|
Post by RandallBoggs on Jan 1, 2010 23:54:52 GMT -5
I'm NOT avertising this site, but work with me. I was doing some research (about the BOOM! comics, but I'll get to that when something comes up) and discovered this site called "Letters to Kids". Apparently it's a cheesy site that sends some sort "inspirational/lesson learning letters" from popular characters, mostly from Disney. And get this. RAN is actually one of them. Go fig. They say "even he can be nice" despite still calling him a villain. Of course the letter is a forgery since it's not Ran's signature. But I'm curious as to what THEY think he would say in regards to a good letter. Unfortunately your not allowed to actually see what is written, so it's a bust that you have to pay to know it. Seven or so bucks a pop people, sheesh.
|
|
|
Post by sgtyayap on Jan 2, 2010 8:19:37 GMT -5
Interesting. Maybe we're NOT alone, after all.
Do you suppose one of us SHOULD go through the pain of paying?
|
|
|
Post by pitbulllady on Jan 2, 2010 15:40:04 GMT -5
I just did a search and found that site, actually. Pretty interesting, to say the least, that they even included Randall among the pantheon of popular characters. When you think about it, Randall WOULD be a good choice, since he's not perfect. He's made some bad mistakes and paid a heavy price for it, so the "advice" he'd be able to give to kids, to keep them from making those same mistakes, would be as real as it gets. What is REALLY interesting, though, is the list of letter topics for "Randall" to "write" to kids, things like "Cussing out your parents" and "brushing your teeth" and "taking care of a pet", lol. Some of them, you just have to wonder what Randall would have to do with in the first place. No one can claim he doesn't brush HIS teeth, that's for certain; guy probably should own stock in Colgate! I wonder, though, if all of the letters, with each topic, will just be him allegedly saying something like, "I didn't eat my veggies and look where that got me-thrown out of my own world, beaten with a shovel and forced to survive in this swamp like a wild animal. So, remember kids, don't be like me; eat those veggies!" I'm not sure I'd be willing to fork over 7 bucks to find out, though, but at least they did include Randall as a positive influence on young minds.
pitbulllady
|
|
|
Post by mentalguru on Jan 2, 2010 15:51:43 GMT -5
-giggles a little bit-
Aw, it's kind of cute all in all, but I hope they wouldn't do that in letters either.
Still, if done right, it could be good.
Is there a cars one perhaps? (Because one of my cousin's sons likes Cars A LOT- got him an art set with Cars on it from the Disney store for christmas for him- he loves his vehicles in general, even more than stereotypical boys do usually- then again my cousins on THAT side of the family are REALLY into motorbikes and the like). He's much younger than 7 though. Still he's a bright kid. And so freakin' cheerful and happy and all that- like a male Boo almost I think... lol.)
(If there is not a Cars one, perhaps I should get him a Randall one at some stage when his brithday rolls up, but that's not for a while I think- better check that though, might be getting mixed up with his younger brother's birthday...)
|
|
|
Post by sgtyayap on Jan 2, 2010 16:45:39 GMT -5
RandallBoggs or pitbulllady, either of you got a link for the rest of us? I just did some searching for the site myself, and I was far from successful.
|
|
|
Post by pitbulllady on Jan 2, 2010 18:42:38 GMT -5
RandallBoggs or pitbulllady, either of you got a link for the rest of us? I just did some searching for the site myself, and I was far from successful. It's here: www.lettersforkids.com . At the top of the homepage, you can click "Characters A-Z" and then scroll down until you find Randall. To the right of each character is a list of suggested letter topics, but there's a button to click to bring up the full list of topics available from this character. I have to wonder if all of the letters basically say the same thing for each topic, with just the character's name at the top and "authentic signature" at the bottom and the character's picture on the paper, even though the information says that the letter is personalized based on information provided by the parent or whoever is purchasing the letter, OR if the letters are also personalized based on the experiences/personalities of the characters who are supposedly "writing" them. There's also a page with "Terms of agreement" about the sort of things that cannot be printed in the letters. I didn't, however, see any sort of disclaimer as to who actually owned these characters, which are from different studios(Disney, Disney-Pixar, WB, Sesame Street, etc.), along with "generic" characters like Count Dracula and a werewolf, which are more or less public domain. There is a disclaimer that if anyone believes that their characters or work is being used inappropriately or without their consent, they can notify the site's owners to have that character removed. Since the site's owners ARE making money off the site, by charging a fee to receive a letter from a character, legally they would have to have gotten written consent from Disney-Pixar to do this, and believe me, Disney does NOT play when it comes to people using their characters to make money! By the way, the Pixar characters on this site are Boo, Buzz Lightyear, Dash Parr, Violet Parr(though the site calls them Dash and Violet INCREDIBLE), Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Lightning McQueen, Sulley, Mike, Woody, and of course, Randall. Of the characters who were considered at least antagonists in their respective movies/tv series/stories, there are Randall, Capt. Hook(from the Disney version of Peter Pan), Elmer Fudd, Squidward Tentacles, Sylvester the cat, Count Dracula and the werewolf, and Rumplestiltskin. I found it rather strange, though, that they got the Parr's last name wrong, left out Mike's and Randall's, while referring to Sulley by HIS real last name rather than his popular nickname(unless some kid would think the letter was from the pilot of that "Miracle On the Hudson" plane crash from earlier this year, since that guy goes by the nickname "Sulley", too), but they included Squidward's and Patrick's last name, which aren't usually mentioned on the show. They've included the "Powerpuff Girls", but not Craig's more popular and more recent series, "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends". pitbulllady
|
|
|
Post by sgtyayap on Jan 2, 2010 19:04:16 GMT -5
Thank you so much! Evidently there are quite a few to pick from, and quite a range as well. Unless it's the kind of thing you suggested, pitbulllady, there's no way we'll disagree with some of them, such as keeping a healthy body. Also, for those who haven't visited and are considering taking this path, apparently it's actually closer to $8: $7.95.
|
|
|
Post by pitbulllady on Jan 2, 2010 19:39:35 GMT -5
I wonder how the site's owners picked the characters to include, though. I can see picking Ariel, or Spongebob, or Tweetie Bird, since those are characters who are VERY popular with kids, at least around here where I live, and of course, the really young kids loooove the Sesame Street muppets, but I wonder how they arrived at choosing Randall, for instance, but none of the other Pixar "antagonists", "villains" or what have you? Did the site's owners do some research beforehand and base their selection on which characters were deemed Most Popular, did they pick them based on their own likes/preferences, or were the characters actually suggested by kids or their parents? I'm just curious as to how Randall got chosen(NOT that I'm complaining about it, mind you), and not Sid, Stinky Pete, Hopper or especially Syndrome, who certainly was quite popular with fans of The Incredibles.
pitbulllady
|
|
|
Post by RandallBoggs on Jan 2, 2010 19:51:25 GMT -5
To be honest, I'm not sure it's even worth it. --------------- Of course Pitbulllady that depends if the letters are specific to each "lesson" or it's just the same letter with a general statement ending with "and don't forget to" ass such. *laughs* Cussing out your parents....*shakes head* Randall.....*blinks* Oh! Sorry uhh...private joke....well not really a joke but....erm. --------------- Something makes me think that this is actually not a business site, but one from somebody's home. A home-made site. Home business. In fact....it's rather clever...
|
|
|
Post by pitbulllady on Jan 2, 2010 20:29:00 GMT -5
To be honest, I'm not sure it's even worth it. --------------- Of course Pitbulllady that depends if the letters are specific to each "lesson" or it's just the same letter with a general statement ending with "and don't forget to" ass such. *laughs* Cussing out your parents....*shakes head* Randall.....*blinks* Oh! Sorry uhh...private joke....well not really a joke but....erm. --------------- Something makes me think that this is actually not a business site, but one from somebody's home. A home-made site. Home business. In fact....it's rather clever... I'm pretty sure it 's a home-based business, as well, BUT, if the owner hasn't gotten an agreement in writing from those companies who own these characters, it's also a highly ILLEGAL home business. It's one thing to post fan art or what-not, but when you openly advertise that you're charging money to the public for something with those characters' names and images, it's a direct violation of copywrite laws. Some companies, like WB, tend to look the other way(I can't even begin to count the number of unofficial shirts, jackets, etc. with the Looney Toons characters, usually dressed as gangstas, drug dealers, etc., that I've seen at flea markets), but Disney is notorious for going after people who use their characters without their consent for a profit, like the infamous Florida day care situation. If you're not familiar with that one, a woman in Florida(can't recall the town)painted Disney characters, like Mickey, Donald and Goofy, on the walls of her day care facility. Someone at Disney found out, and they sued her for using these characters to make money, since keeping kids at the daycare center was how she made a living. In the court case, she agreed to paint over the characters and Disney agreed to drop the charges, but it goes to show just how serious they are when it comes to letting others make money off their characters. Maybe I overlooked it, but I didn't see anything that even stated who the characters belonged to. There WAS a disclaimer(if you click on the "Authenticated signature" link by each character)that this site was for "entertainment purposes only", BUT by charging a fee-nearly eight bucks in this case-for something with those characters on it, the owners have proven that is not the case. Clearly they're trying to make money off of the characters. Now IF they DO have official endorsement from these various companies, that's a good thing, since it would mean that Randall's portrayal as someone who can dispense advice to the young'uns is endorsed by Disney-Pixar, and is therefore as much "canon" as the BOOM comics. pitbulllady
|
|
|
Post by RandallBoggs on Jan 2, 2010 20:32:26 GMT -5
That's a rather careless use. She simple painted them on the walls? To me that's a rather extreme purpose unless that was the reason the facility attracted customers.
Hmm...and one would wonder just HOW they got such endorsement...*raises brow*
|
|
|
Post by sgtyayap on Jan 2, 2010 21:03:34 GMT -5
I may never figure out whether it's a private business or not, but I did find copyright terms:
"Copyright Complaints
We respect the intellectual property of others, and we ask you to do the same. Pursuant to Title 17, United States Code, Section 512(c), if you believe that your work has been copied and is accessible on the Site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you may notify us by providing our copyright agent the following information:
an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest; a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, including the URL (i.e., web page address) of the location where the copyrighted work exists or a copy of the copyrighted work; identification of the URL or other specific location on the Site where the material that you claim is infringing is located; your address, telephone number, and email address; a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.
Our agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement on the Site can be notified:
Mail to: Legal Dept., Attn: Agent for Copyright Notices Mondoodle Incorporated XXX Brookwood Place Hillsboro, OR 97123
Email to: legal@lettersforkids.com
COPYRIGHT NOTICE. Copyright © 2002 Mondoodle Incorporated, all rights reserved. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved."
|
|
|
Post by mistica0christina on Jan 2, 2010 22:46:01 GMT -5
Okay...let me get this straight, there's this website that you can pay eight bucks to write a letter to your kid about being good and all that...and the bonus about it is that it comes from their favorite character?! It just goes to show than ANY idea can make you money. Seriously?! Eight bucks?! Pfft, screw that and no thanks, if I had a kid, I could very easily write my own damn letter, sign it, and give it to him/her myself!
Although...I have got to post this up on Mezco's forums, wonder how much of a laugh that my LDD boardies will get from this!
|
|
|
Post by RandallBoggs on Jan 2, 2010 22:48:36 GMT -5
Though in all honesty, given the economy, if they truely did get endorsement, at least it's a way to make money on the side. But in all honesty I think people have similiar sense Mistica, that your not gonna pull eight bucks for a piece of paper.
|
|
|
Post by mistica0christina on Jan 2, 2010 22:58:55 GMT -5
I know right?
Already posted the site on Mezco's forums...now gonna wait to see what happens. ;D
|
|