The Count

While I don't have a huge nostalgia yearning for Sesame Street, I was very excited for the release of NECA's Count von Count figure. Why? Because I love Muppets, and I love Draculas. Yes, CvC is a Dracula and I will not be taking questions. However, while the figure itself excited me, I was less enthused about its method of release: it was to debut during one of the Target-centric Haulathon events, when new NECA product gets sent out to various Target locations and you just have to cross your fingers and hope you find it. Thankfully, however, I did eventually find one. And thankfully, everyone can now find their own, as the figure has since been made available on NECA's own online store, as well as various other online retailers. I definitely watched Sesame Street as a child, as I think just about everyone did (or does), so I have a decent amount of familiarity with Count von Count as a character. He's a purple Muppet Dracula who speaks with a heavy accent and loves to count things. This is both a pun on his name, as well as a perhaps unintentional reference to an obscure bit of vampire lore: some cultures believe that if one of these undead bloodsuckers encounters a bag of rice or seeds, they experience a kind of vampiric OCD that compels them to count every single grain. Fun! Anyway, the Count is NECA's third Ultimates figure in the Sesame Street line, following Bert and Ernie. Those two figures were excellent, and I'm happy to report that Count continues that tradition. Count is sculpted wearing his iconic outfit - a dapper black suit - and his exposed "skin" includes a Muppety texture to mimic the look of felt, much like the old Palisades Muppet Show figures had. His headsculpt is fantastic, from his slicked back hair to his ghoulish goatee, and his eyebrows and monocle are separate, glued on pieces. His cape is a separate fabric element with a sculpted, triangular, pointed collar. Though CvC has worn many different capes since his debut in 1972, his most iconic look is a dark green cape with an interior pattern of bright primary colors. The figure replicates this well enough, with a yellow interior overlaid by a paisley pattern in various colors. I wasn't able to find a reference of the Count's cape with this exact pattern style, but it's close enough that it's not distracting. The cape's collar fits into a slot in the figure's neck, and the corners of the cape attach to the Count's wrists via clear elastic bands. While the bands are thick, this is really the only downside of this figure; I don't have a lot of confidence in these bands holding up in the long term. Count's paint is well applied and matches the character's on-screen look, with the correct shade of pastel lavender for his skin, and a satin black for his suit. He's wearing a white shirt with a red and yellow sash across his chest peeking out from underneath his sculpted jacket. His spats are gray and his shoes are glossy black (as are the buttons on his suit - a nice touch). The Count gets a nice assortment of accessories that fit with the character's theme. He gets an extra head with an open mouth, so you can display him in mid laugh (Ah! Ah! Ah!). He also gets several interchangeable hands, including two open hands, two grasping hands, and three additional right hands, each holding up a different number of fingers - 1, 2, or 3. The counting hands are a lovely bit of detail that offers some nice posing variety. In keeping with the tradition of previous Sesame Street Ultimates, the figure also gets an anthropomorphized alphanumerical accessory. Ernie included the letter C, Bert included the letter A, and Count appropriately gets not the B, but a number: the number 2 to be exact. The number is appropriately textured and features sculpted eyes and mouth. Count also gets two more accessories: a telephone and a candelabra. The phone is from a classic scene in which he hires Ernie to answer his phone so he can find things to count without being distracted, only for him to prevent Ernie from doing so once it rings, because he decides he wants to count the rings. The receiver can be removed from the cradle, and it's connected by a flexible plastic cord. The candelabra often showed up in the background of Count segments, especially in "Count's Storybook Theater," although the design of the toy doesn't quite match the prop often seen in the show. Count von Count also gets some solid articulation. Shall we count the points? One! One balljointed neck! Two! Two peg and hinge shoulders. Two! Two peg and hinge elbows. Two! Two peg and hinge wrists (per hand set). One! One balljointed waist. Two! Two balljointed hips. Two! Two... ah screw it, he gets peg thigh joints, peg and hinge knees, and peg and hinge ankles with rockers. It's enough to pose your Count doing all sorts of activities, well above and beyond anything he ever did in the TV show. To sum up, NECA's Count von Count figure is just great, and well worth the wait. The Sesame Street figures released so far have all been wonderful, so wonderful that I've bought them even though I'm not a huge fan of the show. But as a fan of Muppets and Draculas in general, there was no way I was going to pass on the Count. And thankfully, he's the best Sesame Street figure yet. -- 06/18/25 What do you think of the way the cape is done? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.