scooter's growth spurt?

[beaker]

I dunno, the eyes(glasses) and mouth seem a bit off...hmmm. Well, I can tell oddly enough as simple as he seems hes probably the hardest to capture.

Btw, did anybody else's Scooter come with little Judy Garland records, short clubbin' shorts, or Broadway musical tickets?

...hmmm, must be a factory error

 

[frogboy4]

We'll have to see him in person to know for certain. His head has always looked larger than Kermit's and he is significantly taller than Kermit and Gonzo in some full-bodied reference photos I have. He’s actually right in-between Gonzo and Fozzie, more on the Fozzie side. When you really look at it, he's really not all that short. It's difficult to tell with just the first half of the puppet because heights vary to cheat these guys into the frame. If we judged of frame height, Rizzo really would come up to Kermit's shoulder.

Here is a good pic to demonstrate how tall he is in relation to Gonzo (who is about Kermit-sized) and Fozzie. (note Scooter's bent knees, he's actually even taller)

 

[WiGgY]

Good reference. Here's another and my reasoning about scale of figures compared to muppets.

I think the scale issue comes from the addition of legs. This is something we are not use to. However if we look at The Muppet Movie can can see an interesting scene. Scooter is in the back, yet he looks almost as big as Fozzie! If he were in the front you would see that Scooter with legs is pretty much that big as a puppet. Also, Floyd with legs looks a lot taller than without. His figure reflects that too. Zoot looks like he lost his legs though. There is no way the puppet with legs could be that short. I think Zoot should be about as tall as Floyd. Maybe even taller maybe shorter but somewhere around that height.

http://members.aol.com/wiggyof09/cap269.JPG

here's a link to the pic in question.

 

[frogboy4]

Good job on the image. Muppet heights have never been very consistent and there really aren't that many full body shots. But Scooter's full body height always seems to be the same in all the pictures I’ve seen, and that usually leaves him around the height that has been reported.

Who knew that Strangepork is Kermit's height and that Link is taller than Fozzie. The Palisades people have spent a lot of time working with Henson and researching reference material to sort all of this out. I trust that Scooter won't be a giant. That's the same thing that was said about Fozzie and his scale seems perfect to me. Just my view on all this.

It always surprises me to see how small Gonzo really is. Now, that figure is actually a smidge too large in the face IMHO, but not enough to make it worth changing. These figures also have a life of their own. Nobody’s come near to the detail of these.

 

[ResidentLilly]

Artie felt that Scooter was too big also..a giant. I don't agree with that. Thing is, that for every photo I have that suggests that the figure height is close to the average puppet height, I have photos that refute that. I basically have hundreds of images at my disposal, and all we can really do is try to do an amalgam of puppet style and size and all that.

I remember way back in the day working on Looney Tunes stuff. WB provided me with a TON of visual guidelines...and there was no real way to deviate, know what I mean? All the scales and sizes spelled out, and definitive reference. There is no, and probably will never be, a "definitive" guide to the puppets like that. We just have to do it the way we think could work the best.

As for the likenesses...I consider that in the same category. I have so many different pictures of so many different versions of these things it would be impossible to have a definitive likeness. If we get close in some cases I'm happy. In some cases we cheat the likeness even more in favor of movement, since they are supposed to be articulated action figures. I've heard some stuff that Zoot or Rowlf is wrong, or others in earlier series. I consider it a ****** if you do and ****** if you don't situation. If you stay perfect to a perceived likeness and remove the jointed areas in say, the neck on Zoot or the ears on Rowlf, you'll have many people happy with the way they look and many people disappointed in the lack of articulation. If you go the route we take and have likeness compromises, you'll have many people happy with the way they move and play and many people disappointed in the likeness.

I think we will end up cheating likeness in favor of movement on every figure we can and try to get the best likeness versus articulation. These are the action figures. When we do the Mini Muppets we don't have to as much, so you will see likeness win in the likeness/movement war.

 

[WiGgY]

Personally I like the Zoot figures more than the actual Zoot puppet. The Zoot puppet has some weird strip pants in the Muppet Movie. The Zoot figure has really cool faded jeans, or at least that's what I saw in the pictures as I do not have series 3 yet!

The Scooter issue is not going to hinder sales of the figure though. It's something that only obsessed muppet fans care about, like the people on thses boards . And we all know obsessed muppet fans buy all the figures anyway lol

 

[ResidentLilly]

Originally posted by WiGgY
And we all know obsessed muppet fans buy all the figures anyway lol

I actually don't know if that was something you were saying to be funny (and it was funny) but I think that is the opposite over here. I have found that a lot of the hardcore Muppet fans have not been fanatical about collecting every figure. I understand the reasons, it's just an observation.

 

[WiGgY]

Wow, that seems odd. What are the reason's?

 

[matleo]

Can I field this one?? I know I'm one of the hardcore fans not collecting every fig. There are a few reasons for that. For some of us it's a question of money and space. I work as a puppeteer and live in a fairly confined apartment which is filled with puppets, props, set pieces, a growing collection of Muppet stuff, plus whatever my wife owns. I don't really have lot of room for action figures (I already have a TON of action figures I no longer play with takign up space in my mother's basement) And I can't really afford EVERY fgure that comes out. Another part of it is that, for me, I'm really just interested in having the characters. Truth is variants don't do a lot for me. I skipped Gonzo in Series 2 cause Gonzo in a his leotard always kinda freaked me out. It's not his most flattering look and I knew that if I held out, I'd get a better Gonzo fig and the rumors have been all long that that one woul have Camilla too!! So I'd rather hold off and spend the $8 a little wiser. Tux Rowlf doesn't do much for me in Series 3 nor does MTI Sam in Series 4. I'll hold out, be patient and get the regulars cause I think they'll be even better. Becasue I know that these are figs I probably won't play with.
I don't think a hardcore Muppet fan neccessarily equates a hardcore collector. I LOVE Muppets. I always have. I'm a became a puppeteer because of Muppets. I have a lot of the books and the episodes and I have Jim's autograph hanging on my wall, and whatnot...but I don't need 6-7 figures of (insert character here) to show that. And I don't think it makes me any less of a fan or mean that I love Muppets less than someone else. It's personal preference. Now I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions to my buyign variants. I will definitly pick up a tux Teeth when it comes out, Tux Fozzie is on my possible list, Koozebane Kermit is on my list of figs I want, and yes, I even bought a Tux Kermit (for reasons I quite can't remember...impulse buy)
I should also state here (and I've said this before) that Ken and Palisades have won me over on a number of times on this line. When this line was first annouced I figured I would pick up a few figs (5-6, my faves) and be done with it, I currently have 15 of the figs (yes, some are variants). I wasn't too keen on the idea of an EM stage at first, but have been blown away by it!! Thought I would pass on Crazy Harry....until I saw him. Not really a big Miss Piggy fan and thought I would wait and get her in PIS uniform (that would have been enough to satisfy me)....until I saw the EB long-haired Piggy. So occaisionally I DO buy things out of respect for what this company has done. This is a phenomenal line and I will buy most of the figs, but I also have to excercise some control and some restraint. I don't think there's anyting worng with that and I don't think that there is anything wrong with beign the otehr way and colecting EVERYTHING. it depends on what your interest is. Hope this answers the question Wiggy. Talk to you later.

--Matt

 

[WOMAN! WOMAN!]

Originally posted by frogboy4
We'll have to see him in person to know for certain. His head has always looked larger than Kermit's and he is significantly taller than Kermit and Gonzo in some full-bodied reference photos I have. He’s actually right in-between Gonzo and Fozzie, more on the Fozzie side.

After reading this thread, I watched Vol. 1 of TMS DVDs. Scooter comes up to the top of Fozzie's nose in that one. Pretty tall, then, cause Fozzie is huge in the figures. He might just look shorter on TV because he's got a big head on a skinny body. The Dudley Moore Syndrome...