The release date is in September, but the shelf date is often later because of transporting the shipments from warehouse to warehouse so expect an October shelf date. Animal will likely come out at the same time - Beaker was postponed last wave due to last minute retooling after a mishap in China. ATTACK OF THE MUTANT BEAKERS, LOL! If the Animal figure and playset come out later, it should be only by a couple of weeks, but I'd count on it being close to the regular assortment release. EB and Musicland/Sam Goody stores are usually pretty quick and are the best at knowing when their shipments will come in, Toys R Us is notoriously bad at this point, so if you're looking for a quick fix, I'd stick to EB or Sam Goody.