Dylan Sisson's New Vinyl Toy!

Check out Idle Hands, a nifty ten-inch vinyl toy that'll be premiering at Comic-Con! It's the creation of Dylan Sisson, and you'll be able to get any one (or all) of three colorways at the Toy Tokyo booth (#5237). See you there!

Barbie Takes Bratz To Court

Apparently, the originator of the wildly successful Bratz doll line was still under contract with Mattel when Barbie's controversial rival was created. Naturally, with so much at stake, the claim is going to court:

"The tiny, fake fur was flying as the Barbie-Bratz court battle wrapped up Thursday, with toy industry giant Mattel Inc. and upstart MGA Entertainment Inc. both claiming ownership of the hugely successful Bratz line of dolls.

MGA, which seven years ago debuted the saucy Bratz doll, has maintained from the May 27 start of the trial that Mattel was trying to unfairly stomp out competition to its faltering Barbie empire.

"For 40 years Barbie was the only doll in town," Tom Nolan, lawyer for Van Nuys-based MGA, said in his closing argument. "And then Bratz came in and knocked her off her pedestal."

Mattel, headquartered in El Segundo, sued in 2004, claiming that Bratz -- known for hip-hugging outfits and bare midriffs that have given some parents fits -- were secretly created by one of its own Barbie designers, Carter Bryant, even though he had an exclusivity contract with the company."

Read the rest of David Colker's LA Times article here.

Toy OTD: Thinkway Wall-E Boxed Set: The Reject-Bots

As we continue into Wall-E's opening weekend, here's another cool tie-in from Thinkway Toys. I'm really impressed that Thinkway not only made their smaller figures so nicely, but that they made toys of the secondary characters! Unless George Lucas is involved somehow, peripheral characters are a rarity.

While the packaging isn't all that exciting, the proof is in the pudding - the figures themselves. The sculpts and paint work are extremely tight, with very few concessions made. It's great to see this level of faithfulness without creating safety or price point issues. The use of materials is also striking - check out Gopher's translucent head!

There's a surprising amount of articulation here, too. Paint-Bot and Massage-Bot are far more posable than you'd expect, and are jointed much like they are in the film. The character accuracy is so good, one might've forgiven less intricate figures, but Thinkway goes the extra mile, and meets the buyer more than halfway. Cool!

To top it all off, there's not just one, but two clear display stands for the hovering characters who can't stay upright on their own. Technically, Beautician-Bot floats too, but the figure sits upright just fine - Thinkway picked their battles well!

You can get this set for $20.00 + tax at Toys 'R' Us, or online for $20.00 + shipping at toysrus.com. Check in with disneystore.com if they're out of stock at TRU - The Disney Store doesn't seem to have any of the toys for sale right now, but they may become available again later (they have been on the site in the last week or so). Have fun collecting!

Toy OTD: SEG, Tim Biskup's Alphabeast Figure: Red Pollard

I've heard that this is Tim Biskup's first vinyl figure, and that could well be true - I can't remember the timeline of his toy releases, but I think that it was the first Biskup toy that I bought.

Regardless, it's great - a small vinyl originally in a retro-kaiju bag with a header card (also designed by Biskup)! Also included was a 350-piece, limited edition mini-print, which was very nicely done.

The sculpt is simple but appealing - very much in the style of Mr. Biskup's 2-D work. This toy is clearly meant to be an art piece - there's only one point of articulation (at the neck). The color more than makes up for it, though - again, not very many colors, but very well coordinated and applied.

This version of the Pollard is four inches tall - keep in mind that there's many other colorways, not to mention a 10" version in still more colors. Do yourself a favor, and do some research so you can pick a favorite before you buy!

This toy has been out for a while, but there's one for sale right now on eBay - it's currently at $26.00 + $4.80 shipping. The auction's going for five more days, so keep a close eye on it if you really want one. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Mezco Family Guy Figure: Chris Griffin

I know that Family Guy doesn't inspire at lot of love from many people, but I think Mezco's done a really good job with the toy line (I like watching the show, too).

The sculpt is nice, though it's a bit symmetrical. On the plus side, it does take advantage of the design's solidity to avoid balance problems. The paint work is fine - mostly quite tight with only a few loose spots. Only four point of articulation, but it's fine as a display piece.

I could probably do without the plethora of accessories that usually accompanies a Mezco toy, but the "Walkman" is well-made, and fits onto the figure easily. I'm usually happy with one accessory if it's really iconic (i.e, Indy's whip), and the figure can hold it tightly.

You'll need to look sharp at the online offerings, as there's a few variants, as well as different facial expressions for this figure. Make sure you get exactly the version that you want!

You can get this version of Chris for $19.95 + shipping at cmdstore.com. There's an 'exercise' version on sale for $10.39 + shipping at panikstoybox.com, and if you join Club Mez (Mezco's collectors' club), you can still get the 2005 Toy Fare exclusive Chris for $18.00 + shipping. Again, note the different paint job on the eyes. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Dark Horse, Tim Burton's Tragic Toys For Girls And Boys: The Boy With Nails In His Eyes, Mummy Boy (2003)

Here's some great examples of how it's possible to take the trickiest of designs and make awesome toys from them.

At first glance, the original Tim Burton drawings would seem impossible designs for 3-D - at least for toys with no stop-motion armatures, or without feet bolted firmly to the floor. But Dark Horse does an incredible job! The sculpts are very true to the original art, and the paint work manages to convey some of Mr. Burton's watercolor style as well.

I've had these figures out of their packages for some time now, and there's no sign of sagging - very impressive, as that's a common problem with top-heavy toy designs. There's either some sort of armature inside the PVC, or somebody really did their homework and figured out how hard the plastic would have to be for long-term support without becoming too brittle in the process. Nice!

There's no articulation here, but that's a risky approach - joints can wind up making the figure more prone to breakage, while still not offering a lot of posing options (as we saw to a degree in McFarlane's Corpse Bride line). I'm happy to trade articulation for better stability, but that's always been my preference.

These two figures are actually part of two different three-figure sets, both of which are well worth the money, and still quite easy to find. You can get The Boy With Nails In His Eyes along with Oyster Boy and Junk Girl for $13.49 + shipping, and Mummy Boy packed with Toxic Boy and Jimmy the Hideous Penguin Boy for the same price at tfaw.com.

Toy OTD: Berries Devil Novelty Figure, 1971

Some toys you just hang onto because you've had them for too long to imagine discarding them. I think this was a flea market purchase, one of those OCD-collector days where you want to bring something home with you. Then it becomes an entrenched, sentimental object, the toy version of a common-law marriage.

This is one of the few toys I went out of my way to alter - usually, I can't bring myself to change anything, even if it would be simple to do. It used to have an "I Love You This Much" decal on its belly. I couldn't deal with that, even ironically, so with a little scrubbing and a little Goo Gone®, off it came! The figure is so banged up by this point, that a few more scratches wouldn't make much difference.

Everything here is pretty much average - the pose is symmetrical, and the design isn't much to talk about. The proportions of the face are pretty even, and the eye treatment is pretty lifeless. That unfortunately dominoes, weakening everything else - even though the sculpt is decent, and the color choices are okay.

I can't imagine finding another one of these - it's not a licensed character, so there probably isn't much nostalgic demand for them. A cursory search on eBay turned up nothing, and looking deeper is probably more trouble than it's worth. The good news is, if you want one and manage to find it, it'll probably be very cheap. I'd pop "I Love You This Much" into a favorite search - that'll probably give you the most specific results to sift through. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Dell Mickey Mouse Squeak Toy

I've had this toy since I was a kid - I think my folks bought it for me at a flea market. The squeaker still works, and it still stands on its own, even though I'm assuming it's around forty years old.

In spite of my love for the improvements in production technology, there's a lot to be said for the charm of a limited paint palette and a little overspray. Black, white and red are a classic color combination, and the off-white helps keep the toy warm and friendly.

It's a curious pose for a figure - it feels like Mickey is waiting or reacting to another character, as if a Minnie Mouse had been made as part of a set. Still, there's a real sweetness to the sculpt, even though Mickey isn't on-model in the strictest sense. His look and clothing are not exactly what we expect when we picture a Mickey toy, but it has its own consistent design integrity.

I have no idea what was paid for this 'originally' (i.e, in the early '70s when my parents bought it for me - probably less than a dollar. I don't see these for sale all that often, but you can buy one at whatacharacter.com for $55 + shipping.

Toy OTD: Tomy Electronic Pokemon Toy: Bellossem (aka Kireihana)

Like almost everyone else on earth in the mid-nineties, I fell victim to the Pokemon craze. Fortunately, I limited my obsession to the more elaborate toys and a few of the PVC figures. This was NOT a good line for completists, for as far as I know, new characters are still being added to this day!

Tomy released a cute line of sound-activated, electronic toys that were eventually distributed domestically through Hasbro. Bellossem is one of my favorites, because it seems like such a iconic Japanese toy. When you make a sound, the flowers on its head spin, the body spins about, and it chirps happily (I don't know if it's a word, a phrase, or just a sound). Although I'm sure most parents wanted to smash it after about fifteen minutes on Christmas morning, everything other than the sound - the design, sculpt and paint job - are really appealing. The execution may not be as good as many Japanese toys, but it's solid and professional looking.

My version here got a little too much sun - the red flowers faded a bit, so I tweaked them in Photoshop.

This toy wasn't all that expensive originally - I think I paid twenty or thirty dollars for it (that was before they were distributed in the U.S.). Finding one of these would seem easy - one would think trillions of them were made - but I haven't found one online in well over a year. If there's still any Poko-nerds out there, feel free to drop me a line and let me know where one could get this toy! Otherwise, it's back to the eBay Favorite Search. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Funko Wacky Wobbler: Bazooka Joe

Funko always treats us to dozens of pop-culture bobbleheads, ranging from very high-profile characters to quite obscure ones. It's great for a couple of reasons - we get to have toys of ad mascots that have rarely seen the light of merchandising day, and we get to enjoy them they way they were when 'we' (i.e, forty-somethings and older) were kids!

Take Bazooka Joe, for example - he hasn't looked like the nodder in quite a while. Almost every advertising character you can think of has gotten a makeover in the eighties, the nineties, or both. Joe's all but disappeared from the Bazooka website, even though it's named after him. He's been utterly eclipsed by Tha Heights, a bubble-rap group singing an admittedly catchy jingle. But I digress.

Funko's Joe may not be spot-on - the proportions of a bobblehead makes that pretty much impossible - but it's still an appealing sculpt that sufficiently captures the spirit of old-school Joe. The paint job supports the comic-strip simplicity of his design. Ideally, I'd like the pose to be a little less symmetrical, but it's a minor quibble. For the most part, I'm just happy there's an affordable Bazooka Joe figure out in the world!

This nodder isn't very old, so it's very easy to get. You can buy one for $14.95 + shipping at collectorsparadisetoys.com, or bargain hunters can get a 'nick and dent' version for $5.99 + shipping at tfaw.com. Bubble gum! Ba-zooka-zooka bubble gum! Ba-zooka-zooka...

Toy OTD: Nigo's Bape (Bathing Ape) Milo Vinyl Figure

This figure was created by fashion designer Nigo, a huge Planet of the Apes fan (he purportedly has one of the biggest Apes memorabilia collections in the world). He started his Bape ("BAPE-ee") clothing label in 1993, and later moved into toys. This figure is called Milo, named (I think) after a character in the Apes cycle. Wasn't Milo the talking baby chimp in one of the later films? Help me out here!

There were several colorways of this design, both with and without helmets. Most of the variations echoed other Apes characters, and were bagged similarly to the old Dakin vinyls of the seventies. The design, sculpt, and paint work are all terrific - the only minus being that the plastic soldier helmets are very fragile (you can see a small break in the helmet above). A softer vinyl would have been really helpful.

The original versions will probably be pretty hard to get these days. There's some camouflaged versions for sale on eBay right now, but they're so cheap ($15 each?), I have a feeling that they're bootlegs. There's some more camouflage variants for $60 + shipping each at eCrater, so maybe there are legit versions of this colorway. There's also a trio of figures co-designed with toy czar KAWS on eBay for $550 + shipping, to give you an idea of what you might be in for. A eBay favorite Search might help you to comparison shop a little. Good luck!

PS - Here's an article about how the Apes films have rippled though our culture - Bape gets mentioned briefly.

Here's a Bape fan site with more information about the label, its products, and designer.

Toy OTD: Bwana Spoons x Gargamel Sleeping Killer Vinyl Figure

I can't remember where I bought this toy - I think I got it at Double Punch. Regardless, it's a very cool vinyl - one of my favorite Bwana Spoons designs!

The toy came in bag-with-hang-tag packaging, decorated by the artist. I thinks it's appropriate, since the whole design evokes the kaiju-toy stylings of the sixties and seventies. There's at least six colorways - pink (above), yellow/green, 'dark chocolate', 'milk chocolate', a blue custom, and black/yellow.

I'm not sure that I see the 'killer' part of the equation, since the sculpt is such a cute, peaceful mix of whale and coelacanth, with just a pinch of Godzilla for good measure. It's a simple paint job, but the great color use really makes it stand out! There's no articulation at all, but it's more art piece than action figure, so that's fine with me.

This figure originally cost sixty-five dollars, but it's become hard to find these days - most of the colorways are long sold out. You can buy a pink one here at knunt.com for ninety dollars + shipping.

Toy OTD: Applause Jetsons Doll: Elroy (1990)

This is an older toy that I've had since my days at Tiny Toons (we're talking early nineties). Warner Brothers TV Animation was in the Imperial Bank building, right next to the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Naturally, we'd pop down there at lunchtime to shop and play video games. One of the neastest stores in the mall was part of a chain called Cartoon Junction.

Animated features and television shows were getting better again after a big dry period in the late sixties through to the mid-eighties. They also started to make money, and a new generation of cartoon geeks were growing up and began earning disposable income. The means to manufacture toys had improved drastically since the last peak in the late fifties/early sixties. The success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? inspired many studios to re-examine their classic licenses. The time was right for a new wave of animation-based merchandise, so chains like The Disney Store and Cartoon Junction began to emerge.

Anyway, this is one of the toys I bought at Cartoon Junction when merchandising began to pick up. Applause released a line of vinyl/plush Jetsons toys, and though the line was pretty uneven in terms of quality, I snapped up George and Elroy!

It's an appealing combination of materials, the vinyl allowing for a far more accurate facial sculpt. The plush body makes it a bit cuddlier, plus it gives the feeling of a cloth costume, since the extremities are vinyl, too. In the minus column, it's not all that posable, plus it doesn't balance very well. The plush collar is very thick, so it might have been better to cast it with the vinyl head, and then segue to the cloth body. Otherwise, it's a cute, affordable toy.

This figure isn't in big demand, so it shouldn't cost you a lot of money to buy. There's an auction for one on eBay right now starting at $9.95 + shipping, complete with its original tags. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Hasbro Transformers Real Gear Robots: Spy Shot 6, Longview

This is a recent line that was released with the Transformers movie. I like the concept of everyday belongings that are also secretly little robots! The design work is a bit uneven, but there are some really nice ones - here's two of them:

Sure Shot 6 transforms from a digital camera and back again. It looks cool - there's a small bit of translucent plastic in the top of the head that channels light to its eyes, making them appear lit. A simple trick, but really neat!

SS6 transforms well, and looks great in both its robot and camera forms. The biggest minus is the one I've had with the entire line since its inception - the toys look fine, but aren't very posable as action figures. I've never been much of an articulation guy, but the dynamic poses on the packaging are a pretty misleading tease!

This is design is so good, it makes me wish that Takara would run with it and make a working digital camera that could transform into a posable metal robot. It wouldn't be as affordable as these toys are, but c'mon - I'll bet there'd be plenty of older fans who'd snap it up!

Longview is an even better-looking design that turns into an even cooler robot! I love the colors and the shapes of both modes. Again, the articulation is somewhat skimpy, but it is a pretty good toy for the eight-dollar price point.

I would think that making the binoculars work would be easier than the camera, but maybe incorporating even a poor set of lenses would be prohibitively expensive. Again, I'll bet a higher-end version (camping binoculars - maybe with a camouflage pattern?) would sell well to older fans. Put a sound chip in there with the 'transforming' sound effect on it, and you're good to go!

Both of these toys are really easy to pick up - you can either get them at your local Toys 'R' Us or Target for about eight dollars each, or buy either of them at toysrus.com for $7.99 + shipping. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Thinkway Incredibles Interactive Action Figure: Syndrome

Thinkway Toys has made talking, interactive figures since A Bug's Life (at least). Put a pair of them together, and they'll have a chat all by themselves! It's a super-cool feature - when you throw strong articulation, great sculpts, clever use of materials and sharp paint work into the mix, you've got a high standard to match.

You can either set the toy to sound off several phrases at the press of a button (or possibly triggered by your own voice), or adjust it to interactive mode so he can talk with Mr. Incredible, Dash, or both at once! The pre-recorded phrases allow for some enjoyable back-and-forth between them.

The articulation is of particular notice here because it allows for a good amount of posing without making the character look artificial or awkward. The cloth cape and vinyl parts are nice touches, as well. The ankles make balancing the figure a bit tricky, so a doll-type stand or a pegged base might have been a good accessory. "Zero Point Energy" sound effects or lights on the figure's wrist bands would've been awesome, but since (I think) this toy was partially assembled after opening, adding those features would probably have been prohibitively expensive.

I can't remember how much this toy originally cost - I think it was between fifteen and twenty dollars. Unfortunately, it's not available online at all right now, so warm up another eBay Favorite Search if you want to add this toy to your collection!

Toy OTD: R&L Co. Tooly Bird Figurines: Turkey Tongs, Double-Headed Rook Wrench (1971)

Here's a couple of toys that I've have since I was a kid! These were packed in Kellogg's cereals in the early seventies, and were molded in a variety of colors. Their names varied depending on the distribution area (these were also called Percy Pincer and Slugsy Spanner in Australia - much better than the long-winded domestic monikers).

It's always cool to see cereal premiums made in the days before everything was a tie-in to a television show or movie. These little guys tried to appeal to kids on their own merits! I like the surreal quality of the designs - maybe they were inspired by Alice in Wonderland, or Dr. Seuss' drawings.

There were twelve Tooly Birds in one line, but there may have been more than one series, as this checklist doesn't include either of the characters that I have. This could be a nightmare for a completist, if you were compelled to figure out all the plastic colors and try to get one of each character in all of them. Fortunately for me, I don't go in for that anymore!

It looks like it'd be difficult to get individual Tooly Birds - the eBay auctions that I've found are usually lots of six or more. The going bids seem to range between ten and sixty dollars, so I'd say the figures can cost you at least five or six dollars each. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Indiana Jones Lego Set 7620: Motorcycle Chase

To celebrate the opening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I thought I'd post about one of the many new Lego tie-in sets! #7620 is called "Motorcycle Chase", and it's clearly spun off from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

As usual, Lego does a great job! Indy and Dr. Jones are both really cute, and the sidecar-motorcycle is nicely designed - everything's well-stripped down and simplified. The set comes with plenty of pieces, and not too many customized ones, so it'll contribute really well to whatever Lego collection you already have.

There's much more to the set than I'm picturing here - a guard booth with a crossing gate, and a Nazi soldier on his own motorcycle. Since space is at a premium here at the house, I've given that stuff away and kept "the essentials." It's great that Lego included them, though, as you can make a nice movie scene with the set and embellish it with your own collection, too!

Lego and Lucasfilm also deserve big brownie points for making sets from all of the Indiana Jones movies right away, rather than starting with Crystal Skull sets and holding back on the other films until much later. It's interesting that there isn't at least one set for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but maybe it's been determined that there isn't enough demand for one. I'm sure that someone's working on their own Temple diorama even as we speak - maybe a set of mini-figs is all that's needed.

These sets are still quite easy to get - you can buy this set in the Amazon used and new section for $8.89 + shipping, or pick it up from Target (or a variety of online retail sites) for $9.99 + shipping.

Toy OTD: Sony Creative Time Capsule Toys: Jim Woodring's Imperial Newts

I'm not sure exactly when or where I picked these up - I may have ordered them from KidRobot, or eBay. Regardless, someone at Sony had the great idea to ask themselves, "How cool would it be if we made toys that look like they should be dispensed from those quarter machines outside your local supermarket, but were actually designed by really talented artists?" Not only did they ask that question, but they answered it!

This series is comprised of six different newt designs, all created by comics great Jim Woodring. Each toy comes in its own little dime-store egg. Half of it is clear plastic, so you can even pick the figure that you want! Nice.

The sculpts are strong and detailed, very faithful to Woodring's designs. The paint work is a little shaky, but acceptable for the scale of the figures. They're sold disassembled, but building them is pretty trivial - the figures are reasonably well designed for post-purchase construction.

They've been sold out for at least a year, so buying them online might be tricky. There's three of them for sale on eBay for roughly $20.00 + shipping each, so you'll have to keep looking for the other three. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders Premium

I picked this up at one of the San Jose toys shows (maybe back when it was called "The Humdinger") - I don't think it cost more than five dollars or so. I thought it was from Singapore originally, but the eBay auctions for these sets are based in the Philippines. There was a whole series of costumed Colonels, but I liked the closest-to-the-traditional outfit the best.

I'm a sucker for the chibi/Hello Kitty style, so this was a gimme! The sculpt and paint work aren't staggering, but it's still a really appealing figure. Not a lot of articulation - just the neck and both arms - but more joins would weaken the design more than it would strengthen the play value.

You can buy this figure as part of a small set on eBay.ph for 250 PHP (Phillipine Pesos), or about $5.80 USD + shipping.

Toy OTD: View Askew/Graphitti Designs Dogma Inaction Figures: Bartleby And Loki

Kevin Smith shows that George Lucas also inspired his marketing, as the "inaction figure" line includes characters that were never on the animated Clerks show. As usual, they're great!

The sculpts are strong - I never pictured either actor caricatured this way, but the likenesses read, and are fun. Great poses with lots of contrast, personality and asymmetry. It's a nice touch to make the 'clipped wing' version of Loki, and push the designs as far part from each other as possible.

The bloodied armor could've looked awful, but the paintwork really pulls the effect off nicely.

There's balance issues, but nothing a little museum putty can't fix. It might have been cool, though, to look at the figure bases available on the market, and try to make the line work with them (I know the members of C.L.I.T. from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back have their own bases - and they're awesome - but they don't work quite as well as you might hope).

You can still get both of these figures for $9.37 + shipping each at Jay And Silent Bob's Secret Stash web store, or all of the Dogma figures as a set for $44.99 + shipping (coming to $9.00 each).

There haven't been any new additions to the line in a while, so here's hoping we'll see new figures at San Diego Comic-Con '08!

Toy OTD: Medicom Vinyl Collectible Dolls: Alice (In Wonderland)

Another toy touchdown from Medicom! Alice isn't one of my favorite Disney films, but it's hard to resist another wonderful sculpt. The pose is a bit symmetrical, but I love how simply the shapes are executed. They also do a great job of combining different colors of vinyl rather than painting, which looks really awesome (it inspired me when I was designing my toy).

Even though there's not much paint on this figure, the factory really did a nice job. Check out that face! Granted, the expression's a little cold, but it's very tight paint work.

It's not pictured here, but the figure does come with its own display stand. Big points (as usual) for that!

This figure's been out for a while, so it'll be a little tougher to get. You can buy one right now from eBay for $29.80 + $27.80 shipping. Usually, these toys cost around $20-$40, so that's not a lot of markup. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Electric Tiki World Of Harvey Jackie Jokers (Teeny Weeny) Mini-Maquette

Now, I know what you're thinking - Who in the hell is Jackie Jokers?

Every Harvey Comics character was more or less divvied up into two camps - crossovers notwithstanding, you were either Richie Rich's friend, or Casper's. In the early '70s, Harvey introduced a new character into its kiddie pantheon - Jackie Jokers, stand-up comedian, movie actor & television personality. Jackie, ill-suited for enchanted forests, was firmly in the Richie-verse. It never occurred to me before, but Jackie does resemble a young Johnny Carson in Dick Cavett's clothing.

Remember that post where I mentioned liking toys of really, really obscure characters? I wasn't kidding.

Anyway, this is a terrific maquette! The sculpt is awesome, the pose is strong, and it's bang on-model. The paint work is nice, and its base is built-in, so there's no balance issues. The box design is cool, too, evoking the cover designs of old JJ comics.

Originally, I think these sold for thirty dollars, but you can get one now at collectorsgateway.com for 19.99 + shipping.

Toy OTD: McDonald's Happy Meal Premium: Chibi-Style Jack Sparrow

It's interesting how fast-food premiums can manifest themselves. Of course, it's not at all surprising that the Pirates of the Caribbean films had tie-in items; but it is intriguing to see how the toys themselves sort out.

One idea that one would think was a 'gimme' would be to make Jack Sparrow action figures to sail the Happy Meal armada throughout America. If you'll forgive the oversimplification, a Jack action figure for the boys; and a cutesy Elizabeth Swan doll for the girls.

The surprise, then, is that the only Jack Sparrow toy in the line is a cute, Hello-Kitty-style plush doll. It's not as blatantly made for girls as many McDonald's toys, but it's not blatantly for boys, either. I realize that Cap'n Jack has a lot of appeal for young (and not-so-young) ladies, but it's unusual for Happy Meal toys to be (relatively) genderless.

All that aside, it's just a nice little toy. The design is really appealing, and it's a great simplification of the character (though the likeness to Depp has pretty much evaporated). I'm sure it's not the most durable item, but it seems solidly constructed for a free premium.

I suppose it's really not fair to expect stand-alone support from a free plush, but the biggest minus is that it can't stand up (and I don't think doll stands come that small). The only other fault is that there isn't a corresponding Elizabeth, Will Turner, or Barbossa toy. I would've loved to have seen how those characters would've been designed!

Even though this line of toys is long sold out, this toy isn't terribly hard to find. You can buy one on eBay (along with four other toys from different promotions) right now for $3.99 + 5.00 shipping. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Cartoon Network Powerpuff Girls Maquette: Blossom (Signed)

Originally, I bought the Trendmasters Powerpuff Girls action figures, but while they each had bases, stability was still a problem, so I upgraded to the maquettes (I think I bought the set at Comic-Con one year) after they were released. It's not a cheap solution, but they are well-mounted and stable.

The sculpting is fine - it's a great interpretation of the design, and the attitude is captured nicely, too. The paint work is a little rough, but not to a point where it really detracts. I'm just spoiled by the meticulous work on overseas toys!

I waited in a huge line to get Blossom signed by the show's creator, Craig McCracken. I couldn't help feeling like I shouldn't have had to - Hey, I'm not just another fan... I went to the same school, and I'm working on cool stuff, too, I thought - but I felt like I'd be an asshole if I cut to the front. So I waited for my autograph, and complimented him on the then-newly-released Powerpuff movie, which I enjoyed a great deal.

There's one for sale on eBay for $49.99 + $16.95 shipping. You can make an offer, and it might be worth a try, as I think the shipping charges are pretty steep!

Toy OTD: Mirage (2004) & Mezco's Big Gay Al Figures

It's always interesting to see what different companies will focus on when they make toys of the same character. Here's Mirage and Mezco's takes on South Park's Big Gay Al.

There's usually a clear winner, but in this case each figure has its merits, which is why I still own both of them. Because this design style is strongly stylized, there's lot of room for interesting interpretation as the character makes its way into the third dimension.

At first glance, Mezco wins a lot of battles right away - the details, color and line work are much more accurate (not that you could tell here, but it's also scaled better next to the kid characters). The sculptor took the approach of trying to preserve as much of the flat, 'primitive' aesthetic as possible - only adding dimension to the largest forms.

The Mirage figure isn't nearly as on-model, but they captured the attitude and pose better than the Mezco version, which looks less lively. Many of the props and details are missing, but the skin tone is better, and I like the overall proportions more, too. There's more going on in terms of form as well - the face is sculpted, and the legs have more definition.

It still looks pretty flat, but the sculptor wanted to take more advantage of the fact that it's a 3-D figure, and pop out more forms for the light to play with. I think that's more appealing in some ways (imagine what each figure would look like unpainted, and I think you'll see what I mean). The overall look is bolder, but lacks subtlety. So in my mind, each figure has its pluses and minuses.

Whatever your preference, you can still get either figure easily. The Mirage South Park line was discontinued, but the Al toys leaked onto the secondary market anyhow, never getting a formal retail release. The Mezco Al is for sale at Panik's Toy Box for $12.99 + shipping. The Mirage Al is much cheaper - you can buy it for $8.00 + shipping at superherotoys.com.

Toy OTD: Gargamel Vinyl Figure: Smogun

I don't have a lot of old-school Japanese vinyl - it was an acquired taste for me. Initially, I was turned off by the soft sculpting and airbrush over-spray painting style - they looked like toys you should be able to get at a gas station for five dollars or something. Little by little, I grew to like that aesthetic, and started to buy both vintage and modern pieces. This is an example of current artists echoing that retro style (I think Gargamel is a group of artists, but I'm not positive).

I'm pretty picky about this type of toy - they have to appeal specifically to me, because I don't have any nostalgia for the style or the characters. I like this one mainly for the character - I just think it's cool that someone designed a monster made of tires and garbage, with wrecked cars for its head and feet. The colors are striking to me, too, and the faux-naive sculpt/paint work combine with its diminutive size (six inches) to make it cute and charming - at least, in a kaiju sort of way!

I think I paid $40 for this at last spring's Vinyl Toy Network. It's available in several different colorways, but you can still get this one for $43.00 + shipping from giantrobot.com. You can get a green version at ningyoushi.com for $40 + shipping, and Super 7 has the green version, and a pink colorway as well, both for $40 each. Use Google Image Search if you want to know what other versions are out there!

Toy OTD: Ghibli Vinyl Totoro Bank: The Cat Bus

Studio Ghibli merchandise is always charming and well-made - I'd buy it even if I'd never heard of the films. Of course, having such strong sources to work from is a plus!

The cat bus character is pretty stylized to begin with, but it's been simplified a little further in the sculpt. It looks great! Some of the paint passes are a little ragged (by Japanese painting standards, anyway), but it doesn't detract from the overall appeal of the piece.

There's no real features to speak of - just the coin slot and the plug underneath - but it's worth mentioning again that there's nothing unnecessary added to the figure, either. No logos, slogans or branding, no clumped-on characters or landscaping. The design is very stable by nature, so there's no balance issues.

The sole weakness of this item is that it's made of vinyl - a material that isn't particularly good for banks. While I haven't tried filling this one in particular, I've had some trouble with sagging in other vinyl banks, once they're sufficiently filled with coins. If you're aiming for a display piece, (which is what most collectors do anyway) then that's not a problem.

The biggest problem is finding merchandise like this on the secondary market, once it's sold out. I missed out on some Princess Mononoke nodders, and they still haven't turned up! I can't find this anywhere online, so it's going to take some serious digging at toy shows, and on eBay. Japanese toy hunting services are another option - pricey, but effective. Good luck!