Simpsons Season Six On August 16th (2 Viewers)

[Ocean Phoenix]

I guess they just got lazy/ran out of ideas for the packaging. I don't know about the first three seasons, but looking at seasons 4 and 5 (those are the ones that I own), I can see that a lot of creativity went into coming up with the art on the outside and inside of the package. There's so much going on and so many characters in the picture that spans across the inside when you fold it out, and the cover for season 4 is a wonderful variation on the couch gag where The Simpsons find many Springfield residents already there when they get to their TV room.

 

[Daniel-M]

Where can we contact Fox too tell them this isn't want we want

 

[AnthonyC]

Well, as much as I dislike the packaging, I would rather them keep it instead of delaying the set to change it. We've waited long enough for this one; I don't want to have to wait any longer than we have to.

 

[Mike*SC]

I don't much like the design, but it's not too hard to figure out why they did it.

Most people outside this forum don't keep track of release dates. Given the glut of television shows on DVD (not a big issue when the first season or two came out), 20th Century Fox is obviously looking to make this well-known brand stand out from the hundreds of other shows cramming the shelves. You may not like the design, but you can't miss it.

Furthermore, it's easy to imagine a less-than-completely-rabid Simpsons-on-DVD fan seeing another uniform package on the shelf and not being sure whether he already owns it. But with these packages, it will be easy to keep track -- "I know I have Homer, but I don't have Maggie!"

None of which means anybody here has to like it. But from a business point of view, it's definitely not stupid.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Fox reps told me they tested it and found an overwhelming number of people liked the Homer box.

The discs are inside; not a regular box. This is a completely new box style, which will match seasons 6-10. I have 4 seasons of "Law & Order" (the regular one) on my shelf, and each season has a different package. At least Fox went into this with a plan; they're not just changing the packaging for each set.

Gord

 

[TravisR]

I'm not surprised. It is indeed a neat looking box but the lack of uniformity that only hardcore Simpsons fans and DVD fans (which makes up a small fraction of their market) would notice still bums me out.

To take a positive outlook on the situation, it is only a box and has less than zero determing factor in whether or not I'm going to buy it. Give it to me in a blank CD case and a paper bag for all I care. The content on the discs is what's important, not the box it comes in.

 

[Daniel-M]

What about that little thing called continuity. Belive me this is going to look like crap on the shelf. And the packaging on previous seasons were perfect, why change now.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Is there a contact form or an email address to contact Fox? I looked on the:

Fox Home Video

site and didn't find anything.

It's probably frutiless, but I'd like some of the "Fox reps" to know how displeased we are with this poorly-thought-out decision. My enthusiasm for buying future Simpsons sets -- either for myself or as gifts -- has waned considerably.

 

[Dax P]

Minority voice: I like the box.

I do need text on the spine, and (of course) if it's fragile, I'll hate it, too-- but from a 'design' standpoint... I like it a lot.

The look of it makes me smile, and I look forward to seeing what the rest will look like (Marge's hair DOES seem problematic, even with a fold-over...).

I like uniformity and it's a bummer sometimes to see it broken- The Alias 3 box being thinner than the first 2 (same goes for Gilmore Girls 3)... ER 3 being red when 1 and 2 were green... even little things like the font size being different for the writing on the spine of South Park 5 and not matching 1-4... and the SIZE of the Six Feet Under 1 box is very bothersome...

But. A show running 17-20 seasons or more... I do like the color scheme Alex A posted above, but I also like 'variety' with such a LONG-running series...

The couches on the front- five was enough. 6-10 being the family's faces... I think it's cool. Then they'll need a third 'look', right? And a fourth... I'm up for that.

Uniformity that looks beautiful on the shelf: Sopranos 1-5.
Uniformity that looks kinda lame: Wiseguy 'volumes' 1-4.

>> All of the interfaces were different (remember the spinning head idea?)

I liked that about them, too. Variety is good.

(My biggest complaint about the Simpsons dvds is still being frustrated that the Tracey Ullman shorts weren't included with the first box...)

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

I don't care about uniformity. What I do care about is how well the discs are protected by the case, and if the discs are easy to remove from the case. (Does pressing on the hub release the discs, or to you have to bend them to get them off?)

 

[David Von Pein]

It wouldn't be nearly as bad if it said "THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON" somewhere on the spine.

If you store EVERY season with the "front out" and not spine-out, then I guess it's OK. But who in the heck does THAT (esp. with seasonal sets numbering more than 6 of one particular TV series)?

But once you've turned the sets Spine Out (which -- what? -- 99% of people do), then we'll see the totally text-less Season 6 thru 10 sets on the shelf, without a hint as to which season they are.

Naturally, this isn't worth committing suicide over -- but I can't believe that ANYONE in "DVD Marketing Research" would fail to realize the importance (to many DVD/Video collectors) of being able to SEE WHAT THE PRODUCT IS via text on the spines of the boxes/cases. THAT, IMO, is just so "basic" as to be an "automatic" inclusion for EVERY media-type product -- VHS, DVD, CD, Books, whatever. (E.G.: What BOOK can you think of that has NO SPINE TEXT to identify it by?)

Plus -- I'm wondering how you'd go about shrinkwrapping this oddball-shaped case (with all of its "jutting-out" places that could cause wrapping nightmares)?

That shrinkwrapping question was something that, prior to reading Gord's post above, made me almost surely think that there would be a "regular" style case inside this "Homer shell" -- and that the shell would NOT be shrinkwrapped at all, but the standard case inside would, of course, be wrapped in plastic.

But, per Mr. Lacey (above), apparently I'm wrong.

That spine text issue is a large one, though, IMO. Just plain silly to not include that on ANY type packaging. (Remember the awful "ET" case with NO spine text? And I recall the outrage about that exact point too.)

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Post-Script:

Slightly Off-Topic here, but in a somewhat-related "packaging" matter -- I'm wondering what the deal is now with several DVDs which include slipcases being packaged BACKWARDS. That is, for some reason, some DVD sets slide out of their innards from what I would consider to be the wrong end (the LEFT side of the case, instead of the "normal" right side opening).

"All In The Family" 3 and 4 have this "backward" style of slipcase opening; and the newest "Jaws" DVD set "slides out" the "wrong" end (IMO), as well. Just kind of odd I think.

IMO, the "opening" should always be on the RIGHT side of the case (from the POV of looking at the front of a particular box/case). Just doesn't seem quite right otherwise.*

* = DVD Packaging Anal Lesson #109 complete.

 

[Jay Pennington]

Is Ric Easton a Simpsons fan?

 

[Peter Raber]

Yeah I hate that ET case. It looks so stupid on the shelf with nothing there to say what it is, but since it is the only one like that I know what it is.

I wonder if Fox will go back and as they reissue the first five sets change the format to match this one.

What will that do to completists?

I am against the packaging. Sure it looks cool, but when you have limited shelf space something that is going to radically upset the flow of that space tends to be bothersome.

I'm wondering, you see on Homer's head where it says collector's edition, is it possible that this is a limited edition package, much like Total Recall or Evil Dead, or do they all say that on the box sets. I could go downstairs to look but I am too lazy.

 

[WillG]

I like it like that. It's a bit awkward at first if you are used to packaging that slides out from the right. But when it is on the left, it allows the cases or whatever to be right side up and still have the spines facing out.

 

[Andrew Radke]

Yes, all 5 sets say 'DVD Collector's Edition'.

 

[David Von Pein]

H-h-h-huh??

You're gonna have to explain this please.

How is what you've just said ANY different ("spines facing out"-wise) if the innards slide out from the "more-normal" right side of the package?

 

[WillG]

Let's say you have a box for a TV on DVD set and in the box you have the plastic slim cases. If the main box opens from the right, in order to have the slim cases inside with their individual spines facing out, you have to put the slim cases in bottom side up. When the main box opens from the left, you can put the slim cases in top side up with the spine properly facing out.

 

[Ocean Phoenix]

These boxes are going to look even better in Canada with the french translation text taking up Homer's whole forehead.

 

[John-M]

I wonder how many discs it will have? I am afraid that the discs could easily become loose or damaged inside....

 

[AnthonyC]

It's still four discs.