hile it may seem unbelievable now, in the late 1970s there used to be a TV musical and comedic variety show starring stuffed hand puppets, and actors, actresses and other famous people really wanted to be seen on TV with them. The phenomenal success of The Muppet Show seems unlikely in today's world of reality TV, where characters have to be dysfunctional to be interesting.
One beloved recurring sketch on The Muppet Show was "Pigs in Space," featuring the comedic astral adventures of the S.S. SwineTrek, a pig-shaped spaceship helmed by the dashing but overbearing Capt. Link Hogthrob (precursor to Futurama's Zapp Brannigan), crewed by quirky Dr. Julius Strangepork (an obvious take on Peter Sellers' Dr. Strangelove) and of course Miss Piggy, the uptight diva of the Muppet Theater. The segment was so popular that during the height of his fame Luke Skywalker himself (played by Mark Hamill) once joined the crew of the SwineTrek, bringing with him his droids, C-3P0 and R2-D2.
Palisades Toys has created a marvelous playset based on the on-screen set of the SwineTrek. All that was ever seen in these sketches was a model of the ship (shaped like a silver pig) and the bridge of the SwineTrek.
This large playset is very detailed and features two walls that hinge outward from the bridge deck. Each wall has a functional sliding pair of doors. The set measures 18 inches across when the wings are opened to their natural stops (though they can open wider) and 10 inches deep.
The bridge features three silver chairs. The central one, the captain's chair, has panels with buttons similar to those on the command chair of Capt. James T. Kirk, on the U.S.S. Enterprise, which this set not-so-coincidentally resembles. Each chair swivels on its base and slides back from and toward the consoles.
The console panels are amazingly detailed, featuring removable TV monitors, plenty of working levers and a number of spare consoles with interchangeable parts that fit together with pegs and holes, allowing some customization.
The oval viewscreen monitor that overlooks the entire bridge is a receptacle that holds one of seven printed image cards ranging from the stars of open space, Dr. Strangepork in a desert setting, and the aliens of planet Koozebane to Gonzo the Great blasting away from Earth, among others.
Topping off the playset's features is a 6-inch (ears included) well-jointed action figure of First Mate Piggy in all her splendor, wearing her glittery pink uniform with silver padded epaulettes and the SwineTrek logo on the chest.
A Muppet toy worth going into orbit for
The detail in this playset is exemplary. The walls of the SwineTrek feature pipes, panels, beams, translucent red plastic warning beacons and other random and inexplicable details, just as one would expect to see on any standard spaceship interior. The deck plating is nicely detailed, with tiny circular dents resembling metal flooring. The red accents and infrastructural beams portray the Muppet Show set well.
To save space, the two side-wing doors hinge inward and outward. The sliding doors in these wings operate smoothly with double action from one slide-lever in a feat of clever engineering, opening just like a pair of sliding doors would be expected to, each side in unison.
The crew seats are molded to appear as if they are made of padded silver vinyl. The console, festooned with working ball-capped levers, will provide hours of imaginative play that will delight kids and adults alike. The display box indicates that the consoles are interchangeable, but I can see no way for the extra consoles that come supplied with the set to connect to the central console. The extras can, however, be set up anywhere on deck and can join together in interesting ways. These console parts are every bit as well designed and detailed as any I've seen on less lighthearted science fiction toys.
The oval viewscreen's simple low-tech method of changing displays (simple printed cards inserted into a slot) works very well without overcomplicating matters.
Miss Piggy can stand, be posed or sit easily in her customary chair with ease. This figure is a good replica of the full-sized muppet, including a kind of dappled, sponge-like texture on her face. The sculpt is amazingly accurate.
While not included with the set, the other members of the crew are available and are a must-have to get full enjoyment from this playset. Capt. Link Hogthrob is excellently detailed and includes a cloth cape that suits his pomposity, as well as a small model of the SwineTrek ship on a transparent stand and ray gun. Also included is a tiny Starhog magazine, an obvious parody of Starlog magazine, one of the definitive science-fiction periodicals of the time. Dr. Julius Strangepork comes with a Dissolvitron pistol and M.A.M.M.A. robot, a tin can resembling R2-D2 in shape. This robot is a nonfunctional replica of a musical robot seen in a particularly memorable Pigs in Space sketch.
Together, these two figures perfectly complement the playset, making one of the finest Muppets toys I have ever seen.
These days, playsets such as this usually feature some electronic components, but for some reason the absolute absence of tinny beep-beep noises makes this a much more attractive item.
