmas we could have her for display is 2027.
I think my initial reaction to the kids was a bit negative because it was way outside my expectations/hopes for this wave. After thinking about it, I did order a set of 5 and could be enticed for a second set of 5.
But it seems like an odd choice from a business perspective, the elves and nutcrackers were great army building and kitbash options, but the kids seem naturally limited to maybe 2 of each at most.
The kids being $30 seems off. A bit high for being so much smaller than a regular Santa figure being...what...$40? A bunch of kids could be fund for scenes with other lines. But they're too much money.
So, I think it comes down to the fact that the engineering and tooling for smaller figures with that much articulation is pretty similar to the costs for engineering and tooling the bigger characters - similar numbers of POA, similar sculpting time required to get details right - so it ends up just being the volume of plastic that is different between the two. You can get more pieces tooled into a single die - so there is some savings there but it isn't as dramatic as people might hope.
So I get it on the value side as a customer, it feels like you are getting less for your money - but on the production side you want to do more than break even.
It's a reason these guys - and the 4 Horsemen - moved to working in the 1/12th and 1/10th space over the 1/18th - easier to sell the value of the larger figure for the necessary asking price.
The kids being $30 seems off. A bit high for being so much smaller than a regular Santa figure being...what...$40? A bunch of kids could be fund for scenes with other lines. But they're too much money.
So, I think it comes down to the fact that the engineering and tooling for smaller figures with that much articulation is pretty similar to the costs for engineering and tooling the bigger characters - similar numbers of POA, similar sculpting time required to get details right - so it ends up just being the volume of plastic that is different between the two. You can get more pieces tooled into a single die - so there is some savings there but it isn't as dramatic as people might hope.
So I get it on the value side as a customer, it feels like you are getting less for your money - but on the production side you want to do more than break even.
It's a reason these guys - and the 4 Horsemen - moved to working in the 1/12th and 1/10th space over the 1/18th - easier to sell the value of the larger figure for the necessary asking price.
Yeah, definitely this. A shorter figure with the same articulation is only marginally less expensive production wise when it's an all new tooling. And I assume these will be reused for gremlins and upgraded elves and such down the line. Would have preferred Mrs. Claus, but I get where these can be used and I get the price. I wonder too, the new lower torso piece for the Sant-ar fees like it would meld nicely with more intricate goat legs or thicker hairy legs to give us a Yeti and/or a Krampus 2.0 body int he future.
Also... I wonder if they're going to do kid versions to match the older Santas. That could get kinda wild and gruesome. Pirate kids are whatever, but Cyborg kids... ZOMBIE kids?! I feel like that sort of thing might've actually grabbed more attention this year.
@panthercult I agree with the reasoning, plus it takes more time to assemble than the more basic elves and nutcrackers.
But it is more the optics of the price - $10 more than the elves and nutcrackers, only $7 less than the Santas - and 3 kids = 2 reindeer. Logically, small production runs, design, articulation, paint - I get the reason, it just seems a bit out of proportion to the rest of the line in some ways.
Oh, I totally get it. On the consumer side of the fence it doesn't feel like a good value. On the production side, I get why they had to price it that way - that doesn't make it easier to stomach as a buyer. It's honestly why I'm a little surprised they chose to do it. At least with the Elves the reduced POA brought the cost down. They don't have that here. So, if I'm weighing my options of buying one of their Monster Force or Crimson Moon or Soldier of Fortune figures or one of these kids - those other figures feel like a better value and that may be where my money goes. And if I'm considering one of these kids or spending less money on a Marvel Legends or G.I. Joe Classified - that's a no brainer.
Like others have said, I feel like there might have been more value to be had with a Snow Man sculpt or something - that can be modified a bunch of ways - but actually might require less intricate tooling?
The children with the crying heads do make for a cheaper option to pull the sleigh, though.
It looks like the sleigh has a modern dashboard with a radar display and electronic buttons. I hope that dashboard is removable or replaceable because I prefer one without modern technology. I suppose I could angle the sleigh display in a way that hides the dashboard, but I'd rather just not have it there. I hope I can figure out a way to display the sleigh and reindeer in flight without a bunch of wires or clear stands. I was hoping the sleigh would come with some type of metal rods for holding the reindeer. Oh well, I'll figure something out for my Christmas 2026 display.
Since I am about to get charged for the 9 reindeer and another Santa I have pre-ordered, I'm kind of happy the sleigh is the only item I want from this wave. Like others, I'm hoping for Mrs. Claus next wave.
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