Yoo Hoo, David!
I changed the Subject: line of this post because it has nothing to
do with Hercules.  When threads get away from their original intent
it is OK to keep the Subject: line current with what is being discussed.
 DM> CK> Disney's modus operandi seems to be flood the market with
 DM> CK> merchandise once when the movie is out and then again with the
 DM> CK> movie comes to home video and then taper off until the movie comes
 DM> CK> back from moratorium 7-10 years later.
 DM>
 DM>         That's very nice that there's some sort of peak-level directing
 DM> the amount of stuff one can get, but... aren't TLK T-shirts not
 DM> something so normal that you should be able to get them anytime by now?
[....SNIP from throughout the post....]
Not necessarily.  Please reread the paragraph you just quoted from me.
Until the TLK Broadway play opens any new TLK merchandise will not come
on the market until the play opens (November 1997, New York).  Until then
and until TLK gets re-released to movie theatres or home video you may
not see very much more TLK merchandise.  Right now "Hercules" is what is
hot.  Next year it will be "Mulan".  Disney moves forward with its
marketing and merchandise to new characters and opportunities.  That's
life.  Deal with it.
 DM> CK> So the friends you make on TLK Muck can't assist you with WWW
 DM> CK> browsing for TLK collectibles?
 DM>
 DM>         They sure could, and they do whenever they are asked to.
Take it up with your friends, then.
 DM> [TLK show]
 DM> CK> Ever hear of "international tours"?  ;-)  The show in a few years
 DM> CK> will likely perform in Europe somewhere.
 DM>
 DM>         If I want to see it (I want!! =), I'd have to find away to
 DM> travel there =) --
[....]
We're talking about something that won't happen for at least a year
following the show's opening in November in New York.  Personal
circumstances can change and even improve in that time period.  There
is nothing to complain about in this regard yet.  Don't be so defeatist.
That Broadway shows go on worldwide tours is nothing new.  Look at it
this way:  You have a year or two to save up for the tickets and travel
costs.  ;-)  In the meantime your TLK MUCK friends in the US can get
you any show-related merchandise and Usenet newsgroup/mailing list news
you feel you must have. Regarding acquiring merchandise your friends
already get you things, according to you.  No offense, David, but I don't
see a problem here.
 DM>         Than Fan writers of Lion King stories (which I collect) have
 DM> often created either new songs of their own, so that you could read the
 DM> songtexts.
[....]
 DM> Do you think it would be okay to post an example? It
 DM> isn't that much, but maybe you get some entertainment =).
Fan fiction/song parody is nothing new, but unfortunately some people
like this sort of thing and others don't.  You can post _one_ piece
of fan creativity, but label the Subject: as FAN FICTION or FAN SONG
PARODY and the Title of it similar to "FAN SONG PARODY: TLK "(Whatever)"
as the case may be for what you post, and in the message part explain
who wrote it, what inspired it, state that it is fan fiction or fan
song parody inspired by TLK and is not from Disney itself, and invite
others to comment on what they think of it, if they want more of this
sort of thing or not.  If so we might let more such things on, if not
then the people will have spoken so you'll have to live with what the
folks here prefer reading.
 DM>         Oh, by the way -- do they have their own dubbed version of TLK
 DM> in Hungary? I'd very much like to hear/see it then!
Sorry, can't help with this.
 DM> CK> Just a thought:  Since you can send and receive Internet E-mail,
 DM> CK> perhaps you can receive the TLK Mailing List.
 DM>
 DM>         That depends. I have a limit of 500 kilobytes per month.
I've heard they get 100 messages a day sometimes.  I'll ask Usenet
newsgroups if the TLK Mailing List exists and if so how to subscribe
and what mail volume it gets.  The rest is a matter between you, the
individuals of this Echo and your and their sysops.
Regarding having your sysop carrying various Usenet newsgroups or not,
that is entirely a matter between you and that person.  Sysops pay
for net.access and other charges out of their own pockets and it
doesn't come cheap.  Perhaps there are other BBSs you could join that
carry more features for readers?  Maybe go ahead and buy full Internet
access?  Frankly, despite the expense, you might be happier....
Just a thought:  You might want to (privately) evaluate whether it
continues to be "worth it" to have such limited 'Net.access in light
of your TLK interests.  Fidonet is a great thing, we've been with it
for more than five years.  But let's face it:  Fidonet is waning in
popularity compared to the Internet.  In light of your wanting news
about TLK and info on TLK merchandise that has limited availablity,
you might find Internet access to be the answer to your needs.  I've
no idea how much full Internet access in Germany would cost.  In the
US you can get it for between $15-20/month for unlimited usage.  It
would be great if a Disney hobby were very cheap or free all the time
but it is not.
 DM> can help me connecting to it, even if you do that yourself, I give you
 DM> permission and hope that you have a way and time to do it - to connect
 DM> me to this mailinglist, using my email address jammet@chatline.mcnet.de
I've already referred you to lots of possibilities for more information
specifically about TLK.  There always seems to be something wrong with
all of it and you seem to want me or my husband to do it all for you.
Sorry, but that is not how moderating this Echo works.  As a Disney fan
I enjoy making the referrals to you, but it's up to you to check them
out or not or arrange your life/finances to acquire these things.  If you
don't want to do any of this, while I sympathize with your circumstances,
it is your problem. :-)  If someone else wants to help you privately,
I have no problem with that and I hope it all works out.  :-)
--Carol Koster, Fidonet Disney Echo Co-Moderator
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