An Action Figure Who Will Spank You Like a Bad, Bad Donkey, Okay?
Written: Oct 29 '03 (Updated Oct 29 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Unique looking character, good sculpt, nice articulation, outstanding accessories.
Cons: Some minor nit-picks about the likeness--unavoidable for the most part.
The Bottom Line: Getting to know your Friendly Neighborhood King Prawn. Okay?
|
|
|
| JediKermit's Full Review: Jim Henson's Muppets Pepe Action Figure |
I decided it was time to make time for Epinions. Working full-time, going to school full-time, and playing the midterm game has gotten kinda old, and it’s time to do some writing that doesn’t include History, German, or Education. And there’s nothing more anathema to those three topics than my current review: Pepe the King Prawn from Muppets Tonight.
You may have blinked and missed Muppets Tonight—it was only on for two short seasons on ABC back in the late 1990’s. It had some great episodes, some lame sketches, and a few characters worthy of inclusion with the Classic Muppets from The Muppet Show. Chief among these is a bizarre looking little character, Pepe the King Prawn. A prawn is a shellfish, for those of you (like me) who didn’t know before meeting Pepe; as performed by Bill Baretta, he’s got a Latino accent, ends his sentences with “okay” and is the biggest Muppet schemer since Rizzo the Rat. Since Muppets Tonight went off the air, Pepe has had prominent roles in Muppets From Space, It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Mastercard commercials, and was even the spokesprawn for Long John Silver’s seafood restaurants. Disturbing, no? Yes. Then again, Miss Piggy shilled sausage and bacon for Denny’s, so I guess Muppets don’t have those ethical dilemmas you and I do.
Pepe also gets one of the more bizarre Muppet lines in recent memory; Muppets From Space’s “I will spank you. I will spank you like a bad, bad donkey, okay?”
And now, Pepe has made his way to the action figure aisle as a part of Palisades’ amazing line of Jim Henson’s Muppets. Pepe is bizarre looking, but comes with great accessories that make up for his small stature.
Pepe is small—aside from Rizzo and Camilla, he’s the smallest figure in the line to date. The top of his head is about to Kermit’s collar; despite his size, he’s got a ton of articulation. The first thing you’ll notice about Pepe are his arms. He’s got four of them, and two legs to boot. Although there have been other six-limbed characters (there was an alien from Star Wars a few years ago that had four arms) Pepe’s are exceptionally well-jointed so he’s able to have them in various positions. Shoulders, wrists, and elbows all move, and his neck and waist swivel; his hips also move so he can sit quite nicely.
There are a few issues with Pepe that make him look not as puppet-accurate as some of the other figures in the same line. The Pepe puppet has fine ostrich plume hair and two very fine, very long antennae that come up out of his head. Palisades has been able to approximate that look with soft pvc plastic, but the effect isn’t quite as realistic as it has been for other figures. Not the fault of the company, but the physics of mass production of a four-inch action figure. The other issue is his eyes—the pupils on many of the figures are too small, so it looks like Pepe just saw a camera flash go off…it’s not something that keeps me up at night, but it does some collectors. So if that’s an issue for you, seek help.
Besides those minor quibbles, the figure is outstanding. I love the green t-shirt, love the blue four-armed hoodie that he’s sporting, and I love the accessories. When a toy has four arms you need something for him to hold, right? Well Pepe’s got a hair dryer (from a tiny scene in Muppets From Space), a pair of binoculars, and his own Pepe Muppets Tonight Lunchbox that actually opens and closes. No thermos. Pepe also comes with a pair of flip-flop sandals that fit on his little prawn feet, and a working beach chair that folds up, with a cloth cabana-style seat and a working fabric beach umbrella that unfolds as well. The accessories really put this great figure over the top, and fit the laid-back, work-shirking, scheming, using, selfish (shellfish) character of the little guy. Despite how he sounds, he’s really quite lovable.
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
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
JediKermit
|
 in Movies, Kids & Family, Books |
 - Top 100 |
|
Member: Quinn
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 2122
Trusted by: 597 members
About Me:
Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.