Saratoga News

The people behind 'Gumbyworld.com' are (from left) Sean Griffen, CEO of Studio FX Inc.; Gumby creator Art Clokey and Mark Yoslow, vice president and creative director of Studio FX Inc.

Gumby makes his Web debut with Studio FX's Gumbyworld

By Michelle Alaimo

Forget blistering heat, long lines and an empty wallet. Now, taking kids to an amusement park can be as easy as strapping on 3-D glasses and setting them up in front of a computer.

Studio FX Inc., founded by Saratoga High School graduate Sean Griffen, has launched Gumbyworld.com, a virtual amusement park Web site.

Designed for all ages, Gumbyworld.com allows Gumby and Pokey lovers to come out of the closet and learn more about their favorite characters. The Web site includes games, a souvenir shop filled with a variety of Gumby collectables, video clips, virtual postcards, Gumby's Galaxy in 3-D and everything a person could want to know about the famous clay character and his friends.

"Gumby represents all that is good in people," Griffen says, adding that Gumby represents "wholesomeness, family values and nostalgic family values."

Studio FX owns the rights to Gumby and his friends, and Griffen hopes the Web site will be the first of many owned by his company. Los Gatan Mark Yoslow, Studio FX's vice president and creative director, has already begun work on the next site, Underdog.com, which will premiere Oct. 1.

The San Jose-based company plans to incorporate all of the virtual amusement Web sites into one location called Planet FX, Griffen says.

"The characters are used as tour guides through the site," Griffen says. However, the sites are not meant merely to entertain but to bring in money, as well.

The Web sites are finding a new way to create business, Griffen says. "It's entertainment-driven commerce."

Yoslow said the tie-in to Gumby is perfect. "Gumby is a character that recognizes the concept that anything is possible," Yoslow says. "Sean Griffen has literally invented a whole new kind of business."

The 2 1/2-year-old company already has a successful history with e-commerce, which is the joining of entertainment with commerce through the Internet. In 1996, Studio FX launched Seusswear.com as one of the first 200 e-commerce Web sites. Griffen says that later he decided to concentrate on sites he could launch based on characters to which he owns the rights.

Much of the money Studio FX makes is from selling collectible items on the Web site, plus from advertising banners on the sites. While many Internet users may be leery of purchasing items online, Griffen says it is just as secure as using an ATM machine. He adds it is just a matter of time before people change their way of thinking and become more at ease purchasing items over the Internet.

In the meantime, Griffen and Yoslow said they hope to motivate people to participate in their Web sites through a variety of techniques, including the use of ChromaDepth 3-D glasses.

Images, such as Gumby swimming with fish surrounding him, are made to jump out of the screen with the use of the special glasses. Those without the glasses need not worry about seeing distorted images, as they appear normal on the screen. The collectible 3-D glasses are given away with orders, and those interested can fill out a form on the Web site and get a free pair--if they are among the first 30 people of the day to request a pair.

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