Dungeons & Dragons - DIANA!

Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics - Diana the Acrobat - Hasbro 2022

There were a lot of iconic cartoons in the 1980s. Anyone growing up at the time was faced with an onslaught of addictive animation, often with the sole intention of selling toys. I can admit that most of these cartoons are unbearable to watch as an adult. But something was always different about Dungeons & Dragons. The pacing and storytelling was more engaging (and less annoying) than other shows at the time - and I'm happy to report that it's still very watchable today (I'm binging it as I type this). The role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was created nine years earlier in 1974 and was continually plagued by criticism and controversy. Conservative groups claimed the game was a satanic and corrupting influence. A widely publicized suicide by young gamer added to the hysteria - and was even the subject of a fictionalized made-for-TV movie called Mazes and Monsters in 1982 (starring a 20-something Tom Hanks). In summary, the game was popular and successful, but was facing a PR nightmare. 

This is purely conjecture on my part, but the premiere of an innocent fantasy-based children's cartoon in 1983 seems like a deliberate attempt to swing the pendulum in the other direction. Especially since this is the only cartoon I can think of from that era that had no real toys produced (just some PVC figurines in Europe). There didn't seem to be the typical pressure to introduce ridiculous characters or vehicles to push toy sales, and the cartoon was all the better for it.  But as an adult, I've always wished to have these characters in my collection. I credit Stranger Things with giving the Dungeons & Dragons game a major boost in popularity with the younger generations, and even reinvigorating the older fans. Even with the upcoming live-action film, I truly never expected to be getting cartoon-based toys, but I couldn't be more thrilled. I only hope we get all the characters. Let's check out Diana below!

Diana was always my favorite character from the cartoon. Even though Hank was depicted as the main leader of the group, Diana was a strong voice of reason and motivation. Her magic weapon is often referred to as "javelin staff", although in practice she mainly uses it to pole-vault. For years I would attempt mini pole-vaults with any broomstick I could find, and I was fully fantasizing myself as Diana.

Diana is very well articulated. Every place you expect there to be articulation, there is. I am very pleased. The only downside is that her loincloth is very stiff. Despite the slit on the side to allow a wider range-of-motion, her hips seem very constrained.

Diana comes with two versions of her javelin staff and a 20-sided die. One javelin staff is a regular static version, and the other has a swishing motion effect (with a subtle paint gradient to enhance the effect). The staff often glows in the cartoon, hence the bright neon color.

Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!

Here are my Dungeons & Dragons figures so far: Bobby the Barbarian, Diana the Acrobat, Hank the Ranger, and Uni the Unicorn. There is a Target-Exclusive Venger and Dungeon Master 2-Pack that should be released soon, but the rest of the group has not been announced yet.

Here are my Dianas together: Mini-Mates, Iron Studios Diorama Statue, and Hasbro Cartoon Classics.

And here is Diana with two recent Hasbro figures: Mechafusion Lexa and Spinneret.

Cheers!