"Normal" Rowlf & Sam The Eagle

[theGreatLukeSki]

Hey everybody,

I spent some time today looking up the info on the upcoming waves of Muppets figures from Palisades. I am very excited and happy about it all, but I do have a concern. This is probably going to make me sound like the guy from the fake Onion editorial, but... Why are they releasing variant figures either before or instead of normal ones?

I read previous posts on the Rowlf tux / no-tux situation, and I'm glad that they still intend to release the 'normal' version of Rowlf, but it still bugs me as a Muppet fan and Toy collector purist that what should be a variant version is coming out before the normal version which should have come out first. And to have to wait a whole year for the normal version? Lots can happen in that time, so the notion that the folks at Palisades might change their mind on releasing the 'normal' Rowlf is entirely possible, and I would hate for that to happen.

And on a similar note, there seem to be no plans at all for a 'normal' Sam the Eagle figure. I love "Muppet Treasure Island" as much as any Muppets fan, but I would really much prefer to have a normal (or as Sam might say "absolutlely naked!") version of Sam The Eagle and save the Samuel Arrow for sometime down the line.

Anyway, I just wanted to see if anybody had any feedback on these opinions of mine. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all at the Madison East Toys R Us.

PS: I don't ever remember Fozzie going on 'vacation', as he is depicted in action figure form. Did I miss something? If I did, I'm sure you guys can set me straight.

PS again: On an unrelated note, my parody song "Peter Parker" was #1 on Dr. Demento's Funny 25 of 2002! You can hear a clip of it and my Muppet Tribute song "Who Let The Frog Out?" at my website www.LukeSki.com. Thanks!

 

[Zack the Dog]

Hi GreatLukeSki, yes i remember you!

Palisades is releasing tux rowlf and Samuel Arrow first to keep people buying the line, they also have the rigths to all 6 muppet movie's so they want to work that into the line making a mix of figures, if they useed all the main characters first a line completly filled with just Muppet Treasure island figures later on wouldn't do so hot. this keeps the line fresh and will help it have a longer life.hopefuly we will get a ton more muppets then.

belive me i really want reguler Rowlf and Dr. Bob!

hope this helps

Zack)Rowlf the,Dog.

 

[WiGgY]

Very true. Also, part of collecting is waiting. I actually prefer MTI Sam myself. He looks so cool. And Tux Rowlf has a story all his own. I think as long as we don't get an all variant series I'm perfectly happy collection MTI Sam and Tux Rowlf right now. And I doubt Palisades will scrap Reg Rowlf and Reg Sam. There really aren't a lot of characters that could sell well so inorder to give the line variety and longevity they add these variants. I think it's a cool idea. Oh, and about vacation Fozzie. No he didn't really go on vacation like that but he did where the glasses in the show and he did wear the hat in the show and the stickers for the suit cases have tons of muppet logos and movienods and stuff. It's a pretty cool figure.

 

[GWGumby]

This question tends to pop up a lot, even though I see that it is answered in the FAQ. Any plans on updating the FAQ any time soon? I just scanned through it and it seems to be slightly out of date now. I think this question (coupled with Daredevil Gonzo) should be expounded upon a bit more so that future questions can be pointed that way.

 

[Zack the Dog]

at the web site muppets.com there is a whole thing about fozzie going on vacation or something...yeah and it's from like 1998, it's old and out dated, but it has that vacation fozzie idea, plus fozzie wore a hat like that on the muppet show, and wears a haiwin shirt in Muppets from Space.

zack)Rowlf the, Dog.

 

[ResidentLilly]

I should point put that Rowlf and Sam are not the first variations released first before the "normal" versions. Gonzo was, in Series 2. It's a pretty established precedent in this line, and there are decent arguments as to why this is a good strategy. Bottom line? IMO you have a vast universe of characters, why not pepper in a few muppets in costumes they may have been known for just as much as their raw versions?

Not everyone can agree on that and it's cool. If Art Asylum announced that the first Kirk figure they were making was Star Trek: Wrath of Khan Kirk instead of classic Kirk first I would be totally cool with it. Others would have a differing opinion. There were some great Looney Tunes figures put out a few years ago and you were hard pressed to find any naked version, but my Duck Dodgers figure is one of the favorites in my collection...and they never even made a naked Daffy.

 

[SuperGrover]

Originally posted by ResidentLilly
...and they never even made a naked Daffy.

Which is not what is going to happen with naked Rowlf or Sam Eagle, right?

(by the way, I love tux Rowlf!)

 

[frogboy4]

Ya can't blow the whole thing upfront. It's about pacing. I have no doubt we'll get regular versions of Sam and Rowlf. All of this has been discussed at length. Palisades has remarked that they are very interested in bringing those figures to us.

 

[theGreatLukeSki]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess my overall point is, as a person looking to start a family soon with my wife, I'm trying to be a toy collector on a budget. I have been trying to cut down the amount of money I've been spending on the stuff I'm collecting, and one way to do that is to not buy variant figures unless they really appeal to me (like the Pigs In Space versions). I think Tux Rowlf and MTI Sam look cool, but if sacrifices need to be made, then figures like those would be the ones I would force myself to sit out on. I just wish I had some kind of guarantee from Palisades that the regular versions will definately be released, but I know that's unrealistic. Anyway, as I said before I absolutely LOVE the toys, and I'm very grateful for Palisades for making them. I hope a few years down the line that maybe they'll try to get the action figure rights for Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock as well.

An interesting side note... I have toys of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Yoda, and Fungus from Monsters Inc. Maybe I should start a Frank Oz toy museum? Thanks!

 

[GWGumby]

Well, for a figure collector on a budget, it works for both Palisades and you.

Since you can't buy every figure, then it would be bad if all of the "must-have" figures came out first. Because then you would have to sacrifice to get them all at first, otherwise you'd miss out on them and be forced to pick up variants (like I am having to do with the Simpson line currently.)

However, having the variants come out first on some of the figures keeps you from having to buy everything, but keeps you coming back for more further down the road to pick up the rest of the "must-have" figures.

So I can only see it as being beneficial for someone who can't afford everything.