Review: LEGO Simpsons Minifigures Series 2

May 7, 2015 | 16

Here we are again! LEGO Simpsons Minifigures Series 2 have started showing up in stores across the country and I get to write up one of my favourite kind of posts – minifigure reviews!

Simpsons Series 2 is the direct sequel to last year’s popular Simpsons Minifigures Series. Building on the rabid popularity of the Minifigures series, we revisit Springfield and its colourful inhabitants once again with 16 brand new minifigures.

Read my reviews of Series 1 here: Part 1 & Part 2.

You should be able to find Simpsons Minifigures Series 2 blind bags in toy stores around the country as well as your local supermarket toy aisle. As usual, they cost $5 each.

Compared to the regular core Series which are extremely popular with army builders and collectors, I believe that it should be relatively easy for you to find a complete set. It’s highly unlikely that fans will be on the hunt for multiple Comic Book Guy minifigures. But then again, stranger things have happened.

Here’s the leaflet which comes inside each blind bag that has a checklist of all 16 characters of Simpsons Series 2.

On the flipside, there’s an advertisement for the Simpsons Family House and the newly released Kwik-E-Mart.

I didn’t like the official leaflet checklist so I kinda made my own, which has all the Simpsons Series 2 character names on it.

Here’s the breakdown of each box of Simpsons Series 2 minifigs, which should give you an idea of the relative rarity of each minifigure. Like previous series, each box should guarantee 3 complete sets of minifigures. Here’s the full list and their quantities in each box!

5x Date Night Homer
5x Bartman
5x Groundskeeper Willie
4x Date Night Marge
4x Lisa & Snowball II
4x Maggie & Santa’s Little Helper
4x Fallout Boy Milhouse
4x Waylon Smithers
4x Dr. Hibbert
3x Edna Krabappel
3x Selma Bouvier
3x Patty Bouvier
3x Comic Book Guy
3x Hans Moleman
3x Professor Frink
3x Martin Prince

You can click the name of each minifigure and instantly teleport you to the corresponding minifigure’s review section!

Here’s a look at the brand new Simpsons Series 2 blind bag, which contains a random Simpsons minifigure. They’ve mostly stuck to the iconic sky blue background, but updated the design with the bright yellow top and bottom borders. It looks pretty eye catching and the colours work pretty well.

I will preface this review by saying that I passionately HATE feeling Simpsons minifigures. I consider myself a pro at feeling for LEGO Minifigures but holy hell, are Simpsons Minifigures a huge pain. For one thing, there aren’t many distinctive accessories to feel for and some (like Homer & Dr Hibbert), you have to actually tell them apart by feeling the subtle shape of their heads.

I’m not exaggerating, this is possibly the hardest LEGO Minifigure Series to feel for. I will include tips on how to find each minifigure but the best advice I can give you is to just buy a complete set outright. If you’re in Melbourne, check out I’m Rick James Bricks. Rick is a top bloke and sells complete sets for $80.  You should pay nothing over $80 for a full set.

If you’re unfamiliar with my LEGO Minifigure reviews, I use a 5-point scale review scale. Here’s what the numbers mean!

5/5 – I love it
4/5 – I really like it
3/5 – I like it
2/5 – I don’t like it
1/5 – I didn’t really like it
0/5 – I hate it

Let’s get straight into the review!

Date Night Homer

Simpsons character description and quotes shamelessly lifted from LEGO’s Character Profiles page.

Homer Simpson may not be the most attentive husband around, but he sure loves his wife Marge. So when an important occasion or anniversary arrives (and by some miracle he remembers it), Homer dresses to the nines and acts the proper gentleman for her benefit. On rare occasions, he’s even been known to say “please” and “thank you.” What a guy Date Night Homer is!

We start off the Simpsons Series 2 review with the face of the TV show – Homer Simpson himself. Unlike his usual sloppy self, Homer is dapper AF – dressed up for date night in a charming blue suit jacket, and mismatched blue pants that are a few shades lighter than his jacket. Classic Homer.

He comes with 2 X 2 tile that’s what I think is a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Marge. The tile is really useful, but I don’t quite like that the heart looks off centre. Kinda looks weird, but eh, it’s a tiny insignificant flaw.

Despite being dressed in a fancy suit and tie, Homer feels kinda boring. Mostly cause other than his torso, there isn’t much that has changed. Above, is all 3 versions of Homer that exist so far.

Series 1 on the far left and the one from the Simpsons House on the far right. I don’t have the Kwik-E-Mart, but I think it’s the same minifigure as Series 1 Homer.

He’s pretty boring, but being a main character, I don’t see how LEGO and Fox would ever not have a Simpsons Minifigure series without Homer.

How To Find One: Holy cow, Homer was a huge pain to find. The only identifying accessory is his 2 X 2 tile, which doesn’t help because Dr. Hibbert has a 2 X 2 tile too. To make things worse, they both have similarly shaped heads. Oy vey. The only real way to tell Homer and Dr. Hibbert apart is by feeling their heads. Homer’s head is smoother and rounder compared to Dr. Hibbert’s hair which feels like small bumps.

Good luck. I got Homer wrong on my first try and now have 2 Dr. Hibberts. Not ideal!

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Bart as Bartman 

In Series 2, Bart Simpson dons a mask and cape to emerge as his alter-ego, Bartman which made his debut in the episode Three Men and a Comic Book.

It’s a simple upgrade over his usual self and works relatively well. His purple mask contrasts well with his plain orange shirt and sky blue shorts. It sure beats his regular old red shirted self.

My favourite thing about Bartman is his brand new slingshot accessory, which is a playful new addition to the LEGO universe.  His cape is still made out of paper-ish fabric, which I find odd as it seems that LEGO are shifting towards the softer cloth most recently seen in Superheroes sets. Guess they’re just trying to clear out their stockpiles.

Overall, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed by Bartman. A cape and painted mask doesn’t automatically transform him into an interesting minifigure. Bartman is more charming than he is impressive and feels a bit like a ‘wasted’ slot in this series.

At the very least, they could’ve given us a version of Bart in his Sunday church clothes and center-parted hair – so that he doesn’t look out of place with his family.

How To Find One: Bartman is fairly easy to find, just try and feel for the slingshot piece which has a distinct and easily identifiable Y shape. There’s no other accessory like it in the series, although you may need to shake the packet quite vigorously to separate it from the other minifigure parts.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Groundskeeper Willie 

Hot-tempered Scotsman Groundskeeper Willie knows that manners are for weak-kneed, bath-taking lily-huggers! The groundskeeper and janitor at Springfield Elementary, Willie is proud to call his tractor, Willy, his best friend. This makes his floor buffer, Willy, very jealous.

Groundskeeper Willie is one of my favourite Simpsons characters. I really like his terrible Scottish accent and outrageously furious temper. He seems to always be angry at stuff and is easily provoked into fits of rage. He’s also incredibly buff!

Willie’s head mould is a work of art. LEGO have really gone all out in Simpsons Series 2. His flaming red eyebrows, hair and beard are fused so remarkably well to his head. The printing is sharp and there are no splotchy bits. It’s an impressive piece of work.

He’s attired in his dark green overalls and drab grey shirt. Again, another versatile torso and leg combo that you can re-purpose for other scenes.

The greatest feature of his torso is the arm hair printing on both his arms. The “M” shaped hair looks exactly like it does in the TV show.

He comes with a plunger that first came with Series 9’s plumber. The rubber tip was a little misshapen when it came out of my blind bag. I had to pinch it a few times to make it look properly round. I’ve seen others complain about this issue in Facebook groups, so I definitely know I’m not alone. I guess it’s a common issue when it comes to soft LEGO rubber.

Willie is a fan favourite and is a long awaited addition to the LEGO Simpsons Minifigure family and should be a popular minifig with Simpsons fans. The only thing that felt a bit off with this minifgure is his accessory. Personally, I think a shovel or even a rake would’ve been a much better choice. There’s no existing LEGO rake, so even a pitchfork would’ve been much better than a plunger.

How To Find One: Groundskeeper Willie is an easy minifigure to feel for. Just feel for his plunger, which feels like a long stick with a rubbery squishy attachment at the end.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Date Night Marge

Deep down, Marge knows that every Date Night with Homer will probably end in chaos, disaster, and minor criminal charges. But she’s still happy to wear her Sunday best, do up her hair to its very tallest, and step out for a romantic night on the town with her beloved Homie. Hey, at least the guy tries, and that’s why she loves him!

Like Homer, Marge Simpson is also dressed up for Date Night. She’s swapped her plain green dress for a stylish orange number, got a bouquet of flowers (that she probably bought herself since Homer forgot) and a dark blue clutch that’s printed on a 1 X 2 tile.

Marge has also dolled up for date night with bright red lipstick. The fabric skirt piece looks a little jarring, since it’s not in the same shade as her torso, but it’s got a think black line to add some detail to it.

She definitely looks much more stylish than her previous versions from Series 1 (far left) and The Simpsons House (far right).

Marge has a diamond-shaped earrings printed on her neck. I get that it’s supposed to look like it’s dangling off her earlobe, but it honestly looks more like a neck tattoo than an earring.

Dressing up alone does not a great minifigure make, but viewed in context of The Simpsons minifigure series, I guess Marge is all right. The printing and moulding quality is exceptional as ever, and I quite like the accessories she comes with. I do wish that LEGO would start thinking about phasing out the fabric skirt pieces.

How To Find One: Marge is an easy one to find – all you gotta do is feel for her large elongated hair, which has little bumps all over it and you’ve got your hands on Marge.  

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Lisa Simpson and Snowball II

Lisa

Sometimes, Snowball II can be a hard cat to love. Fortunately, Lisa Simpson doesn’t mind if her beloved pet drinks out of cereal bowls, deposits hairballs on the carpet, or even uses Lisa’s prized bookshelves as a scratching post. As far as Lisa is concerned, her cat is the finest, most noble feline who ever lived. Even Snowball II wonders where on Earth Lisa got that crazy idea.

I really enjoyed building The Simpsons Family House, but there was one huge element missing from the Simpsons household – the pets! Simpsons Series 2 fixes this by FINALLY giving us Snowball II, the family cat which comes with Lisa Simpson.

Lisa is dressed in her Sunday best, probably headed to church. Her pink dress is in a great shade of pink but I’m not a fan of her fabric skirt. It’s got jagged edges, but the skirt is also a lot shorter than regular LEGO fabric skirts which causes it to bunch up when folded making it look quite unsightly.

Again, here’s a comparison with her Series 1 (left) and Simpsons House counterpart (right). She’s got a little pink bow printed on her hair which is a nice bonus bit of detail.

Snowball II is undoubtedly the best and it’s so good to finally get her in LEGO form. I’d consider Snowball II a core Simpsons family member, so it’s great that the family is finally and officially complete. I’d go so far as to say that Snowball II is the actual character in Simpsons Series 2 and Lisa is merely an accessory!

Snowball II looks fantastic and is probably the most detailed LEGO cat in existence at the moment. Love his iconic green eyes, pink nose and red collar. It would’ve been great if Snowball II was in some sort of action pose, but a neutral stance is not too shabby.

Let’s be frank – you don’t really need a different variation of Lisa but you do absolutely need Snowball II if you consider yourself a fan of the Simpsons.

How To Find One: Snowball II is quite easy to feel out since it’s much smaller compared to Santa’s Little Helper and has a quite distinctive shape with its tail sticking out. Both minifigures with the pets (Maggie and Lisa) have sharp spiky hair but you can always verify that it’s Lisa if you feel for her short legs.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Maggie Simpson and Santa’s Little Helper

A former racing dog, Santa’s Little Helper‘s last-place losing streak finally ended when he was adopted by the Simpsons. Ever since, he’s been an integral part of the family: fetching the morning paper off Flanders’s driveway, digging holes in the yard (whether or not he has anything to bury in them), and devouring any people-food within reach. Oh yeah, and Maggie’s here, too!

Maggie is exactly the same as the one that you get in The Simpsons House. Her Series 1 version has worried looking eyes. Maggie is still Maggie, and I am still a fan of her unique body piece.

With that out of the way, we can focus on Santa’s Little Helper, the trusty but slightly silly dog of the Simpsons clan! Like Lisa, Santa’s Little Helper is the main draw and the little mutt is accurately designed. The designers have faithfully captured the dog’s innocent and slightly clueless expression and little nuances like his curved snout and his lanky legs.

Maggie is also relegated to the role of accessory, with Santa’s Little Helper getting all the spotlight. All in all, I’m very pleased that the entire Simpsons family is finally complete.

For that alone, Maggie Simpson is an undisputed must buy (together with Lisa) in Series 2. Even if you don’t like The Simpsons, a new good looking dog mould and Maggie’s baby body is completely worth the price.

How To Find One: Maggie & Santa’s Little Helper are pretty easy to feel for. Maggie’s body has a very obvious shape. It feels like a regular LEGO minifigure torso with a wider base. Failing that, you can also feel for Santa’s Little Helper, which has a thin and narrow frame and feels quite flat if you grip him on his sides. His long legs are dead giveaways as well.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Milhouse van Houten as Fallout Boy

Sidekick to the superhero Radioactive Man, Fallout Boy is much less powerful (and slightly less radioactive) than his mighty mentor. And when it comes to being ineffectual, nobody’s more effective than Milhouse! That’s why he’s the perfect fit to play Fallout Boy in the big-screen movie based on Bart and Milhouse’s favorite comic book. Will fame and fortune change our young hero? Probably…but you can bet he’ll be back to normal by next week!

Like his best friend Bart, Milhouse is dressed up as comic book character, Fallout Boy. Bit of trivia, Fall Out Boy (the American pop rock band) named themselves after this Simpsons character!

Milhouse sports a lime green cape, and a green eye mask that’s painted on his face. The printing on his face is actually really well done – they managed to separate the different colours of his skin, hair, red glasses and green classes without any drastic colour bleeding, which is a feat worth celebrating.  His angry looking eyes are also a really nice touch.

Unlike Bartman, Fallout Boy has more details going on for him. He has a printed t-shirt with a nuclear radiation symbol on his left breast and a green belt as well as green gloves. Unfortunately, he has no back printing, but that’s not a deal breaker since his back is going to be obscured by his cape most of the time.

His accessory is a cool Easter Egg for fans of The Simpsons, he comes with a can of Buzz Cola, the non-alcoholic beverage of choice for the citizens of Springfield.

The can uses the same exact mould as Larry the Barista’s coffee cup or Apu’s Squishee cup, but it’s not immediately apparent at first glance thanks to the shiny silver top. LEGO could really use a soda accessory, so I’m quite happy with the can of Buzz Cola.

Sadly, Fallout Boy suffers from the same flaws as Bartman – other than his accessory, he doesn’t bring a lot of freshness to the table and he’s still plain old Milhouse.

At the very least, Fallout Boy has the edge over Bartman when it comes to printing on his torso and face. I could’ve done without another Milhouse. In fact, if I can think of one obvious replacement for Milhouse, it’d have to be Principal Skinner.

How To Find One: Fallout Boy’s Buzz Cola can is quite easy to identify. It feels like a 1 x 1 round brick and should be easy to pick out thanks to its cylindrical shape. The top of the can is flat and the bottom has a hole for a stud.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Waylon Smithers

As executive assistant to evil billionaire Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers’s duties include coordinating Mr. Burns’s evil schedule, overseeing his evil non-profits, tucking him in at night, moistening his eyeballs, helping him chew and swallow, lying to Congress, and an occasional bit of light typing. It’s a good thing Mr. Smithers is so devoted to his employer, or he might have to ask for a raise someday!

Yet another fan favourite character, Waylon Smithers is best known for his zealot-like obedience to his boss Mr Burns and for his obsession with Malibu Stacy dolls.

His fascination with dolls and certain quotes he’s made has made many speculate that he’s a closeted homosexual but he’s never officially come out of the closet, despite several strong hints peppered throughout the series. I really like Smithers, so it’s awesome to have him as a LEGO minifigure and pair him up with Series 1’s Mr Burns.

It’s a common trend in Series 2, but I cannot stop talking about how well the Simpsons heads are designed and moulded this time. Smithers is no exception – there are no obvious printing or moulding flaws at all, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.  The designers captured Smither’s iconic smile really well too.

He has an olive coloured jacket which is pretty inaccurate since his jacket on the show is a much darker shade of brown. He comes with a novelty tile piece that’s meant to be a mint Malibu Stacy doll which is a superb and totally fitting accessory.

To make it look like a box, you also get a 2 X 2 plate which is a nice touch but also means that it’s quite hard for the minifigure to securely hold it. To solve this tiny issue, I recommend using a regular 1 x 1 round plate, attach it to the bottom which will make it easy for him to grip it.

Smithers a great addition, but there are several things that could’ve been done better such as the colour of his jacket and pants. They both look a little drab and out of place compared to the other characters which mostly have bright and vibrant attire to fit the whole cartoon theme.

How To Find One: Smithers is a relatively easy character to identify. All you need to do is feel for a 2 X 2 plate which is easily recognizable if you feel for the studs. It’s the only one in this series so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Just watch out for the plate sticking to the minifig base plate.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Doctor Hibbert 

That rarest of rare doctors, the general practitioner-surgeon-pediatrician-anesthesiologist-orthopedist-E.N.T-allergist, Dr. Julius Hibbert is Springfield’s only competent physician. Then he lets out one of his trademark jolly chuckles moments after delivering bad news to a patient, and you have to wonder if maybe Springfield has ZERO good doctors.

Dr. Julius Hibbert is Springfield’s go-to person when you’ve got a medical condition. Best known for his iconic laugh and jovial nature, he’s a great addition to the growing number of Simpsons minifigures.

As a minifigure, Dr. Hibbert’s best defining feature is his massive grin. The moulding and detail on his head is exceptional – LEGO have done a great job capturing his characteristic features such as curly hair, which looks like a bunch of black grapes.

On closer inspection, I was blown away when I noticed that they even incorporated Dr. Hibbert’s frown lines into his forehead. It really does seem like LEGO stepped up their attention to detail.

Dr. Hibbert’s torso is also another winner, with the print of his white hospital coat, shirt & tie and stethoscope suitably sharp and crisp. Doctors are quite a rare breed in LEGO, so there’s no stopping you from reusing his body parts for your hospital.

His torso print extends to his legs (good) but when it crossed the torso-leg border, the intensity of the white print suddenly fades (bad) so it’s a little jarring visually.

The accessories in the Simpsons Minifigure series have always been clever nods at popular Simpsons episodes, and the 2 X 2 x-ray tile included in this set is no exception. I really like the nod to the HOMЯ episode where Homer discovers that he has a crayon embedded into his brain, which when removed dramatically increases his IQ.

I quite like Dr. Hibbert’s character in The Simpsons, so it was only natural that I warmed up to his minifigure version. He scores points by possessing lots of utility and a being a well designed minifig.

How To Find One: Dr. Hibbert is one of the most challenging minifigures to feel. For starters, he shares the exact same singular accessory as Homer – the 2 X 2 tile. That narrows it down slightly, but it doesn’t help that they have similarly-shaped heads. Try and feel the ridges and bumps of Dr. Hibbert’s hair, which is the only way to tell him and Homer apart. Homer has a smoother, rounder head, whereas Hibbert has slightly more texture. Good luck, this is a tough one!

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Edna Krabappel 

Springfield Elementary fourth-grade teacher Edna Krabappel works diligently to provide her students with precisely the minimum education required by law. At first glance, she may seem unenthusiastic. And she is. Enthusiastically so! But underneath her hard shell, Bart’s teacher is a woman who deeply loves having her summers off. Why give that up just because of some aggravating kids?

Edna Krabappel is best known on the Simpsons for her torrid love life, epitomised by her tumultuous relationship with Principal Skinner and in recent seasons, marrying the most unlikely Springfield inhabitant – Ned Flanders. Yup, if you haven’t watched the Simpsons in a while, that’ll be quite a shocker.

Edna’s voice actress, Marcia Wallace passed away in 2013, and as a result, her character is retired on the TV show.

I quite like Edna’s minifigure. Her facial expression is one of utmost apathy, probably because she hates her job at school or maybe she’s just sick and tired of her many failed romances. The printing on her torso is clean and sharp – in fact the yellow skin revealed is almost the same shade as her skin, which is something of a LEGO Minifigure miracle.

Her novelty tile accessory should be a familiar one to Simpsons fans – a framed picture of Woodrow Wilson, a fictional pen pal that she fell in love with who was actually a creation of Bart, who was playing a mean prank on her. The episode Bart the Lover is one of my favourites of all time, because its so heartfelt and Bart and Edna’s interaction at the end of the episode is still vivid in my memory. She also comes with a pink cup which is a decent but unexciting accessory.

I think it’s nice to have her character immortalised as a LEGO minifigure. It strikes all the right chords with me, and the tile paying homage to one of my favourite episodes makes Edna all the more lovable.

How To Find One: Try feeling for Edna’s cup, which is the only one of its kind in Series 2. Failing that, her head is also quite easy to identify – it’s large, smooth and bulbuous and feels like a big misshapen ball.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Selma Bouvier 

Selma Bouvier Terwilliger Hutz McClure is Marge Simpson’s older sister and Patty’s identical twin. Like Patty, she clerks at the Springfield DMV and hates Homer Simpson with a passion. Although a desperate desire for companionship has led her into several ill-fated marriages over the years, even Selma has her limits. From now on, she has vowed to marry only for love. Or possibly for money. Or out of boredom. Or any combination of the three.

Selma is Marge’s older sister and Patty’s identical twin. Best known for her husky voice which was probably caused by years of chain smoking. I can never tell them apart on the TV show, and even in LEGO form, I keep having to check my list to ensure that I’m referring to the right Bouvier twin.

To me, I refer to her minifigure as the “Twin in the blue dress and Eye Test Chart tile“. Selma’s minifigure is well designed with a couple of tiny but accurate details.

Her hair is absolutely massive, and when I was feeling for my set of Series 2 minifigures, I was surprised to discover that it was a lot larger than I had expected. You definitely won’t miss Selma and Patty’s head when feeling through blind bags.

The Eye Test Chart tile is one of the most awesome accessories in The Simpsons Series 2. It lacks a novelty Simpsons factor, but more than makes up for it by being super useful. You can now build that Optometrist’s Office for your LEGO city that you’ve always wanted.

The printing on her torso is pretty clever – the usual hourglass silhouette is missing in favour of more curvy lines to create the visual effect of Selma’s bigger physique.

Other than that, there’s really not a lot that I like about Selma. I don’t particularly fancy her character on The Simpsons, but at the very least, I can appreciate the cool Eye Test chart.

How To Find One: Selma and Patty are really easy to find thanks to their humongous heads, which feel like a bunch of grapes and has a very bumpy texture. Selma’s hair is slightly wider compared to Patty, which has a more round shape to it. The best way to tell them apart is by feeling for their accessories. All you have to do is feel for the 2 X 2 tile and you should be fine.

Minifig Rating: 1/5

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Patty Bouvier

One of Marge Simpson’s pair of older sisters, Patty Bouvier works as a clerk at Springfield’s Department of Motor Vehicles. She loves her job, since it allows her to negatively effect the lives of so many: forcing them to wait in endless lines, fill out pointless paperwork, and smile while listening to her gravel-voiced insults. Like her twin, Selma, Patty strongly disapproves of Homer and doesn’t understand what Marge sees in her oafish husband.

Patty is like Selma, but with a pink dress, rounder hair and a handbag instead of an eye chart tile.

Her handbag is okay and she has some pretty cool looking earrings, but those are minor details and she’s fundamentally identical to Selma. Take most of what I said about Selma and apply it to Patty and my verdict is still the same. Meh.

How To Find One: Her head is easy enough to identify, so just feel for the handbag and you should be set! Patty’s head is also rounder than Selma’s for reference.

Minifig Rating: 1/5

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Comic Book Guy 

The Comic Book Guy is the owner of The Android’s Dungeon, Springfield’s finest proprietor of comic books and other stuff no one really needs. Unfriendly, unshaven and generally un-nice, he has little patience or fondness for his store’s customers, especially kids. He enjoys binge-watching, binge-eating, binge-snarking, and overcharging for rare collectibles. Truly, his is the Best. Minifigure. Ever.

Worst. Minifigure. Ever. 

Just kidding, Comic Book Guy is pretty cool. The poster boy for all things geeky and nerdy, Comic Book Guy unfortunately perpetuates the stereotype that all comic book enthusiasts are overweight, dorky and are socially awkward. Thankfully, he’s a pretty lovable guy on the show and one of the most iconic characters in Springfield.

I think that LEGO did a pretty good job trying to replicate Comic Book Guy’s look, with the resources that they have. He’s a pretty fat character on screen, which is a challenge when turning him into a minifigure since torsos have a standard shape. To allude to his fatness and giant belly, LEGO have opted to draw a huge belly on his torso, which for the most part works.

He doesn’t look fat when viewed from the side, but looking at him from the front, the belly line and exposed bellybutton do a convincing job to demonstrate that he’s fat. So unlike Chief Wiggum in Series 1 who just looked downright skinny because of his police uniform.

He also has a ponytail! Horrible grooming decision.

Comic Book Guy’s accessories are pretty awesome. He fittingly has a copy of Everyman, a comic book character that he created AND a brand new Squishee cup. Unlike previous Squishee cups which were just repainted takeaway coffee cups, Comic Book Guy’s Squishee is the real deal with the transparent dome cap, and straw. It’s definitely one of the most complex LEGO accessories that’s currently available.

There’s so much to like about Comic Book Guy, and I bet that he’s going to be quite popular with collectors, especially since there are only 3 of him in each box. His torso with the exposed fat belly will come in handy if you ever want to create fat minifigs for your LEGO city, and having two great accessories just means tons of value.

C’mon LEGO, get on it and create a proper fat minifigure torso with a bulging belly!

How To Find One: Comic Book Guy’s Squishee cup is the most obvious accessory to feel for. It kinda feels like a 1 X 1 round brick except that the straw feels very pointy and sharp. Alternatively, his ponytail is also quite easy to feel since it protrudes quite awkwardly from his head and also feels quite sharp. Check for his tile to confirm that it’s him!

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Hans Moleman

Everything goes wrong for poor Hans Moleman. Stooped, wrinkly, and nearly sightless, he is constantly stumbling, getting run over, or exploding in a brilliant pyrotechnic display. But nothing can slow this guy down! Because he was going so slowly to begin with, you see.

Hans Moleman is Springfield’s version of South Park’s Kenny – a running gag on the Simpsons where he constantly finds himself in accidents or getting killed, only to come back to life seemingly unscathed. He is one of Abe Simpsons’ fellow Retirement Village friends and also looks like a Mole-Human hybrid because of his wrinkly skin and dim eyesight.

His minifigure, like his character is fairly unassuming. He sports a plain white button up t-shirt with a horrible looking tie, but I can definitely see it getting used in an office MOC. His head is moulded very nicely, capturing his wrinkly skin and lips. I also really like how his eyes are painted on his glasses.

He comes with another novelty tile, this time a 1 X 2 revoked driver’s license, possibly due to his blindness. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a cane which Hans Moleman is often seen with, which is a shame since a cane accessory would’ve been absolutely brilliant.

Hans Moleman is a decent minifigure. He’s definitely got a lot of charm and I think looks pretty cute. Hey, at least Abe Simpson has got a friend now!

How To Find One: Hans’ 1 X 2 driver’s license tile is the easiest indicator that you’ve got your hands on him. The only other minifigure in this series with a 2 X 1 tile is Marge so it’ll be pretty easy to tell them apart. Additionally, Hans has short legs, whereas Marge has normal legs.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Professor Frink 

The brilliant Professor Jonathan Frink is Springfield’s resident scientist and the inventor of such revolutionary devices as the flying motorcycle and the hamburger earmuffs. If you’ve ever used the Frinkulation Process, or a Magnetic Frinkometer, or enjoyed the labor-saving benefits of a Frinkonium-powered Reverse Frinkulator, you have Professor Frink to thank.

Professor Frink is Springfield’s resident nerdy mad scientist famous for his weird and wacky inventions. He’s definitely one of Springfield’s more recognizable faces, thanks to his elongated head, blank glasses, center part hairstyle and buckteeth.

I really like that his glasses are painted on the side of his head as well, it’s a small but very well welcome bit of detail.

Frink’s minifigure is an almost flawless recreation of his TV show self – his lab coat printing is sublime, which continues all the way down to his legs. The lines are vividly printed across his entire body and his bright pink pants also sport side printing.

His torso printing has a lot of utility, which is one of the best features of the minifigures in Simpsons Series 2. You can easily remove his head and you’ll have a very eccentric scientist outfit for your LEGO city. Unfortunately, Frink doesn’t have back printing.

His accessory is a Erlenmeyer Flask variant, which has solid green fluid in it. The opaque liquid is new to me as previous flasks have always had translucent contents.

I quite like Professor Frink’s minifigure. I think LEGO did a remarkable job turning him into a minifigure, with fantastic head moulding and a really useful torso.

How To Find One: Professor Frink is relatively easy to feel for. For starters, his flask’s distinct shape is the only one of its kind and is easy to identify from its narrow neck which expands into its wider base. Frink’s long narrow head is also another good sign.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Martin Prince 

A lute-playing, tattle-telling teacher’s pet, Martin Prince is the smartest kid in Bart’s class, a fact that he proudly mentions whenever possible. Perhaps not coincidentally, he is disliked by most of his classmates at school, as well as many of the teachers. Martin is the leader of the Super Friends, a group of misfit brainiac kids who meet secretly in the school’s deserted boiler room, where they can do extra-credit projects without fear of reprisal from their fellow students.

Lisa’s intellectual rival, teacher’s pet and one of the most disliked kids in school, Martin Prince is that nerdy little squirt that everyone loves to hate on at school. You know the guy – the one who reminds the teacher about homework deadlines when they seemed to have forgot.

As a minifigure, I really like that we get more of Lisa and Bart’s schoolmates. The Springfield kids are some of my favourite characters in the show. With Martin, we’re very close to assembling the entire gang. Only the bullies are missing and perhaps Sherri & Terri.

Speaking of Sherry & Terri, LEGO just need to produce one minifigure, and get people to buy 2 since they’re identical. I would’ve gladly traded Milhouse’s spot for Sherri/Terri.

Martin is pretty adorable, with his nerdy haircut, bulging eyes and face that’s just begging for you to beat him up. Martin isn’t shy of flaunting his intelligence and his accessory, a book entitled Coping with a High IQ.

I don’t think this book was actually in the TV series, but it does a decent job communicating the fact that Martin is hyper intelligent and a bit of a showoff. Overall, he’s a great character to finally add to the LEGO Simpsons roster, but just an average minifigure with little to no utility.

How To Find One: Martin’s book is really easy to find, you can’t miss it. It will most likely be shut, but you can easily feel for it due to its size and obvious rectangular shape.

Minifig Rating: 2/5 

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I have to say that I’m a little underwhelmed by The Simpsons Series 2. I’ll chalk it up to a lot of recycled characters in Series 2. I understand LEGO’s rationale of including the core Simpsons family, but I would have much rather have other more important Springfield inhabitants.

With the minifigures in Series 2, I was extremely impressed with the level of quality of the new head moulds and torso printing. LEGO have noticeably improved their moulding and printing process, and one can only wish that they’d replicate this level of detail across the board. And thank goodness, there are no heads made out of the horrific rubbery material that was used with Mr Burns’ head in Series 1.

The lack of back printing across ALL the minifigures is a bit of a disappointment, especially for minifigs like Willie who would’ve benefited so much from his overalls continuing on his back. I do say that most of the body parts in Series 2 are generic enough to be repurposed for other LEGO minifigures, with the standouts being Dr. Hibbert and Professor Frink.

The accessories are outstanding, especially if you’re a Simpsons fans. The throwbacks to popular Simpsons episodes were much appreciated and I actually found myself Youtubing portions of episodes to relive them.

What’s my verdict? If you’re a Simpsons fan, Series 2 is a no brainer and you would definitely enjoy expanding your roster of Springfield characters.

If you’re a regular Minifigures fan, some of these might appeal to you because of the great accessories but I wouldn’t say that you should go out of your way to collect an entire set, especially since there are so many great sets out on the market now.

I like Series 2 of The Simpsons minifigures, but I still feel like LEGO could’ve done a bit more with the lineup of characters and accessories included. I do have to say that this was one of the hardest minifigure series to feel. Dr. Hibbert and Homer brought back nasty flashbacks of Series 1’s Milhouse vs Ralph Wiggum since they were so similar.

So what’s next for The Simpsons license? I am quite confident that we’ll get a Series 3 next year but the question remains, what Simpsons characters are left to feature?

The obvious ones I can think of are Principal Skinner, Moe, Barney, Reverend Lovejoy, Troy Mclure, Sideshow Bob, Mayor Quimby, Lenny & Carl, Sherri & Terri and maybe the bullies. Some of these might not even make it into LEGO due to alcoholic (Barney, Moe) or religious (Lovejoy) connotations so it’ll be interesting to see what LEGO and Fox hit us with next year.

And that concludes my LEGO Simpsons Minifigures Series 2 review! Have you gotten your hands on Series 2? Let me know what you thought of them in the comments!