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Kermit the Frog
Accessories: Camera with The Muppet Show logo, 'Kermit' Coffee Mug, Logo Base

Kermit is superb. Each long, thin finger is rendered perfectly. He can hold his coffee mug in his right hand. The slight creases at his elbows and knees mimic the movement of the real cloth Kermit. His collar, with all eleven points, is made of a more flexible plastic allowing his ball-jointed shoulders full rotation. The slight upward curl of the toes on his flippers is a wonderful touch. However, my favorite features are the creases in his neck. This seems like a small detail that could easily have been over looked but it adds so much realism to the figure and demonstrates the attention to detail and accuracy that is the hallmark of this line. I chose my Kermit carefully. Some had slight cuts to the collar. Collectors should watch for this when picking their piece. Kermit is deceptively simple and my favorite of Series 1. Nothing has been over looked with this figure, right down to the movement of the camera.

Miss Piggy
Accessories: Dressing Table with Mirror, Hand-held Mirror, Boa and Logo Base

Piggy is the only figure with which I am not entirely satisfied. Her ears are a touch too close together, but the main problems are her figure and 'skin.' This svelte Piggy is not the lovable diva of The Muppet Show. She has the model-like proportions Piggy has always imagined for herself; long legs, slim waist, even a reduced bosom. This is, reportedly, the way Henson wants Piggy portrayed so it is not to be held against Palisades, still, I hope Henson will return Piggy to her old self in short order. Piggy lacks the texturing that makes the other figures look like Muppets. Her smooth 'skin' gives her a more human appearance. Subtle texturing would give her a more Muppety look. On the up side, the vanity drawer opens and the mirror tilts. Piggy can hold her hand mirror and on the back of the mirror is an elegant P. Of course both mirrors actually reflect. Piggy can stand on her own, but with her high heels she is far more stable on the stand (that's Piggy for you: fashion before function). All of the Piggy figures I saw had some gunk around the shoulder ball joints and several had paint drips in various places. Unfortunately, I became so wrapped up in the details of the figure, I did not notice a damaged leg on my Piggy's vanity until after I got her home. Piggy's signature pearl necklace is nicely done, with the head movement above the necklace, allowing the necklace to remain stationary when her head is turned. Her gloves are just the right shade of purple and have creases and wrinkles in them as appropriate. It is possible to adjust one hand so Piggy can study her reflection in the hand mirror and wave with her other hand. The sculpted up-do is far better in person than in photos. Piggy's skirt is made of flexible plastic allowing a bit of leg movement despite the tight skirt.

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
Accessories: Robot Rabbit, Muppet Labs Book and Logo Base

They say accessories make the man, and that is certainly apt in this case. Robot Rabbit is more like a second figure than an accessory. His legs, arms, head, and head lever move. He has raised nail heads in all the appropriate places. He is a grand robot and would probably sell well on his own. The Muppet Labs notebook opens to reveal a tic tac toe game and a shopping list. Not that Bunsen needs the accessories to be a great figure. From his shoe laces to the pencil in his lab coat pocket, no detail has been missed. Even the buttons on his coat and vest have realistic holes in them. His coat is made of flexible plastic, like Kermit's collar and Piggy's skirt, so it will stand up to rough play. Different textures for his vest and tie convey the look of different fabrics. He can hold his notebook and he has more movement than Kermit. The accuracy of the face sculpt is refreshing. There's just enough detail to give the hint of a chin and cheeks without making his face more human than Muppet. No advice for collectors on this one-- the Bunsen I got is flawless. Now that I think about it, Bunsen might be my favorite…

The problem with Dr. Teeth is where to begin. There is tons of detail on this one. I don't even want to contemplate how many different applications of paint go into this guy. At a quick glance, I counted 26 different colors. The amazing thing is, when you look at the figure, you just see Dr. Teeth. Not a simplified Dr. Teeth. Not Dr. Teeth minus the groovy clothes. Just Dr. Teeth, exactly as he should be. There are stitching lines in the loafers, rings on his fingers, and individual strands of fringe everywhere. From the back, the attention to detail is awing. Dr. Teeth's vest, a separate piece of softer plastic, has numerous out of place pieces of fringe, each individually painted. The figure almost needs to be displayed backwards to spotlight this bit of work. Dr. Teeth's hat fits snugly on his head via little notches. His wrists swivel allowing him to 'play' his keyboard. An unexpected touch is the movement at his ankles. The downside of a figure this complex is the inevitable paint goof. Mine has a small drop of pink just beyond his tongue. There are also a couple of small scratches on his nose and a smudge on the fringe of his vest near one shoulder. However, the other Dr. Teeth available had a far more noticeable discolored sleeve. This figure requires careful scrutiny before purchasing.

The Muppet Labs playset is more reminiscent of the lab in Disney’s MuppetVision 3-D than any of the versions of the lab from The Muppet Show. This will disappoint fans looking for replicas of The Muppet Show sets, but it is important to remember Muppet Labs did not have a consistent set throughout the series. This incarnation of the lab is intriguing and dark, truly setting the stage for experiments gone a wry. The green and black color scheme gives it a feeling of foreboding, perhaps a foreshadowing of the perils that await poor Beaker at the hands of Dr. Honeydew. The green and yellow tiled floor, green walls, and hazy windows are all textured. The counter and machinery have an industrial look to them, done in black with detailed nail heads and moving levers in two places. In an intricate collection of test tubes on the counter, Bunsen’s latest experiment bubbles away. No detail has been missed on the experiment table where multiple cuts are evident on the wood planks. One can only imagine what Beaker has endured while strapped to this table, all in the name of Science. Centered against the back wall of the lab is a large cauldron with a window, perfect for dropping Beaker in because his face appears in the window, pleading for help (Meep!). The gorilla detector, while it does not do anything, is a great nod to hard-core Muppet fans who remember this prop from the Avery Schreiber episode of The Muppet Show.

Beaker, plain old ordinary Beaker with no vanishing parts, is reason enough to buy the playset. From his saddle shoes and striped sox, to his checkered shirt and the uvula painted in his mouth, this is Beaker. The red highlights in his orange hair are a very nice touch. A couple picky little complaints: Beaker has a button on the cuff of each arm, on his right arm the button is painted white, on his left it is pained along with the rest of the shirt in the green and white check pattern. The paint scheme is not quite perfect on the fold of one of Beaker’s shirt collars. There are a few drips of paint on the lab counter top and it is difficult to make the electrode helmet stay on Beaker’s head. Would have been nice to get some free standing test tubes and other equipment Bunsen and Beaker could hold in their hands, thus allowing the user to create their own experiment set up. Working drawers under the counter would also be a good addition and allow for extra storage. As I said, these are all small details, over all the labs playset is another top notch toy from Palisades.

Exclusive Kermit the Frog in Tux (Toys R Us and Toy Fare)
Accessories: Camera with The Muppet Show logo, 'Kermit' Coffee Mug, Logo Base

Exclusive Miss Piggy with Long Hair (EB Games)
Accessories: Dressing Table with Mirror, Handheld Mirror, Boa and Logo Base

As expected, the hair down version of Piggy is a big improvement over the regular series Piggy. This is the Piggy we know and love. I still think the ears are a tad too close together, but having her hair down makes this less noticeable. The long molded hair impedes Piggy’s head movement, but this is the sole downside of this do. The hair has been sculpted in detail with tons of individual strands and soft curls at the ends. The detailed texturing of the hair, however, reminds one of how much ‘skin’ texturing would improve the Muppet look of this figure. The smooth legs, face, and upper arms just don’t reflect the fabricated look of the real Miss Piggy. The colors are great on this repaint. The dark blue dress brings out Piggy’s eyes and is more complimentary than the purple on the regular assortment Piggy. I have to wonder about the lighter blue of Piggy’s shoes. I imagine they are intended to more closely match the color of the boa, but they look funny with the dress. Miss Piggy would have shoes that go perfectly with her dress, wouldn't she? The boa is magnificent. It's a grand Piggy accessory. It looks great with the dress and suits Piggy beautifully. The vanity, in light purple with silver and pink accents, is quite snazzy and far more striking than the pinks and gold on the regular vanity. Again there are paint drips, particularly on the shoes. My exclusive Piggy has a bit of plastic gunk on one ear and some black stuff on her chin. The long hair helps hide the shoulder ball joints and the smudges accompanying them. This Piggy is far superior to the regular Piggy, I just hope future Piggy’s come with the same wonderful Muppety texturing as the other figures.

The Dr. Teeth exclusive available at Wizard World East, a convention held in Pennsylvania, is a repainted version of the regular Series 1 Dr. Teeth. Again, the paint job is complex and incredibly detailed. And again, there are paint drips in places. Fewer colors are used on the exclusive than the regular Dr. Teeth; a quick count reveals 12 different colors. Dr. Teeth’s cummerbund has a flower (or perhaps it is supposed to be fireworks?) design versus the paisley pattern on the regular figure. His shirt, in black and white stripes, is quite striking. The darker blue color shows off the texturing on the exclusive’s pants better than on the regular Dr. Teeth. Dr. Teeth’s keyboard is purple on a black base. While the regular Dr. Teeth’s coloring remains true to the images from The Muppet Show, the variant captures the band leader’s preference for groovy clothing and unique sense of style.