Muppet, Nurse, Rocker, Nudist: The Grooviest Muppet of all Makes her Debut
Written: Oct 29 '03 (Updated Oct 29 '03)
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Pros: Sculpt, Articulation, Accessories--and she's just GROOVY. You can't say that a lot anymore.
Cons: Who knew she was so TALL? Floyd doesn't mind. He likes a challenge.
The Bottom Line: The only Muppet to ever curse on the big screen can bring that foul mouth into your home. Bless her.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Jim Henson's Muppets Janice Action Figure |
Alternate Title: “The Only Muppet My Wife Has Called SKANKY.” Skanky? A Muppet? Well, after seeing this scantily clad female Muppet, you might see where she’s coming from. But really, Janice is a free spirit. Lead guitarist for Electric Mayhem, this spaghetti-haired, tanned, big-lipped Muppet not only sings, but was also nurse to Rowlf’s Dr. Bob in the Veterinarian’s Hospital sketches.
Janice is one of my favorites, and is undeniably one of the most adult Muppets, and has the distinction of being the only Muppet to have cursed on screen. In “The Great Muppet Caper,” when the company is singing the song “Happiness Hotel,” Janice gets to sing the line, “The management is cheerful, though the whole joint’s gone to hell…” Truly shocking. Sam Eagle probably missed it somehow in the editing room. She also got a pair of great lines in “The Great Muppet Caper” and “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” when she said:
“So I said, Look buddy, I don’t take my clothes off for anyone, I don’t care if it IS ar-TIS-tic!”
and:
“So I said, Mother, it’s my own life, O-KAY, so if I want to live on a beach and walk around naked, it’s my own business…”
Anyway, enough about Janice. If you’re interested, my friend Byron has a great website devoted to her at http://www.dreamwater.org/janice/index.html . Obsessive? Sure. Fun? Fer sure.
Sorry about the gushing. Janice is a great character, and now she’s a great addition to the Muppets collection of action figures. She’s a milestone character for the Palisades Toys action figures, because she’s the fifth and final member of Electric Mayhem, the Muppet Show band. Together with her boyfriend Floyd, keyboardist Dr. Teeth, sax player Zoot, and drummer Animal, they’ve all got their instruments and are currently jamming on our shelf.
So what do I think of the figure itself? She’s much taller than I expected her to be. Janice has always been very lanky—Uma Thurman would play her in her biopic…but I didn’t realize she was so TALL. She’s wearing platform shoes, which contribute to her height. She’s a tad taller than her boyfriend Floyd, who plays bass for Electric Mayhem, and this puts her among the tallest of the Muppet figures. She towers over Kermit and Gonzo and Dr. Teeth. She pulls it off when you put her together with some of the other tall Muppets, but if she’s just together with Kermit it’s kinda awkward. The puppeteers on The Muppet Show never had her held that tall, so when you see her in her true size, it’s just…weird.
Beyond that, I think she’s a great figure. She’s wearing her “classic” outfit, which means a pink tanktop, denim miniskirt, platform shoes, bracelets, and her blonde “spaghetti” hair parted down the middle instead of in a side ponytail (note to Henson: no more side ponytails. Ever.). Palisades went through the trouble of sculpting a uvula in her mouth (the little waggy punching bag thingy in the back of your throat) and silly as it is, it’s details like this that add to the personality of the character. She’s got a soft pvc plastic hat that fits neatly on her head; it’s sort of an Annie Hall look, but Janice is groovy enough to pull it off.
She comes with a white left-handed guitar, an amp (bigger than Floyd’s) and a WORKING tambourine…the little metal discs inside the tambourine are free and jingle when you shake it. So if you’ve been looking your whole life for a tiny little percussion instrument to smack against your booty, look no further. Janice also has enough articulation to use all of her accessories—she has swivel joints cut into her arms so she can hold the guitar perfectly (better than Floyd, in fact), and it’s all unobtrusive enough that it doesn’t destroy the figure.
If you’re just now getting on board with the Muppet action figures, Series Five is a strong set of figures to begin with—Gonzo, Camilla, Janice, Pepe, and the Muppet Newsman highlight the strongest points of the line. Outstanding sculpts, accessories, and character choices make it the strongest Series yet in the line, and that’s saying something.
You can find the Muppet action figures at Target, Sam Goody/Musicland/Suncoast/Media Play stores, EB Games, and fine online retailers like BoxingCow.com and Bean’s Toys. Pick these up while you can—you won’t regret it.
MORE MUPPETS!
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
Dr. Strangepork http://www.epinions.com/content_105892187780
Sam Eagle as Samuel Arrow http://www.epinions.com/content_105895988868
Rizzo the Rat http://www.epinions.com/content_105903591044
Series Five
Gonzo and Camilla http://www.epinions.com/content_115081186948
Janice http://www.epinions.com/content_117029899908
Pepe http://www.epinions.com/content_117043138180
Muppet Newsman http://www.epinions.com/content_117058145924
Playsets
Muppet Labs with Beaker http://www.epinions.com/content_81755606660
Electric Mayhem Stage with Animal http://www.epinions.com/content_98538262148
Swedish Kitchen with Swedish Chef http://www.epinions.com/content_98725432964
Coming Soon!
Series Six
Clifford
Patrol Bear Fozzie
Statler
Waldorf
Pigs in Space Swinetrek Playset with First Mate Piggy
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 7.99
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: 2122
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About Me:
Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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