Theoretical Question: Should a new figure line focus on only variants?

[minor muppetz]

So it seems like we're close to the end of the figures from Diamond Select Toys, and I've been thinking today: Next time (if there is a next time) a toy company decides to do a Muppet toy line, should it focus exclusively on variants (or have variants before standard versions)?

Palisades sometimes put out variants before the standard versions to help keep the line going, but with so many important characters released by Palisades and then by Diamond, it's likely that it'll take awhile for any Muppet toy line to get to many characters not previously made by those companies (though Diamond did give us Bean Bunny). Starting a line with variants, especially if they weren't made in toy form yet, would be a way to include some interest, to include major characters in variants not made in toy form before. Perhaps a series 1 could be the Vets Hospital crew (the recent MuppetationalMay results show that Vets Hospital was picked as favorite recurring sketch by more fans than Pigs in Space was).

And besides, since the time when Palisades ended the Muppets line, there really haven't been many new characters introduced who would be major enough to be included in a Muppet toy line (mainly just Walter and Constantine), and not many important pre-2005 characters who weren't made as toys.

 

[The Count]

Don't forget DST also made a figure of Foo-Foo that was new to the line.

As far as any potential new figure lines... I'll say it again, I love my full Palisades collection, it resparked my Muppet fandom and led to all the vonderful connections here and at Palisades forums. But I echo Corey (beaker)'s sentiments that a three & three-fourths articulated figurine series would be better as it would afford a greater wealth of characters included whether variant or signature versions as well as take up less space per figure allowing for a greater number of figures to be displayed on the same shelf.