Diamond Select Toys to Produce new Muppet figures and mini mates!

[The Count]

So, as far as I remember, DST labelled their Muppet figure run as follows.

Series 1 (S1) included:
Kermit The Frog, Robin the Frog, and Bean Bunny 3-pack (Anchor figure due to Kermit).
Fozzie Bear and Scooter 2-pack.
Gonzo the Great and Camilla the Chicken 2-pack.

Series 2 (S2) included:
Animal (Anchor figure).
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker 2-pack.
Statler and Waldorf 2-pack.

Series 3 (S3) included:
Miss Piggy, Foo-Foo, and Muppet Penguin 3-pack (Anchor figure due to Piggy).
Floyd Pepper and Janice 2-pack.
Rowlf The Dog, Crazy Harry, and Mahna Mahna 3-pack.

Then Series (S4), though they've been released as individual exclusives, included:
The Swedish Chef (Anchor figure).
Dr. Teeth and Zoot 2-pack.
And I believe Sam the Eagle and Rizzo the Rat 2-pack would complete the line-up.

We know the next release will include Uncle Deadly and Pepe the King Prawn as a 2-pack. Does that mean this 2-pack is:
a. to be considered as continuing S4?
b. a stand-alone 2-pack thereby abolishing the notion of duely denominated line-ups for future releases? or
c. the first/anchor figure for what would/should be named S5?

Also, on the subject of future figures... Besides speculating which figures DST hasn't made yet that are missing from the Palisades era like Newsman or Lips or Pops, I'd hope that DST got to making figures of characters Palisades never included like George the Janitor or Mildred Huxtetter or Annie Sue or Hilda. I'd add other names to that list but I don't know what exactly DST's contract covers in terms of Muppet franchises. Do they have rights to only classic TMS characters? The Jim Henson Hour? Muppets Tonight? all eight theatrical movie releases?

Just some little things to think about.

 

[MWoO]

I personally think they are getting away from grouping figures by waves or series. I wouldn't even consider series 4 to be an actual series as they were released separately. I'd say series 3 was the last "series".

 

[The Count]

Yeah, S3 being the last labelled as such makes sense.

 

[Random numbers]

Yeah, S3 being the last labelled as such makes sense.

Zach Oat, from DST, has said they are moving away from full waves and focusing on individual releases because they had trouble when releasing full waves. He also said that the figure after Deadly and Pepe is sculpted and ready to show, but they will probably wait a bit because they just solicited Deadly and Pepe. Since it's a single figure, I'm guessing Sweetums. I think he's maybe the next most popular Muppet.

I'm really curious who could come after that. Will they focus on classic Muppets, like Lips, Lew, Beauregard, Pops, and the Newsman, or newer ones like Walter, Bobo, and Chip? I think there license covers everything Disney owns. Maybe Lips and Walter next?

Based on YouTube interviews, it seems like Zach has a lot of knowledge and passion for the Muppets and lots of respect for the Palisades line. That gives me confidence that they'll keep working to make future figures happen and continue to do them pretty well.

 

[Random numbers]

I'm curious everyone else's opinions about which Muppets could get figures next and, really, which Muppets are more popular now. I assume every Muppet that has appeared in productions available on Disney+ is an option for DST, which I think is pretty much all of them. Here's my guess for order of likelihood based on which figures I think will sell best. What do folks think of my list? Will DST go for more generally popular Muppets, which I don't think many remain, to target a wider audience? Or, will they focus on characters not included in the Palisades line to target a more focused audience?

My guess:
1. Sweetums- most popular remaining Muppet and Zach mentioned the next figure required lots of painting- suggesting a bigger character is next.
2. Walter- I think he is the most recognized remaining Muppet and probably has the most appeal to the general public.
3. Lips- popular on the new D+ Electric Mayhem show and completes the band, Zach said they are considering him, and they made a Minimate of him. I think folks have been asking for him since the EM boxset came out a few years ago.
4. Newsman- they made a Minimate of him, a fairly recognizable/popular Muppet
5-8. Lew Zealand, Beauregard, Pops, and Bobo- I could see any of these characters packaged with Walter, Lips, or the Newsman. Maybe Bobo has the slight edge because he is prevalent in more recent productions and didn't get a Palisades figure. My guess is Walter and Lips are together, then Newsman and any of the four, if the line continues that long.

Maybe they will focus on characters not represented in the Palisades line. I could see them making Johnny and Sal or Chip, though I'm not sure how popular those characters are compared to others I mentioned earlier. Zach has said he hopes they make it to characters Palisades never produced, like a Vets Hospital three pack over a Pigs in Space.

Personally, I prefer if they focus on classic Muppets. But I'll buy whichever Muppets they make. I just hope they make new figures fast enough for interest in the line to persist. I hope Deadly and Pepe pre-sales are strong.

 

[The Count]

Just an FYI, as someone else will probably also want to reply...

Johnny Fiama was part of Palisades Toys S7, with two repaint variants.
Figures of the Vet's Hospital trio and Sal Minella were sculpted, not sure if they got articulation and full paint ops added, someone here ended up buying the Sal prototype figure.

Hope this helps.

 

[Blue Frackle]

Uncle Deadly and Pepe is up for pre-order. $27.99, Shipping in July.

Muppets Uncle Deadly and Pepe Deluxe Action Figure Set

Buy Muppets Uncle Deadly and Pepe Deluxe Action Figure Set at Entertainment Earth. Mint Condition Guaranteed. FREE SHIPPING on eligible purchases. Shop now!

www.entertainmentearth.com

Where are the accessories? This is pretty sad.

 

[Random numbers]

There was an answer to a question about more Muppet figures on today's AskDST.

"Graham T.

I saw that Uncle Deadly and Pepe went up for pre-order on October 20th. That's great news! How soon can we expect to see the next Muppet figure two-pack after them? I hope y'all are planning many more Muppet figures.

DSTChuck: I think at this time, if sales are strong enough, we would like to do a couple of new 2-packs per year on Muppets – tops might be three."

This sounds like great news to me. I would definitely be in for at least a few more years of 3-6 new Muppet figures a year. If they actually do average 4 new figures a year, they could get to some really niche Muppets before too long.

 

[MWoO]

I just hope they mean NEW 2-packs, not more Best Of 2-packs.

I am really surprised they haven't done a Pigs in Space 3-pack.

 

[Random numbers]

I just hope they mean NEW 2-packs, not more Best Of 2-packs.

I am really surprised they haven't done a Pigs in Space 3-pack.

On the Fwoosh.com forum, Zach said that Lew, Sweetums, Newsman, and Lips are on the 'sooner rather than later' list, which sounds great to me!

I think DST may have another production run of the several of the Best Of packs in 2024 (ee and bbts show several packs are restocking in 2024), but I don't think that is what DSTChuck was referring to in his answer. I think he means two to three 2-packs of NEW figures per year. Lots of qualifiers in his answer, but his answer and Zach's comment are giving me lots of hope and excitement about this line!