Muppet figures (á la carte AG)

German toymaker á la carte AG produced three large, detailed latex rubber Muppet figures in 2000 and 2001. (The figures are also marked IMA, for Intramarketing Agency.)

The first figure, Statler and Waldorf in their theater box, was 20 by 19 inches. The second figure, The Swedish Chef with an axe, a frying pan and three chickens, was 24 by 9 inches. The third figure, released in 2001, was a 23 by 15 inches statue of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew about to send Beaker into the stratosphere with a remote-control rocket.

IMA á la carte went out of business shortly after the third figure's release, but two prototypes for follow-up figures surfaced on a forum post on Muppet Central in 2010. The poster reported: "I believe that they are German manufacturer mock-ups for something; they have labels on the bottom of their bases that say "Pre-Pro Sample" with handwritten dates and notes. My sister was given them about 5 years ago when she was temping for the Jim Henson Company (they were moving or shutting down one of their workshops and getting rid of lots of stuff)." The two prototype figures showed Kermit the Frog in a director's chair, and Animal busting his way through a drum set.