Opinions: The end of the Muppet line

[frogboy4]

That's really interesting. I didn't know about some of those. Are you referring to the Muppet Show Nigel or Muppets Tonight Nigel? I know that the first one was planned to be released in a wave of minis at one point. As for the unreleased Pepe designs, was that Pepe in one of his Muppets Tonight outfits, or in his tutu, or something else?

I took a stab at designing Muppet Show Nigel. I felt Droop should come before a Muppets Tonight Nigel as they are kind of in the same ballpark design.

The Pepe tutu design was from Muppets From Space. The full-body poser picture is incorrectly labeled as coming from Henson. It was a screengrab that I enhanced (a lot) and added feet, limbs and a wand. The same image can be seen on the Muppet Central Staff page. Henson did have some beautiful source images on the Pepe puppet, but that wasn't one of them. Seeing those puppet images up close are what would make me stoked about a possible Pepe MR poser down the line. I did pitch a figure release where the blister box resembled the Muppets Tonight elevator with a uniformed Seymore and Pepe inside. This received an immediate no-can-do as there were several issues with such an idea (box branding continuity, printing expense, design expense, character popularity, placement on the line, store or Con interest).

One thing I learned with Palisades was the great expense of printing!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

The thing that I loved best about the Palisades' line is that, even this far down the road, there is still interest in them and I have never, ever become bored with them!

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Favorite: Kermit, PIS Piggy, first Fozzie (especially when Chucky came along), The second Gonzo (thanks to Frogboy for making it beautifully Gonzo! and the best Gonzo ever made), and Zoot (whose articulation was awesome).
Unfavotire: Lips' paint being sticky (but love the figure), S1 Miss Piggy, and I don't really have an answer for this other than sticky paints.

2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected? Zoot was awesome!

3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite? Gonzo is fave, Animal's head was too heavy and one leg keeps falling out.

4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite? I didn't get it, but I didn't like silver shirt Janice, I liked Reporter Kermit, Rainbow Connection Kermit, and Jim Muppet figures!

5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite? Mahna-Mahna and Snowths fave, Ballons Gonzo least fave because the balloons kept making him fall over, and they finally just came out of his hands.

6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset? Backstage, Muppet Labs in that order.

7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite? White Tux Rowlf fave.

8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades? All but every variant.

9. do you own every package variations? No.

10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line? Other than Sesame Street or Fraggle Rock? I would have liked to have seen a complete series of Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppets Treasure Island as action figures. A 10" Ebeneezer Scrooge would have been nice (I find that 10" figures work well with The Muppets. I have a 10" George Burns who is their constant guest star).

11. wat is your favorite/ least favorite repaint? Lips.

12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories? Other than the great stuff that came with the Chef's kitchen? I dunno.

13. what is your favorite pack-in figure? Chucky.

14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten? Bean, Bobo, Articulated Robin and Sal Manilla and I would have felt like I owned everything I ever needed!

15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting? See 14.

16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten? Vet's Hospital.

17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be?
For the Mega-Muppets that they had run along the same releases as Master Replicas is doing now. They should have started with Kermit and that would have helped a lot. Then Piggy and so forth.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to play in it again.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

One thing I learned with Palisades was the great expense of printing!

Wow. I always thought that was the easiest part of product making. I suppose in some cases, where characters are being used, it would make a difference.

Like, I found out that to do anything with Ghostbusters licenses have to be paid to use the Ecto-1--not the car's character, but the original vehicle has to be licensed from Cadillac (I think that's right).

 

[goodrastus]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Favorite: S5 Gonzo, Super Grover, Rainbow Connection Kermit, Newsman, Link

Least favourite: Dr. Phil (because I never liked the character), Usher Scooter (too beaky and small eyes), Piggy 1 (hair and anorexic look), Stepping out Fozzie (just the face - otherwise great)

2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected? Some secondary were perfect - Lew Zealand, Marvin Suggs, Newsman, Uncle Deadly

Worse was Steppin Out Fozzie

3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite? I've only seen Animal

4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite? Rainbow Connection Kermit (seeing he had Robin too), Adventure Kermit (no explanation required) Culinary Catastrophe Chef and Vacation Pepe as he was better looking than regular Pepe. I also love Vanishing Cream Beaker. I'm not a fan of the Vaudeville Waldorf and Statler.

5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite? I don't have and am not really a fan of the minis.

6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset? Backstage is fantastic but I'm also very keen on the Swinetrek playset as it is so accurate. The Muppet Labs pales in comparison with the later playsets but it's still great.

7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite? Favourite is White tux Rowlf.

8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades? Not all the megas and no minis but I have the regulars and nearly all exclusives - not all variants though.

9. do you own every package variations? No.

10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line? I was really looking forward to the Sesame Street line and would have liked the core group of Fraggles too. Not really fussed about others but would have liked more characters to flesh out the Muppet Treasure Island line.

11. what is your favorite/ least favorite repaint? Not a big fan of repaints - I liked all of Johnny's looks which I cant's say about others. Janice was fine but I didn't really like the Silver Lips, although that probably had something to do with the blue/green Java muppets.

12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories? I love all the vegies and would gladly have more (any customisers about?) The grand piano was also amazing.

13. what is your favorite pack-in figure? Tied between Polly and Camilla

14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten?
1. Sal to go with Johnny.
2. Mahna Mahna with Snowths.
3. Lewis Kazagger - obscure but I really appreciate characters like Lew, Newsman, Marvin Suggs that are so well done.
4. Bean - would have been cute.
5. Bobo to complete main Muppets Tonight crew

Strangely enough, while not like some others who wanted Hilda, George, etc - I would have bought Annie Sue, Spamela and Andy and Randy (even though I could not stand those two!) Must be a pig thing I guess.

15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting? Hmmm - trying to jog my memory but Sal is the one lots of people wailed and gnashed teeth over - lol

16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten? Veteranarian's Hospital for sure.

17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be?
As well as the standard figures, Palisades established groups of figures in the Stepping Out and Muppet Treasure Island lines. I enjoy and bought these. I think it would have been better to make new characters or more characters in lines similar to these than some later figures such as Dr. Phil and Usher Scooter. I would have gone and bought Stepping Out Scooter and a Bean Bunny over these two in a flash. And I didn't get either until they were cheap on eBay for the first and unsold with 3 markdowns in a bargain bin for the second. Mind you, having said that I'm not sure Lewis would sell many figures but at least I didn't list 30 characters like some people! lol

It was terribly sad when it ended, doubly with Sesame Street but I am so pleased we got these figures. Especially considering the number of secondary and lesser-known characters we DID get.

 

[Reevz1977]

Just a question, why did all Kermits have a tan? The green seemed quite off to me.

 

[Blinky_Fish]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Top 5
Rizzo
Indiana Frog
Gonzo – Signature
Koosbane Kermit
Signature Sam

Bottom Tier
Johnny Fiama
Pepe
(only because he’s messed up looking in the head he’s be at the top)
Original Gonzo
BOP Fozzie
Silver Janice




2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected?
Pepe was a real downer for me – Everything but his little head was fine. I just wanted him so much.

3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite? Mega Gonzo the Best – Mega Camilla worst (woulda rather seen a large Kermit or Rowlf

4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite? Fave exlcusive Vacation Fozzie – Least – RC Kermit

5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite? – Kermit and Blown up Beaker – But generally I hated the PVC’s

6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset?
Pig’s in Space ( I have 15 of these – I bought out the etoys store) – least is the Lab

7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite? Favorite was Henson Holiday Kermit Least Fav none

8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades? Yep
9. do you own every package variations? Yep
10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line? Muppet Christmas Carol
11. what is your favorite/ least favorite repaint? Johnny Fiama
12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories? WTH?
13. what is your favorite pack-in figure? MTI Rizzo
14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten? Sal Manilla, George the Janitor,Fleet scribbler and A better Floyd
15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting? Sal Manilla
16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten? The Muppets WoO figures
17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be? That it was sold in large retail stores instead of Musicland/Suncoast stores. F’ers

 

[matleo]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Top 5: Lew Zealand, Dr. teeth, Beau, Johnny, Sweetums
Least favorites: Bunsen, Marvin Suggs, Pepe

2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected?
Lips always seemed a bit off to me. Hair should have been a bit bolder.

3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite?
Didn't collect them, but I really like Animal form what I saw.


4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite?
Favorite: Does Sweetums count? Uncle Deadly? How about Jim Henson? Beyond that, I dunno. Probably Tuxedo Gonzo. Least favorite: Mega Camilla.


5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite? Dog Lion and Scooter were my favorites. I skipped the set with Piggy in the towel. That always seemed a little weird to me.


6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset? Favorite: Backstage, one of the best Muppet toys ever made. Least favorite: Swedish kitchen...I know it had a lot of stuff in it, but for me it had TOO much stuff in it.

7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite?
Favorite: Gold Tux Gonzo. Least favorite: Blue Tux Gonzo

8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades? No.

9. do you own every package variations? no.


10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line?
Would have loved to see more MTI stuff but they actually had a contract for that. so I guess I'd say Fraggle Rock.

11. wat is your favorite/ least favorite repaint? Favorite:
Janice. Least favorite: GITD Uncle Deadly.

12. what are your favorite pack-in accessories? too many to choose. off the top of my head though, Lew's fish, the TV cameras, anything that came with any EM member was wonderful! the rubber chicken, there were so many wonderful accessoriesthat they really overshadow ay I didn't like.


13. what is your favorite pack-in figure? Probably Camilla.


14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten? Sal, MFS Bobo, and strangely Andy and Randy pig....hated the characters but would have really loved to see Palisades do them.

15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting? Sal, and anything SS related.


16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten? there was talk of a Tux Dr. teeth, I would have really liked that.


17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be? I would've used BOP Fozzie as an S2 exclusive as he was originally planned. I think that would have changed a lot for the future of the line.

 

[vans]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Top 5: Janice, Zoot, S2 Fozzie, S3 Scooter, Lew Zealand
Bottom 5: Rizzo, Pepe, Pops, Robin, Marvin Suggs
2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected?
Zoot is really great if I could own one.
3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite?
Sweetums if you consider it a Mega, the least is Camilla.
4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite?
The long hair Miss Piggy is my favorite, least is Super Scooter.
5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite?
Thog is the best, am not too thrilled with Ms. Piggy in the towel.
6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset?
Backstage, the least favorite is Muppet Labs.
7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite?
I don't know much about the give-aways
8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades?
NO
9. do you own every package variations?
NO
10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line?
I would've loved the Veterinary Hospital playset & figures made.
11. wat is your favorite/ least favorite repaint?
Marvin Suggs
12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories?
I love that Gonzo canon.
13. what is your favorite pack-in figure?
Animal
14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten?
Veterinary Characters: Dr. Bob, Piggy & Janice plus Bear on Patrol Police Chief Link Hogthrob.
15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting?
Vet Characters of course
16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten?
same answer in no. 14
17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be?
I just wished it didn't have to end.

 

[JoeliFerSure]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
Top 5: Janice, Muppet Newsman, Link Hogthrob, Miss Piggy and Floyd. Bottom 5: Vacation (anything), Invisible Beaker, Patrol Bear Fozzie, Dr Phil Van Neuter and Pepe
2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected?
They were all pretty good to be honest
3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite?
Animal and least Camilla
4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite?
None really, they should have stuck to one for each character
5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite?
I like Thog and Gonzo with the ballons, don't really like the ghosts
6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset?
Favourites - backstage and swinetrek least - the Lab
7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite?
Not sure
8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades?
No
9. do you own every package variations?
No I hate the variants
10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line?
Veterinarians playset and figures
11. wat is your favorite/ least favorite repaint?
Uncle Deadly
12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories?
The Muppet Newsman's Mini set
13. what is your favorite pack-in figure?
Janice
14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten?
Dr Bob, Nurse Janice, Nurse Piggy and Lydia the Tattooed Lady
15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting?
Dr Bob and the gals
16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten?
Dr Bob etc
17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be?
That they didn't have so many variants and just stuck to one figure per character...and then released separate movie versions of characters.

 

[Nick22]

1. who are your top five favorite/ least favorite figures?
well i cant really answer that since i only have 5
2. were any figures better/ worse than you expected?
i was kinda upset with S1 Piggy
3. which mega was your favorite/ least favorite?
have none
4. what exclusives were your favorite/ least favorite?
i only have one which i got off ebay and hasnt arrived yet
5. what minis are your favorite/ least favorite?
have none
6. what is your favorite/ least favorite playset?
the pigs in space playset looks awesome!
7. what give-away was your favorite/ least favorite?
have none
8. do you own every Muppets release from palisades?
nope
9. do you own every package variations?
nope
10. what is one muppet production (not in palisades contract) that you would have liked to have been included in the line?
the Vetranarians Hospital playet and Nurse Janice, Dr. Bob, and Nurse Piggy
11. wat is your favorite/ least favorite repaint?
have none. but the janice repaint looks good
12. what are your favorite non-pack-in accessories?
im not sure
13. what is your favorite pack-in figure?
probly camilla
14. who are four characters you wish we could have gotten?
Dr.Bob, Nurse Janice, Nurse Piggy, and any one of the Fraggles
15. of the characters planned for 2005, which one are you most upset over not getting?
Vet's Hospital gang
16. of the officially unannounced-for-release figures, which one do you wish we could have gotten?
Vet's Hospital
17. if you could change one thing about the line, what would it be?
im not sure. i thougt it was pretty good over all.