Is there a Kowalski one?

BOOM BABY! I was thinking the same thing? Is there?

Personally I think they could have done a little better but I will probably end up buying a Rico one either way, I just gotta have it.

True, the pictures on the Toys-R-Us website do not seem as good as the photos I had found on eBay when I created my compilation photo. I am optimistic that this is just because the photos were taken from a different angle, not due to a product redesign.

As for Kowalski toys, I do not know. I think it would be a smart business move to have toys of all the major characters available, but I can’t say for sure that this will be the case. I’ll keep the community posted, though.

There are a few other “Penguins of Madagascar” products among Toys-R-Us’ listings that I do know of, however, including a smaller Skipper (six inch, $5.99), which I think is a better rendition of him than the larger 10-inch version. You can see this here: link. There are also ones of Rico, Julien, and Mason, but the Skipper one is the best quality out of the four.

I have the Rico one & I really think they did a pretty decent job with him. They messed up Skipper's beak in my opinion, though. The top part overlaps the bottom & comes to a little hook. No likey.

I did get mine from ebay, though, & I noticed the same thing about the plushes looking different/better in those pics as opposed to the Toys-R-Us ones. I agree, I hope it's just the angle.

I have the Rico small plush they have on there too, the one they call the bean something or other. At least, I think it's the same one, as I got that from from ebay, also. It's very cute.

If anyone is going to buy any of these toys, do it with Toys-R-Us. I just came across the large Skippers and Ricos on Amazon, and they’re $49.99 each! And if that wasn’t enough, add $10.65 for shipping! I’m not kidding – see for yourself: link

And to yesricokaboom: Thanks for writing your above little review. Also, was this the other Rico toy you were referring to (link)? It’s called “Full-O-Beans” if it is.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's him. The only thing is, mine's head looks just a tad askew, like he's got it cocked a little. I guess a little variation is normal & it works for him, really. Very cute!

I said that I’d keep the community posted on toy information, so here’s the latest that I have discovered.

I found among the listings at eBay today one and only one each of Private and Phil stuffed toys. Since the ones of Skipper and Rico hit eBay before “officially” being released, it is only logical to infer that the case will be the same with Private and Phil.

Additionally, since Phil is not as major a character as those so far without confirmed toys (Kowalski, Maurice, Mort, and Marlene), my personal theory is that these will be the next to emerge. It’s only a matter of time.

That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll have something more major to report on the next time.

I want marlene! :D

I actually saw some Maurice and Mort plushies on ebay, although they looked like they had been marketed for the origional Madagascar movie, not the TV show. The Mort one was very cute!

(Note: The following begins overly dramatic, but it was fun to write!)

At just after 1500 hours yesterday (January 14), I set off on a covert operation, a mission so classified that I have not revealed any details of it to anyone -- until now. Yes, last afternoon I visited my local Toys “R” Us location. I wanted to see if the “Penguins of Madagascar” toys we’ve been talking about here were available in-store as well as online.

Indeed they were, but that meant that the mission was now only half over. Next came Phase 2: Liberating Skipper and Rico, who had somehow been taken captive and had their appendages attached to cardboard boxes, from the place. Phase 2 was executed with precision and skill -- and cash.

When said flightless friends and I arrived at HQ, I assessed their conditions -- that is, I looked them over so that I could objectively review the toys’ quality and resemblance to the show’s title characters.

For Skipper, yes, as yesricokaboom said, his beak does have a little bit of a slightly odd bump to it, but I can live with it. When you stare at his face for a few seconds, you can really see a “Skipper” in it. It’s also fun to play around with his flippers and recreate the salutes he gives on the show, or lift both of them upward to resemble the “We’ve been ratted out, boys” scene of the first “Madagascar” movie (which can also be seen depicted in the button of this Fanpop club). My overall quality rating for this toy is 84 out of a possible 100.

For Rico, his overall shape reminds me of a football. He’s a little lumpier and chunkier than you’d expect him to be, but he does feature his trademarked scar and feathery Mohawk. His face isn’t as “Rico” as the Skipper one is “Skipper,” but you can still tell who it is. His tail area is a little bit roundish. Rico gets a 72 out of 100, though I would score him higher had he come with grenades in his gut.

Both are soft and don’t weigh too much. In-store price (at least at my location) is the same as online: $12.99 each. Their boxes also feature a few notable items, including two pictures that are interesting. The first is of Private wearing some sort of hat that looks half like a Lego and half like an upside-down flower pot, the other is of Rico holding a blowtorch whilst wearing glasses that make his eyes bulge out. I also like the little warning message on the back of the box which reads “Please remove all packaging including tags and ties before giving this product to a child or penguin.” Being neither, however, I can’t help but wonder, “What if I bought the product for myself?” Also funny on the box is the country of origin message which references a remark by Private; it reads “Made in China. With love, sir we made them with love.”

Well, if you read all of that, I -- along with Skipper and Rico -- salute you. Two down, two to go! (assuming ones of Kowalski and Private are coming out).

Great review!

So does Rico's head have that 'smashed back' look like in the Toys R Us pic? Or is it more like the ones on ebay? I'm assuming it only looks like that in the Toys R Us pic because something smashed his head in transit....

I went ahead & ordered another set of Rico plushes (the 10" & the full-o-beans) through the Toys R Us website, because you never know when you'll need backup ;)

Anyway, it looks like they dropped the prices a bit. I've had them sitting in my cart for a few days, and I noticed the 10" dropped to under $10, while the full-o-beans was $4.49. When I first put them in the cart, they were 12.99/5.99, respectively.

On a side note, I also picked up the PoM valentines today on an outing to Target. Very cute! There are eight different designs, some of which feature the lemurs & chimps. They are not the kind you stick in a little envelope, if they even still make that kind at all (my valentines card days are actually a few years behind me, so I really have no clue what most types are like anymore). I hope this doesn't count as a hijack, just thought I'd mention that these are out there, as well.

They added the Julien doll,but julian anyose me, Its time for a little round off what I call, PAYBACK!!!

Look, a beanie-baby,of Skipper! link

To yesricokaboom: Regarding what the Rico I bought looks like, I’d say he’s more like the one in the eBay picture, at least for the most part. Also, I don’t think that your mentioning of the Valentine’s Day cards is hijacking at all. In fact, I have also come across non-toy merchandise, including:

- The aforementioned Valentine’s Day cards: link
- Checks, address labels, contact cards, and a checkbook cover: link

Oh wow! Now I want those too... Unfortunately (or fortunately, from my wallet's point of view), I still have a boatload of checks that I rarely use, & I have no use for contact cards, at this point. The labels, though, hmmmm...

SJF_Penguin, what was the state of the penguin merch at your Toys R Us? I ask because my order arrived today, & one of the penguins was dirty, both had many stray threads, & one looked as if the seam where the head meets the body might be ripping. I'm really disappointed. I was wondering if I might have better luck if I went to a store in person & picked out my own or if I'd make the trip (there aren't any TrU very near me) only to find an isle full of dirty, imperfect penguins.

I have a Skipper beanie. It is so cute!

To yesricokaboom: There were a few stray threads on the penguins that I bought at my Toys “R” Us (black threads in the white part of the body), but nothing that the tiny scissors on my Swiss Army knife couldn’t fix. Neither penguin that I bought was dirty. I was somewhat disappointed with the quality of the six-inch Full-O-Beans Skipper in-store when compared to how it was pictured online; I did not end up buying this small version if him. Overall, I think going to Toys “R” Us myself was a benefit to me because I got to see what the products looked like before I chose to buy them. Plus, I got to save on shipping charges!

You don't know how happy I will be when I locate a Toys R Us!

i need a kowalski doll!!!!

Um, isn't this forum from one year ago? O_O

I'm getting a Mort cuddly toy for Christmas! :D