Zoot Closes Every Muppet Show With a Sour Note--But He's Still Coolest of the Cool
Written: Mar 01 '03 (Updated May 07 '03)
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Pros: Outstanding sculpt, paint, and accessories--complete your Electric Mayhem!
Cons: ...rumors of paint errors--I haven't seen any.
The Bottom Line: Sax is his Axe.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Palisades Muppet Show Series 3 Zoot |
There are some people out there who are too cool for words. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them—I’m just about as uncool as it gets. And just as there are cool people, there are cool Muppets—and none, my friend, is cooler than Zoot. You may not know Zoot by name, but you’ve certainly seen him around; he’s the blue-skinned saxophone player for the Electric Mayhem and the Muppet Show Orchestra. You see him prominently in the opening credits, and he’s the last Muppet you see at the end of the closing credits when he famously plays that sour final note, and then peers into his sax to see where the heck that noise came from.
For all that you SEE Zoot (he’s been in all six Muppet movies), you don’t hear him say a whole lot—another mark of coolness. Some of his most memorable lines are “I don’t HAVE no other pants!” (from The Great Muppet Caper) and “forgive me Charlie Parker, wherever you are!” (from a pilot for The Muppet Show, “Sex and Violence.”) He’s easily the least vocal of the Electric Mayhem—a big part of that may be that he usually has a sax in his mouth; but when you’re compared to Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice and Floyd, you tend to fade into the background.
Because of his Ubercool and laid-back nature, Zoot isn’t on a whole lot of merchandise, but there was notably a tiny Zoot PVC figurine made by Schleich back in the late 1970’s. Other than that, I can’t think of anything. Therefore I was pleased when Palisades Toys announced that Zoot would be part of the third series of Muppet Show action figures they’re producing.
I picked him up the other day at Electronics Boutique, and I’m delighted with him. Please remember that a freak like me doesn’t exactly have unbiased opinions, but this is an outstanding action figure that would be appropriate both for Muppet fans and the sax player in your life. If you HAVE a sax player in your life. Do you know how hard it is to type “SAX” instead of “SEX?” It’s difficult. Guess we know where MY mind is.
Anyway, back to Zoot. His strongest points are his appearance and the paint job (although I hear there are some paint “issues” on individual figures, be sure to check him out before you buy him). He’s got blue skin, and dark blue hair, both of which are marvelously textured. Because he’s a burned-out musician, he’s wearing bell-bottom jeans, an embroidered pullover shirt, and sandals—all of which have layers of texture in the sculpt and paint to make him more realistic than most action figures out there. His sunglasses, which are permanently on his face, are permanently on his face. Don’t try to remove them.
Zoot has quite a range of movement, with multiple joints in his legs, arms, and neck, so he’s able to sit down and play his sax, stand up, kneel down, and even execute a few ninja moves before slowing down (probably all those drugs in the sixties). A minor complaint—he sometimes has problems staying up on two feet—it’s a tricky balancing act once he’s holding his sax and really getting into it. He does come with a plain black plastic stand, so if you’re also unskilled in the art of action figure balancing, you can go to Plan B.
Zoot by himself is a great action figure—Zoot with his accessories is worthy of epic poetry. I would try my hand at it, but as you may eventually see if they ever air my episode of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” poetry really isn’t my strong suit.
His accessories include: Saxophone (duh), Saxophone Case, Music Stand, and a nifty Magnetic Hat. I don’t know much about saxophones, but this is an impressive little instrument. It breaks down and fits easily into his case, and Zoot is able to hold it in multiple positions. The case itself is hinged, and looks well-worn; he’s able to sit on it to play his sax, or leave it open for tips when he plays in the Muppet Subway. He looks best with the hat (his iconic look), but also looks good without—his bald pate exposed to the alien radiation that he expects is baking his little blue brain.
Zoot is a wonderful figure—and there are TWO versions of him—the standard one is wearing a gold-colored shirt and comes with a brass-colored sax; the alternate or “variant” version is wearing a maroon colored shirt, with black jeans and a silver-finished sax.
Whichever version you buy, you can’t go wrong—this is a great looking figure for display or play, and would be a great gift for the musician (or Muppet fan) in your life.
And if you don’t have one of those two people in your life, you can always send another one to me!
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MORE Muppet Action Figures? You BET!
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
Rowlf http://www.epinions.com/content_90764316292
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$): 6.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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JediKermit
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Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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