#56: LEGO Minifigures The Simpsons series 2 - Smithers

Since I already had Mr Burns from the first series, I felt it would be good to have Smithers to go with him. His sole accessory is a Malibu Stacy package, which is actually made from two pieces. There are many figures in this series that include a 2 x 2 flat panel piece as an accessory, but Smithers is (I think) the only one that has a 2 x2 panel with studs as well. So feeling for two 2 x 2 panels is the best way to find him. Also, his head shape is fairly distinct from everyone else's in this series, as it's the only one aside from Bart's with a relatively flat top.

#55: LEGO Minifigures The Simpsons series 2 - Groundskeeper Willie

Groundskeeper Willie is perhaps pop culture's greatest crude Scottish stereotype. And he's hilarious. So of course I bought him. I found him by feeling for the plunger, which I thought would be packaged in two pieces. Turns out, it is preassembled, so that's something to look out for. The part of the plunger that would be made of rubber in real life is a softer plastic, so it has some bend to it.

#54: LEGO Minifigures The Simpsons series 2 - Hans Moleman

Here he is, the star of "Man Getting Hit By Football," Hans Moleman. More the butt of jokes than much of a character, he manages to be memorable anyway. I found him by feeling for the short unarticulated legs in combination with the flat 2 x 1 panel that serves as his void driver's license.

#53: LEGO Minifigures The Simpsons series 2 - Bartman

The second series of Simpsons minifigures showed up locally a couple months later than they did everywhere else, and a couple months after that I'm finally getting around to posting about them. I already have the first series Bart, but his superhero persona of Bartman was irresistible. The mask doesn't appear to be sculpted on, so it's just paint. Also, he has a cape and a slingshot. Finding him by touch is pretty easy. He's got the short legs that only a few figures in the series have, and his head is fairly distinctive, although feeling it through the packaging does muddy things up. I mostly felt for the slingshot as a way to identify him.

#44: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Mr. Burns

Here we are at last, the final figure I bought from the LEGO Simpsons blindpacked series. Inanimate Carbon Rod! Yes, in Rod we trust. The rod is made of transparent green plastic, and for accessories includes a Mr. Burns figure, who in turn includes a Blinky the three eyed fish as an accessory. Blinky is painted on to a clear standard LEGO headpiece. It's easy to feel for either the inanimate carbon rod or Blinky to find this set.

Here is the bump code from the back of the package for Mr. Burns, with batch code 401B4.

#43: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Scratchy

The Tom to Itchy's Jerry, here's Scratchy. He has a tail piece that plugs in between the legs and the torso, which I haven't seen before. It also helps make him a little more tall in comparison with Itchy. Scratchy is armed with an axe, perfect for chopping up cartoon mice. Feeling for the axe or for the tail is probably your best bet when trying to find Scratchy.

Here's the bump code on the back of Scratchy's packaging, with batch code 401B4.

#42: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Itchy

Before I found the Simpsons minifigures, my original plan was only to get Itchy and Scratchy. Then when I started going through the bags, I gradually expanded my wishlist to almost the entire series. Itchy's accessory is naturally a weapon, in this case a club. It's easy to feel for either that or his big-eared head in the packaging.

Here is the bump code on the back of Itchy's packaging, with batch code 401B4.

#41: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Ralph

Ralph is almost always good for a laugh, and is usually quite quotable, so I'm glad they made him for the LEGO series. For an accessory, he comes his "I choo-choo-choose you" Valentine, which I love. A bent Wookiee would have been great, if unlikely, also. Like Milhouse, he has both the short unarticulated legs and a smooth square tile for an accessory, so the way to find him is to feel for the head, which is rounder and flatter than Milhouse's.

Here is the bump code form the back of Ralph's package, with batch code 401B4.

#40: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Milhouse

Everything's coming up Milhouse! Bart's best friend seems more of a butt of jokes than an interesting character, but now he's back in LEGO form. His only accessory is a square panel meant to depict an issue of a comic featuring the bespectacled hero Biclops. Feeling for him is slightly complicated in that he can be easy to mix up with Ralph, who similarly has a square accessory and non-articulated legs. Milhouse's head is fairly irregularly shaped, so after finding the legs and the comic, that's how you make sure it's him.

Here is the bump code on the back of the package for Milhouse, with batch code 401B4.

#39: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Krusty

Always willing to shill for a buck, it's not surprising that Krusty would end up as one of the characters to be cast in plastic for LEGO minfigures. So here he is in all his clowning glory, ready with a cream pie to smash on someone's face. His two distinguishing pieces to feel for are his head and the pie. It has a hole that studs (or hands) can plug into on the bottom, which threw me off, because it was thicker than I was expecting. But the ridged crust is a pretty decent giveaway.

Here's the bump code on the back of the package for Krusty, with batch code 401B4.

#38: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Maggie

Rounding out the nuclear Simpsons family is Maggie. Unfortunately she is not a Duplo figure as she was in the LEGO episode. Maybe that can be a future release.  Her face has a somewhat worried expression. Maggie uses a body that is one single piece to reflect her legless baby suit, and as far as I know, that is a new piece. Her accessory is Bobo, the stuffed bear that originally belonged to Mr. Burns. She's easy to find by feeling either for Bobo or her unique body piece.

Here's the bump code on the back of the package for Maggie, with batch code 401B4.

#37: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Lisa

And here's Lisa Simpson, with her trusty saxophone. Like Bart she has the shorter unarticulated legs, and like Marge she has a soft goods piece for the bottom of her dress. Unlike Marge, she's not barefoot. Finding her in the package is pretty easy to do be feeling for the sax.

Here is the bump code on the back of the package for Lisa, with batch code 401B4.

#36: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Marge

Happy Mother's Day, internet! Here's the matriarch of the Simpsons clan herself, Marge. I think Marge is the tallest minifigure, aside from Lord Business. She's got one of the larger collections of accessories in the series, with a Donut Fancy magazine, a handbag, and a soft skirt piece for the bottom of her dress. Oddly, her feet are unpainted, making it look as if she's going barefoot. Marge is one of the easier minifigures to find because her hair is so big and distinct. Just feel for a bumpy long cylindrical piece and you're set.

Here's the bump code on the back of the package to find Marge, with batch code 401B4.

#35: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Bart

If I was going to only get one member of the Simpsons family, it would have been either Homer or Bart. I ended up getting them all, but here's Bart. Like all the children in this series, he uses the shorter unarticulated legs, which can be an aid in finding him. He's also easy to identify by his accessory, a skateboard. In the package, the wheels are unattached, so it's easy to feel for the small dumbbell feeling objects. Also, his spiky head is fairly distinct as well.

Bart even has his trusty slingshot in his back pocket.

The bump code for Bart, on the back of the package, with batch code 401B4.

#34: LEGO The Simpsons Minifigures - Homer

For the first time ever, LEGO has released a series of blindpacked minifigures based on a licensed property, America's favorite nuclear family The Simpsons. Unfortunately, the fact that it's a licensed series means the price has gone up a dollar, although I ended up getting most of the series, fueled in large part by nostalgia. Until this week's LEGO episode, I hadn't watched a new episode of The Simpsons in a long time, but I was into it big time for the first 10 seasons or so.

So, here's Homer. Interestingly, all the Simpsons minifigures use new headsculpts rather than the traditional LEGO headpiece. It takes something away from the LEGO-ness of the figure, but it does make for a more accurate appearance. The Ninja Turtles figures (and others) have done this already, so it's nothing new, although this is perhaps the only line to completely forego traditional head shapes. For accessories, Homer includes a remote control and a donut. These are what you want to feel for when trying to find Homer. You might try feeling for the head, but nobody else comes with a single stud piece, so there is no room for confusion when feeling for the donut.

Here's the bump code for Homer, with batch code 401B4 on the back.

#32: The Simpsons Hot Wheels - The Homer (HW City 89/250)

I don't know why Mattel is suddenly releasing a Hot Wheels version of The Homer, which is based on a really old episode of The Simpsons, but they did. I haven't watched the show in years, but this is too good to pass up. I'm continuing my streak of finding otherwise hard to find Hot Wheels cars at the grocery store, which is where I found this. It's not 100% on model (there should be some green on the domes), but for this price I'm not complaining too much. Word on the street is that the Simpsons LEGO minifigures are hitting stores too, so I'll be on the look out for those, which will be a nice compliment for The Homer.