Batman 66 Lineup

[Remco Monster]

A Batgirl will be very sorely missed.

[enyawd72]

I'm not too worried about Batgirl. They can do it without her likeness for all I care. All you see is her mouth anyway. Long as they use the show costume, I'm good.

[MIB41]

Nobody is crying or expecting somebody to cry over it. At the same time, I still found it rude and dismissive to some of the comments I found here and spoke my mind as you and others have spoken theirs. And please don't mistake my ill attempt at some sort of diplomacy as intending to be or come across as coy. The written language sucks for this sort of thing (maybe I need more emocons). A phone call would have been so much easier and less messy in the end. lol
Just saying. That's the not so cold and simple truth of it.

Let me just add one additional point to clarify where I'm coming from. When you work conventions for as long as I have, you begin to see patterns of behavior for personalities. Working with them is much different from meeting them, because you see them in all their various moods, voicing opinions not always intended for public consumption. And their as human as we are, so an ample degree of understanding should be handed to them as we would anyone else in our lives. I don't expect them to be perfect. If anything it's comforting to hear a superlative come from an iconic face. For me it grounds them. But where I see the rub is in the convention experience itself. Especially the big ones where you have a slew of guests. It's not a very dignified experience. These people are lined up, often behind folding tables, like horses in stalls. And that's why as a fan you never know whether your experience with one of these people will be good or bad. And I've personally seen Yvonne in places I wouldn't go to regardless of the asking price to get me there.

But... BUT... these personalities go there anyway because the money is good. Oftentimes it's so lucrative, the money dwarfs anything they made in their professional heyday. So there's a sell out aspect to the convention experience. And that sell out doesn't permit them to retain the public dignity the money affords them in their private lives. So when you see a celebrity who is indignant or money hungry, that's usually why. They can't reconcile the two. They want the money, but they also want to be considered just as relevant as they ever were, even though the money they make no longer comes from that profession. So as degrading as some of these conventions can surely be, it is my opinion that as personalities (and no longer actors) these individuals should be grateful to have such a lucrative income coming from people who just want to say "Hi".

And while I certainly have more than a fleeting respect for Yvonne and those who are fans of her Batgirl role, I really have to ask myself how hard nosed I would personally be if I had lived my whole life making all sorts of money off this image and then denied the fans (who gave me this lifestyle) the enjoyment of having product to celebrate me even further. I think the entitlement clause creeps into that decision if I say no to the deal. Because how much money is enough at this point? If she was 25 or 30 years old, maybe there are considerations to my career and future earnings. But not at 76. If she takes it a little 'on the chin' so fans can have some of that product, so be it. What is really lost here? Only what she says 'no' to at this point. I think you have to look at the sum total of what you've reaped from this and not just one contract that will not nearly enrich you (under the best of conditions) as what the fans have done throughout your life.

[The Toyroom]

I hope everyone is able to come to some sort of agreement. It's been too long that this TV show has been held up because of behind the scenes bickering
in regards to the rights and such. Now that it's finally come to fruition, it'd be nice to see everyone involved get "A Piece of the Action".

[starsky]

great discussion folks.

[hedrap]

Scott - so in other words, you could have just pointed to what I wrote and replied "that is correct".

Otherwise, I have no idea what you wrote has any significance other than to play white knight.

She's holding out because of en perpetuity. I wrote that. I get that. So did everyone here. No one is knocking her to get the best deal.

Don't come by knocking people because someone here sent you a link.

[HardyGirl]

Welcome Scott. I was lucky enough to meet Yvonne at Wondercon a few years ago. She was super nice, and loved the story I told her about the Batcave and figures I customed for a kid I used to babysit. I watched her w/ her fans and she seemed genuinely gracious and grateful for the fans. I would only want what is fair to Yvonne and the line. We don't know how long Yvonne is going to be w/ us, and if DC/WB wants to use her likeness for the rest of her life, (and onward after she passes), then they need to be prepared to give her a fair price.

[batfriend]

ISN'T IT GREAT TO HAVE THIS '66 BATMAN LICENSE?!

Yes! Btw, I hadn't seen this post while I was typing up the one I just posted.

Really, no ill will and no worries.

Let's have fun!

[batfriend]

And since when does being her "personal web master" have a thing to do with being her agent?

I'm not, but I am somebody who she does trust to talk to and I asked her if there was something I could post over on my forum site for the curious because there was some serious confusion and debate as to whether or not she was even approached. Granted, I feel I have said too much over time about this for the sake of some understanding and clarity but not enough to where this deal could get buried over it.

Why on earth would she tell you such things unless your just a tool for her to flood the net with her position? I would never discuss contract negotiations with someone in your position.

Although I'm far free from being a tool at times, I'm hardly her tool or anybody else's. I wouldn't expect you to talk to somebody in my position but when Yvonne, Meridel and I talked, it was hardly in relation to my position. I'm not directly involved in her negotiations, just a friend at that point and somebody who got it and I told her that I felt it was relevant to let some of the folks know what was up.

Nobody is crying or expecting somebody to cry over it. At the same time, I still found it rude and dismissive to some of the comments I found here and spoke my mind as you and others have spoken theirs. And please don't mistake my ill attempt at some sort of diplomacy as intending to be or come across as coy. The written language sucks for this sort of thing (maybe I need more emocons). A phone call would have been so much easier and less messy in the end. lol

Just saying. That's the not so cold and simple truth of it.

[Werewolf]

I hope it all works out. It line won't be as much fun without Batgirl figures.

[MIB41]

^^^ I'm all for that Gorn. Yvonne is going to be 76 years old next month. If she hasn't made enough money off the Batgirl role in her lifetime and can't see clear to sign her permission to have a little bit of product made for fans who have championed her role and paid for her little signature for over 40 years, then I see no point in discussing it further. It's a little bit of immortality she'll miss out for herself and those who liked her in the role. Because in the end, she can't take it with her. Now...

ISN'T IT GREAT TO HAVE THIS '66 BATMAN LICENSE?!

[Gorn Captain]

If the quality is there, I'll collect the line, with or without Batgirl. I mean, it would be cool to have the figure included, but there's plenty more to be happy with.
In the end, it's still just a plastic toy, and we're all adults.
Can we just rewind and go back to "this is the best thing ever!!!!!"....

[huedell]

Just a general statement in regard to the "DC/WB" scenario batfriend brings up... I imagine that it's hard to swallow any offer that's even remotely insulting considering the financial resources of who is in charge of making the offer. I think about what the actress who popularized Batgirl has done for the DCU franchise, and the mind fairly reels.

[palitoy]

Scott, Welcome.

I'm not interested in the line unless Yvonne is involved, hope she works it out.

[MIB41]

Now, I know where most of the negativity about this sort of thing stems from and I'm going to be blunt. It comes down to "I want my..." and generally pays no consideration as to cost to the human on the other end. Many "fans" try to shame their so called idols into trying to get what they want with such things as " We put them where they are today", "They're being greedy" "How dare they" and "They should be thinking about the legacy" sort of stuff. There's probably a certain amount of truth in there in some cases out there but by no means should any of us feel entitled to have anyone make a bad business move that lasts forever if they are not comfortable with it. If you're upset or disappointed, I can understand but please be more considerate and polite before we start pointing fingers at who is being greedy, entitled or selfish.

I do not mean any disrespect here to anybody personally but some of the comments here I feel were unwarranted, disrespectful and unfair by those who have no clue what is actually going on behind the scenes. My apologies to any noses I might have bent in the process.

Hopefully, something will pan out and we can all be talking about the awesome collectibles we'll have.

BTW, I did do some coverage at a launch party in Hollywood a few weeks ago for the Classic TV Batman line.
Check out my blog for pics and a couple details: http://www.scottsebring.com/?p=938

I have no problem taking the blunt of that accusation since I'm the one who said what I did. So no need to be coy as to whom YOU'RE pointing the finger at Scott. I'm happy to take it and talk about your OWN presumptions. First of all, I don't want anything from Yvonne, including a doll that looks just like her. Anyone can wear that outfit. I've worked in the convention business for 15 straight years and I've had more than my fill of these personalities that last made news forty plus years ago. These people can do ridiculously well off autograph signings if they have a good agent who can gauge demand. With a good agent they come in with a guarantee take for the weekend and the convention assumes all the risk whether anyone shows up or not. So before you cry us a river about what Yvonne is supposedly getting "screwed" on here, let's broaden the scope to see where she does make the money. And since when does being her "personal web master" have a thing to do with being her agent? Why on earth would she tell you such things unless your just a tool for her to flood the net with her position? I would never discuss contract negotiations with someone in your position. I can only assume her agent must not have a good head for business, because the major players are accounted for and the product is getting made. What is Yvonne getting? NOTHING. What will people be willing to give her if the license doesn't go as as hoped? NOTHING. So maybe the reality didn't meet with her expectations. But I can assure you holding out for more when this market will be saturated in product in a few months is not the way to get there. All I'm saying is she is the lone hold out and it makes her position look awkward. Because people who make this product can work around her likeness and the funny thing is most consumers will NEVER notice. So if she doesn't want another free check, don't take it. She'll make that up when the DVD box set eventually hits and she can take it out on the fans and charge them whatever she thinks she can get. That's the cold hard truth of it.