Speaking of Vendors...What is on your Christmas List?

[Grimley]

I just had an idea for a prop that we would be interested in. I think that a vendor would clean up with a change out body form. The vendor could create a rugged articulated body form with pegs at the ends of both arms legs and head. Say it would cost $599. Just enough to cover the cost of making the body form. Then sell different sets created to fit the generic body form. Molding the head, hands, feet, and clothes of a certain character. So the the vendor could create a couple of different zombies, different clowns, vampires, witches etc.... and the owner can simply swap out the clothes and apendages as needed for that season. It would save buyers who can't afford expensive full size zombies the money and it would be easier to produce. It would also be a lot easier to ship them as well as bringing them to shows like Transworld. Just think you could fit them all in one box and sell the add on sets for a decent profit. Hell if you need santa claus or the easter rabbit you could sell those sets too. I think it would only be limited by the creators imagination. If we had our own manufacturing team we would be all over it. I think that bodybagging our unit70 would clean up at the shows. You could hold demonstrations of how to swap out the prop in 5 minutes or less and viola a new nasty waiting for you guests. Let me know what you guys think.
Corey Rutland
Lord Grimley's Manor
Lordgrimley.com

[Gore Galore]

Grimley,
They already exist.
www.mypetzombies.com
And they can easily be fitted with different armatures to suit whatever need.
rope, Wire, rod steel armature, or 1" steel or larger for mounting on custom built animatronics. the current price on line is based on 1/4 and 5/16 steel rod armature that separate at the hip with removeable heads.
All you have to do is ask.
This is also the same set up for www.ghostride.com with all their body forms.
As far as table top sized animatronics we have the "Torture Boxes" and many other items in that range and have had them for many years.

[shawnc]

I guess they make everything these days

I found my gruesome football player costume. It's only $99 at Amazon, which makes me wonder about the quality. Like most others, I don't mind paying extra for good quality. But if something isn't going to last long at all, even a relatively cheap price is money wasted.

[Grimley]

The my pet zombies can the limbs all be switched out with more from the site?

[Gore Galore]

Grimley,
Currently we only use 1 style of hands but we will soon be offering 3 styles that can be mixed. A relaxed set, a stressed reaching out set, and a closed hand holding weapon set. And you can ask for just one closed hand for holding a weapon and a stressed set.
Soon, very soon. We even have stump details if you wanted a zombie with a severed arm etc... How about a labotomy? And we have several new characters premiering at the Vegas show.
We do alot of customization, so we can pretty well do whatever you want with the characters. We do upcharge so we base our customizing pricing on labor time invested in the project over what we normally do.
But you do have to call or email to have most changes happen.

[Spookyfinder]

What a great thread!

You guys will have to come by the HauntVisions booth at Transworld...we have a couple of new products that address some of the requests seen in this thread.

Shawnc...being a big football fan, I really like your gruesome football player costume idea! Really good idea!

[Frighteners Entertainment]

Didn't Collegeville Costume do this 5-8 years ago? Like the football and baseball oversized masks? Could have been someone else....?

[drfrightner]

I've talked to several vendors over the past few days including Ghost Ride, Scare Parts, and a few others. They have all read this thread.

We can't always count on our vendor to know what is best of us... yes many of them make a living creating these things for us, but they need our support, they need our idea's.

I think Ghost Ride said he would be posting a message on this thread this weekend. I know all the vendors from Gore Galore to any new potential vendor have probably found your insight very valuable.

Keep the good info coming.

Larry

[shawnc]

Good point

Larry,
Great idea for a thread and a good point, if you really think about it. How many haunters show up at a trade show or flip open a catalog to see what's new and just place an order? The problems are that you can only purchase what is available, and many haunts tend to have the same props. What's the big deal about having the latest, greatest 15-foot monster if four other haouses in your town all just installed the same thing?

That may go more towards needing customization, but the real point I was trying to make is that the manufacturers need more feedback from buyers, and as early as possible. They come up with some great ideas, but so do haunters. You just have to pass the idea along to a receptive builder and hope they can develop it into something real.

A good idea for a manufacturer's website might be a suggestions box. Have an idea for a new scare? Send it to us and we will consider it. Offer a small reward if the idea is successfully built. Or just give credit to the person who made the suggestion. A haunter having his name next to a prop in a catalog would create a lot of goodwill, and create a flood of new ideas coming in.

[icandrawem2]

There may be some liability concerns in vendors accepting ideas from the outside, so i dont think offering a reward to someone is the best idea. Im not saying using an outsider's idea is bad, but it just needs to be done discreetly if that makes any sense. I know alot of companies will not accept outside submissions for new ideas or what have you, simply because if they did end up building it then that person could take them to court over such a matter... Even if the company thought up the idea to begin with. I just think its better for a business to keep everything on the inside, now of course an outside consulting firm is a different story, but im rambling. just my thoughts.

[Jim Warfield]

An elderly customer of mine once gave me a really nice "Football" mask that had belonged to her son or someone. I have no idea who made it. It was the complete helmet , white with a yellow letter "P" on the sides of it, it also had a complete face sticking out of it of a gruesome meaty looking personage. The whole mask had a thin layer of foam on the inside which helped keep the helmet part pushed out to it's correct shape.
Somebody stole it from after a few years.
Imagine a display of the football field, goal line stand, a pile of body parts all ripped apart with uniform shreds hanging on them. As the customer edges closer for a better look suddenly the pile moves as the buried halfback with the football scrambles out and runs toward the goal line, which is of course behind the customers!
Then think of the sexy bodied cheerleaders with the gory, homely faces!
"This pillowcase doesn't come off of the pillow fast enough!"

[drfrightner]

I talked to a few vendors that would like to see more scary weapons that actors can carry around. I've also talked to some vendors and have heard about new things coming to TW. I think we'll see a lot of smaller things that make the difference in your haunt.

I think this year a focus on small things not big things might best suit what the industry needs in 2008.

A couple vendors asked me what kind of weapons we'd like to see made...anyone have some idea's?

Larry

[Matt Marich]

Edge Designs

We are very busy developing new and different ideas this year to answer Larry's call for better looking and realistic props. We will introduce animated efffects that blow high pressure air with scented, sininster, smoke. This is something we have been trying for years to develope! We also will introduce alot of silicone based products, they are the most realistic. Our Autopsy table will return this year with the improved thermo formed table. And lastly a big surprise that is still in it's infancy, wearable cordless pneumatics!

Much more is on it's way!!


Matt Marich

Viva Las Vegas!

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING?

[Gore Galore]

Larry,

We already have the weapons request taken care of
www.gore-galore.com/wmd.php
We had the prototypes at the show last year, and everyone thought they were going to be awesome.

We designed a whole line of oversized bone handled actor hand weapons called "Weapons of Mass Destruction".
We also have a big killer Pipe and we have an antique shotgun, and Miners Pick on the way.
Also we will be adding more throughout the year, and special requests are welcome off list.

Matt, I look forward to see what you have going on this year.
we also had a project we developed for a zombie film that introduced us to small portable pneumatics. Great technology. I have a zombie cameo and I get shot through the chest. We did blood splatter from the front and a back pressure splatter from the back at the same time. Fun stuff and it looks great on film.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

I was going to mention that Kevin. They do look fantastic.