It’s the holiday season, and for me, that means shopping for Lego sets. My niece and nephew are nuts for Lego, much like my sister and I were back in the day. Shopping for them, though, keeps me pretty confined to Star Wars and Harry Potter sets. While I was scrolling and shopping, I came back across The Simpsons' new-ish Krusty Burger Set, and now I’m wondering if I should do a little Christmas shopping for myself.
I Love The Krusty Burger Set
I don’t have any Simpsons Lego sets at the moment. There have been others released in the past, like the family home on Evergreen Terrace and the Quik-E-Mart, but this one would be the one I’m most interested in. Krusty the Clown is one of my favorite characters on the show, maybe my most favorite non-family member, and this set prominently features the chain-smoking clown and TV host. I do have a twinge of disappointment that the Krusty minifig is in a farmer outfit and not his standard garb, but maybe that makes it more fun? I dunno.
I also really love that it includes Homer’s clown car from the Season 6 episode “Homie the Clown.” That’s one of my favorite episodes from an era of the show when I loved pretty much every episode. Season 6 is legendary for a reason, ending with one of the best cliffhangers in TV history with “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One.” One of the main things I use my Disney+ subscription for is watching that era of The Simpsons.
One Of My Other Favorite Characters Is Missing
In all, the set comes with seven minifigs. Homer, Bart, Lisa, plus Krusty, the pimply-faced teenager who works at Krusty Burger, Lou the police officer, and Sideshow Bob. Sadly, Bob’s replacement on Krusty’s show, Sideshow Mel, is absent. Maybe it’s because he’s lactose intolerant and can’t enjoy cheeseburgers, but more likely, it’s just that he’s always been doomed to be less relevant than the murderous sidekick he replaced.
I love Mel because, at least in the early days, the writers of The Simpsons used him sparingly, which made every line he delivered perfect. That was in the days before side characters really got full episodes. His snobbish attitude matched Sideshow Bob, but in a snarkier kind of way. I love those kinds of characters. The show is beneath him, but he’s always willing to debase himself. It’s great.
Plus, Sideshow Mel has been Krusty's comedy partner for almost the entire run of the series. If you remember back, Bob was first busted way back in Season One. Including Bob makes sense, of course, but it still feels like a slight towards Mel, who has been dealing with Krusty’s abuse on the air and off for decades now, in every season but the first. Let him sell a few burgers! Or Lego sets, as the case may be.