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Burger King's Storied Relationship with The Simpsons
Posted by Billy on Feb 6th 2016 at 6:15 pm
Meet the Simpsons (1990)
This was the first set of promotional Simpsons toys, which Burger King released shortly after the series premiered. It consists of plush-dolls modeled after our favorite family, an item with each doll: Bart's skateboard, Lisa's saxophone, Marge's purse, Maggie's teddy-bear, and Homer's bowling-ball.
The Call of the Simpsons (1990)
The camping figures set emerged in late summer 1990, a tribute to the season-one episode “The Call of the Simpsons.†Every character comes with a different cardboard, nature-themed layout. In conjunction with the toys, BK sold a set of three hard-plastic cups.
Simpsons Wheelie Toys (1992)
This set of wheelie toys is one of the rarer sets of Burger King toys, released after the first extended dryspell. The craftsmanship is remarkably shoddy, meaning that a complete set with bases intact is a goldmine.
Simpsons Wind-Ups (1998)
This set was exclusive to Europe. It contains four members of the Simpsons family, all the main characters except for Lisa. To say that this is a set of wind-up toys is not exactly true, as Bart's function is more of an eye-pop than a wind-up.
Global Fanfest Promotion (2000)
This UK-exclusive was released in conjunction with The Simpsons Global Fanfest at the turn of the millennium. This was the first set to include non-Simpsons family characters (Krusty, Mr. Burns, Barney, Apu, Sideshow Bob).
Soccer (2001)
The UK and Brazil were treated to this eleven-piece set in 2001. It includes the five family members (and an extra Homer), Otto, Nelson, Snowball II, Milhouse, and Grandpa. These aren't particularly rare.
Spooky Light-Ups (2001)
This set is made up of fifteen pieces, the largest to date: Krusty (vampire), Groundskeeper Willy (grim reaper), Lisa (trick-or-treater), Milhouse (trick-or-treater)), Ned (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Marge (witch), Maggie (trick-or-treater), Bart (trick-or-treater), Barney (mummy), Grandpa (vampire), Dr. Hibbert (grave digger), Homer (zombie), Skinner (zombie), Apu (pumpkin), and Mr. Burns (mad scientist). All of the figures are based off of segments in the “Treehouse of Horror†specials.
Simpsons Soccer Toys (2002)
This UK-exclusive ten-piece set included characters in soccer (football) uniforms. There's no basis for the costumes, the characters having never played soccer together on the show, and no inside-jokes for the fans.
Creepy Classics (2002)
After the success of the first "THOH"-based set of toys, a second set was released the following year. Though the styles and inspirations for the figures are similar, all based on “THOH†segments, the set is smaller, at ten pieces instead of fifteen.
Talking Watches (2002)
If you like talking, The Simpsons, and watches, then you'll love this set. It includes four watches, each with different characters and their respective catch phrases. The complete set can be semi-difficult to find, especially in the boxes, but you shouldn't have a problem if you're willing to buy them one-by-one.
Couch Set (2008)
This post-Simpsons Movie set contains five pieces, which connect to form the Simpsons' famous couch. The toys are made of a plastic that is unusually sturdy for a kid's meal toy.
More THOH (2011)
Another “Treehouse of Horror†entry, this set was released in 2011, and it featured all of the main family members plus Mr Burns, Milhouse, Kang, Comic Book Guy, and Scratchy. The figures are based on the segments in “Treehouse of Horror XXII.â€
We Can Be Heroes (2013)
With six figures, this set featured several characters' alter egos, including Cupcake Kid (Bart), Fallout Boy (Milhouse), Clobber Girl (Lisa), Pie Man (Homer), and Stretch Dude (Bart again). Radioactive Man was there too. The figures had a code that could be scanned for incorporation into an online game at BKCrown.com
Winter Wonderland (2013)
With six figures once again, this cold weather-themed set featured the five main family members and one of their pets, Santa's Little Helper. Most notable for starfish onesie coat Maggie.
Back to School (2015)
Released during the fall, this set contained mainly school supplies: a ruler, a calculator, a protractor. That sort of thing.
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