"Meep-Meep-MEEEEEP!" Beaker Gives It All He's Got.
Written: Nov 22 '02 (Updated May 07 '03)
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Pros: Outstanding sculpt and paint job on both Beaker and the first Muppet Show Playset
Cons: A few paint problems on Beaker--potential breakage on the playset
The Bottom Line: Meep meep meep, meep meep. MEEP! Mee-meep, meep meep. For a guy with a limited vocabulary, Beaker speaks volumes.
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If you ask even the most casual Muppet fan questions about the Muppets, there are a few characters they’ll all know. Sure, there’s Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, maybe Gonzo or Fozzie Bear….but beyond that, there are a few favorites that won’t ever get top billing, but are such wonderful characters that everyone knows them and loves them. Among these are “the two old guys in the balcony” (their names are Statler and Waldorf), the Swedish Chef, and everyone’s favorite lab assistant/guinea pig, Beaker.
Even though he’s got an enormous cult following, there’s been very little in the way of Beaker Merchandise in the last 25 years. It could be that he's never said anything except variations of "Meep-Meep-Meep," but it's frustrating for collectors and weirdos like me. There was a little plush Beaker at Walt Disney World, and a nicer one from Igel Toys in Europe, but I hadn’t gotten my mitts on Beakie until Palisades Toys came out with their spectacular action figure and playset a few months ago.
Palisades Toys first line of Muppet Show action figures has completely blown me away. I never thought in a million years I’d have a Dr. Teeth, Bunsen, and Beaker toy of my own (that I hadn’t homemade), but now I’ve got ‘em baby! Most of the figures just come in a package like normal action figures, but there will be one playset in each wave of new figures, starting with Beaker and the Muppet Labs Playset. The playsets most ready comparison is to the Simpsons World of Springfield Playsets—and if this is the standard they’ll be measured by, the Muppets are going to blow the Simpsons out of the water. The Simpsons playsets only advantage is that they do have the “voicechip” technology to spout off repetetive, often faulty lines of dialogue from the television show; in every other way, the Muppet playsets are superior.
The playset itself represents Muppet Labs, “where the future is being made today.” This was the site of many Muppet Show sketches starring Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his youthful assistant Beaker. More often than not, the experiment would go awry, and Beaker would find himself shrunk, decapitated, infected with a virus, cloned, attacked by gorillas….you get the picture. So it’s a fitting playset for Beaker to come with. The playset doesn’t much LOOK like anything we’ve seen on the Muppet Show, but considering the limited budget of the 1970’s classic show, this is probably a good thing. Palisades has taken creative license to the limits, and given us a wonderful lab for Bunsen and Beaker to go to town in.
The laboratory is much darker than you’d imagine, conjuring up a much darker, more industrial lab than the brighter sets of the television show. It looks more functional, more like a “real” lab than a set, and that took some getting used to. It is still colorful, with green-and-yellow tile floors and bright vials, equipment, dials, knobs and switches really standing out. There’s a lot of black and pewter-grey colors, especially on the largest piece of equipment, that I just call “thje washing machine.” It has a round bubble window and dominates the back wall of the playset. The top of it is open, so you can put Beaker in (upside down works best), Kermit, Miss Piggy, or other action figures you have lurking around your toy area. The lab counter has a complicated apparatus of tubes, burners, and beakers set up; it seems fragile, but is non-removable, so don’t try it, or you may suffer the disappointment of premature toy breakage. There are moving levers in the panels, so there are multiple places you can position the figures when the switch needs to be flipped.
Along with the solid playset itself, there are a few pieces which complement it—there’s an experiment table with straps and a sort of mad scientist electrical cap thing that you can put on Beaker’s head when you strap him down; rest assured that no matter what sick, perverted thing you do to your Beaker figure, it’s probably been done to him before. Another little gem with the set is a “Gorilla Detector,” which is a robotic gorilla head that doesn’t do much, but was featured in an episode of The Muppet Show. A completely unnecessary piece, but it adds SO much to the set…especially for us hardcore fans.
And now for Beaker himself—what can I say? I’ve raved about the Muppet Show action figures from Palisades in three other reviews, and in each one I think I’ve said, “this may be my favorite of the figures.” Well, Beaker may be my favorite of the figures. Don’t ask me to choose between my babies. Beaker is a full 6” tall, making him the tallest of the first wave of figures (along with Miss Piggy), and he’s perfectly proportioned to his colleague, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Beaker is of course dressed in his greenish labcoat, under which you can see his natty green checked shirt and dark green tie. Palisades has taken the time to add details like pens and a pencil (with separately painted eraser and metal tips), which add to my enjoyment of the figure. His legs (usually a Muppet Mystery) are clad in plaid (that rhymes!) brown and green trousers, out of which come black-and-white saddle shoes and red-and-white stripey socks. It looks much cooler than it sounds. The labcoat is also made of a softer vinyl plastic, so there’s some flexibility around his legs, making it more “real” than it would otherwise be.
His face and hands have the same marvelous texturing that most of Palisades’ Muppet toys do…giving my Beaker toy the same appearance that the puppet does. His mouth, a perpetual dismayed frown, is pulled open in a “meep-MEEP!!!!” cry, and they’ve even taken the time to paint tongue and uvula in there (although only sick monkeys like me would notice it). His nose and eyes are perfect, although as a word of warning, if you pick this up, the eyes and nose are the one place on him that I noticed any sloppiness in the paint application….check it out before you buy it! His red-orange hair looks like a veritable explosion out the top of his head; especially appropriate for Beaker.
If Palisades keeps up this kind of outstanding work, these figures are going to be the stuff of legend for Muppet collectors and toy collectors. If you have anyone in your life who’s even a casual Muppet fan, this is an excellent choice of figure to have standing watch over their office desk, or just to place in random places to look shocked at their actions. Beaker really IS one of my favorites!
What will the future bring for The Muppet Show Line of Action Figures? Well, coming SOON (December, hopefully), we’ll see the next wave of action figures, including Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Floyd, Crazy Harry, and Animal (who comes with an elaborate Electric Mayhem Stage Playset). Other upcoming figures include Scooter, Rowlf, Lew Zealand, Zoot, Janice, Rizzo the Rat, and many others. The Swedish Chef comes with a nicer kitchen than most of us have, and basically this line has renewed my love of the Muppets. And that’s a good thing. If a little bit crazy.
If you haven’t picked up any of these yet, stop by your local Toys R Us, Media Play, or EB now—you’ll be glad you did. And if you don’t have any Muppet fans in your life, pick up an extra one for 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
Zoot http://www.epinions.com/content_91549830788
Rowlf http://www.epinions.com/content_90764316292
Playsets
Electric Mayhem Stage with Animal http://www.epinions.com/content_98538262148
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
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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