Muppets: "Vacation" Fozzie

As we get closer to the release date of the new Muppet movie, I thought it would be a good time to continue shouting the praises of the greatest action figure line to ever grace the shelves of toy stores. Palisades: you are sorely missed.

While Lindsay and I have plastic versions of most of what I consider the "core" Muppets - Kermit, Piggy, Gonzo, etc. - there have been a few lingering holes in our collection. The most notable, at least to the casual Muppet fan, has been Fozzie Bear. I've been meaning to remedy that for years, but I finally had a chance on Labor Day, when I found this at Midtown Comics. Thanks to a 20% off sale, I wound up taking Fozzie home for $16, which isn't quite as good a deal as getting the Koozebane Kermit for the same price, but is still more than fair as far as this collector's concerned.

I knew I'd like this, since I've yet to buy a single toy in this line I haven't at least liked. I don't think I was expecting to love this, though. I was wrong. This thing is absolutely incredible.

The toy itself is great, featuring some fantastically utilized articulation. The cut elbows manage to maintain the sculpt's integrity while opening up some gorgeous posing options. Other than that, sure, the articulation is minimal - V crotch, ball jointed shoulders, and a head joint that must a ball, even though it gives you a fairly limited range. The amount of different poses you can get is fairly staggering, and the figure always looks more like a statue than an action figure.

What really sells the figure are his accessories. Fozzie has a suitcase (sorry; it doesn't open), a hat, sunglasses, and a flotation device. The flotation device looks amazing, as does the briefcase. The sunglasses are pretty cool, though they're a little hard to position and potentially easy to lose. It's the same deal with the hat, which is held in place by a magnet - a great way to capture the look of the show without having to muck up the sculpt with pegs or holes.

Finally, you also get a sheet of stickers you can affix to Fozzie's case, if you're so inclined. While the stickers look cool, I think I'm going to hold off, since I really like the case the way it is.

It feels redundant to say it, but this is another spectacular action figure. Highly recommended if you ever see one at a decent price.