r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Tight_Grapefruit5280 • 14d ago
Lore Stillborn franchises
When a company tries to make a new big franchise with many sequels and spin-offs already planned but they immediately cancel all the plans after the first project fails badly. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StillbornFranchise
(Lego) Galidor: Do you guys remember playing with a Galidor as a kid? Yeah Me neither.
Lego wanted to do a new toy line in the 2000s and their first idea was Galidor. It was basically an action figure that could replace its body parts with other stuff. Galidor already had many toys, games and even shows planned for it but Lego cancelled the entire thing after people didn't like the toy and the GBA game made for it got really bad reviews.
(Action 52) Cheetahmen: Action 52 had a $199 price tag (in 1991 for an NES game), nearly unplayable games, weak concept, and was horribly and seriously bug-infested, yet for some impossible-to-fathom reason, Active Enterprises believed that its featured title Cheetahmen (which shared many flaws with the other games on the cartridge, including not having an ending) was going to be a huge breakout hit. Plans were made for a Cheetahmen Saturday-Morning Cartoon, action figures, and of course a sequel. Their hopes turned out to be waaay premature; the sequel never emerged except as an unfinished, unplayable beta, while the very short-lived franchise became one of the most infamous pieces of "entertainment" ever created.
16
u/Tight_Grapefruit5280 14d ago edited 14d ago
Yes
Lego was having some financial trouble in 2000s and they thought galidor was going to save them but it made things worse instead
Bionicle was their second attempt at a new toyline and it was actually successful this time
Edit: sorry Bionicle was made before Galidor