Palisades Toys - Public Relations and Products

Public Relations and Products

Palisades was notable for its close relationship and commonality with toy fans. The official message board served as one of the company's strongest communication platforms where President and CEO Mike Horn and other employees would directly discuss their products with consumers. In fact, polls were often held to let fans decide upcoming products, and news coverage of the company frequently stemmed from Palisades' forum discussion. Horn and his wife, Kate, were also reachable through the buyer's office. The company's concern with adequate distribution of merchandise forced it to introduce Palisades Collector's Club. This offered exclusive figures and came in response to reports of difficulty in obtaining the Vanishing Cream Beaker figure.

In terms of product quality, Palisades set high standards, particularly with its array of action figures. Such attributes included strong attention to detail and likeness, a high rate of joint articulation and bountiful accessories with tedious working functions. The company frequently employed designers from the fan community of each property they licensed and always credited staff and contributors on packages. Palisades also assigned help from various groups such as the painting and sculpting talents of Plan B Toys and accessory work by Industrial Zoo. The Muppet Show collection, celebrating its 25th anniversary, would become one of Palisades' flagship licenses. The line lasted nine series through 2001-2005 and included various convention and store exclusive figures as well as expansive playset. Aside from the aforementioned qualities, it also boasted an innovative technique in which a magnet placed inside the figure's head would allow its magnetically equipped hat to sit firmly in place.

In 2001, Palisades acquired the license to produce Star Trek figures to commemorate its 35th anniversary. Concept designs were soon being developed and aimed for a style similar to the Playmates' previous Star Trek line. However, despite such comprehensive plans, the figures were never produced.

In 2003, Fun 4 All unveiled plans to produce Sesame Street action figures but had only developed prototypes before its bankruptcy in mid-2004. A few months later, Palisades obtained the hot license. The debut of this collection was culminated by the 2005 convention exclusive Super Grover with box art by Alex Ross. As one of the most highly anticipated figure lines at the time, the first series of Sesame Street was intended for a mid-2005 release but came to a stirring delay. In fact, two series of figures were planned, and many photos of the fully developed, packaged figure prototypes were released to the public. But the line would ultimately never come to fruition, according to Horn, due to lack of retailer support. This same problem haunted The Muppet Show and led to its cancellation that same year.