As my flesh MUSCLE set winds down (5 figures left!), I find myself turning back to my on-again-off-again casual pursuit of MIMP figures. Like yourself, I sort of "missed the boat" when it came to Monster in My Pocket's initial release, having moved onto to older kid... stuff.
Now I have a very real renewed interest in the series and some of the designs are simply fantastic! I'm not too picky about owning every figure in every color available (ask me again in a year), so I'm pursuing just a select handful (which sure makes it easy on the wallet) in certain colors.
The only aspect to the series that breaks my little heart, and is obviously echoed by collectors everywhere over the years, is the frustrating fact that Series 3 was released the way it was. I'm one of those collectors who wish there were no exclusives, no hard-to-finds, no limited editions or region-specific figures, blah blah blah. Just every figure released in even measure in every color variant. Boring? Maybe. Takes the fun out of collecting? For some, sure. I just can't stand paying through the nose and waiting weeks, months, years, etc., to trip across that one figure. I delight in the idea that everyone has an identical collection and the enjoyment is in their visual appeal and ownership... and that's all.
And, as is often the case, Series 3 has some of what I consider to be some of the coolest figures! Luckily, there are many other wonderful sculpts that are in ample supply so I am easily and reasonably consoled.
MUSCLE is where my heart forever lies when it comes to monochromatic mini babies, but MIMP is quickly coming in at a close second... or third (ask me again in a year, Part II). The squish factor is highly appealing and I find myself thinking about (and occasionally researching) the lore behind each figure, which is a nice little bonus with this toy line.