Pawn shopping

For adults who collect dolls, they've usually got a favorite Alexander or Tonner on display. But collectible puppets—now that's something different! Several toy and collectibles manufacturers are releasing limited-edition replica puppets this year, from clever to classic to scary.

Though collectible doll makers can take a media property like Harry Potter and recreate the characters beautifully, they cannot be so easily translated into puppets. But the medium turns out to be a perfect fit in the case of Spike and Angel. Timonium, Md.-based Diamond Select Toys' new Spike and Angel (pictured) hand puppets, limited to just 5,000 each, are based on the “Smile Time” episode of Angel, in which Angel turned into a puppet. The Spike puppet is Diamond's interpretation of how the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel character would have looked if he were a puppet, too.

Michael Leavey, marketing coordinator for Diamond Select, tells Playthings that the company was surprised when the original puppet sold out in days. “The Angel puppets really hit on the casual and extreme Buffy/Angel fans,” he says. “It is such a unique item that we have seen even non-fans get a kick out of it.”

Meanwhile, Master Replicas, Walnut Creek, Calif., is launching a line of puppets based on Jim Henson's Muppets, beginning with Kermit the Frog, perhaps the best-known character. The fully posable doll with full articulation is limited to 2,500 pieces and comes with a display stand and numbered plaque. Animal and Gonzo are also in the works. And for horror fans, Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Sideshow Collectibles offers a replica puppet of Jigsaw from the Saw films (Lions Gate), designed and manufactured by Tokyo-based Medicom Toy. Jigsaw weighs about 10 pounds, and features a sewn cloth body with vinyl head, hands and feet. He'll cycle into stores this fall.