If you’re a huge [insert obscure comic book name here] fan like me, then you’re probably following all the exciting news coming from the San Diego Comic Con. There’s inter-company crossovers, fanboys and girls, and writers being treated like celebrities. Of course, nobody is coming to a Muppet fan website for news from Comic Con. That’s what Newsarama is for.
Thankfully, for the comic book intolerant of you, there are lots of companies presenting their wares at Comic Con, just like in the opening number of episode 511 of The Muppet Show. Except there are no pies. And no pie salesmen.
This year, we were lucky enough for Master Replicas to be presenting their Muppet line of photo puppets. Kermit was there, which was released last year. But you know all about him already. You probably have him posed in some kind of lewd position over your bedpost. Yeah, I’ve seen the pictures.
First up is the Animal photo puppet. A picture of him was released a while back, but you can tell there has been some minor adjustments to his design to make him a little more feral and a little less… um, pointy. His hair is still a little all-over-the-place, but you can tell that he’s got potential to be great once he’s officially released. Unfortunately, because of the wild hair, his head is almost completely hidden. Hopefully once we can see him in real life, his design will make a bit more sense. Most ideal photo pose: slightly hunched over, eyes closed, panting, and ready to attack.
Next we’ve got the Gonzo photo puppet. A very rough design of his head was released to us a bit ago, but the additions look a little awkward. The photo makes it look like the last scene in Big when Tom Hanks starts to turn into a boy again, but he’s still wearing the grown-up clothes. And speaking of clothes, the last time I checked, Gonzo’s tux was purple. Though I wouldn’t put it past him to wear bright pink as an artistic statement (possibly while eating a hi-fi system to the tune of “Baby Got Back”). Of course, the nose is far from the finished product. It’s also the most important part of the puppet, since that’s how most people will recognize him. Hopefully Master Replicas will find out how to make a good-looking schnozz out of a material that won’t disintegrate after 6 months. Most ideal photo pose: belly dancing in a vat of butterscotch pudding.
Lastly we’ve got a Comic Con surprise. Fozzie Bear is the next photo puppet to be produced, and I couldn’t be happier with their first stab at the comedian. Fozzie actually looks like he’s in the middle of a joke that’s bombing, but he doesn’t yet know that the audience doesn’t find him funny. He looks like he’s actually alive, and for an early prototype, he looks better than Animal and Gonzo put together. Though the first thing you’d notice is that he’s going to be a huge photo puppet. And while I love the idea that all of the Muppets will be to scale, I don’t know any Muppet fans who will be able to afford the giant Fozzie. Well, maybe they’ll shell out the money once he’s wearing his hat. Most ideal photo pose: banana in one hand, rubber chicken in the other, trying to ignore the two old guys in the balcony.
Post-lastly, Master Replicas is reportedly working on a few more photo puppets that weren’t quite ready for display yet. Rizzo is high on the list, as is Miss Piggy. Personally, I’d love to have the rat in my apartment, though that’s mostly so he can kick out his mousey brothers. A Miss Piggy photo puppet would be spectacular, but she’s reinvented her style more than Madonna, so who knows which version we’d end up with. There’s also the possibility of accessory packs for each of the photo puppets, so feel free to let your imagination run wild.
So, start saving your dollars, because the Muppets are invading your house and they’re aching to be posed, photographed, and left on the mantle to collect dust.
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