ARCHIVE: McFarlane's The Simpsons Series 1

Article originally published 03/29/2007 at figures.com

It has been an exciting year for fans of The Simpsons. The award-winning series is in its 18th season and continues to prove itself as an American cultural mainstay. After 20 years, The Simpsons will appear in a feature-length movie and will also be celebrating their 400th episode. Things in Springfield have never been brighter, and now Simpsons fans can enjoy new figures of their favorite characters courtesy of McFarlane Toys.

Early last year, McFarlane pounced on The Simpsons license, announcing plans to release a series of playsets and figures. Their first offering, the ‘Ironic Punishment’ box set, was met with mixed reviews. While some (including myself) found it as a refreshing change from the static Playmates ‘World of Springfield’ line, others took issue with the set’s disproportionate look and cumbersome action feature. Since then, McFarlane has released an additional box set (‘Couch Gag’) but nothing to really show fans what they can do with a standard 6” scale Simpsons figure. This month, fans were finally able to get their hands on McFarlane’s The Simpsons Series 1.

PACKAGING: You should know by now that McFarlane loves clamshell packaging. I’ve always liked the fact that 95% of their 6” scale figures look great in their clamshells. Regardless of figure size or amount of accessories, McFarlane somehow always seems to be able to position their figures in a manner that displays well when left in the packaging and hung on a wall. McFarlane has loaded up the packaging for each Simpsons figure with a bevy of Simpsons trivia. Each figure includes an insert that gives a bit of background including episode number, facts about the story/scene and screencaps from the episode.

SCULPT: The look and feel of these figures is astounding. Each piece is a testament to what a little bit of research and overall love of the source material can do when producing a quality action figure. All the figures are sculpted slightly under a 6” scale, which makes them just about a third smaller than the Playmates ‘WoS’ figures. However, what these figures lack in size they make up in detail. The sculptors at McFarlane have done an amazing job at translating the 2D cartoon world into a 3D environment.

There are four pieces included in Series 1, each including two figures and a base. Each piece has its own unique features that set it apart from the rest. ‘Why You…!!’ features sculpted strands of hair on Homer’s head as well as hands that fit perfectly around Bart’s neck. 'Marge & Homer: In the Belly of the Boss’ includes the two parents in scuba gear and swim suits, which are (thankfully) far more flattering on Marge than on Homer. My favorite pieces in Series 1 are ‘Kamp Krusty’ and ‘Simple Simpson’. These two are by far the most detailed and colorful of the bunch. ‘Kamp Krusty’ comes with a totem pole, which is one of the coolest looking accessories in the entire set. However, ‘Simple Simpson’ takes the prize for the best sculpt. The details of Homer and Bart’s costumes make these figures look like they leapt off the screen and onto your shelf.

PAINT: The experience McFarlane has gained from their work on both the Hanna-Barbera line and most recently the Adventures of Spawn, has given them a new insight on creating realistic 3D figures from dynamic 2D characters. Black outlining has been added to much of the figures’ facial features and clothing to retain the ‘hand drawn’ feel. The depth in color on a panicked Krusty from the ‘Kamp Krusty’ set makes it one of the best figures in the entire series. Overall, the top prize goes to ‘Simple Simpson’ which features Bart and Homer as costumed superheroes The Pieman and The Cupcake Kid. This is the most colorful piece in Series 1 and with vibrant red, blue, yellow and green, it will certainly stand out on a shelf lined with older Simpsons figures.

ARTICULATION: While this series is billed as a set of action figures, these really are mainly display pieces. It is no secret that McFarlane has long sacrificed articulation for sculpt. Each of the four sets in Series 1 look like they were pulled directly from the screen. These figures are based on individual episodes, so the concept is to keep the characters in a single pose. Articulation on each figure is minimal at best. McFarlane has included either stands or peg holes for each base, so keeping your Simpsons characters in the correct pose won’t be an issue. Most of the figures have very simple cut joints for arms, wrists, feet and head… though some (like Krusty) are missing even those. Again, the idea is to unpack the figures, setup the display and leave them alone.

ACCESSORIES: I was actually a bit surprised to find that three of the four sets actually had at least one removable accessory! ‘Why You…!!’ is the lone exception to this, unless you count the base. ‘Homer & Marge’ each include quasi-removable diving helmets. Only half of Marge’s helmet comes off (the other is attached to her neck) while Homer’s is completely removable. ‘Simple Simpson’ comes with an American flag that separates into two pieces and fits nicely into Homer’s hand. ‘Kamp Krusty’ includes some of the coolest accessories, featuring a removable totem pole (which I want to mount to the hood of my car!) and three tiny arrows that fit in the quiver on Bart’s back.

OVERALL: I think that this is a great start to what will hopefully be a continuation of Simpson’s 6” scale figures from McFarlane. There are certainly a large number of ‘fan favorite’ episodes and characters that have yet to be immortalized in action figure form. Fans have had their share of larger, more articulated Simpsons figures, so McFarlane is fulfilling a need by creating these detailed display sets. You should be able to find most of the figures in Series 1 for around $12-$15 apiece, so price shouldn’t be a deterrent. While these figures have little articulation or posability, they are certainly the most detailed Simpsons items yet. McFarlane plans to continue their Simpsons line with two more box sets and a series of figures based on the upcoming Simpsons Movie.