If you'd asked me about Uncle Deadly before I got the DVDs I would've thought he was a newer character. He made no impact on me whatsoever when the show 1st aired. I (mis)remembered the "Phantom of the Muppets" as being a completely different character. He's fine, but is probably in the lowest tier of characters I'd want. If UD came with pretty much any other monster or bizarre creature from the original show or films I probably would've caved, but I don't think much of Pepe, so in my case this was the 1st set I've skipped in this line.
Interesting. I thought Deadly and Pepe were pretty popular, but maybe they are not as well-liked as I thought. I would be super happy if they are just a blip and not an indication that there is an overall decrease in interest in the line. Personally, I like Pepe and Deadly (especially on the 2015 show), but neither were at the top of my wishlist. My wishlist is mostly classic Muppets from the original show (although Bobo would be cool). I wonder if that's true for most other collectors of the line.
Lips has jumped up to the top for me on want list. He is great in the Mayhem show. Just watched through it again. I enjoy it as much as Most Wanted. Constantine would be a fun variant of Kermit. Palisades really cranked out the variants. Besides Lips I would love a Gonzo the Great and Pigs in Space. Muppet Newsman would be great. I can see so many Instagram pics with him making new commentary on news of the day or the toy world. Lew is cool. I’d like Walter. I’m excited to see what more would be done.
Thwipp!
We thought Pepe and Deadly were pretty popular, too! Between The Muppets movie and The Muppets TV show, Deadly has been getting a lot of exposure. And Pepe is one of the most visible Muppets outside of who we've made!
Uncle Deadly has one of the best designs of Muppets from the ‘70s. A sign of things to come. People who aren’t down with that are not my people.
My bona fides: Lifelong, Gen X, Muppets fan here. Spent time interning on Sesame Street.
The reason Uncle Deadly is not well known: Sure, he appeared infrequently on the Muppet Show. But for those of us who grew up watching it, we could only watch it when it aired. And unlike most shows, the Muppet Show was not often in syndication after the fact. (Perhaps more so when cable rolled around.) But the Muppet Movies? We had those on VHS tape. We could play those ad nauseam. And the early pre-cursors to HBO played the movies over and over again. But Uncle Deadly was not in the movies.
Point is, the movies were consumed more than the TV show, and thus Uncle Deadly was mostly forgotten until his more recent comebacks.
But he DID make a comeback, is my point. So we picked two strong MODERN characters, but I guess we underestimated the selectivity of classic Muppets fans.
Pepe was in Series 5 of the Palisades series, and the only DST-unmade figures that leapfrogged him in that line were Lew Zealand and the Pigs in Space. So it's not like he was a last-minute addition for Palisades. (Deadly was, of course.)
Maybe they'll do better on pegs and in-stock and at cons than in pre-orders.
I wonder if concern about scale affected Deadly and Pepe pre-orders. I think they were listed at 5 and 4 inches, which would make them two of the tallest figures. The photo of them next to the ruler shows they are much more in line with the rest of the figures in the line. Maybe folks are waiting to see some comparison photos before ordering?
Sounds like it's time for Lew Zealand! 🤣 😉
We thought Pepe and Deadly were pretty popular, too! Between The Muppets movie and The Muppets TV show, Deadly has been getting a lot of exposure. And Pepe is one of the most visible Muppets outside of who we've made!
I'm not trying to be overly critical, but TBH, I think Pepe's popularity was over a long time ago. He was the "edgy" Muppet in the early 2000's that got a lot of early internet exposure, but the focus has shifted off of him. He was a brief cameo in the 2011 movie and in Most Wanted he was a background character. He had a larger part in The Muppets (TV), but that was almost 10 years ago and the show wasn't well received, though I loved it. He is now seen as "problematic". He was last seen in Haunted Mansion, but that was a Disney Plus special. Not exactly something most people have seen.
Additionally, the figure isn't in either of his most popular looks. His classic look that most people will remember is a blue hoodie and green shirt. his modern outfit is a black turtleneck with a gold chain. I think the red hoodie and yellow shirt were only seen in Muppets Wizard of Oz and here and there during some appearances. It's not an "iconic" look. And of course, there is the scale. We know from Rizzo that Pepe will likely be way too big.
I'm a huge Muppet fan, I have every DST release that isn't a re-release and almost every Palisades figure. I'm really into the DST line. Yet, I have very little interest in getting Pepe. The scale is compromised, the likeness of the figure just isn't that great, and the outfit choice is the least memorable. Maybe the final product will have me feeling differently, but he seems like the weakest release.
Deadly, however, looks great and is a fine release. Still a deep cut though. Yes, he had a come back which is why I think he should be made, but he's still a 3rd tier character. Had he been paired with a classic fan fav or a variant of the top tier characters, I think sales would have been a bit stronger.
Deadly with Walter would work if we consider The Muppets was Deadly's biggest appearance. If we go classic, the Snowths would work as everyone remembers that classic number. Heck, even Lew Zealand or Pops would work as they are visually interesting characters. Maybe Reporter Kermit, probably more iconic than regular Kermit. Pigs in Space Piggy would also have worked as it is both a classic look and Piggy pairs with Deadly in the modern era.
But hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy to say what should have been after the fact.
Wow! Sweetums and Robin look great! Nice work DST and Gentle Giant. Are they really only $30? That's much more affordable than I expected.
That is the final price. I do not foresee us needing to raise it. Our Marvel Select figures are $30, and we made Apocalypse and Titanium Man at about that size.
Considering the Palisades version was $40, done 20 years ago, and is almost the same size, I'm both surprised and grateful that the DST version is only $30.
True, "most" people in the world don't have Disney Plus, but most people who would buy Muppets action figures, especially lifelong Muppets fans, have Disney Plus. I would imagine most or all Muppet fans watched the Haunted Mansion special. So calling Pepe "over" is a little premature. What has Pops done lately?
If we'd started doing variants on characters this soon, without hitting characters like Lips and Lew, I can see there being criticism of that, as well -- "they didn't do well because you already made them, why not make X or Y?" Lips and Lew and Pops and Beauregard are all in discussion, but a new Kermit and Piggy are not. I was planning on recommending Link and Julius for a future two-pack, but we'll see.
Snowths have not been discussed, but I really don't consider them important Muppets just because of one sketch (two if you count the Sandra Bullock episode).
As far as heights, sorry if Rizzo and Pepe are too big -- if you're going to articulate a figure, the smaller you go the less it can do (see Robin). I guess there's just more to love:
I think Pigs in Space or figures based on some of the features (Christmas Carol, Caper, Treasure Island) would probably sell better than more niche, lower rung cast members. Maybe the rights to those movie looks are complicated and don't justify the cost. But every line makes variations of main characters and those help sell the line and keep it going so minor characters can get made as well.
Pops had a brief cameo in 2008's Letter to Santa! I'd say he's on track to eclipse Kermit as the face of the Muppets. I have no clue on which Muppets are currently popular among people buying this line. Why can't everyone be like me and buy them all? Imagine if we got to Muppets like George or Hilda because sales stay high even as characters become increasingly obscure.
I think DSTChuck saying DST will be shooting for around 2 new Muppet releases a year may help sales. I've seen a few folks post on various sites that they are reluctant to keep getting figures because of the long periods between the past few releases. Hopefully, Sweetums going up for PO so soon after Deadly and Pepe went up for PO will keep folks interested. I realize it's a feedback with PO of the previous release allowing for work on the next figures to begin. Again, hopefully there's some momentum now.
Personally, I prefer new characters to variants and would love if DST made all the characters MSWord mentioned. Those six plus the Newsman and Marvin Suggs would be amazing! Though, I would definitely be interested in Muppets Christmas Carol variants. That's a beloved Muppet movie that Palisades never made articulated figures for.
Well, as a lifelong Muppets fan, reared on Sesame St in the early 70's & The Muppet Show & movies in the late 70's/ early 80's, I'm over the moon to get Uncle Deadly! I've always gotten a kick out of his character, and his recent resurgence has made him even more essential to me.
As for Pepe, while I'm not nearly as attached to him as I am to several others, he's still a great character. My son, who I passed my love of the Muppets on to, grew up watching media with Pepe, so I see him as a necessary addition.
Now, one thing I must disagree with @MSWord on is Maha Mana & the Snowths. Yeah, they're only from one skit...but it's one of the most popular ones that has become downright iconic. It's been revisited a few times in movies and later shows, so I see them as being pretty important. I definitely would be down for a set with them!
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