When a Kickstarter campaign is successful, the company usually launches another one shortly afterwards to capitalize on the buzz.
When a Kickstarter campaign is really successful, the start of a new project should be even faster, and Wandering Planet co-founders Gavin Hignight and Chris “Doc” Wyatt did not disappoint fans with another series of action figures based on the 1967 cult classic TV series, The Prisoner.
Hignight and Wyatt were happy to discuss the Kickstarter campaign for their new line of figures, the ins and outs of the Kickstarter game, and why their Prisoner figures were so successful the first time around in this exclusive interview.
What was it about The Prisoner that initially attracted you to attempt to produce action figures based on the classic TV series?
Gavin Hignight: I think for me it was the style of the show, it’s so iconic. And it’s something that has lasted the test of time, it’s got a cult following, a loyal fanbase that didn’t get much in the collectible realm to celebrate the show with. I think ultimately for both of us, it really came down to the fact that we wanted action figures from The Prisoner.
Doc Wyatt: And that they’d never been done before. Over 50 years with no official action figure line. It was time to fix that!
The first Kickstarter campaign for the initial wave of figures was a huge success. Why do you think fans reacted so positively to the original figures?
Hignight: As mentioned above, the series has a huge fanbase, its iconic and somehow just never got the collectibles treatment. If you are a fan of The Prisoner, which there are many, there just wasn’t much made during the original run of the series or in the year sense to celebrate that fandom. We didn’t know when we set out to do wave one, how exactly the response would be, we hoped, like us there were others who would like these figures… we put as much quality and thought into them as possible, and lucky for us they found their audience. Prisoner fans and toy collecting fans do have crossover.
Wyatt: Prisoner fans are passionate. They want a piece of the show.
What went into the decision making process in terms of selecting new characters for Wave 2?
Wyatt: We started with the simple question of: What would be awesome to do? Who could we do that everyone demanded? Who could we do that would surprise fans? There’s nothing like that feeling of finding an action figure of a deep cut character and thinking, “I can’t believe there’s a figure of this.” And of course, we had to do Leo McKern’s No 2 and the Butler. Those were by far the two most requested characters for action figure treatment.
Hignight: I think much of it are characters we would love to have made in wave one, but we didn’t have the resources or bandwidth. We wanted to start simple and prove ourselves, then expand out from there. I feel there are characters in wave No 2, like No 2 from Chimes of Big Ben and No 2 from Dance of the Dead, that are absolute musts for a line of Prisoner figures. At the same time, even though everyone remembers No 6 as the black jacket with white piping, he had other iconic looks in the series, and this second wave was a chance to explore those looks a bit like the cool blue windbreaker from Chimes of Big Ben.
Which figure was the toughest to “get right”? Which ones are your favorites in Wave 2?
Hignight: Definitely Leo McKern as No 2 from Chimes of Big Ben was the hardest to get right… or I should say, knowing the love of him from fans, it’s the figure that was under the most scrutiny from us to get just right. We worked with our sculptor and painters to really nail his amazing presence in action figure form. As for my favorite… oooh that’s hard. I’m really excited with that wave we are able to bring in female characters from the Village. No 2, No 50 and the Taxi Driver really turned out the way we had hoped for. No 50’s removable cape and No 2’s removable cap are details I’m quite pleased with.
Wyatt: Yeah, if we didn’t get Leo right there would be a fan riot.
You produced a series of Nancy Drew figures a few years ago. Memories of producing the Nancy Drew figures?
Wyatt: Actually, we launched that line as a crowdfund less than a year ago, and the figures are now manufactured and almost ready to ship.
Hignight: It’s funny you should ask… I literally just got back from the warehouse of our fulfillment company, where I saw our Nancy Drew figures (the factory produced final results) in person for the first time… and I was THRILLED. They look fantastic, the details we put in, the packaging (secret book boxes) they have come together as intended, and that is a great feeling. I can’t wait for fans to receive their pre-orders/pledge items and see how well our factory did. So yeah, good memories making the figure and psyched with the product. Jenn Fisher, Nancy Drew Sleuths, who was our consultant on the line was such a joy to work with and get to know while making them. Friendships through the figures wehave been making has been a real unexpected bonus.
Any special perks through the new Kickstarter campaign?
Hignight: ALWAYS, We have a new exclusive that will be unlocked if we reach a certain level… and dare I tease for the first time, we have a mystery figure waiting to be unlocked should we reach certain funding goals. We like to make it fun, we like to build in surprises, always expect some unexpected with us. We’re big kids just having fun.
The second wave of The Prisoner action figures are available to back on Kickstarter until May 16.
