I've had "MAHNA-MAHNA!" in my head for a week now...
Written: Nov 25 '03
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Pros: Some great obscure characters, one enormous sweet monster.
Cons: Sam's "golf ball" texturing.
The Bottom Line: Mahna-Mahna! Doo-doo-DEE-doo-doo... MAHNA-MAHNA! Doo-doo-DEE-doo... Mahna-Mahna! Doo-doo-DEE-doo-doo-dee-doo-doo-doo-badoo-dee-doo-doo-doo-doo...
I can do this all day.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Palisades Mini Muppets PVC Set 2: Wave 1 |
Y’all know I’m a freak about the Muppets. Out of the 620 reviews I’ve written for Epinions over the last three years, I’d guess nearly 100 of them involve the Muppets somehow. And I probably mention my Muppet-loving tendencies in another 100. I truly need help. But since my wife continues to support me in my addiction, help won’t be coming any time soon. And in fact, it’s getting worse. 2003 has been a blockbuster year for Muppet merchandise—after years of drought, we’ve seen fine new plush toys from Sababa, Muppet Monopoly, U-No, Magic 8 Balls, Playing Cards, and Puzzles, and of course the stuff nearest and dearest to Quinn’s black little heart—the action figures from Palisades Toys. They’re on Series 6 right now, with a lineup recently announced through Series 10 in 2004, and no end to the line in sight. Not only is Palisades continuing the action figures, but they’re differentiating their output to include Mega Muppets and Mini Muppets. The Mega Muppets so far include Beaker and Animal, and the Mini Muppets are boxed sets of small Muppet figurines, each a little plastic statue worthy of collecting on its own.
The first series of Mini Muppets is divided into two sets: Set One includes Miss Piggy, Gonzo and two Snowths, and is reviewed here: http://www.epinions.com/content_119826517636 . The second set includes some more obscure characters, but they’re so well-made and so interesting as stand-alone pieces that they’re as exciting to me as the Gonzo and Miss Piggy from the first set. Well…almost as exciting as the Miss Piggy, who’s clad only in a purple towel.
The second set includes Mahna-Mahna, Sam Eagle, and Thog. Of the three, you’ve certainly heard of Mahna-Mahna and Sam Eagle…Mahna-Mahna is the hairy hippieish guy with the sunglasses who sings the scat song where he gets his name, accompanied by the two pink Snowths (available in the first set of Mini Muppets). I hear it’s based on some sort of Scandinavian porno…but that could just be the sort of thing that lonely Muppet freaks talk about online. Anyway, Mahna-Mahna is here in what must be his first piece of merchandise, even though he’s been featured on the Ed Sullivan Show, Sesame Street, and The Muppet Show several times. He’s a small figure, the smallest in this set, but has a great deal of detail. His torso is shaggy green fur, which contrasts nicely with his bright orange shaggy hair and beard—the ultimate counter culture icon is completed by his sunglasses and open mouth, ready to belt out “MAHNA-MAHNA!” right here in my office cubicle.
In stark contrast to Mahna-Mahna, and probably infuriated at being in the same package as him, is Sam Eagle. That most patriotic of Muppets is here in all his naked glory, right wing (how appropriate) raised in lecture mode, left wing behind his back holding a book on Ethics. The details of Sam’s sculpt are wonderful for the most part—the intricacies of his feathers on his wings and ruffle around his neck are perfect. His expression is also perfect, furrowed brow, frowny beak, bags under his eyes…very Nixonian. My one quibble, and it’s a minor one, is with the texturing on his torso. The sculptor opted for more texture than is on the actual puppet, giving him a sort of dimpled “golf ball” appearance that I don’t remember from The Muppet Show. I’m used to it now, it does give Sam a feathered effect, but I think it distracts from the figure overall.
The third figure in the set is another obscure character; Palisades has excelled at giving the fans some obscure Muppets that have never seen any kind of merchandise before, including Crazy Harry, the Muppet Newsman, and Lew Zealand. Here we get one of the largest Muppets, Thog. A sky blue monster seen most prominently in the opening credits of The Muppet Show, Thog is a gentle giant. And among the Mini Muppets, the Thog figure IS a giant. Taller than some of the Palisades action figures, Thog is larger and heavier than a baseball, and dwarfs PVC figurines from this or any other collection. And he’s just a sweet figure. As they’ve done time and time again, Palisades has captured the essence of the character in one piece. The sculpt is perfect, the pose, holding some daisies and waving, makes you wish you were two inches tall so you could run up to Thog and give him a big hug. Even though he’s a character even I know next to nothing about, he immediately became my favorite in this group. And to beat out Mahna-Mahna is quite a feat.
These are great figures—if you or someone you love is a Muppet fan, but they aren’t really into collecting the action figures, these sets of Mini Muppets would be a great way to start a collection for them. Perfect for your office desk, but well made enough for a display case, these are the highest quality PVC figurines I’ve ever seen.
And since these are the first series in the line, you can get on board now. The line will continue to grow through 2004, with additions including Kermit the Frog, Bunsen, Beaker, Scooter, The Swedish Chef, all of the members of Electric Mayhem, and other favorite characters. Keep an eye out for them at Media Play, Suncoast, Sam Goody, and smaller stores; your best bet may be online sources like Boxingcow.com and Beanstoys.com. Both have excellent customer service, and I give them my highest recommendation.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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Epinions.com ID:
JediKermit
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 in Movies, Kids & Family, Books |
 - Top 100 |
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Member: Quinn
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 2149
Trusted by: 600 members
About Me:
Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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