PIGS. . . IN. . . SPAAAAAACE !!! (Part Two)
Written: Jul 12 '03 (Updated Jul 12 '03)
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Pros: His face, his beady little eyes, his uniform, his big ol' robot MAMMA.
Cons: None of which I am aware.
The Bottom Line: An obscure character with a heavy German accent is given new life as part of Jim Henson's Muppets from Palisades Toys.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Jim Henson's Muppets Dr. Strangepork Action Figure |
Don Quixote had Sancho Panza. Batman had Robin. Captain Kirk had Mr. Spock. And Captain Link Hogthrob of the S.S. Swinetrek has Dr. Strangepork.
Dr. Julius Strangepork, to be more precise. You may not know him by name, but Dr. Strangepork is one-third of the most famous group of space pigs out there. The intrepid triad of Captain Hogthrob, First Mate Piggy, and Dr. Strangepork boldly went where no pig had gone before…and I’m sure none have gone since. A short, gray-haired, bespectacled German (I think) pig, Dr. Strangepork was as funny as he was a scientific genius. Never as much in the spotlight as Link and Piggy, Julius usually stole the show during “Pigs In Space” sketches on The Muppet Show with his wisecracks, and now you can have this little pig invade your home. He’ll even bring along his own enormous robot.
Part of the genius of Palisades Toys Jim Henson’s Muppets line of action figures is that they’re NOT just giving us umpteen versions of Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear. Evidently they’re giving (okay, selling) us EVERYTHING, unprecedented in Muppet Merchandising. And I love them for it. So far in this series we’ve seen obscure favorites like Crazy “did someone say dynamite?” Harry; boomerang fish-thrower Lew Zealand, and now the lesser-known members of the Swinetrek crew. How can I not collect them all?
Taken as a pair, Link and Dr. Strangepork are hilarious; Link is one of the tallest of the Muppet figures, and Dr. Strangepork is about the same size as Kermit. Which is to say very short. He’s older, got this great rubbery gray hair that flies every which way, and has big bushy gray eyebrows. He’s got gold-rimmed glasses that only make his little black eyes MORE beady, and his skin has got the wonderful “Muppet texturing” that makes these more like the actual puppets than any previous Muppet toys.
Dr. Strangepork’s uniform is similar to Link’s, a little more purple than the Captain’s, but with the same silver belt, collar, gloves and boots. Strangepork does have “cloven pig hooves” in his boots, making him a little less heroic than Link, but you can tell they’re part of the same crew. He’s also got the same surprising articulation as Link, so he’s much more poseable than he appears to be at first glance. He’s got joints in shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. This is great news for a few months from now, when the Swinetrek Bridge Playset comes out (complete with First Mate Piggy) – the crew will be able to actually sit in their command chairs as well as ninja-fight off any invaders.
Strangepork’s accessories are great, and one of them is even larger than Strangepork himself! We’ve seen this before with the Muppet action figures, like Rowlf’s Grand Piano and Gonzo’s Cannon (to shoot him out of), so this pack-in is a bonus! It’s a big ol’ robot, named “M.A.M.M.A.” and seen in the Dudley Moore episode of the Muppet Show. It played background music and inspired the wrath of Animal and the Electric Mayhem. But you don’t need to know all that. MAMMA looks a lot like R2-D2, with big metallic music notes on the side, lights in the front, antennae that extend up to be taller than Strangepork, and red wires and tubing all over the thing. A great bonus, you’re really getting two figures for the price of one! Strangepork also comes with a “dissolvotron” gun, as handy against villains as it is against members of his own crew!
Dr. Strangepork is one of those characters that I never thought I’d see made in any form, let alone an action figure. Getting him, together with his Captain and First Mate Piggy is the first time I’ve seen the Pigs In Space crew together since I got that nasty dented rusty lunchbox on eBay. I paid way too much for it. I’m glad these figures are a part of my collection, and hopefully you’ll be able to find them too. Great gifts not only for fans of The Muppet Show, but also Star Trek and Star Wars—there’ll be a lot of crossover appeal for these little pigs. Start your hunt today.
You’ll find Jim Henson’s Muppets at Media Play, Suncoast, Electronics Boutique, ToysRUs.com, and beginning in Late July, Target Stores will be carrying the line. You can’t pass that up. Come on. You know you want it.
Series One
Kermit the Frog http://www.epinions.com/content_81549233796
Miss Piggy http://www.epinions.com/content_81637707396
Dr. Teeth http://www.epinions.com/content_81569549956
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew http://www.epinions.com/content_81822191236
Series Two
Fozzie Bear http://www.epinions.com/content_85935820420
Crazy Harry http://www.epinions.com/content_98525613700
Floyd Pepper http://www.epinions.com/content_98514865796
Gonzo the Great http://www.epinions.com/content_98463813252
Series Three
Scooter http://www.epinions.com/content_91825081988
Lew Zealand http://www.epinions.com/content_91457293956
Zoot http://www.epinions.com/content_91549830788
Rowlf http://www.epinions.com/content_90764316292
Series Four
Link Hogthrob http://www.epinions.com/content_105889107588
Sam Eagle as Samuel Arrow http://www.epinions.com/content_105895988868
Rizzo the Rat http://www.epinions.com/content_105903591044
Playsets
Muppet Labs with Beaker http://www.epinions.com/content_81755606660
Electric Mayhem Stage with Animal http://www.epinions.com/content_98538262148
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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Epinions.com ID:
JediKermit
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Member: Quinn
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 2119
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Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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