C-G-U-M Radio!
*a furry hand adjusts the station control, pausing at 107.07. The static clears...*
"Heya, bouncers! Looks like I got myself a pretty constant broadcast hour so tune in as each month brings something new from C-G-U-M! It's a sunny morning this early hour of 9:05 AM, Wednesday the 7th of March, 2001. Geeze, March already! Time marches, all right! *chuckles* There's a lot of material for this furry to mention so sit back, grab a snack, and listen on...
"This particular broadcast is full of news and thoughts, making it the longest C-G-U-M to date. This may even become the norm, unless my listeners prefer my older, and much shorter version:). There's a proposed plan to get Gummi Bears back on the air, or at least back in the public, and also a bit of a fic from Yours Truly that needs a bit of explanation. So, without further adieu, the News:
"New Gumbrea has had a bit of a talking spree about getting Disney to start DISNEY'S ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS over again. I'm all for the idea but it lacks a plan. That may be one thing that has kept us down for so long as fans. Oh, sure, we can write letters in that plead for a return of the show with new episodes but do they ever respond? I know my three never got replies. So, I have come up with a play-by-play if you will. A proposed outline by which to set up a plan to get our special and very-much-missed bears back on the air with new stories. It may sound long-winded but please consider all I have to say and PLEASE make comments! What the show needs most is support from the fans through all the years it is not seen as the great show we know it to be.
"I know there are other dedicated fans out there. Just look at the amount of art and fics! My Gummi Bears Directory lists no less than 189 gummi characters, created by the fans. I've wanted to see GB again for a while now and so I've begun plans...
::THE PRESENT::
"The only way to inform Disney of the demand of the product (in this case, the Gummi Bears series), is to show them that is is profitable. This is the only way _I_ know. So, how do we do this?
"Fanfics and art are great but there are better and more noticeable ways to gain public notice and notariety. In my experience, I have seen many show petitions but it must be an overwhelming lot. I think close to the millions, to get the show going again. But it has worked in the past. This is how Star Trek survived initially. However, I have no idea how many fans are out there that support the show. That would be a great first task:
1.) collect the fans
"If we know how many are out there to support the show, it would be easier to develop a plan to get GB back.
"But it sometimes takes more than a number of fans. Fans have to be vocal. We hafta speak up and say what we like, and what we want. A petition for a restart or continuation of the show requires many many signatures showing that the public demands a return. Here are more pros and cons:
Pro: The show is still in syndication, and also outside of the United States. Very good sign, showing that Disney still feels it can make a profit to air GB.
Con: I have no idea of the current demographics (as in who watches the show). This is bad only in that if few watch GB, though religiously, it may not be enough of a fanbase to stir action from Disney.
Pro: The show has great potential, if used wisely. Based on The Little Mermaid II, I have faith that Disney wouldn't mess GB up:)
Con: The show is old. This is bad in that it loses the interest of the old audience and becomes farther and farther lost in Disney's recesses. This can be solved if fans of GB make the show known and get more people to watch it. Just don't pressure too hard. Know your friends well enough to gauge whether they'd like something like GB or not. Never force anyone into a fandom. That's bad.
Con: The show got its origins from a brand of candy. This is just plain silly and most people I talk to and say I am a fan of GB have that look on their face. The 'This is the silliest thing I've ever heard and yer a total freak' look. THIS you do not see when they go shopping and buy a stuffed Tigger or a Piglet ball-cap. We need to get the familiarity and acceptance that Winnie the Pooh and Co. have and I'd need a lot of thinking to figure out how. It is all in presentation. GB NEEDS better presentation. But let's just say that the world is almost ready for a GB comeback. People are both very judgemental and very accepting these days. Just gotta present the product right!
Con: Voices change. This is the smallest con, by the way, as Cavin's voice changed more times than I know and I didn't really care. HOWEVER, if Disney decided that Gusto would not be voiced by Rob Paulsen because he is under contract with Warner Bros., and they got a new voice, the fans would be angry as heck! And the older members of the cast age just like the show does. Maybe some of the voices don't wanna DO GB voicings again... A problem I cannot solve.
Con: I have no idea why Disney does not recognize GB as belonging to its corp, or why you ask people in the Disney store why no GB merchandise is never sold and they ask you if you're sure it's a Disney cartoon. I'm so sure! DISNEY'S Adventures of the Gummi Bears is pretty specific. Did Disney have a joint contract that expired on their end? Some other reason? I have no idea because they never answered that question...
::THE FUTURE::
"I know that's four Cons in a row but they can be beaten, eventually:). Believe and it can be, given enough people. So, what of the future, and what can we do?...
* I don't know the role of art and fanfics beyond they are real proof of how dedicated we are. I don't know if any could be used for a reincarnation of the show. We can suggest all we like but they have their own writers so don't get your hopes up that a comeback means they'll use any fics.
* I would love to be a character designer for GB but I have no idea how they treat their employees. As it stands, I'd LOVE to design Gummies for them! I mean, who wouldn't!
* There is another way to get people' attention greatly: A convention.
I have seen conventions for practically anything. Work, play, entertainment, and especially t.v. shows. Another Disney show, Gargoyles, has a very much alive fandom, of which I am also apart. They have a convention every year in the summer and I'll be going to my second this summer. Conventions are a great way to meet other fans AND to show the bigwigs just who gives a darn about what. The biggest thing about a convention is that it can draw a lot of attention. The hardest thing about a convention is that it takes a lot of work to create and produce. Special guests like artists, voices, creators, etc. need to be contacted and asked to attend, usually for a price. The Convention staff makes hotel arrangements for the Convention, the special guests, the notifying everyone, the events, etc. etc. etc. You can imagine how much work it'd take. But I would be very willing to do one once the fan census is complete. We REALLY NEED to know how many dedicated, semi-dedicated, non-dedicated, and closet-fans (people who don't wanna admit their like, for various reasons) there are out there. We need to get a collection going-- of letters from GB fans stating why they like the show, why they want it back, or just saying they are a fan. Please. This can be extremely important.
"Now, with all this, there is STILL the possibility of failure, but I never see it that way. GB can always make a come-back in my eyes, because I see it as the closest thing to a perfect idea Disney ever did. Some might disagree. Some GB fans may have another fandom they like more. That's fine. Even if you wanna see GB come back even a little bit, write me! I'm always here:)
"Finally, to end the plans for a GB return,
2.) I propose getting Disney to do a GB Movie, even direct-to-video. That would really boost everything:)
"So you see, hope is not lost. The world may not yet be ready for a comeback of Gummi Bears but it won't take very long. Studying the course of Disney movies, it's gone from Alladin to Lion King to Pocahontas to Hunchback of Notre Dame to Hercules to Mulan to El Dorado to The Emperor's New Groove to the up-coming Atlantis. There's been a general trend toward more non-United States stories. This can't be good. They are going only on the Disney name. They will NEED an original story to produce soon. Ya can't get more original than the Disney Afternoon line-up, ya know? Pooh and Co. have already had more than one movie. They are successful, though nothing like our Gummies. Ducktales already had a movie, though long ago. It is not unreasonable to propose a script or to plead Disney to create one around Gummi Bears. THAT is the plan. With a GB movie, the fanbase will expand by re-awakening old interests and opening the eyes of the public. But stated in the Con section is the fact that because the primary 'idea' around GB is thought of as 'silly', it will be a great publicist and PR person who can make the public see Gummi Bears as what we see and not as a mock of some candy.
"I mentioned last broadcast that I was creating too many gummi characters. It's true, but my inspiration is rampant at ungiven intervals. I am not a hypocrite, telling people to constrain and not constrain myself. What I should have specified what that I meant within the Gumwyn realm, I should constrain myself, as I see Gumwyn as an idea I would one day like to see become something. I want it to be something special. Not just another one-time fic. But I am a compulsive writer. When I get an idea, I write. Inspiration IS my muse. And I get inspired a lot:) I have two characters I've been trying to put off but for some reason, I know I can't. So I'll tell you how it is with cheetah the furry when an idea hits, AFTER this fic bit that has no title:
by cheetah the furry
03.06.01
A voice roused him. His name called.
"Alkym?"
A voice he'd known for a very long time. Alkymi Gummi opened tired eyes with a grin. "Dozed off again."
"Hm. You weren't working very late last night. Pushing yourself too hard isn't healthy." The other crossed his arms and quirked a brow at him.
He kept his grin,having played this teasing game before. "Well, since you won't tell me the secrets of the universe, I have to discover them myself!" He stared on expectantly.
"Always the same excuse. I told you I don't know the secrets of the universe."
"Always your excuse." Alkymi pointed phrase and finger at his best and only friend; but he let off some, rising and stretching. Not noticing the gummi hurrying past his open doorway.
He was talking to it again... It being himself. She shook her head pityingly. He may be the smartest gummi in the city next to Channi but Alkymi certainly was the strangest. Most cubs grew up in a group of like-agers, or at least with siblings. Alkymi had the first, but they say he was even a loner then. And now? He was older than her! And the only gummi with an imaginary friend.
"Chaosi, how long have you known me?"
His friend cast him a lop-sided grin. "All your life."
"Have I ever taken it easy?" He started out, ignoring the looks of the few gummies in the hall.
"Only when I make you! You know, Alkymi, perhaps you should have stayed with magic."
Alkymi shook his head. "Too rigid, and simple. Magic is a set discipline. Science is unexplored. I need a challenge. Science is my life." He shrugged, then grinned. "It would make things easier if you'd tell me at least one secret." His eyes glinted with the glee of a child.
Chaosi rolled his eyes. "I told you..."
"I know, I know."
"Using the above as an example, with Gummi Bears, my ideas generally starts with a name. I'm in college and I get a lot of info in my brain at any one time sittin' in lectures. Place: physics 202 classroom. Subject: entropy. I'd been playing around with the name Alkymi, which is from alchemy. Heh:) Entropy is the total disorder of the universe, which is naturally increasing. Disorder is chaos. Chaos is a cool word in itself. My second gummi is Chaosi (weird pronounciation here. It's "kay-oss-ai")
"Okay. I gotta stop that train of thought and skip to something else. I follow a few basic rules for writing GB:
1.) I am trying never to mix fandoms. Like gargoyles and gummi bears. Never gonna mix 'em for a fic. Same thing for anime fans. I have several favorites there, but I would never mix GB and Slayers or Fushigi Yugi or anything like that. GB is GB.
2.) I follow three rules for names of gummies-- must end in i and have (usually) double consonents a/o must have 'berry' in it a/o must have a 'u' in it. Eh. If a gummi name from the show violates this, I change it. Hey, I'm an ordered person. But I'm not gonna tell anybody they HAFTA make the names like that. Just that I do:)
3.) Don't make any gummies that violate what the show had. As in, no purply spotted gummies that can fly.
"Well, I kinda violated #3 with Chaosi. My original idea was merely Alkymi but he was too odd by himself. Looks like an ordinary gummi but quite odd to hold a conversation with. And then came Chaosi. Chaosi is in a different class all together. I have no idea what he really is. Just what he looks like. This gummi kinda mirrors the colors of the sky. Sunrise, and he's sunrise colors. Sunset, he's sunset colors. Night, ya can't hardly see him. Looks just like a transparent gummi up against the sky. 'Cept he's not up against the sky. Talk about odd! *sighs* But that's what I see. And I write what I see in my head.
"The question is, IS Chaosi no really there? Is it just Alkymi's delusional mind creating such a figure, as in Alkym's really lost it? Or, is he really there? Is he not an 'imaginary friend' but something entirely different and sorta like a ghost? Hm... I haven't the slightest! Any ideas, bouncers?
"So for now keep up the reading, writing, and drawing and write a letter expressing how you feel about the GB situation. If you don't want to send it anywhere, give it to a friend or tack or tape it to your wall. Make it visible, no matter what! Cheets, out!"
*light static ensues*