Marge & Maggie (Simpsons (Jakks Pacific)) Review

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Marge & Maggie (Simpsons (Jakks Pacific)) Review

Marge & Maggie
Simpsons (Jakks Pacific) (Jakks Pacific)It's already been a year since Jakks Pacific first revealed they got the Simpsons license, and they've been treating it very well. Figures have been coming out at a quick rate as well, with wave three having come out in this past January if I'm not mistaken. I haven't had much luck finding it at Target or Walmart, but I went to GameStop not too long ago and to my surprise, they had the whole 5" wave. Up until recently, they only had the Premium figures and electronic items, so it's great they're getting in more product now.

The MVP of this wave is Marge, completing the core family. We already got her in the 2.5" line, so making that sculpt twice as big presumably wasn't too hard, and she turned out the best of the main five in my opinion. Although she has the same blank happy stare as the others, the face looks great, and the eyelashes and pupils are clean and centered. Her hair is oddly sculpted as two parts, and you can see the seam line halfway through it. I'm not sure why they had to do it like that, but the big beehive hairdo is just as lumpy as it should be.

Marge's hair makes her taller than the others at 5 3/4", but she's in good scale with the other adults. The upper part of the dress is sculpted onto the body, but the lower part is a separate piece of softer plastic over the legs. It's better than making the lower body a solid piece, similar to some of their Mario figures like Peach and Daisy, and there are slits on the sides to give the legs more range. Marge has all the usual joints, including a swivel neck, swivel/hinge shoulders and wrists, hinged elbows and knees, ball-jointed hips and ankles, and swivel waist and biceps (actually a bit below the biceps). Even with how the dress is handled, the legs can't do too much unfortunately, and they should've made the overlay rubber instead.

Marge doesn't come with any accessories, but rather another character, and as anyone could've guessed, it's Maggie. Standing 2" tall, she's in better scale with the adults than the kids are, and the sculpt is spot-on. It's a little obvious Jakks just scaled up the Maggie sculpt from the 2.5" line, judging by the similar hand positions and walking pose. There are a few tiny paint marks here and there, but they aren't too noticeable. She's quite posable as well, with a swivel neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, and a ball waist, allowing for plenty of expressive poses. It would've been nice if we got something else with this pair, but they'll at least look great together and with the rest of the family.

Homer's also in this wave, and thankfully not a reissue like the previous wave. This version gives him his softball uniform (incorrectly marketed as a baseball uniform) from "Homer at the Bat," no doubt a classic episode of the show. The outfit's been recreated near-perfectly, with clean paint on the sleeves and belt (though the belt loops could've been better), cleats, his name neatly printed on the chest, and a removable cap. They forgot to include the Nuclear Power Plant's mascot, Smilin' Joe Fission, on his cap, but that aside the outfit looks great. I imagine the temptation to reuse tooling from the standard Homer was strong, but everything here is a new sculpt, including the head. The likeness is a lot better, with a better scalp and mouth, and the hairs are shorter so the cap can fit on. The neck looks a little taller than it should be, but the sculpt is fine otherwise.

Homer has nearly all the standard joints as well, including a ball waist, but it doesn't have as much range as I would've liked. The ankles only swivel, and I imagine the sculpt was a little restrictive on how they could move. Ball joints would've been a lot better for this specific look. Homer's main accessory, aside from his cap, is his "Wonderbat" from the same episode. The paint and detailing look great, and the lightning bolt is sculpted in to make it look engraved. The arms don't have enough range for a two-handed bat pose, but the box shows you can sort of cheat it, and nevertheless, he'll pose well with it.

Filling out the kid quota for the wave is Milhouse, Bart's best buddy. Alongside Marge and Maggie, he's the best sculpt of the wave, especially the head. They managed to capture the hair well, and the glasses look good too, though they aren't removable like with the Playmates Milhouse. It makes for a more seamless sculpt, but being able to take them off would've added some fun. At 3 1/2", the usual height for kids in this line, I was half-expecting some tooling for Bart to be reused, given the similar torsos, but it's all unique to Milhouse. The articulation blends in well with the sculpt, and he's the only one in the wave to have all the usual joints, but the torso prevents the arms from being able to hang down naturally.

Milhouse has one of the more intricate accessories in this line with a bicycle. The bike looks great, with clean paint, including metallic areas, and all the proper parts. The wheels can spin, so you can push it along like one of those Tech Deck bikes, but everything else is solid. The pedals have foot pegs, ensuring Milhouse will stay on it, and the articulation on him is enough to ride it, but he can't sit down properly, even with the improved leg movement in this wave. There's also a clear stand the bike can plug onto, allowing it to stand up, and it's a good idea on Jakks' part.

Speaking of best friends, rounding out the wave is one of Homer's pals and Moe's customers, Lenny Leonard. Lenny stands 5" tall, just like Homer, and his unique design has been recreated well, with the arms being quite long and legs being a little short. The hair is another two-piece, like Marge, but here I can see why they did it like that, due to the slightly more complex design. The paint on the suspender buckles and shoe soles is very clean, and the colors are accurate. Lenny doesn't get a waist joint like the others do, most likely as to not break up the look of the suspenders, but the rest of the joints, especially the legs, work great. His accessories are more generic, with just a coffee mug and a lunch bag, but they'll fit him well in certain displays, including the Playmates Power Planet lunch room if you have it.

Jakks' Simpsons line gets better with each wave, and the lineup here is great. We get not only the remaining core family members and two B-listers, but a variant coming from a fan-favorite episode, and the fun accessories help. The articulation also feels a little better here, but there are still some steps back with it. Some upcoming figures in this scale got leaked recently through international Amazon sites, including some of my more desired characters like Mr. Burns and Grampa, and more unexpected choices like Troy McClure and "Stupid Sexy Flanders." I'm looking forward to them, as well as whatever else Jakks has planned.

- 3/24/25