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Here’s where things start to get really questionable. If Swedish Chef pushes the limits of how far these moulded heads should go, Statler and Waldorf have left those barriers in the dust. These are full human heads, that absolutely resemble full human heads – eyes, mouth, nose, ears and so on – sculpted, moulded and thrust on to minifigure bodies. The Muppets’ veritable everyman and arguably their main character (as much as there can be one in an ensemble cast), getting Kermit right was fundamental to making 71033 The Muppets work, and he’s prototypical of the series’ approach to all its characters: keep it simple, stupid. 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 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 With all those zany experiments in mind, though, it’s maybe a touch disappointing that the good doctor is only accompanied by a very basic beaker. (Note: that’s beaker lowercase, not Beaker uppercase, who’s anything but basic – more on him in a sec.) Bar his toe and side leg printing, he’s also among the least detailed minifigures in the range, so perhaps only one for completists (or diehard Muppet science fans). Beaker
LEGO 71033 Minifigures The Muppets Limited Edition Collection
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. 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. But then there’s that question again: when is a LEGO minifigure nota minifigure? Because while all 12 of these characters are wholly authentic to their on-screen counterparts, it means that some of them – Statler, Waldorf, Swedish Chef – are clearly Muppets first, and LEGO minifigures second, perhaps prizing that authenticity above the classic LEGO design language we’re familiar with. 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 — 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.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. 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 Whatever you make of this continued approach to minifigures, in design or in number, it’s hard to say that any of the 12 characters in 71033 The Muppets doesn’t belong here – while perhaps the most notable omission does get some representation, if only through an accessory… Kermit the Frog What’s perhaps too dark is the base colour chosen for Fozzie, who’s decidedly more orange than brown on-screen, so this particular shade of nougat feels just a little off. Without creating an entirely new colour in the LEGO Group’s surprisingly wide palette, it’s hard to offer a credible alternative – but that duller shade of orange would have been a nice addition… Update: We’re expecting to see the new LEGO Muppets minifigures release on May 1, though still waiting on an official reveal from the LEGO Group for confirmation.
Muppets Minifigures: 71033 | Waterstones LEGO ® The Muppets Minifigures: 71033 | Waterstones
Where there’s Bunsen (burners), there’s Beaker, and while Dr. Honeydew’s long-suffering assistant may play second fiddle on the show, he makes for the most impressive of the two minifigures. His torso and dual-moulded legs can be easily repurposed elsewhere, and are versatile enough to surely find plenty of applications beyond 71033 The Muppets, while his head is by nature more comical (and therefore more interesting) than his counterpart’s. 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. 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.If you’re looking for Animal in particular, just give the bags a shake and listen out for the one that rattles the most: there are a lot of pieces in there… — Price — In LEGO Springfield, every character gets their own single-purpose head, establishing a template since followed by select Disney characters across two series, and all but one of the dozen minifigures in last year’s 71030 Looney Tunes. And as it did first in 2014, then again in 2021, and now again in 2022, that potentially-divisive design standard raises the question: at what point do these minifigures stop being minifigures, and start being action figure heads atop minifigure bodies?
Muppets Collectible Minifigures: Full Character List Lego Muppets Collectible Minifigures: Full Character List
Fozzie comes with a nightclub-style microphone stand and a banana. Mic stands are a classic stand-up comedian tool, although Fozzie tended to work without one. The banana is no doubt in reference to the hilarious Banana Sketch from the Sandy Duncan episode. All that taken into account, and it’s hard to grumble too much about what each of these characters brings to the table from a price perspective. — Pictures — Piggy’s works well in that regard, and given how much those heads lean into action figure territory already, restricting each of the Muppets to traditional minifigure torsos and legs was a wise decision. At some stage, these need to be LEGO-first interpretations of their characters, and Miss Piggy is a great example of just about striking the right balance.
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 Chef 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. 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. 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. One half of the madcap pair of scientists responsible for inventing (deep breath): exploding clothes, hair-growing tonic, a robot politician, edible paper clips, an electric nose warmer, a gorilla detector, a banana sharpener and a machine that can turn gold into cottage cheese, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is arguably a little yellower than his minifigure would suggest, but this particular shade of green gets a pass.
Minifigures 71033 The Muppets review LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71033 The Muppets review
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. If 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. 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 No LEGO version of any character, ship, vehicle, location or historical event can be a truly accurate recreation, simply by virtue of the medium: this is an artistic tool, and artistic licence must therefore be granted. We say all this to explain why the limitations of the LEGO Group’s existing colour palette are easy to forgive when it comes to these characters, whether it’s Fozzie Bear or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. 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.Whether you want to get a full set or just a few favorites, be sure to watch out for our Feel Guide coming soon! Statler’s three-piece outfit is also accompanied by a three-piece laptop, which features 71033 The Muppets’ only reference to Scooter, arguably the series’ biggest missing character. Waldorf’s accessories feel a bit more dialled-in, consisting ofa tile printed with three Zs and a cup and saucer, but you do at least get a spare tea set (presumably for Statler). Janice 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 —
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