Analyzing the CMF Series

[Athos]

Last night, in a bout of insomnia (or perhaps AFOL-insanity) I decided to try to self-hypnotize myself to sleep, by trying to silently recite all the CMF's by series (hey, give it a try, it works). This got me thinking about the CMF lines.

Personally, I have always considered series 3 to be the weakest line. But at the same time, when I split a case with another AFOL (Classic-Castle's OldRepublic, I think), I found it was hard to part with almost all the particular figures in the box. How could this be, I wondered. So I decided to look at the series individually and try to think of a way to rationally rank the series.

Here is what I came up with:

Methodology:

Classify the figures in each series on a four level scale: excellent, good, average or poor.

Give points based on each rank (2 points for excellent, 1 point for good, 0 points for average and -1 for poor)

Consider the pricing (0 points for $2 figures; -1 for $3 figures)

Total the scores

Classification System:

Excellent = a "chase figure"; army builder; something for which the AFOL community has wanted/waited a long time; lots of new parts; unusual for Lego to produce; for multiple figures desirable

Good = comes with rare part or old part in new color; or useful in everyday MOCs

Average = reused CMF parts; necessary counterpart to previous CMF; unique/fun/interesting but not very useful in everyday MOCs

Poor = no new parts; rehash of common system figures

Series 1 Analysis:

Excellent = Cheerleader, Caveman, Zombie (+6)

Good = Clown, Robot, Spaceman, Nurse, Cowboy (+5)

Average = Skater, Crash Test Dummy, Indian, Magician, Wrestler, Robin Hood (+0)

Poor = Ninja, Diver (-2)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 9

Series 2 Analysis:

Excellent= Spartan (+2)

Good = Mime, Lifeguard, DiscoMan, KarateGuy, Surfer, Mexican, Pharaoh, Singer, Weight Lifter, Skier (+10)

Average = Explorer, Cop, Ringmaster, Witch, Vampire (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 12

Series 3 Analysis:

Excellent= Elf (+2)

Good = Samurai, Pilot, Fisherman, Cyborg, Sumo, TennisPlayer, Baseball Player, Gorilla, HulaGirl (+9)

Average = Indian, Rapper, Snowboarder (+0)

Poor = Racer, Alien, Mummy (-3)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 7

Series 4 Analysis:

Excellent= Musketeer, Viking, Sailor, HazmatGuy (+8)

Good = Artist, Gnome, HockeyPlayer, MadScientist, Geisha, IceSkater (+6)

Average = Rocker, Frankenstein, Soccer Player, Skater, Werewolf, Surfer (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 13

Series 5 Analysis:

Excellent= Gladiator, Guard, Cavewoman (+6)

Good = Cleopatra, Graduate, Eskimo, LizardMan, ZooKeeper, Clown, Dwarf, Boxer, Detective (+9)

Average = Gangster, FitnessInstructor (+0)

Poor = Snowboarder, Lumberjack (-2)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 12

Series 6 Analysis:

Excellent= Minotaur, Highlander, Roman (+6)

Good = Dancer, StatueOfLiberty, ToyRobot, Butcher, SpaceGirl, Leprechaun, Genie, Alien, Bandit, SleepyHead (+10)

Average = Surgeon, Mechanic (+0)

Poor = Skater (-1)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 14

Series 7 Analysis:

Excellent= Marine, Valkyrie, Aztec, BlackKnight (+8)

Good = LittleRed, Tarzan, Nerd, Bride, Poseidon, Bagpiper (+6)

Average = Hippie, BunnyMan, Swimmer, TennisPlayer, RockerGirl, DareDevil (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 13

Final Rankings:

1st Place = Series 6 (14 points)

2nd Place (tie) Series 7 & 4 (13 points)

3rd Place (tie) = Series 2 & 5 (12 points)

4th Place = Series 1 (9 points)

5th Place = Series 3 (7 points)

Thoughts: This confirms my thoughts about Series 3 (confirmation bias, anyone?). I'm a bit surprised that Series 1 came in so low. I would have chosen 2, 4 or 7 as my favorite series. But 6 came in on top. Some of the figures I would have personally placed higher (i.e. Mexican, Cleopatra, et al) and others I would have placed lower (i.e. RockerGirl, and many of the skater/skiers) but I tried to hew closely to the category criteria, which I attempted to base on perceived AFOL desires. I understand the categorization is highly subjective and even the category qualities is highly subjective. I wonder if I should have skewed the price penalty more; perhaps even up to a 33% cut, based on the 33% savings from series 1 and 2 figures as compared to the later figures. Is anyone still reading or have I lost you all with this inane post?

I wonder if anyone else wants to give it a go. Or am I the only one who needed such a crazy diversion?

Steve

[JimBee]

Interesting analysis. I wouldn't have thought of statistically rating each series (versus just a personal opinion), but it seems that this yielded some interesting results. I'm not surprised about the low rankings of S1 and S3, S3 being obvious but S1 a lot of people would think would rank higher. That's not to say that it's a bad series (whereas I think S3 is), it's just that it's outdone by the other series and loses points since it's the oldest.

I do think that the price factor should be eliminated entirely. With rising prices in oil (which is used to make plastic) and more and more new molds being designed almost specifically for the CMFs, I'm not surprised at the jump in price. And there is a high demand for them, so it all depends on what people are willing to pay for them.

  Quote

I wonder if anyone else wants to give it a go.

Lucid dreaming about Lego you mean?

[Lordofdragonss]

I don't agree with some of these (In my opinion series 7 is the best series by now because each of the minifigs have something "new"), but that was interesting to read!

Edited May 20, 2012 by Lordofdragonss

[Hrw-Amen]

Interesting read although I think a lot of how useful something is comes down to what you want to MOC or what you collect. For me the alien in S3 was very useful and I bought several of them. I admit it was a reused head, but for me that was the best figure in the 3rd series, so it just depends what you are doing.

[andhe]

An interesting study. But I think it's mostly a personal opinion as to which figs are classed as excellent, good etc.

I'll agree that some definately are 'chase' figures and would agree with most of your 'excellent category figs, due to rarity and desirability. I think series 1 should by higher for desirability over all, as a lot of people missed out on them altogether.

[CamelBoy68]

an interesting topic, which got me thinking...

Using the Owned/Wanted data on brickset.com - I looked to see if S3 was the worst out of everything.

I found some interesting results:

As you can see from this table, S3 is actually the most owned series out of all 7 , with the newer ones bringing up the rear.

If we look futher into the data, we can see that overall the most owned figure is the Gorilla Suit Guy from S3.

This table shows the Top 10 most wanted overall, with the Spartan Warrior (S2) being highly sought after.

Without making this thread too picture intense, I'll finish with two more interesting & colourful tables....

This one shows the number 1 owned figure in each series, bringing up some interesting results

and finally, the least owned figure by series

As you can see, it doesn't look like we want too many snow/ice based figs....

I have more colourful tables on my Flickr Page, should you be that way inclined.

I have included the Brickset ratings & reviews, although I don't think you should take these to be any sort of guide, because I don't think things like "building experience" should count on items with only 5 parts....

Like with most things, people have their favourites and sales data would give a better picture, however, I think the fact that you tend to be buying the packet, without knowing what minifig was inside , might skew the results to a particular model.

The data was collected today (20 May 2012), so the numbers for the newer series should increase.

As usual, your thoughts/comments are much appreciated.

[JackJonespaw]

Interesting analysis. I'm not sure that I agree with everything you said. I've enjoyed all of the minifigs in series 2, and 5-7 a lot. I still liked the others, just not as much. But I don't buy only a selected few minifigs from series, I collect all 16.

[CamelBoy68]

  On 5/20/2012 at 11:28 AM, JackJonespaw said:

Interesting analysis. I'm not sure that I agree with everything you said. I've enjoyed all of the minifigs in series 2, and 5-7 a lot. I still liked the others, just not as much. But I don't buy only a selected few minifigs from series, I collect all 16.

Hi JackJonesPaw,

These conclusions are only the result of looking at Brickset's data - I haven't added any personal bias to the figures. Maybe people aren't updating their Brickset collections as much - which might explain the lower numbers on 5-7. I also like the S5-7 sets, although I do pick & choose and buy multiples of various ones...

[Snojd]

It's all in the eye of the beholder I think it's more what interest us personally, for example I'm a matrial art inspired logofreak so for me the ninja, karate guy made it possible for me to make my karatedojo and taijutsudojo in lego Also forrest guy made me very happy becouse I could hord upp forrestmen the originals came out during my dark ages, and so on. Series 1 was exellent and I got all, s2 I got about half (absolutely hated the skier, s3 I bought mainly for the samurai and sumo (hair), s4-7 gets more meh! for every new set I want one or two, could get a couple more end the rest I could not care less about. But that's just me, I realise these have more appeal to the AFOLs in general then to me but following random coments here and there alot seem to be its new = better

But as I said, just my own thoughts. Keep bricking!

Edited May 20, 2012 by Snojd

[JackJonespaw]

  On 5/20/2012 at 11:37 AM, CamelBoy68 said:

Hi JackJonesPaw,

These conclusions are only the result of looking at Brickset's data - I haven't added any personal bias to the figures. Maybe people aren't updating their Brickset collections as much - which might explain the lower numbers on 5-7. I also like the S5-7 sets, although I do pick & choose and buy multiples of various ones...

I wasn't referring to you, but to Athos's conclusion.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Ok giving it a go :)

But I would rather use different values, I mean, this is my personal value since I'm really not into judging minifigures for everybody else too.

Series 1 Analysis:

Excellent = Robot, Caveman, Zombie, Robin Hood (+8)

Good = Ninja, Clown, Cheerleader (+3)

Average = Spaceman, Crash Test Dummy, Indian, Magician, Wrestler(+0)

Poor = Skater, Nurse, Cowboy, Diver (-4)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 7

Series 2 Analysis:

Excellent= Spartan, Mexican (+4)

Good = Witch, Vampire, Mime, DiscoMan, KarateGuy, Pharaoh, Skier (+7)

Average = Cop, Lifeguard, Ringmaster, Surfer, Singer (+0)

Poor = Explorer, Weight Lifter (-2)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 9

Series 3 Analysis:

Excellent= Elf (+2)

Good = Mummy, Samurai, Fisherman, Cyborg, Sumo, Baseball Player, Gorilla, HulaGirl (+8)

Average = Indian, Rapper, Snowboarder, TennisPlayer (+0)

Poor = Racer, Alien, Pilot (-3)

Price = $2 (0) (Here in Italy it did not change price until series 5)

Total Score = 7

Series 4 Analysis:

Excellent= Musketeer, Viking, Werewolf (+6)

Good = Sailor, Rocker, Frankenstein, HazmatGuy, Gnome, MadScientist, Geisha, ARTIST (+8)

Average = HockeyPlayer, IceSkater, Soccer Player (+0)

Poor = Skater, Surfer (-2)

Price = $2 (0)

Total Score = 12

You forgot about the Artist in your post!

Series 5 Analysis:

Excellent= Gladiator, LizardMan, Dwarf (+6)

Good = Cavewoman, Cleopatra, Graduate, , Clown, , Boxer (+5)

Average = Guard, Gangster, Eskimo,ZooKeeper, Lumberjack, Detective (+0)

Poor = Snowboarder, , FITNESS INSTRUCTOR(-2)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 8

You forgot the FITNESS INSTRUCTOR TOO!!!

Series 6 Analysis:

Excellent= Minotaur, Highlander, Roman, Genie, Leprechaun, Butcher (+12)

Good = MECHANIC, StatueOfLiberty, ToyRobot, SpaceGirl, Bandit, SleepyHead (+6)

Average = Alien, Surgeon (+0)

Poor = Dancer, Skater (-2)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 15

You forgot the MECHANIC TOO!!

Series 7 Analysis:

Excellent= Marine, Valkyrie, Poseidon, BlackKnight (+8)

Good = LittleRed, Tarzan, Nerd, Aztec, Bagpiper (+5)

Average = Bride, Hippie, BunnyMan, RockerGirl (+0)

Poor = Swimmer, TennisPlayer, Daredevil (-3)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 9

Final Rankings:

1st Place = Series 6 (15 points)

2nd Place = Series 4 (12 points)

3rd Place (2 way tie) = Series 2 & 7 (9 points)

5th Place = Series 5 (8 points)

6th Place (2 way tie) = Series 1 & 3 (7 points)

Thoughts: To me also S6 is the best we had, but you should re-do your calculation since you missed out three minifigs, maybe your result would be different

Edited May 20, 2012 by Itaria No Shintaku

[Athos]

  On 5/20/2012 at 5:55 AM, JimButcher said:

I do think that the price factor should be eliminated entirely.

I see your point. The price increase, however, really impacted by purchasing habits.

  On 5/20/2012 at 8:06 AM, Hrw-Amen said:

For me the alien in S3 was very useful and I bought several of them. I admit it was a reused head, but for me that was the best figure in the 3rd series, so it just depends what you are doing.

That's interesting, I think he was one of the worst of the all the CMFs.

  On 5/20/2012 at 8:35 AM, andhe said:

But I think it's mostly a personal opinion as to which figs are classed as excellent, good etc.

I'll agree that some definately are 'chase' figures and would agree with most of your 'excellent category figs, due to rarity and desirability. I think series 1 should by higher for desirability over all, as a lot of people missed out on them altogether.

It is very subjective and based on personal opinion. I wonder if a better way to do it would be to factor in a unique elements census.

  On 5/20/2012 at 11:12 AM, CamelBoy68 said:

an interesting topic, which got me thinking...

Using the Owned/Wanted data on brickset.com -.

Wish I'd thought of doing it that way...

  On 5/20/2012 at 7:04 AM, Lordofdragonss said:

I don't agree with some of these (In my opinion series 7 is the best series by now because each of the minifigs have something "new"), but that was interesting to read!

If I take out the price factor, 7 comes in with a 3 way tie for first.

  On 5/20/2012 at 1:12 PM, Itaria No Shintaku said:

Thoughts: To me also S6 is the best we had, but you should re-do your calculation since you missed out three minifigs, maybe your result would be different

The artist was one I should not have missed. The mechanic and fitness instructor are be pretty forgettable figures. I fixed it now.

Steve

[tafkatb]

I like the idea of looking at owned/wanted statistics to get an analysis less skewed by personal preference (some of my personal favorites are figs Athos ranked as "poor," and vice versa, so subjective opinion is a huge factor). Price should definitely be factored differently though. Series 1 and 2 may have been cheaper, but they were far more scarce. Maybe if you factored in average aftermarket prices? I'd also look into the distribution of figs within each series as a possible value indicator as well. (For instance, look at the ones that are popular for army-building and rank them higher if they come 5 to a box.)

I think I'll try my own analysis later if I have time; this is a really interesting idea!

[The_Box]

I'm sorry Athos but I find your analysis way too biased. This is just my opinion but I feel some of your choices for the ratings on certain figs completely wrong. I can't really judge Series 1 because of its short shelf life and I didn't start the craze until Series 2. The Ringmaster, Explorer, Pilot, and Viking should really be poor because they really brings nothing new to the field and are some of my least favorites. I do believe CamelBoy68 is going in the right direction with using stats from Brickset, even though that is not a accurate portrayal of the general population of whom the target audience of these figures are.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I like the idea, but I don't think that price should be taken into account, and that what really makes a series stand out is design, so I wouldn't substract for the more expensive series.

[just2good]

Excellent topic idea! Here's my analysis...

Series 1 Analysis:

Excellent = Cheerleader, Skater, Zombie, Nurse (+8)

Good = Clown, Robot, Spaceman, Robin Hood,(+5)

Average = Magician, Cowboy (+0)

Poor = Ninja, Diver, Indian, Crash Test Dummy, Westler (-5)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 8

Series 2 Analysis:

Excellent= Spartan, Surfer, Mexican (+6)

Good = Lifeguard, Mime, Disco Man, Karate Guy, Singer, Weight Lifter, Skier (+7)

Average = Explorer, Vampire, Pharaoh (+0)

Poor = Cop, Witch, Ringmaster (-3)

Price = $2 (-0)

Total Score = 10

Series 3 Analysis:

Excellent= Elf (+2)

Good = Pilot, Fisherman, Cyborg, Sumo, Tennis Player, Baseball Player, Hula Girl (+7)

Average = Racer, Rapper, Samurai, Gorilla, Snow Boarder (+0)

Poor = Alien, Mummy, Indian Chief (-3)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 5

Series 4 Analysis:

Excellent= Musketeer, Rocker, Hazmat Guy, Skater, Gnome (+10)

Good = Artist, Frankenstein's Monster, Sailor, Soccer Player, Hockey Player, Viking, Mad Scientist, Geisha, Ice Skater, Surfer (+10)

Average = Werewolf (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 19

Series 5 Analysis:

Excellent= Gladiator, Lizardman, Boxer (+6)

Good = Cleopatra, Graduate, Eskimo, Clown, Lumberjack, (+5)

Average = Gangster, Zookeeper, Guard, Dwarf, Detective (+0)

Poor = Snowboarder, Cavewoman, Fitness Instructor (-3)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 7

Series 6 Analysis:

Excellent= Mechanic, Sleepyhead (+4)

Good = Surgeon, Mechanic, Roman, Flamenco Dancer, Statue Of Liberty, Butcher, Space Girl, Genie, Alien (+8)

Average = Bandit, Minotaur, Skater, Toy Robot, Highlander, Leprechaun (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 11

Series 7 Analysis:

Excellent= Marine, Bride, Rocker Girl, (+6)

Good = Little Red, Nerd, Poseidon, Aztec, Black Knight, Valkyrie, Bagpiper, Hippie, Tennis Player, Dare Devil (+10)

Average = Bunny Man, Tarzan, Swimmer (+0)

Poor = (-0)

Price = $3 (-1)

Total Score = 15

Final Rankings:

1st Place = Series 4 (19 points)

2nd Place = Series 7 (15 points)

3rd Place = Series 6 (11 points)

4th Place = Series 2 (10 points)

5th Place = Series 1 (8 points)

6th Place = Series 5 (7 points)

7th Place = Series 3 (5 points)

Edited May 20, 2012 by just2good

[Athos]

  On 5/20/2012 at 5:43 PM, The_Box said:

I'm sorry Athos but I find your analysis way too biased. This is just my opinion but I feel some of your choices for the ratings on certain figs completely wrong. ... The Ringmaster, Explorer, Pilot, and Viking should really be poor because they really brings nothing new to the field and are some of my least favorites.

Yes it is subjective. Any kind of ranking like this is going to be. It was kind of fun to systematically try to do it.

I didn't put the figures you mentioned in poor, because the Ringmaster had the new colored whip, the Viking had the new print on the shield, the pilot had the new colored backpack and the explorer, because I thought he was cool.

Steve

[Lego_Hero]

As long as everyone understands that this is based largely on opinion and isn't so much an analysis as a "Hey, here's how I rank the series."

I've been watching long enough to know that there are so many different opinions on which minifigs are "excellent" and such.

I have to admit, I used to rank the minifigs in each series, but the longer this line goes, the harder they are to compare as a whole. I think it would be interesting to see a top ten pole of all the CMF line through Series 7.

[David Thomsen]

I think the rules need to be a bit more objective. The 'lumberjack' has been listed as 'good', 'average' and 'poor', for example. For something like this, the ratings need to be almost unanimous. Either that or you need to get a lot of them and average them out.

I might devise my own rating system later on. Need to eat now.

[David Thomsen]

I'm not going to be up all night doing this, but I'm going to quickly go through each series and do a tally of points. One point for a unique item that is duplicated in other minifigs in different colours. Two points For a unique item that is not repeated in different colours. One point for a minifig that has never been done before. I'm not going to give points for army building minifigs, because to me there is equal value in minifigs that can stand out as unique.

I'm not going to show my tally because I ended up being less objective than I was hoping to be, but what I found was that, yes, six was the best series, followed by seven, four, and five. Two and three came fifth equal, with three having less unique minifigs and two having less unique parts. Series one came last by quite a long way, having the fewest unique minifigs and unique parts.

[natelite]

i think the better quantitative analysis of the cmf series is to combine the own and want list. the want list in theory should be given priority since it shows desirability while own may not be by choice (i.e. "awww....not the dummy again!" -- blind purchase resulting in unwanted mfs). unlike other themes, cmf can result in large unwanted purchases. i have seen lots of kids with their parents who just grab one/two bags and leave. unfortunately non-afol parents do not have the patience for their kids to feel out the mfs they wanted.

so, if i were to do this, i would weight the own list with the no per box (i.e. more per box will receive less weight than fewer per box) and add that to the want list. that would basically tell me how desirable or which is the best series. i haven't yet started but maybe someone with more time can do it. i'll try to do something by this week if i have the time.

[fred67]

  On 5/20/2012 at 11:12 AM, CamelBoy68 said:

an interesting topic, which got me thinking...

Using the Owned/Wanted data on brickset.com - I looked to see if S3 was the worst out of everything.

I found some interesting results:

As you can see from this table, S3 is actually the most owned series out of all 7 , with the newer ones bringing up the rear.

Series 3 was the first series that was widely available in the U.S. In fact, while I know others had better luck, I've NEVER seen an S1 or S2 packet in a brick and mortar store. Ever. S3 was the first series I could get my hands on without ordering online.

I wanter if the stats show interest in CMF is waining. Perhaps people just haven't caught up.... it's hard to say more people are interested in 5 because more people have them when 5's been out for so long and 6 and 7 haven't.

  Quote

If we look futher into the data, we can see that overall the most owned figure is the Gorilla Suit Guy from S3.

I don't see that that means anything in particular because many people are still getting figures by random. When I had to order from S@H, I didn't know what I was getting, I had little choice.

  Quote

and finally, the least owned figure by series

As you can see, it doesn't look like we want too many snow/ice based figs....

Maybe these were harder to get hands on. A lot of what happens is just random, since the figures are random. I have TONS of figures I don't want (just look at the trading thread!) because I ordered from S@H and elsewhere and got random figures. From what I recall, elves were only three to a box - ape suit guy 5. Perhaps people were trying to get large numbers of elves and ended up with a ton of ape suit guys.

So while the numbers are interesting, and there may be some correlation with wants and don't wants, it's too hard to assume anything.

It's also astounding to me that elves are not even on the most wanted list. My CMF thread languishes with few offers until I offered an elf... then it trades away within a day. I have no more left to trade, unfortunately, but if I put "elf" in a post I'd be certain to have it traded away in days.

[CamelBoy68]

  On 5/21/2012 at 6:33 PM, fred67 said:

Series 3 was the first series that was widely available in the U.S. In fact, while I know others had better luck, I've NEVER seen an S1 or S2 packet in a brick and mortar store.

So while the numbers are interesting, and there may be some correlation with wants and don't wants, it's too hard to assume anything..

Now that you mention it i can't remember S1 & S2 either, although at the time, I probably wasn't too bothered about them. When I did see the packets it was probably because I bought them on ebay.

I think if we knew how many of each fig were released into the wild, and how many packets are still left unsold, we might get a better idea.

I only used these numbers as there is little else to use. Yes, the results are probably flawed, even the "wants" cloud the issue. This brings us back to people's personal preference. Of all the minifigs sold worldwide, how many are actually recorded on Brickset ? The total of all owned S1 figs, on Brickset, is 52,398 - is that number a good indication of worldwide sales of Series 1..?

Anyway I'm going to hunt down some more baseball players, to go with the thirteen I already have...

[fred67]

  On 5/21/2012 at 8:19 PM, CamelBoy68 said:

Now that you mention it i can't remember S1 & S2 either, although at the time, I probably wasn't too bothered about them. When I did see the packets it was probably because I bought them on ebay.

I think if we knew how many of each fig were released into the wild, and how many packets are still left unsold, we might get a better idea.

I only used these numbers as there is little else to use. Yes, the results are probably flawed, even the "wants" cloud the issue. This brings us back to people's personal preference. Of all the minifigs sold worldwide, how many are actually recorded on Brickset ? The total of all owned S1 figs, on Brickset, is 52,398 - is that number a good indication of worldwide sales of Series 1..?

Anyway I'm going to hunt down some more baseball players, to go with the thirteen I already have...

Oh - I just want to agree that, out of all the posts here, yours was the best attempt at being objective. It's just that ... you know, if they sold EVERY figure in every box sold, then there'd be 66% more Ape Suit guys than Elves. That's hardly representative of what people want. The "wanted" list is the best place to look, I guess... it's subjective, but it's a better indicator of demand, I'd think. Still... the elf isn't even on it. Why? Maybe most people who want an elf army already have it.

I also suggest that Spartans are in demand because so many were hoarded at the beginning, making it much more difficult.

[Sid Sidious]

I think it would be interesting to see how the CMFs compare to minifigs of other themes from around the same time. The Spartan, for example, is cool and sought after, but is it really better liked than another minifigure from a popular line (let's say Batman from set 6858 for argument's sake)? There is less discussion about which minifig is the best in "regular" themes than in CMFs because you are guaranteed the same figures in any set you buy, whereas CMFs are blind packaged. I don't think it means these minifigs are liked less, but just have their availability discussed less. Brickset numbers also can't be reliably used because people buy sets for many reasons (overall set, build, parts, one minifig, minifigs overall, etc.), but people buy CMFs only for the minifig inside.

(Also, when I'm listing things to go to sleep, it usually starts as Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venosaur,...)