Space Channel 5 (Palisades)

Space Channel 5
Palisades
2001





Before their were guitar controllers, there was Space Channel 5 - A game from Sega developed for their Sega Dreamcast System...Which coincidentally was their last video game console to date (and later for the Sony Platstation 2).

The game involved the character Ulala who the player controlled in an effort to groove and rescue hostages as she stopped the attacking enemy. As the character calls out commands, it is up to the player to repeat these commands via inputs on their controller.

Critically the game was highly praised by reviewers and players who noted the game as incredibly fun. Even those who stated that the game wasn't necessarily up to par graphically wise for its time of release still couldn't deny the fun nature of the game.

Prior to going out of business, Palisades produced a very short lived lineup of action figures based on the game - Most of which were versions of Ulala.

Of course many know the eventual downfall to the company was the numerous lawsuits brought against it for taking money under the table and not paying its bills / design teams. A definite disappointment considering the company was producing the highly popular Muppets line at the time all of this went down.

Speaking of lawsuits, Lady Miss Kier of the band Deee-Lite sued Sega over the release of the game. She claimed Sega had approached her prior to development to use her likeness and also a person she used to adopt during her career where she wore knee-high boots, short skirts and a pink pony tail. She also alleged Sega had approached her to use her likeness and music in the game, but that she declined the offer of $16,000.00. Her claim stated that despite declining Sega's offer, the company proceeded to use her likeness.

There may be some validity to that claim

Despite the clear resemblance in the above photo (at least to us), Kier lost her case against Sega and ended up having to pay over $600,000.00 for their legal fees.

In 2008 Kier would have another run in with Sega, but this time by way of actually allowing them to use her song Groove is in the Heart for their game Samba de Amigo. The song was ironically acted out in the game by Ulala from Space Channel 5.

Palisades were big fans of making their lunchbox exclusive figures which could only be gotten by joining their "fan club". The Space Channel 5 line saw it's own released exclusive in this nature featuring a black and red suited Ulala.

For those looking for the figures you can find them readily available via secondary markets. They are also relatively cheap. A full carded set can be grabbed for as little as $50.00. Unfortunately, the exclusive lunchbox version is another story. It is incredibly scarce and as such we can't even begin to estimate a price. For those on the hunt for the actual Sega Dreamcast game, you can get this for around three bucks.

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Painkiller Jane (Palisades)

Painkiller Jane
Palisades
1998

Painkiller Jane isn't the most well known comic book title out there, but it has a strong niche following of fans that have kept it relevant since issue one in 1995.

Created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, Jane Vasko starts out somewhat like Robocop. She's a police office that gets mortally wounded in the line of duty, only to be revived with superhuman regenerative powers through mysterious means - Okay, maybe not much like Robocop beyond the mortally wounded part. She then leaves the police force, taking on the mantra of vigilante, Painkiller Jane.

Branching out from the pages of comic books, Painkiller Jane even made an appearance in her own made for television movie in 2005 on the Sci Fi Channel. The movie starred Emmanuelle Vaugier as Jane, and would be the backdoor pilot for a television series that would follow.

Said show was the 2007 series of the same name. The show starred Kristanna Loken, and ran for 22 episodes before it was unceremoniously cancelled. The series was significantly different from that of the comic book, dropping most of the back story. Interestingly enough though, the story it did follow resembled much closer the original version of the character that Palmiotti and Quesada developed.

Back in its startup days, Palisades procured the rights to produce a series of figures based on Painkiller Jane. The problem - All they produced was the same figure three times. No other characters were brought into the fold. To make matters worse, all three were produced in limited quantities, making them difficult to obtain.

That was of course back in 1998. Fast forward to 2016, and while the figure isn't flooding secondary markets, it's relatively easy to find all three versions - Its relatively cheap too. All three variants are typically priced between $5.00 and $10.00 on the card. Sadly, even then they don't sell most of the time.

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Pink Panther (Palisades)

When most people think of the Pink Panther, they say, "Oh, that was that cartoon." While this is of course true, many don't realize that the cartoon only came about as a result of the opening sequence to the original live action movie staring David Niven and Peter Sellers. In the opening sequence, the animated Pink Panther as seen in the cartoon series is shown interacting with the credits in a comedic way. The character became so popular with United Artist executives that they ordered a series of theatrical animated shorts.

The first short, 1964's The Pink Phink was so highly acclaimed that it won the Academy Award for best Animated Short Film. By 1969 the shorts were being broadcast on television for The Pink Panther Show, and with the popularity of the show spawned new shorts for both television and theater screens.

Today the Pink Panther has been seen in several more formats - Comics, video games, advertising campaigns, and several venues of merchandise. However it wasn't until 2004 that the iconic character would be made available in plastic via action figure format.

Palisades is not a company best known for its honest business practices, but despite this major flaw that led to its eventual bankruptcy and unfortunate closing down, they made some fine action figures during the time that they had. The figures based on the animated Pink Panther series are no exception to this rule.

Each figure was masterfully sculpted to match the characters on screen, with wonderful paint jobs to top it all off. The figures were all packed with an assortment of accessories, and were typically those as seen in the various shorts.

The packaging was the familiar PVC style bubble package that Palisades was accustomed to using. It was eye catching with its bright pink background and white magnifying glass artwork incorporated into it, but at the same time wasn't all that impressive. Small pictures of the characters were at the top of the package, designed in an interactive nature around the logo, but at the same time are very easily missed if one is skimming (as opposed to focusing on) the front of the package.

Variants also seemed to be the name of the game. In the one and only series produced there were a total of 3 variants. Considering there were only four characters produced, that's an impressive ratio of chase figures to hunt down.

The four figures produced were; Pink Panther, The Man, Aardvark and Ant (technically a two pack), and Inspector Clouseau. From those four two variants of Aardvark and Ant were produced (colored clothing versions), as well as a variant of The Man (blue paint splatter).


To round off the series, there were four exclusives made available. Unfortunately these weren't necessarily of any new figures, but rather variant versions of the prior basic series of figures.

It's true that it could be argued that the Pink Panther in tuxedo figure is a new design, but upon closer investigation it's the exact same figure, just with a tuxedo sculpted on top. This hardly passes as anything new in our book.

The following is a list of the exclusive figures as well as the locale in which they were available;

Pink Panther - Black Tuxedo (Toyfare)
Pink Panther - White Tuxedo (Sam Goody)
Inspector Clouseau - Blown Up (Palisades Direct)
The Man - Pink Paint Splatter (Wizard World)

All of the exclusive figures were available in the same PVC packaging as the basic figures with the exception The Man which came in a small black and white box.

With Palisades out of the picture in terms of toy companies, the future of Pink Panther figures looks bleak. With people tightening their wallets more and more each day, companies are taking less risks with new items, and sticking closer to the tried and true merchandise. This is a shame because we as collector's are missing out on some potentially really great merchandise, and companies are missing out on what may very well be the next biggest and best thing.

Join us next time when we take a look at Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit!

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Ren and Stimpy (Palisades)

When Ren and Stimpy first hit air waves on Nickelodeon in 1991, it quickly came under attack from parental displeasure. Yes, it appears that even in 1991 parent's found it easier to blame specific shows for sending poor messages to their children rather than taking charge, and simply not allowing their children to watch it.

To be fair, for its time the show pushed many levels of grotesque to the furthest level possible, which is why kids loved it. However, it was never the intentions of series creator John K. to produce an educational show. Despite being severely censored and edited for television, the series quickly became a favorite of many kids, and today remains iconic to those now adults who now own the unedited episodes on DVD.

The original series ran for five seasons which encompassed fifty-three episodes. Each twenty-two minute episode contained anywhere from one to two cartoon shorts, as well as shorter animated comedic ads for products such as Powdered Toast, Log, and Dog Water. In the earlier days of the show, John K himself voiced Ren, while Billy West (Cureently voicing Fry on Futurama) voiced Stimpy. By the end of the series, West was voicing both characters, as well as the majority of the other characters portrayed.

In 2003 (to 2004) the series was re-launched under the title Ren and Stimpy - Adult Party Cartoon. It was aired only in the evening on Spike TV, and was rated TV-MA. The series took several new turns that didn't sit well with fans of the characters and original show. The main being the very obvious homosexual relationship tone the series set between the two characters. The show was so horribly written that Billy West declined to reprise the character Stimpy, saying it would damage his career.

Nine episodes were originally ordered by Spike TV, though due to consistent set backs and delays in episode completion the station pulled the plug after only three episodes aired. Today only seven of those nine episodes have been completed, and are available on the DVD Ren and Stimpy - The Lost Episodes.

With the new show, the series was given an opportunity to have a new toy line.

While the 2004 line of Ren and Stimpy figures isn't the first time the duo have been immortalized in plastic, it's arguable that it is a far superior line to 1993 Mattel line. It's true the Mattel line had double the figures, but the quality in the sculpts and overall design from the Palisade line seem geared more towards adult fans of the series as opposed to the Mattel line which seemed to be geared more towards kids (at the time).

Unfortunately there were only four figures produced (and three variants). This is due mostly in part to the inner workings of Palisade Toys, or rather the lack there of, which forced the company to shut its doors permanently shortly after the first series was produced.

Something unique about this particular line is that the variants aren't all that good when compared to the originals. For example, rather than getting a regular Stimpy figure, the variant had a tongue sticking out of the figures mouth, and a spotted, sickly one at that. Another example of this is the Shaven Yak figure which the variant sports a lathered face. These variants just seem to detract from the figures as opposed to adding to them, which unfortunately turned many collectors off.

A nice addition to each figure was the inclusion of a "Log" accessory. For those who are familiar with the television series, the Log from Blamo jingle and commercial played a very predominant role in the show.

A two pack of Ren and Stimpy dressed in their fireman gear, sporting Dalmatian paint (as seen in the episode "Fire Dogs") was produced and sold exclusively at Wizard World in 2004.

Following the Fire Dogs set was the exclusive Ren, which became known to collectors as the "Distressed Face" Ren. This particular tin was only sold via Palisade Toys collector's club in 2004.

Yule Log, and Radioactive Log were released exclusively via Wizard World. Yule Log was released in 2004, while Radioactive Log was released in 2005, making it the very last item produced for the series.

Join us next time when we take a look at Happy Days!

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The Muppets (Palisades)

When we set out to document Palisade's 2002 through 2005 series of Muppet toys, we first thought, "This is going to be easy. How many Muppet toys could there possibly be?" Well, the answer to that turned out to be, "A lot!" - Way more than we ever could have expected.

As stated above, the series launched in 2002 under the header, "The Muppet Show." The title lasted through three series of figures, which were a total of twelve figures.

Series two saw a variant figure of Floyd Pepper produced, making the figure available in his standard red jacket as seen in the show, as well as a blue (rarer) jacket. For series three, a variant figure of Zoot was produced with both an orange and brown jacket.





When series four launched on the tail end of series three in 2003, the package was redesigned, and the line was changed from "The Muppet Show" to just "The Muppets," or "Jim Henson's The Muppets," if you please.

This is where the series began to really blossom. Now the toys weren't limited to strictly being a part of "The Muppet Show" itself. Though, truth be told, this wouldn't necessarily have been a bad thing.

Now, the figures branched out to the various movies, which provided fans with a broader spectrum of figures, some of which were never seen in the physical show on PBS.

Variants also became a common staple in the series.








When figures suddenly disappeared from shelves in 2004 (after series 9), fans started to wonder what was going on. Series 10 through 12 had already been announced, and some mock up prototypes were even rumored to exist.

As speculation grew and grew, Palisade came forward with a very disappointing press release. After years of internal misappropriation of funds, and several shifty third party deals which left various groups unpaid, the company had filed for bankruptcy, and was closing their doors.

A handful of playsets were released over the course of the series. The largest, Backstage at the Muppet Show is an impressive two story set with incredible detail, and wonderful accessories. Each set also came packed with an exclusive (remolded) figure.




The Muppets had more exclusive figures than any one series ever should. They can be found in multiple packaging including bags, cards, and boxes. Palisade even went as far as to have exclusive give away toys (see below under final picture).




















One of the first things you need to know prior to buying any Muppets figures is that you will most likely NEVER own them all.

As stated above, Palisade went as far as to give away exclusive figures. Most of which were designed as gifts for various industry exclusive events, and as staff gifts for companies such as ToyFare. This means that these figures were never made available to the general public, and also produced in minimal quantities.

The rarest is the Ken Lilly "Wedding of the Century" two pack. This set of figures (Kermit and Piggy in wedding garb) was produced strictly as gifts for Mr. Lilly's guests at his wedding. This piece alone can fetch as much as a grand on secondary markets IF you can even find it.

This aspect is an incredibly frustrating one to completests, and as a result, we personally will never bother with this series of toys.

It of course doesn't help that the secondary market is RIDICULOUSLY high. It's rare to find any of these figures for less than three digits a piece.

While there's no denying that this is an incredible set of toys, high in quality, and perfect in detail, the secondary market has priced them out of the grasp of the majority of casual collectors.

Join us next Monday for our look at Tyco's Looney Tunes!

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Adult Swim (Palisades)

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Brak Show, Frisky Dingo, Venture Bros., the list goes on and on. I'm of course talking about Cartoon Networks highly popular, and vastly expansive Adult Swim line up, or [adult swim] for those correct people out there.

When the Swim shows launched in 2001, they were lead by a small pack of risqué shows. Space Ghost Coast to Coast was the first to spark major popularity and interest in the general viewers, and eventually the developers, Ghost Planet who would later become William Street Studios would go on to produce several ground breaking series for the network such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force (my personal favorite).



In 2005, Palisade began marketing toys based on some of the more popular shows. Rather than your traditional packaged figure, the Adult Swim figures were packaged two per pack. This was a brilliant strategy as it allowed Palisade to get more figures onto the market in a lot shorter period.

Keeping in theme with Adult Swim's logo being simply a black background with white text, Palisades made sure to design their packages around this. While it is somewhat bland, you can at least rest easy knowing that it keeps with the overall scheme of the original logo's design. In other words, it wasn't done to cut costs, but rather to resemble its origins.

Four two packs were made available in series 1, as well as a "Mega" Meatwad which "stood" over five inches high. The figures themselves were packed in with several unique and colorful accessories and background pieces - such as urinals and The Broodwich sandwich. The figures were;

Brak's Mom and Brak's Dad
Master Shake and Mothmonsterman
Debbie Dupree and Dr. Quentin Q. Quinn
Phil Ken Sebben and Bear



Palisades went directly to the route of exclusives, and offered four different ones in one year. Though to be honest, the Debbie and Quinn pack is just a simple repaint and name change, while the Master Shake and Mothmonsterman change up the accessories, and Mothmonsterman now glows in the dark.

The exclusives offered were as follows;

Bizzaro Debbie and Bizarro Quinn - Palisades Direct
Master Shake - Toy Fair
Signal Shake and Glow in the Dark Mothmonsterman - Sam Goody
Meatwad, Master Shake, Frylock and Quadlaser (Ignignokt and Ir) - SDCC

(SDCC - San Diego Comic Con)



Sadly, before a second series could be produced, Palisades went bankrupt, and closed their doors. There are known prototypes for what would have become five new two packs (ten figures), which you can see in the photo above.

It's a real shame these toys will never see the light of day. The sculpting on both the first series and these later prototypes for series 2 are amazing. The likeness to the characters and the attention to detail is outstanding.

But, unfortunately this is another tale of yet another company that came out of nowhere, and while they had a great product to offer, they either couldn't keep up with the supply and demand, OR they didn't have the financial backing to invest enough into marketing the product so that people knew it was even available.

As a completest I find it difficult to collect this series because I know that it will never be complete. At least thanks to the San Diego Comic Con exclusive set, I can collect all the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Figures...Well, with the exception of Carl, anyway. I really hope that another toy producer out there picks up this series and runs with it in the near future. There are so many toys that could be produced based on the Adult Swim line up.

Join us next Monday for our look at The Legend of the Lone Ranger!

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