Muppets Action Figures:
Series Seven
Seven is often considered a lucky number, and Muppet fans will agree once they pick up Muppets Series 7 from Palisades Toys. The set has a mix if Muppets old and new, with a pair from The Muppet Show (Robin as a Scout and Beauregard), one from Muppets Tonight (or three if you count all the versions of Johnny Fiama) and one from Muppet Treasure Island (Kermit as Captain Smollet). All told, you have a nice balance from the various incarnations of Muppets and they still managed to fit in a Kermit!
It's hard to believe that this is the seventh series for the Muppets line, since it made its debut (in prototype form) at Toy Fair 2002. The line seems so much bigger, and this is in large part due to adding in several playsets and a very healthy line of exclusives to complement the line. The next series will add Scooter as an Usher, Marvin Suggs, Sam the Eagle (in just his feathers) and Dr. Phil Van Neuter (pending his malpractice suit). Probably the most awaited item to join the line is the Back Stage playset, due later this year.
The action figures are inspired by Jim Henson's Muppets, a traveling troupe of performing puppets that have made an indelible mark on pop culture. The performers have imbued the characters with such life that they've attracted fans from all ages, and admirers (including George Lucas who used a puppet for the Jedi Master Yoda, a performance that still bests the computer Yoda by a longshot).
Robin
Everybody has a weird uncle in the family, but for Robin the frog he's lucked out having an Uncle Kermit. Kermit is about as good as you can get in both the uncle and Muppet departments. One of the things Kermit will support is Robin's enrollment in the Frog Scouts, mainly to get the little guy out of his hair! The scout's motto of 'be prepared' might need a revision to 'be prepared to leave me alone!'
Robin's scouting activities first came to light on the original Muppet Show. We've been unable to scour the archives to find an image of Robin in this actual scout's uniform but it looks great on the figure. Unlike most of the Muppets figures, the hat on Robin is not removable. Well, you could probably remove it, but it doesn't have a magnet like the hats on most of the other Muppets figures.
Since Robin is such a small figure, they decided to even him out with the larger ones by means of accessories. He's got the lion's share for this series, including a huge trunk big enough to put a body, err for him to sleep in, along with a set of stickers so you can decorate it as you please. Of special note, check out the Road Crossing Merit Badge sticker. Next up is a nice stick with some marshmallows on it, along with a fire to roast aforementioned snacks. The fire does not generate any real heat, just an FYI. He always carries his handy, opening frog scout handbook and a bag of trail mix. The last item in being prepared is a backpack that can be taken on and off, and even opens to store some goodies (though nothing else included fits in with it closed). The only question is why you'd need a backpack with a huge trunk that could easily hold anything... including a body.
Articulation:
- Neck (twist)
- Shoulders (ball-joints)
- Mid-bicep (twists)
- Waist (twist)
- Thighs (swivels)
- Knees (swivels)
Kermit as Abraham Smollet
One of the great hallmarks of the Muppet Show was a willingness to add some creative license to classic tales and movies, and this never stopped. With Muppet Treasure Island, the classic pirate tale is transformed into a Muppetational production, with a bevy of guest stars and the various Muppets taking on roles from the novel. Kermit takes on the role of Captain Abraham Smollet, one of the heroes of the tale in direct opposition to Long John Silver, played by the ever-amusing Tim Curry. Apparently Johnny Depp was busy with something else. Pity...
The good Captain isn't packed with lots of accessories, but he does have a sidekick included. But first is a magnetic tricorner hat that fits right on his head, with the corresponding magnet hidden under a hairpiece on Kermit's head. Relax, they all wore wigs back then. He's got a cutlass, and a sheath to keep it safe when he's not dispensing justice by the blade. The sheath fits on a peg on his waist, making it easier to carry around but to still keep it nearby. His uniform coat and waistcoat are made of pliable, softer plastic so the legs have room to move. Plus it looks cool, right down to the leggings!
Kermit is a brighter shade of green than Robin, although he is not as bright a green as these pictures show him to be. The brightness is just an artifact of the lighting used and of digital photography.
However, lest we forget there is the matter of the sidekick. In this case, it would be Polly Lobster (not to be confused with his rich cousin, the restaurateur Red Lobster). Polly isn't much on the articulation (just a neck that twists) but when it comes to sculpted touches and detail, Polly's loaded. Not counting a few body piercings (we didn't do the Janet Jackson test), there's a nice scar and a hook for a hand, not a claw. Some say it was from Red when they were kids, but the statute of limitations has run out.
Articulation:
- Neck (twist)
- Shoulders (ball-joints)
- Mid-bicep (twists)
- Elbows (bends)
- Wrists (twists)
- Waist (twist)
- Thighs (ball-joints)
- Knees (bends)
Beauregard
For every star in Hollywood, there are thousands of others who don't get the spotlight. One of these others is Beauregard, the 'custodial engineer' for 'The Muppet Show'. After the show's been started, run and ended, someone has to clean up the mess, and the cleaner is Beauregard. He's not the brightest guy in the Muppets (and there is surprisingly little competition for that spot), but he's kind-hearted and handy with a broom. And at the end of the day, he's still in Show Business!
Every good custodial engineer needs a few tools of the trade to help handle life's little messes. To that end, Beauregard comes complete with a push broom (as opposed to the pull kind), a mop and a mop bucket. The bucket has a working wringer and each of the casters can spin and all the wheels roll. Being plastic, it is water proof but not acid-proof. Write that down, it might be handy later. And to top him off, you have a nice magnetic cap, which links via magnetic lines of flux to the surgically implanted other magnet in his head. The hat rests atop a literal mop of hair that looks a tad bit Rastafarian.
Articulation:
- Neck (ball-joint)
- Shoulders (ball-joints)
- Mid-bicep (twists)
- Elbows (bends)
- Wrists (twists)
- Waist (twist)
- Thighs (swivels)
Johnny Fiama
We've waited until the end to cover the majority of the wave, namely Johnny Fiama and his two variants, or as we like to call them - 'Me, Myself and I'. Johnny is known for his singing act, and the best way to describe him is a combination of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett with a lot less talent. Johnny's bodyguard and best friend is Sal Monella, a simian sidekick who tells it like it is, and it is like he tells it. Add to that a hairstyle very close to Paulie Walnuts on the Sopranos, and you have Johnny F in a nutshell.
Johnny appears in three distinct outfits, and the accessories are slightly different. For the 'signature' suit he's in classic pinstripes, though we prefer to call this version regular on account of his high fiber intake. The second version is the 'casual' look with a burgundy jacket, and then a 'steppin' out' version with a silver suit reminiscent of the fat-burner suits sold on television (perhaps an endorsement deal). The jackets are made of a softer, pliable plastic so you can still move the thighs around, though the way the thighs are jointed he really can't sit down.
Johnny knows how to accessorize, and along with each suit you get a picture, an album, a microphone (for karaoke), and a barstool. They all get the same stuff, but each version has a different album (with funny song titles on the back), different picture (of the three most important things to Johnny - His Ma, Sal and Johnny), and differently colored microphones and stools. The picture frames and microphone colors match, making it a little easier to tell them apart. Make sure you check the image gallery to see which ones match which outfit.
Articulation:
- Neck (ball-joint)
- Shoulders (ball-joints)
- Mid-bicep (twists)
- Elbows (bends)
- Wrists (twists)
- Waist (twist)
- Thighs (ball-joints)
- Knees (bends)
Whodunit
Here's where we take a look at the creative folks who created these miniature masterpieces, and if you ever see them give em' some thanks! The figures are listed individually below with appropriate credits but we should take a moment to save some space and name the individuals whose stamp is on all the characters in this series. Ken Lilly and Kim Mattison were the product designers and Eddie and Jason Wires created the paint masters on all the figures (with the exception of Robin the Scout, where Plan B Toys assisted on the paints). From here out the love gets spread around!
Beauregard is performed by Dave Goelz on the Muppet Show, and his other characters are Zoot, Bunsen Honeydew and Gonzo. The action figure was sculpted and prototyped by Camelot Industrial Artists with accessories by Johnny Apokolips.
Steve Whitmire is the man behind Kermit in Muppet Treasure Island, as well as Rizzo the Rat and Beaker. Steve's work was translated by Bill Mancuso's sculpture and accessories, and the prototype was done by Joseph Farrell.
While Johnny Fiama likes to perform himself, he has some help from Bill Barretta, who also covers Pepe, Rowlf and the Swedish Chef. Just as there are three Johnnies, there are three sculptors - Raven Hood, James Carroll and Johnny Apokolips. Johnny and James did the accessories while Raven covered the prototype.
Jerry Nelson is the scoutmaster for Robin, Lew Zealand, Floyd Pepper, and even crotchety old Statler. Bill Mancuso and Cynthia Woodie collaborated on the sculpting, with Joseph Farrell handling prototyping. The accessories were created by Bill Mancuso, Johnny Apokolips and Greg Leeuwen (who designed all the packaging with help from Erika Lewis).
Pictures of Robin
Pictures of Kermit as Smollet
Pictures of Beauregard
Pictures of Johnny Fiama
| Where to buy Muppets: The Muppets Series 7 action figures retail in the $8.99 to $11.99 USD price range (or about $39.99 per set of four figures) and are available in specialty stores such as Suncoast and Sam Goody, as well as various online toy retailers.
Several such online stores are RTM sponsors Big Bad Toy Store, The Outer Reaches, Action Figure Xpress, LittlePlasticMen, and Killer Toys. (Be sure to check the other RTM sponsors, listed on the Shop Center.) |
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