Variants, Anomalies, and Peg fun!

[beaker]

Let's not kid ourselves...the variants/exclusives pretty much eclipse the originals. Sorry to say, I think it is clear the variants look cooler than the originals.

Let's look at it:

What looks cooler?

I think EB Piggy hands down beats regular short hair piggy.

I think Vacation Fozzie beats regular Fozzie.

I think Blue Floyd beats Red Floyd.

I think Crash Helmet EB Gonzo beats regular stunt Gonzo.

I think TRU ecl. TUX Kermit betas regular Kermit.

However...I do prefer regulair Dr. Teeth to WW excl variant Dr. Teeth...as well I prefer regulair Beaker compared to the variants.

But herein lies the beauty...the cool versions are harder to find(especially the con or chase figures) so it makes it that much more fun to try and find or order online.

Though Im wondering a few things...

*Why are some stores marking down Series One figures to embarassing 'two steps away from dollar stores' prices?

*Why is there more Piggy figures left on some shelves? I havent seen so many specific figure leftovers since the days of Xizor and Lando during the 1996 Shadow of the Empire days.

*Why is there such a huge gap between prices? I got Series 2 figures for $7 each at EB, but at comic stores Ive seen em as high as $15 each!

Anyways, just some observations. But last I checked, Palisades Muppet line is by far the coolest looking series lining shelves these days.

 

[frogboy4]

* I like Standard Red Floyd better than Blue Floyd. Just looks better in red.

* I like Exclusive EB Piggy's head (with the long hair) placed on the standard Purple (hair up) Piggy's body. So, that is a split vote.

* I enjoy Standard Kermit more than Tux Kermit. Love the collar.

* I enjoy Standard Fozzie more than Vacation (which is brilliant) or Invisible Fozzie (which is waaaay cool). Just like the classic hat and look. It's a solid figure that feels good in your hand and doesn't need much articulation.

* I enjoy Standard Gonzo more than Exclusive EB Gonzo because you can see his face. I still wish they'd found a way to make the helmet removable. Maybe the hair sprout could have been smaller.

* I enjoy Standard Beaker more than the Invisible versions. I like to see him in all his glory. (The Invisible ones are definitely cool though.)

* I enjoy Exclusive Con Teeth more than the Standard Paint Teeth. The palette is limited to fewer colors and he just looks sharper. A lot of thought went into this version and it shows. (Do you have this version?)

To answer some of the questions IMHO:

I think the stores are pricing series one figures down to move out the merchandise. The stores that are doing so do not specialize in action figures and are unsure about a Muppet Show line because there hasn't been a guide for it in years.

Series one characters were short-packed to make room for extra Piggys and Kermits. Yes, the pig is popular, but fewer boys are likely to buy the figure and it is a predominantly male market. To some she just didn't look right. The uneven case packing really hurt the pig. Kermit sells no matter what.

The price points on the figures depend on the stores that carry them. Some (like FAO Schwartz or Things From Another World) are expensive specialty stores who mark up their items. They also tend to buy in bulk and collectors know and count on that. They want to get a return on their investment quickly. I have found the best deals online, but the best place to hand select my figures is definitely TFAW.

 

[WiGgY]

I don't know if ALL the exclusives are cooler.

*Tux kermit is cool for what it is but you still need a regualr Kermit. If they only made Tux Kermit I think we would all protest!

*Piggy was definatly a dissappointment. The exclusive looks much better but still very girly (she is a girl after all) Maybe instead of a vanity they could have put in something to do with Karate or maybe even Foo Foo would have been better. Series one was a test and I think they passed but not with flying colors. 2 was way better and it looks like 3 and 4 are way better too. Piggy was a let down for me and I wasn't even sure if I was going to buy it or not. I decided I might as well get her just incase a good one was never made. I doubt many people bought this figure because it was cool, more so because they wanted a complete collection.

*Crash helmet Gonzo is way better. I like the blue cape better, I like the colors on the canon better, it's just better. Now all I have to do is get one! No doubt Crash Helemt Gonzo is better.

*Blue Floyd is not cooler to me. Red Floyd is much better. He just looks better in red. Blue Floyd is cool but not compared to the red one. Why did they make a blue one anyway?

*Fozzie is very cool next to vacation Fozzie. Vacation Fozzie made no sense to me. When did we see Fozzie like this? I don't like Vacation Fozzie as much, but if it were infront of me at a store I would buy. I would not, however, choose it over regular fozzie. Inviso Fozzie looks cool, but you can't just have an inviso fozzie!

*Beaker is better than any beaker variant.

*I like both dr teeths. Of course I don't have the variant because there are only like 500 in the world! lol So, I I'll stick with the regular one. One question though. All my figures on still in the package so they are stuck in the pose the factory put them in. Do Dr. Theeth's plastic sun glasses/eye lids come off or move up to give him that wide eyed look?

*Comic and card shops always mark up the price on things. Go to a nice store chain. They are resonable. The little comic stores do whatever they want. Never buy trading cards in a card shop. I buy Yu Gi Oh cards 2-3 dollars cheaper in a regualr store.

 

[Stryder Wolfe]

Dr. Teeth's glasses don't move....too bad, but I can understand as it might ruin the figures looks if they did...

hmm.. am torn on all the exclusives...I ahve a horrible time picking a favorite of any...I guess the only one that is clear is my preference for long hair piggy. However, I do thin kthat hair up piggy goes better with tux kermit as it's a more formal look)

 

[WiGgY]

Too bad the glasses don't move. Guess this means I'll have to buy another Dr. Teeth and rip them off

 

[uncleduke]

Originally posted by WiGgY
*Comic and card shops always mark up the price on things. Go to a nice store chain. They are resonable. The little comic stores do whatever they want. Never buy trading cards in a card shop. I buy Yu Gi Oh cards 2-3 dollars cheaper in a regualr store.

Speaking as the owner of a small business that carries these.
We do not 'mark up' the prices. We are simply not offered the volume discounts that the chain stores get from the manufacturer.
It is actually cheaper for me to go to Target and buy Simpsons action figures for my shop than it is to order them from Playmates or Diamond.
Same goes for other lines. Just wanted to clarify why you have some indie shops charging a couple of bucks more.

 

[Luke]

I kinda agree with the Frogboy on the variations thing - i much prefer Red Floyd to Blue Floyd, Kermit to Tux Kermit, Fozzie to Vacation Fozzie, Beaker to the Variants - the only exclusive i like more than the originals is the Exclusive Piggy but thats just because the regular one looked so awful - i can't blame people for not buying her.

On the subject of pricing variations, yeah Uncleduke is totally right, the smaller stores pay a lot more for their figures compared to the large stores, and also have to pay to rent and maintain the stores seperately usually in very costly areas, wheras large stores which are part of chains just absorb the costs. Prices are higher internationally even in the large chain stores as we've got the UK distributor hiking up the price before they even get on the shelves.

 

[WiGgY]

Well it still sucks that small stores have higher prices. Of course there is a reason for it. I just don't have the money to spend that extra few bucks.

 

[Gonzo]

The only variant/exclusive I prefer to the "original" version is the EB Piggy....everyone else, I prefer the original/naked/classic look.

And when tux Gonzo comes out, I'll probably prefer that to Daredevil, nekkid Rowlf and Sam to tux Rowlf and Sam Arrow, etc. it's the "iconic" version of these characters--the ones we think of when we think about a certain character.

The legends.

Quinnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[beaker]

Good to see people's opinions on these! Hmmm, I guess that is the reason we have so many variants(if you include con variants, chase, exclusives...WOW! And we are only to series 2!!!)

Different choices for different tastes. For me it's all about the variants/chases. they just look cooler to me. The clear con exclusives didnt do much for me. It's a gimmick that doesnt really make that much sense, except for 'rare collectibility'. For display purposes I just like the exclusives/variants/chases.

As for stores: Go to Suncoast and Sam Goody: Youll find series one figures for like $3-$4. For those into custom figure painting or gift buying its a good deal.

But when it comes to comic stores...no way in heck am I paying their $15 versus the $7 EB charges.

Btw, is it me...or does this series not truly get visually out of hand til series 4?(or from what I read series 5!)