More Non-Muppet-Shaped Muppet Toys

jvcarroll

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Bizarre collectibles are one of my passions so I thought this deserved a mention.

Toysrevil has unveiled a line of "urban vinyl" Muppet figures. I'm not certain of their legitimacy, but these displayed items from the Pillaging Pop Culture series appear to be prototypes of licensed product from a company called Task One.
Here’s the skinny:​
  • The series consists of 6 waves (3 figures each, 18 figures total) to be released every two weeks.
  • The 18 figure set inclusions appear to be Kermit, Fozzie, Rowlf, Piggy, Bunsen, Beaker, Gonzo, Lew, Sam, Swedish Chef, Statler, Waldorf, Scooter, Dr. Teeth, Zoot, Janice, Floyd and Animal.
  • The first wave, consisting of Kermit, Fozzie and Rowlf, will be released this Sunday, March 10th.
  • The figures will be limited edition (of an unknown number) and blind boxed so the customer won’t know what character they’re getting.
  • These are priced at $40 each/$100 for the set. (I guess that means that purchasing the set is the only way to get the character you want.)
  • There will also be a “free” chase figure (not part of the 18-piece set) that will be rewarded to 2 random orders each release round and for anyone who acquires the whole set. The first chase appears to be Crazy Harry.
It’s good to see the Muppets represented so I’m glad this exists. That said, I’m not biting. These Playdoughy renditions don't quite hit the mark to justify the expense. In fact, all of the Muppets’ urban vinyl attempts (Vinylmation, Funko etc) have been of middling quality when compared to the product for other properties.

I’ll bite when Disney releases Muppet-shaped Muppet figures. Why doesn’t any company want to make those and why is Disney allowing the secondary market for Palisades toys make all the Muppet money? It is my belief that a quality line of small figures featuring each character in classic pose would be welcome by any fan! No articulation, accessories or off-putting head-shape necessary.
 

Drtooth

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Again, I really don't think these are official. They look very much fan made and cutom. That seems to be why the price is high. I doubt they'd sell these at retail for that much. Not even the most pretentious vynal collector would bother with something that small and expensive. There's just something about them that doesn't seem like they're an official Disney licensed product. Maybe the fact they don't even have remotely style guide colorings, as incorrect they are. Not to mention the fact that they look cannibalized from Munnies figures.

I’ll bite when Disney releases Muppet-shaped Muppet figures. Why doesn’t any company want to make those and why is Disney allowing the secondary market for Palisades toys make all the Muppet money? It is my belief that a quality line of small figures featuring each character in classic pose would be welcome by any fan! No articulation, accessories or off-putting head-shape necessary.
We all know the action figure market crashed badly near the halfway point of last decade. There have been strides. Jazzwares is making quality (yet sadly rotocast) products, but the only ones that seem to move are Adventure Time and Regular Show based. Not to mention they take their sweet time with future figure series (2 years to get Ice King and LSP as full sized figures?).... the TMNT line is as strong as ever. But I just don't see the buzz of a million little independent companies taking huge chances on obscure or nostalgic licenses like they once did. It's all about small expensive "we sort of get Japanese Culture, I guess" super deformer figures or silk screened character on standard base things (which are losing their relevancy).

Disney has made some progress on Muppet merchandise outside their stores. I have to admit, they have too many brands to work with, what with Cars (which merchandise actually stopped selling, but they refuse to believe that), Marvel (though so little of it is exclusive to the stores), and whatever preschooly thing they're shoving down everyone's throats at the time (last time I checked, that Peter Pan thing and something called Sofia the First). Then whatever movie Pixar has, then some other movie, then Mickey and Co, then Muppets. Other than a really good figurine set, there's been nothing much else. That and, like I said, retailers don't want massive toy lines, especially since there are less and less stores willing to carry action figures that aren't the mainstream 4 companies.

It's no wonder why they only have Kid Roboty things.
 

Slackbot

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$40 for a blind boxed toy? Oh, heck no.

How big are these things anyway? If they're just a few inches tall, they're a massive ripoff.
 

Muppet fan 123

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Is this real? I think we would have heard of this by now, especially if it's being released this Sunday. I think we would've at least seen it at Toy Fair.

Disney released a few good sets of figures, but mostly Disney Parks exclusives.
I wish they'd release more like that series. Instead, we usually get these weirdly shaped characters instead of actual figures.

(I happen to like the Rowlf one a lot. :sympathy:)

ZIFFELED. It's typical Disney to make a blind box. Although, $40? Something seems fishy here. :fishy:
 

minor muppetz

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The ones pictured look kinda decent. What I would expect Palisades to do if the company was making Muppet toys back in the 1970s.
 

los

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They do look good but not $40 good. Wish the price point was lower.
 

jvcarroll

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Again, I really don't think these are official. They look very much fan made and cutom. That seems to be why the price is high. I doubt they'd sell these at retail for that much. Not even the most pretentious vynal collector would bother with something that small and expensive. There's just something about them that doesn't seem like they're an official Disney licensed product. Maybe the fact they don't even have remotely style guide colorings, as incorrect they are. Not to mention the fact that they look cannibalized from Munnies figures.



We all know the action figure market crashed badly near the halfway point of last decade. There have been strides. Jazzwares is making quality (yet sadly rotocast) products, but the only ones that seem to move are Adventure Time and Regular Show based. Not to mention they take their sweet time with future figure series (2 years to get Ice King and LSP as full sized figures?).... the TMNT line is as strong as ever. But I just don't see the buzz of a million little independent companies taking huge chances on obscure or nostalgic licenses like they once did. It's all about small expensive "we sort of get Japanese Culture, I guess" super deformer figures or silk screened character on standard base things (which are losing their relevancy).

Disney has made some progress on Muppet merchandise outside their stores. I have to admit, they have too many brands to work with, what with Cars (which merchandise actually stopped selling, but they refuse to believe that), Marvel (though so little of it is exclusive to the stores), and whatever preschooly thing they're shoving down everyone's throats at the time (last time I checked, that Peter Pan thing and something called Sofia the First). Then whatever movie Pixar has, then some other movie, then Mickey and Co, then Muppets. Other than a really good figurine set, there's been nothing much else. That and, like I said, retailers don't want massive toy lines, especially since there are less and less stores willing to carry action figures that aren't the mainstream 4 companies.

It's no wonder why they only have Kid Roboty things.
I believe these may be authorized limited addition customs from vinyl artists. I can't imagine how they'd get around the license even with the weak "parody" claim so many people use to circumvent the system.

It seems that they could be customizing Munnies, sending them to the factory.

I think there would be a good market for quality posed Muppet figures like the Hallmark ornaments, but without the voice chips. They could keep the runs low and buddy-pack each with a lesser-known Muppet. There are lots of ways to do it right. Ebay vultures are making all of the Muppet money that Disney could be making.
 

Plaid Fraggle

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Strange, strange. No specs to be found and they're just SO DARN EXPENSIVE! I actually really like the Play-dohey look of them, though, I think they're charming! (Definitely especially Rowlf!! :sympathy:)

If the pricing was more reasonable I would have way too much fun collecting a few or more of these. Blind box is sometimes a lot of fun, but ultimately if you look to "catch 'em all" it's way too infuriating.
 

Sgt Floyd

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http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/are-these-new-vinyl-muppets.54254/

I still stand by what i said. They are not worth the money, even if they really are "handmade." What does handmade these days mean anyway? Lot's of stuff claims to be handmade but can be picked up at the dollar store. Does handmade mean each of these figures is literally sculpted by the artist himself and painted by the artist himself, or does handmade mean a mold was sculpted by the artist and used to mass produce these things? Handmade can mean anything, and usually it does not mean "handmade."

And like I said...these things better be big, not two inches high like I get the feeling they are.
 

Drtooth

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I believe these may be authorized limited addition customs from vinyl artists. I can't imagine how they'd get around the license even with the weak "parody" claim so many people use to circumvent the system.
I wonder that strongly as well. There is no copyright notice anywhere on the page. Plus the title of the line kinda hints at it. I mean "pillaging pop culture?" That alone says "if we don't get a cease and desist letter, we'd be surprised." If they did get a license, no wonder the toys cost that much. Not to mention the toys would have to fall under some sort of annoying style guide for likeness and color rights. I'm sure Palisades did all the tweaking with the license as possible, but they never released a dark green Kermit. Unless I get real news otherwise, these are just expensive low batch custom figures. Something that would sell on Etsy. They look a little jagged around the edges.

Take it from someone who actually collects real Japanese blind box figures. These little toy companies have little or no understanding of actual Japanese toy culture. Blind Box Japanese figures can range from anything from little rubber figure that comes with a large odd flavored sweetart to highly detailed, well sculpted snap together statues (which may or may not come with said sweetart). And it isn't even just kiddy fare that comes with candy. I got a very nice Golgo 13 figure that came with I believe some sort of chocolate covered puff rice thing. It's a shame the blind box snap together detailed statues only came to us via Build a Bust, and those guys disappeared. I'd rather see those than Kid Robot type things.


I think there would be a good market for quality posed Muppet figures like the Hallmark ornaments, but without the voice chips. They could keep the runs low and buddy-pack each with a lesser-known Muppet. There are lots of ways to do it right. Ebay vultures are making all of the Muppet money that Disney could be making.
I honestly don't see why they willingly market Muppet dog clothes but an unwillingness to get small Muppet Show figures of any quality group (low, medium or high end) onto store shelves. Granted, that may be just as much the fault of retailers. Though I do notice that Funko also makes regular character shaped vynal figures from time to time. They certainly did with Beavis and Butthead and Phineas and Ferb. I do not expect a major toy line, but I find it pointless they don't have some PVC figures besides the ones in their own store and theme parks. That seems to be just as big a no brainer as plush.
 
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