New Muppets Action Figures Redeem Previous Missteps

Being a Muppet fan has its challenges. While 2026 has marked the triumphant return of The Muppet Show, bringing our favorite felt characters back into the spotlight, the years leading up to this were pretty sparse. Disney occasionally threw fans a bone with a Disney Plus special or a sitcom, but that was about it. Even a promising action-figure line based on the modern Muppets was abruptly halted when Diamond Select, the company behind it, went out of business in 2025. But now, in 2026, the Muppets are back, and NECA is stepping up to the plate.

At the 2026 Toy Fair in New York City, NECA announced that it had secured the Muppets license for action figures and revealed that they were already hard at work on the first wave inspired by The Muppet Show. The initial lineup features Miss Piggy, the Great Gonzo, and the iconic trio of Mahna Mahna and the Snowths, and they look fantastic. Seriously, these figures are spot on, with NECA perfectly capturing their 1970s TV show aesthetics—especially Miss Piggy, whose look has evolved quite a bit over the years. Unless they plan to add flocking, it’s tough to imagine how NECA could improve on these designs.

In terms of accessories, Piggy comes with her dog Foo-Foo, while Gonzo is paired with his chicken girlfriend Camilla. It’s still unclear if Mahna Mahna and the Snowths will be sold as a three-pack or individually.

A NECA representative mentioned to a YouTuber that the company is also planning to include a variety of miniature Singing Food Muppets, which first appeared in a 1977 episode of The Muppet Show featuring guest star Steve Martin. This shows NECA’s commitment to diving deep into The Muppet Show right from the start. With that in mind, there’s another opportunity for them to truly impress Muppet fans: complete the Diamond Select line.

Many collectors invested significant time and money into the Diamond Select Muppet figures, only to see the line cut short. Even preorders were refunded instead of fulfilled. At the time, three different two-packs were available, one of which featured an 11-inch Sweetums that would have made a perfect centerpiece for any Muppet collection. Instead, collectors were left hanging.

This is where NECA can shine. While the current focus is on The Muppet Show, there will come a time when the company can explore the broader Muppet universe. When that happens, NECA should step up and fill the gaps in our Diamond Select collections.

Diamond’s figures were roughly the same seven-inch scale as NECA’s, and if anyone can match (or even surpass) the quality of the previously released Muppet figures, it’s NECA. There are six figures needed to complete the original collection: Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Electric Mayhem trumpet player Lips, Uncle Deadly, Pepe the Prawn, and Kermit’s nephew Robin.

Even as a convention exclusive, releasing figures of these characters in the same style as the Diamond Select line would be the kind of heartfelt gesture Muppet fans deserve after years of ups and downs with the franchise. And if it’s not too much to ask, can NECA also consider creating a diorama of the Muppet Show theater afterward?