Nick Jr - RAINBOW RANGERS!

Nick Jr's Rainbow Rangers  - Team Rainbow Rangers 8-Pack - Fisher-Price 2020

It's actually pretty surprising that there hasn't been a preschool-age magical girl series in the US before. The formula is so simple: girls with powers, transformation sequences, adventures. And if you want to have a really successful property, apply color themes to the characters. The most recent similar show I've watched was Glitter Force on Netflix (aka PrettyCure), and it followed an extremely similar format as this new Rainbow Rangers show on Nick Jr, albeit aimed toward an older preteen/YA audience. But the interesting thing about seeing this rainbow-themed genre interpreted for a preschool audience is that it instantly reminds me of many classic properties from my childhood like Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite. The show itself almost has a Dora the Explorer feel with a constant flow of adorable wildlife in need of rescue, but the costumed adventurer angle really makes it stand out. These toys are simple with only 4-poa, but they are really colorful and fun. Let's check them out below!

Masters of the Universe Vintage - SHE-RA!

Masters of the Universe Vintage Wave 1 - She-Ra - Super7 2018

One of my biggest childhood disappointments was the She-Ra toy line in the 1980s. I was a sucker for all those cartoons that were nothing more than commercials for toys. But my only caveat was that they had to resemble the cartoon. Most did a decent job at this, but She-Ra was a total miss in my opinion. The toys looked good, but nearly every aspect was different from the filmation style. She-Ra's outfit, Swiftwind's entire color palette, and even the Power Sword was completely different (they just could have used He-Man's sword and been a billion times more accurate). So when this new vintage Filmation style figure from Super7 was announced I felt satisfied on so many levels. And the figure execution is practically perfect. Yes, she's a little shiny, and yes, she's a little taller than her vintage sisters, but I adore her. I can't wait to see what other characters come out in this line. I know Teela is next, but I'm hoping for more unreleased characters to fill in gaps like this She-Ra does. Let's check her out below!

The Girls of MYSTICONS!

Mysticons - Piper, Em, Arkayna w/ Izzie, and Zarya w/ Archer - Playmates 2017

When I first read about Mysticons a few years ago, the proposed team consisted of boys, but then about two years ago I read an article and it was suddenly centered around four young girls. Then I soon heard that Playmates would be making toys and my excitement has been building ever since. The actual cartoon (which began airing on Nickelodeon in August) is not exactly my cup of tea. I'm just not the target demographic at all (but I'll give it another shot eventually). But these toys. These toys are perfect for me. Bright colors. Mythical themes. Not too cartoony. Fun translucent accessories. And best of all, amazing flying griffin steeds with battle armor! It's very rare to get a female character who rides an animal, let alone actual action figures of those characters and beasts. So yeah, this property thrills me and I hope it's successful enough to warrant many more toys. Queen Necrafa seems especially ripe for the action figure treatment. Time will tell. Let's check out the first round of basic Mysticons figures below!

S.H.Figuarts - SAILOR MOON!

S.H.Figuarts: Sailor Moon -  Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - Bandai 2013

So I've been writing this blog (and loving it) for a little over three years now. I started it not knowing if I would find an audience, and frankly not really caring if I did. I was doing it for me. I love this hobby and when I realized there was a gap in the female action figure representation online, my hobby naturally extended out of my toy cave and onto the internet. It's been a lot of fun and I hit new thresholds all the time. Last week was another first. An amazing reader of this blog sent me a package full of fantastic action figures. You are an absolute star, James!  Opening that box made me feel more appreciated than I would have expected. The first of several reviews from this gift box is the S.H.Figuarts Sailor Moon from Bandai. I have a thing for Magical Girl series. I've done reviews of Winx and W.I.T.C.H. figures in the past, and it's always bugged me that I had no representation of Sailor Moon in my collection.  That problem is definitely remedied now though!  Let's check out Sailor Moon below!

The Girls of W.I.T.C.H.!

W.I.T.C.H. Action Figure Keychains - McDonalds 2005

W.I.T.C.H. is an Italian Magical Girl comic book created in 2001.  Like most magical girl properties, i.e. Sailor Moon, Winx Club, Angel's Friends, etc, W.I.T.C.H. was extremely popular and was soon bought by Disney and turned into an equally popular animated series by 2004.  The comics are currently being released in America in digest form and show up regularly at my lcs.  W.I.T.C.H. follows a typical magical girl premise of five girls (Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin - catch the acronym there?) being granted elemental powers to perform a task.  In this case, they are guarding portals to other magical realms.  Despite the popularity of the comics and cartoon in the US, there has been very little merchandising of the property here.  And frankly I find that a little surprising because the character design is very catchy - matching outfits, cool style, witchy stripes, and fairy wings... how can you beat that?  Well in 2005 McDonalds released a series of 6 figural keychains that I personally think top all the Italian dolls and Kinder figures on the market.  (After the keychain loops got chopped off at least).  Let's check them out!

TOY FAIR 2013 Coverage - OTHER BRANDS!

Bandai (SHFiguarts) - Toynami - NJCroce - McFarlane - Little Mates

The Harmonix Collection from WINX CLUB!

The Second Wave of 3.75" Winx Club Figures from Jakks Pacific 2013

The Winx Club is an Italian Magical Girl series about a group of young girls at a school for fairies.  The series incorporates a lot of themes popular in young adult genres.  The various competing schools (Fairies, Witchcrafts, Heroics) is very Harry Potter;  The transformation sequences are classic Magical Girl;  And the way the main characters graduate to different levels of power each season is very Power Rangers.  I first discovered Winx Club when I saw a small advertisement for the first series of 3.75" action figures online.  I picked one up at Target on my lunch break that day and pretty much got hooked.  I guess it's natural that I would be drawn to a series like this, but my dislike of rooted hair and cloth outfits has always kept me at bay from similar properties.  I eventually started watching the cartoons online and now I must face the fact that I'm a fullblown fan.  This second series of action figures from Jakks has the girls in their underwater Harmonix forms from Season 5.  Check them out below!

Winx Club Magic Gardenia FLORA!

Winx Club Gardenia Magic Garden Playset - Jakks Pacific 2013
 
Winx Club is an Italian Magical Girl animated series that is quickly starting to take over the toy aisles in the United States.  Reviewing these toys kind of goes against my mission statement of focusing on female characters with "boy" brands, but I give Winx Club a pass because at it's core, it's an adventure series, with cool villains, magical powers, and great characters (think modern-day She-Ra).  This playset is a little disappointing to me because it doesn't highlight any of the action/adventure themes.  Flora is the fairy of plants in the group and I really wish this set would have included some snared ivy or a snatching venus fly trap for combating the evil witches.  Instead, we get a tea party.  Oh well.  The figure is a great addition to my little collection and it is my first in-person look at the new tooling incorporated in all the 2013 figures hitting the shelves right now.  There are seven additional new figures showing up (although none have been officially announced): 4 Fairies in Harmonix form and 3 Witches.  I found one of them at TRU almost a month ago and am eagerly awaiting (ie hunting) the rest.  On to the review!

The Girls of WINX CLUB!

Believix and Concert Collections from Jakks Pacific 2012

This one is likely to spark up some "action figure vs doll" debate.  Winx Club is an Italian Magical Girl series (a'la Sailor Moon) featuring a group of girls who attend a special school for fairies.  There are neighboring witch and hero schools that create a very Harry Potter-like environment.  The main characters are six girls, each with a different "theme"  (i.e. Plants, Water, Music, etc).  The girls mostly appear as normal humans (albeit from a variety of different worlds), and only turn into fairies when called upon.  The change sequence is a staple in the Magical Girl genre, and here I thought He-Man and She-Ra were being original.  In 2012, the Winx Club were the 3rd most popular dolls in the world.  These dolls are usually large barbie-sized things with rooted hair and cloth.  The toys in this review however, are small, super-articulated, 3.75" scale, completely-sculpted little beauties.  There's something really fun about these toys.  I feel like I'm getting in on the ground floor with a new She-Ra-ish property.  You may love them or hate them, just check out the review and decide for yourself.