Gemmy and/or Spirit prop longevity

**Shockwave199** · 10-26-2009,07:32 PM

I'm considering buying some gemmy props and possibly spirit props. My question is not how particular props work out of the box. I question how they are working over time. I just had a 40 dollar gemmy fail on me last year, which I thought was the batteries. Turns out, the prop died when checking it for this year. I got 1 1/2 seasons out of it, which let's face it, is approx 6 hours total. I LOVE the looks of spirit props and gemmy stuff, but I can't see spending upwards of 100 bucks for props that fail quickly. So, how are you folks doing with them long term? How many uses are you getting out of them? Long term owners speak up please! Thanks!

And yes, I know it's better to make your own props. But some of these store props are so darn cool, it's always tempting!

Dan

**halloweengoddessrn** · 10-26-2009,07:45 PM

I have the gemmy talking butler- the first one- hes still going after 4 years...

**larry** · 10-26-2009,07:47 PM

There are people on both sides of the fence. In my opinion, they are animatronics. They are very delicate when you are getting them out of the box, setting them up, and then putting them back in the box and storing them. They are more durable once they are set up. But you have to be really careful otherwise. This is true of all animatronics regardless.

I have had very good luck. The one issue that I had is with (cannot think of the name) is the girl from 08 holding the head. It was giving me problems at first, but then I just dis-connected and reconnected and tah-dah.

You also have to keep in mind, that with props like, Michael Myers...Jason etc, that the foam and bodies get squished in the box. So you have to adjust the padding and the clothes or they sometimes look a little funky.

There were some of the smaller old-school things that did not work for me too long. But I think the past couple of years that they have improved.

In my opinion, it is all about getting them out of the box, prepping them and then storing them right. If you store animatronics in -5 degrees or 120 degrees, you cannot expect them to do well after.

**larry** · 10-26-2009,07:50 PM

btw...threads merged...please do not cross-post.

**Shockwave199** · 10-26-2009,07:54 PM

Sorry Larry. I really didn't want to cross post but it got the better of me. I'll refrain.

Dan

**Haunter's Headquarters** · 10-26-2009,09:47 PM

I own quite a few of the Spirit and Gemmy props from over the years. I have also worked for Spirit over the years. Here are a few tips I have learned.

NEVER by a floor model unless it has only been up for a day or two.... hopefully the employees will tell you the truth.

Once the prop is out of the box and set up, don't break it down and put it back in. I know storage is an issue with a lot of people, but the more you take the prop apart, the shorter its life span gets.

If you only use the prop on Halloween night like some people do, you can get years and years of use out of it. It's all about how many actual "actions" you get out of the prop. The more the prop is used the shorter its life gets. If you plan on trying to have the prop go night after night for weeks on end, you may not want to get one of these types.

The average life of the prop (store use is usually 7 days a week, 11 hours a day) is a couple weeks... some props will last longer, some shorter. Granted this is very heavy use with the prop going off up to 100 times a day.

If its a type of prop that has a constant action like head moving side to side or shaking, you might not want to get it. Something that never stops will where down on itself very quickly... this year we had 4 witches that look back and forth non stop die in a few days each.

Another thing to think of is if the prop does die, will it look cool just standing there. I always try to plan for when it will break, not if.

Hope some of this info helps. I try to only use my animatronics on Halloween day.

-Scott
Haunter's Headquarters

**OpenTrackRacer** · 10-26-2009,09:54 PM

My Dr. Shivers didn't last too long. It ran for a bit last year and failed this year during testing.

Mike

**Shockwave199** · 10-26-2009,11:11 PM

Thanks for that info Scott. Good advice. I agree about keeping them up rather than breaking them down, but it's all but impractical obviously. I always pack away my stuff really carefully and well, but it's not a given that alone will do the trick. These things can get expensive and it's a real hit if they break down. If it does so in the short term, it's a pain but at least you can try for a replacement. But the following year, you're out of luck and stuck with a static prop. One can make their own static prop much cheaper. What you buy into, at a price, is an animitronic. Again, I bring this up because the animitronics available are really cool. They are a great addition but a risky investment. If I can score some for a great deal, perhpas I'll feel a bit better. I'll be watching.

Dan

**rickdilorenzo** · 10-27-2009,10:47 AM

Originally Posted by halloweengoddessrn

I have the gemmy talking butler- the first one- hes still going after 4 years...

I accidently plugged in the power box from the Gemmy animated Witch into the Gemmy animated talking butler last year. When I did that, and then pushed the button on the butler, it made a short strange electrical noise and then died :-(

Took awhile to realize what I had done. When I re-plugged the correct power cord/supply into the butler, it still didn't work anymore. So I assume I 'fried' it somehow by plugging in the wrong power supply..

That's the only Gemmy I have that died... I have a few other animated gemmy's, they are all still working well.

Any idea how easy it would be to repair the animated butler? Would it be some small part that got 'blown' by plugging in the wrong voltage into him?

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