Toy OTD: Funko McDonaldland Wacky Wobbler: Mayor McCheese

Here's another character from Funko's sprawling, nostalgia-soaked Wacky Wobbler line! Like the other McDonaldland character nodders, Mayor McCheese is very appealing - in some ways, more on-model than the Remco or Huckleberry action figures.

It's not perfect - the paint work is a little rough, and the sculpt is a little rigid. The biggest minus for me is the font on the base, or maybe the fact that the base has text on it at all. It seems unnecessary, and the base design could reflect the era (or the aesthetic) in a stronger way. Still, the color work is nice and there is some good asymmetry in the pose itself. It's a good bit of pop culture for Funko's traditionally low price.

You can still get this bobblehead very easily, and probably for less than when it was first released. It costs $9.99 + shipping at thumbsatplay.com. Snap it up!

Toy OTD: Funko Wacky Wobbler SDCC Exclusive: Scooby-Dum (2007)

I can feel your respect for me as a collector slipping away, and I'm not sure that I blame you. Scooby-Doo wasn't exactly Hanna-Barbera's creative zenith, and the show was wearing pretty thin by the time that Scooby-Dum came along. So why did I buy this?

I'm a big-time sucker for merchandise of obscure cartoon characters, and I do like how this was made. It's not perfect - the eye paint is a little weak, and it does have a(n arguably more necessary) label on it. But I like the fact that the pose is well-balanced, and that the base has been kept to a minimum (making it monochromatric - with the name sculpted on it, and not painted - might've been nice. Placing the nodder pivot at the collar is a good call, too.

This was an exclusive at the Funko booth last summer at San Diego Comic-Con. It's still for sale at toywiz.com for $69.99 + shipping (!!), a far cry from the under-$20 price that I paid. Surprisingly, eBay is the far saner option, selling there for $11.50 + $8.00 shipping. Phew! That's much better - Scooby-Dum's not that interesting a curio!

Toy OTD: Funko Sugar Bear Wacky Wobbler

Funko's primary lure (at least for me) has been their Hanna-Barbera and cereal character licenses. They're great at picking characters that few have merchandised, or at least haven't been for a good twenty-five or thirty years! Not surprisingly, Sugar Bear - the mascot for Super Sugar Crisp (now Post Honey Crisp, even though it's the same cereal) - is one of them.

Even though the cereal has undergone a name change, Funko still printed "Sugar Bear" on his sweater, a nice retro touch. The pose is a little symmetrical, but overall it's a good sculpt, nicely on-model. The paint work is fine, though quality can be a little inconsistent, so you may want to look at the toy in person (or peruse several if you can still find them in a store) to make sure you get a good paint job. The proportions are good for a nodder, so you probably won't have to worry about the head sagging or listing in a few months.

It's still easy to get this toy - in fact, it's been marked down, so you can get it reduced at cherrygames.com for $8.99 + shipping.

Toy OTD: Funko Wacky Wobbler: Velma

Funko just keeps delivering plenty of kidvid love - this time in the form of everyone's favorite bespectacled teen detective, Velma! As usual, the sculpt is nice, and the paint apps, while varying to a degree, are also good.

Rather than give the character a grotesquely oversized head, the designer wisely chose to bobble Velma at the waist, like a hula nodder. It's a nice touch that best preserves the integrity of the source design. There's the usual awkward and unecessary labeling of the base, but all things considered, it's a minor quibble.

You can get a Velma Wobbler for $8.49 + shipping at givemetoys.com.