That’s largely by dint of the fact he’s a human character, and as such fits very neatly into the template defined by thousands of other minifigures based on humans over the past few decades. His bushy eyebrows and ‘tache would have looked just fine printed on a standard minifigure head, with a removable chef’s hat on top. Perhaps they needed those detailed heads for how plain they otherwise are, though, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Resign those sculpted pieces to your parts drawers and you’re left with a brand new pair of LEGO suits for your wardrobe, including mid-sized brown legs with boot printing.

Muppets minifigures arriving later this year - 9to5Toys LEGO Muppets minifigures arriving later this year - 9to5Toys

Rowlf’s head sculpt is as good as any of his contemporaries, but his torso and leg printing suffers from the same issue as Fozzie Bear’s, and to an even greater extent given the darker brown used here: it’s almost toosubtle, and hardly distinguishable in certain lighting. Statler and Waldorf Rowlf the Dog might not be the character you first think of when you hear the word ‘Muppets’ in 2022, but he boasts the biggest legacy: the first Muppet to soar to national stardom in the early ‘60s, he was also one of those rare early characters designed as a live-hand puppet, and he was even one of the first Muppets based on a specific real-world animal. The answer may lie in 71033 The Muppets. The LEGO Group’s latest adventure into this unorthodox design language takes the DNA of Jim Henson’s classic characters and realises them in an appropriately colourful cast of blind-bagged minifigures, each representing the pinnacle of what’s possible with LEGO characters in 2022. They’re brilliantly designed, instantly recognisable – and perhaps more authentic than it should be possible to get through the LEGO lens… — Set details — Fozzie’s head mould is otherwise successful to the same extent as (most of) the rest of the Muppets, capturing personality and detail with excellent printing, while his accessories feel appropriate, if not especially exciting. Swedish ChefIf Swedish Chef gives you questionable feelings towards 71033 The Muppets, daredevil performance artiste Gonzo will remind you why the majority of this series is such a home run. Like the rest, his head sculpt is spot on, and the detailed printing across his torso and legs perfect for the character. Swap out those blue hands, and this is also another torso ripe for use beyond just the Muppets. One of two members of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem represented in 71033 The Muppets – and perhaps the biggest omissions beyond Scooter are the rest of that band – Janice is much better suited to the LEGO Group’s current colour palette than some of her fellow characters, and almost every facet of her minifigure captures her on-screen presence perfectly. The beauty of a series like The Muppets is that even if you’ve never seen so much as a minute of their original 1970s’ TV series, any number of the movies that followed or even their recent adventures into primetime television, their pop culture dominance is so ubiquitous that you’ve definitely heard of Kermit the Frog. Muppet Show Christmas Sweatshirt, Tis The Season To be Jolly Sweater, Muppet Christmas Carol Shirt,Christmas Carol Kermit Gonzo Animal Shirt It has been long-reported that the LEGO Group would be expanding its Collectible Minifigure Series into yet another new exciting property. While Star Wars fans have been eager to see if a galaxy far, far away will join the likes of the Marvel lineup from last fall, today we’re getting a first look at what to expect from the latest collection.

Minifigures Series 3 71038 Lego Disney 100th Anniversary Minifigures Series 3 71038

While her guitar is appropriate for her main role in Electric Mayhem – she’s the band’s bassist – she’s also played tambourine, and even fronted on trumpet and trombone for the orchestra on occasion, so a second instrument would have really topped things off. It’s hard to quibble with what’s here, though, and that’s perhaps what’s destined to be 71033 The Muppets’ most underrated character. (You heard it here first.) Animal That’s Kermit’s banjo, which slots right in alongside the growing family of LEGO string instruments – essentially, it’s everything you’d expect of a LEGO banjo; no more, no less. But even while the rest of the Muppets’ accessories don’t necessarily bring any new moulds to the table, they’re still a fun collection of new prints and, in one case, a complete build.

As is, we’re left with only a dozen characters to collect, but what a dozen they are. There’s no denying each and every one of the head sculpts here is a near-perfect representation of the Muppets, demonstrating what can be achieved by an element design team already well experienced in transforming iconic TV characters into LEGO minifigures. The standard LEGO colour palette serves him perfectly, too, mixing vivid orange, red and yellow with dual-moulded arms and legs. Animal’s snare must be tuned pretty tightly, because he’s finishing off the series on a high note. (Sorry not sorry.) — Accessories — As is, there’s something just a little jarring about seeing an accurately-sculpted human head atop a minifigure’s shoulders, nose and all (even if that nose is a defining characteristic of Swedish Chef’s appearance), and it’s where 71033 The Muppets starts to cross the line into action figure territory. It works within the context of the rest of this particular series, but does it work within the context of LEGO as a medium? That’s perhaps for you to decide. Gonzo Speaking of…this is Beaker, Bunsen Honeydew’s long-suffering assistant. More often than not, Beaker serves as Bunsen’s guinea-pig for the latest Muppet Labs inventions. Beaker’s cylindrical head is molded with his uniquely hinged mouth agape. He’s also dressed in a lab coat, but in yellowish-green. His standard legs are dual molded with intricate shoe printing at the bottom. In the context of the rest of the series, they do work – like Swedish Chef – but they’d probably have worked just as well as standard minifigures. What detail can’t be conveyed through printing and hairpieces alone? We all recognise Anakin Skywalker, or Thor, or Hermione Granger, and surely we’d also have recognised Statler and Waldorf.

Minifigures The Muppets Limited Edition Collectible LEGO Minifigures The Muppets Limited Edition Collectible

Between his versatile torso and legs with dual moulding and side printing, fun accessories – a printed tomato head (that we couldn’t resist popping on a couple of cowled characters) and whisk – and arguably the most impressive head sculpt of all 12 characters (the hat is moulded to his head), Swedish Chef is easily one of 71033 The Muppets’ stand-out minifigures. However, he’s also one of three in this series that perhaps would have worked just as well, or even better, as a traditional minifigure.Each of the blind bag figures will come with their own accessories fitting for the character, as well as a display stand. There are some pretty novel inclusions like a printed Miss Piggy tile, Monster drum kit, and a little pumpkin to pair with the Swedish Chef. There’s quite a bit of exclusive pieces here to pair with the LEGO minifigures themselves, which should excite LEGO enthusiasts and Muppets fans alike. Her accessory – a printed 2×3 tile with a picture of her own face, presumably a poster or magazine cover – is a little less thrilling, though totally on point for the character. Fozzie Bear By the time The Muppet Show debuted in 1976, Rowlf had assumed the role of resident pianist, and his LEGO minifigure is appropriately accompanied by sheet music, ingeniously printed on a book cover to allow him to grip it better than a standard 2×3 tile. Better still is the bust of Beethoven, which occasionally weighs in on Rowlf’s playing on the show, and includes a double-sided head here. Keep collections to yourself or inspire other shoppers! Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places. Most of the in-house Collectible Minifigures series are as much about their accessories as any new minifigure components (like hairpieces or hats), but the same can’t really be said for licensed series like 71033 The Muppets, with good reason: all of their budget has been poured into those finely-sculpted headpieces, which means there’s only one truly new accessory to speak of among all 12 characters.