Unicorn Academy - ISABEL!

Netflix's Unicorn Academy - Isabel Armstrong & River - Spin Master Toys 2024

Ah. I've finally reached the last post of the five Unicorn Academy action figures. I can only assume that these first five characters are just the initial release. There are at least two blatant omissions from the lineup: Rory Carmichael - the token boy of the Unicorn Riders, and Ravenzella the dark sorceress and primary antagonist of the series. As far as Rory goes, I notice that these female-centric action figure lines tend to treat male characters the same way females get treated in the boy lines - i.e. shortpacked or only included in expensive multipacks. Beast Boy from DC SuperHero Girls and Terence from Disney Fairies come to mind. But in the meantime, these first five figures are great. My favorite of the bunch is Isabel, mostly because her outfit looks the most costumey (the others look like they're wearing slightly outlandish street clothes). But Isabel is the sporty competitive member of the group so it's natural that her costume looks slightly more heroic. Let's check out Isabel and River below!

Unicorn Academy - AVA!

Netflix's Unicorn Academy - Ava Banji & Leaf - Spin Master Toys 2024

I find the character of Ava Banji to be both a joy and also disappointing. She has the most easygoing, likeable personality of the group. While characters like Layla are touted as the brainiacs of the show, it's actually Ava who teaches us the most about this secret magical world and the Academy itself. I also love that she and her unicorn steed, Leaf, have plant-based powers. It's my favorite of all elemental powers. But the disappointment is that my favorite color is green, and I wish she and Leaf were clad head-to-toe in that color. I feel like the overall palette of the Unicorn Academy characters is oddly devoid of green, and literally ever other plant-powered character I've ever heard of at least has some green. But alas, my favorite character and her unicorn are a Springy palette of yellow, pink, purple, and robin's egg blue. I hope these characters get power-ups in future season with new costumes (and toys) I would love to see them in stereotypical colors to match their powers. Let's check out Ava below!

Unicorn Academy - VALENTINA!

Netflix's Unicorn Academy - Valentina Furi & Cinder - Spin Master Toys 2024

One trope I love about young adult storylines, especially the girl-centric ones, is the mean snobby elitist character who is initially framed as an antagonist, but eventually becomes a frenemy, and finally a true friend to the heroes. In Unicorn Academy, the super-popular CGI animated show currently on Netflix, that character is Valentina Furi, the legacy student fashionista queen bee. It makes sense that she is paired with Cinder, the unicorn with the elemental power of fire. Both Valentina and Cinder are adorned with flame patterns and red and orange color schemes. Valentina is my favorite character from the show - probably because she isn't sugary sweet and always has a slightly dubious intent. I'm always a sucker for a villainous lady (even if they soften and become nice way too quickly). Season two debuts this week and hopefully introduces new characters that Spin Master can eventually immortalize in plastic. Fingers crossed. Let's check out Valentina and Cinder below!

Unicorn Academy - LAYLA!

Netflix's Unicorn Academy - Laya Fletcher & Glacier - SpinMaster Toys 2024

One thing I love about Unicorn Academy is that most of the rider-and-unicorn pairings have elemental powers and designs. Layla is the brainy one of the bunch (she's wearing glasses, duh!) and her unicorn, Glacier, has Ice-based powers. So both Layla and Glacier are adorned with pastel colors, lots of icy blue details, and of course snowflakes. I find it amusing that Layla is not an expert equestrian like most of the students. Luckily Glacier is around to keep her balanced and confident. Season two of Unicorn Academy debuts on Netflix this week and Target is promoting that with an endcap dedicated to this new line of action figures and dolls. It's been a while since there has been a female-based action figure line in the big box stores. Between 2016-19 we saw DC SuperHero Girls, Mysticons, WWE Superstars, and Miraculous filling the shelves. But since then there has been almost nothing. I have a strong hunch that Unicorn Academy marks the resurgence of action figures in the pink aisles. Let's check out Layla below!

Unicorn Academy - SOPHIA!

Netflix's Unicorn Academy - Sophia & Light Magic Wildstar - SpinMaster 2024

If you have any tween or adolescent girls in your life, you've undoubtedly heard of Unicorn Academy. Since its Netflix debut in November 2023, the series has become an extremely popular property. I personally didn't watch any episodes until I discovered these action figures at Target last week, but I understand the appeal. The series features a very Harry-Potter-like beginning with the main character, Sophia Mendoza, being unknowingly summoned to a secret magical school. Where the students are sorted into dorms and given a chance to bond with a unicorn. The pull of equestrian life is powerful for this young demographic, and the unicorn aspect adds the perfect amount of fantasy and wonderment. Then there is a Magical Girl aspect where the riders undergo a transformation to match their bonded steeds - ie sparkly outfits and streaks of color in their hair. The individual episodes feature magic, teamwork, fantasy, and adventure. I think Unicorn Academy will be around a while. Let's check out Sophia below!

DreamWorks Dragons - JUN (with WU and WEI)!

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms - Jun w/ Wu & Wei - Spin Master 2022

DreamWorks Dragons is a very impressive franchise. Since the first movie came out in 2010, there has been a non-stop flow of continued media. In fourteen short years, there has been: two additional movies, six animated shorts, thirteen video games, comics, novels, theme parks, live stage shows, and three animated series totaling 223 episodes. (Plus there is a live-action movie coming in 2025). DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms is the most recent addition - the series just ended in December 2023. The show featured five young Dragon Riders in modern times, 1300 years after the first film. Jun Wong is one of the main characters who is passion about myths and fantasy stories. She eventually becomes a love interest for the main character Tom. Her older brother Eugene also becomes a main character in Season 3 (of 8). These toys had almost no announcements and never really showed up in stores. Luckily I searched to see if Spin Master still had the license - and bingo! Let's check out Jun below.

DreamWorks Dragons - ALEX (and FEATHERS)!

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms - Alex & Feathers - Spin Master 2021

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms is the most recent entry in the long legacy of the How To Train Your Dragon (2010) franchise. It's a CGI-animated television series that ran for eight seasons and 52 episodes (ending recently in December of 2023). The series follows five young Dragon Riders in modern times (the leader of the group, Tom, is a descendant of Hiccup and Astrid) roughly 1300 years after the events of the first movie. Alexandra "Alex" Gonzales is one of the core characters and is the token technology expert and hacker. I have owned this toy for about three years now but just got around to opening her now. I was surprised to read more about the character and learn that she was Hispanic. The blonde pigtails led me to assume she was another Nordic viking like Astrid, but I'm glad the new series branched out into a wide diverse world. As far as I know these toys never really hit mass retail but were readily available online (and still are). Let's check out Alex and Feathers below!

LooseCollector - TAARNA and AVIS!

Heavy Metal - Taarna (with Avis) - Executive Replicas  LooseCollector 2022

Taarna is the character from the self-titled final segment in the 1981 animated anthology film, Heavy Metal. I always thought this was an animated story based on an established character in Heavy Metal Magazine, but today I discovered that she was introduced  both on screen and in print simultaneously in Aug-Sept 1981. Additionally, I learned she was actually based on the Arzach (Arzak) comics by Moebius that featured a lone (male) character soaring on a pterosaur-like creature over a desolate fantasy landscape. The same comic inspired Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and I can totally see the the similarities. I grew up seeing the classic image of Taarna riding Avis through the clouds with her sword held high (the same image on the back of the packaging below). It was on posters and t-shirts frequently and is very nostalgic to me. But I didn't see the movie until the early nineties when it started airing on MTV and Sci-Fi. It was cool the finally see this famous image in motion. (Sexy erotic 18+ motion).

Dino Ranch - MIN & CLOVER!

Dino Ranch - Dino and Rider 2-Packs - Min and Clover - Jazwares Toys 2022

When I was a kid I had a true obsession with dinosaurs. I know this is a very common theme for children in modern times. But when I was young it made me a weirdo. Don't get me wrong, there were still dinosaur books and toys catered to me, but they were a very small fraction of what we see today. And everything I did see back then was factual and scientific. There weren't any fun fantastical properties until a little later with the introduction of Dino-Riders and Dinosaucers, so I just had to create my own fictional worlds with my museum-quality replica toys. When these preschool toys for the Disney+ animated series Dino Ranch started showing up early last year (initially only in CVS of all places), I was really intrigued by the property. They were quite literally a cartoony version of a concept my young brain had invented decades earlier. I wanted dinosaur pets and dinosaur steeds more than anything else in the world. I still haven't seen the show, but the nostalgic pull of these toys was impossible to resist.

Golden Axe - TYRIS FLARE!

Golden Axe -  Tyris Flare and Blue Dragon - Storm Collectibles 2022

Very few properties have the ability to completely transport me back in time on a full wave of nostalgia. A lot of properties might remind me of a specific TV show or comic I once loved. But Golden Axe tackles all my senses. As my absolute favorite arcade game of my youth, it takes me right back to that place in time. I can hear the noises.. both from the game itself and the cacophony of arcade dings, chimes, tokens, and wild kids, I can smell the popcorn, I can feel the freezing air conditioning, and I can see those amazing characters swinging swords and mounting dragons while fighting skeletons and kicking little gnomes. I was obsessed with this game and I always played the sole female character, Tyris Flare. The funny thing was that I was also extraordinarily bad at this game. I never made it too far. So luckily I don't feel the need to buy toys of the big boss characters (because I honestly never saw them!) This Tyris Flare is my first purchase from the high-end Storm Collectibles and I love it.

POP Rides - SHE-RA on SWIFTWIND!

POP! Rides #279 - She-Ra on Swiftwind (Walmart Exclusive) - Funko 2021

Sometimes I'm just a sucker for a vintage-themed product. Do I love this Funko Rides She-Ra on Swiftwind? No. Do I have any nostalgic connection to the vintage She-Ra toy deisgns? No. But can a resist a retro toy of fabulous warrior woman riding a pink flying unicorn? Of course not. There were a lot of design differences between the vintage She-Ra toys and the Filmation cartoon. I never owned any of the toys and my memories of them in stores are a pink blur. I actually have fond memories of them from various Christmas Catalogs, but that was during the era when all the horses were translucent. My most potent memories are from the cartoon. Swiftwind had a very stark difference. In the cartoon he was a white horse with a reddish mane and tail, pink armor, and rainbow-like wings with blue, yellow, and pink. The vintage toy design was a pink horse with pink mane and tail, gold armor, and wings that were gold, pink, and white. I like the pink, but all my fond memories are tied to the animated version.

Dreamworks Dragons - ASTRID & RUFFNUT!

How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World - Astrid & Ruffnut - Spin Master 2019-20

I've been wanting to post these two figures for a while, but I was making myself wait until I actually saw the movie (How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World). Well I just finished it (thanks Hulu!) and I loved it. There's something about these movies that is a perfect blend of fun, adventure, and fantasy. There were a few particular scenes tonight that would have been amazing to see in 3D on the big screen, but I snoozed and lost. In this movie, all the main characters don armor made from the shed scales and spikes of their dragon companions. These give the wearer some of the qualities of the dragon (like Hiccup's armor making him fireproof), but the best thing is that they just look damn cool. In the movie the colors are really muted, but the toys are bright and vivid. When I first saw them in the store I had to have them. And now after the movie I wish we could also get a Valka and Griselda the Grievous. But the movie came out over a year ago and Spin Master is in love with Batman now. Shame.

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!

Imaginext - SERPENT QUEEN!

Imaginext: Treasure Hunters - Serpent Queen & Camel - Mattel/Fisher-Price 2017

For years now I've been wishing for an Egyptian-themed Imaginext figure for my collection. I expected a regal Cleopatra-type, but I have to admit I am much happier with this evil-looking Serpent Queen instead. I love a good animal-themed character, especially when it's a villainess. And the great thing is that this figure will very likely be re-released as a more-human looking variation. The sole required change would be the scaly reptilian hands. The only predictions I've made for this line that haven't come true now are a Statue of Liberty and a Rosie the Riveter. I'm hoping to see them in a couple years at this rate. For those unaware, Imaginext had some major DC reveals last week. We're getting Huntress, Batwoman, Star Sapphire, Katana, Killer Frost, Donna Troy, Artemis, Black Canary, Jessica Cruz, and a new Harley. My mind is blown. After this new wave is released I don't even know what figures to wish for (beyond Supergirl). It seems like the sky is the limit now. Let's check out Serpent Queen below!

Imaginext DC Super Friends - HIPPOLYTA!

Wonder Woman Imaginext: Hippolyta & Battle Chariot - Mattel/Fisher-Price 2017

Imaginext has had a lot of impressive reveals lately. As a brand that is really setting a new standard for preschool toys, the notorious lack of female characters was a complaint heard in every corner of the internet. In the past few months however, there have been many new figures solicited including several new Wonder Women, Hawkgirl, Vixen, a modern Cheetah, Starfire, Raven, Scorpia from Power Rangers, repaints of Batgirl and Poison Ivy, as well as an aviatrix repaint and a new Serpent Queen set. But now we have to play the waiting game to see how many actually make it to market in our countries. Imaginext seems notorious for difficult-to-find figures but my fingers are crossed that I'll eventually get them all. This Hippolyta figure is part of the Wonder Woman movie tie-in lines currently hitting Walmart. Despite it being a straight-up repaint of the Warrior Queen blind bag figure, I think this is a really good representation of the Amazon Queen. Let's check her out below!

DreamWorks Dragons - ASTRID HOFFERSON!

DreamWorks Dragons - Dragon Riders: Astrid & Stormfly - Spin Master, Ltd - 2015

How to Train Your Dragon was released in 2010 and I somehow ended up seeing it in the theatre (it's not typically the type of film I head to the movies for), and I found it to be a great little movie. It was funny, thoughtful, adventurous, and original. Plans for a trilogy were pretty much guaranteed. How to Train Your Dragon 2 came out in 2014 and won me over by skipping forward 5 years, aging the characters along with their audience. I always think that's a smart move. In between the first two films, there were multiple short films and an animated series called DreamWorks Dragons that ran from 2012-2014 on Cartoon Network (then later continued on Netflix through 2016). These toys are under the umbrella of the animated series, but as far as I can tell they actually represent characters and events from the second movie.  Astrid is the sidekick/friendly rival of the main character, Hiccup, throughout the series. I love these figures because of their resemblance to Imaginext. Let's check out Astrid below!

Lanard's Revamped FAIRY-KINS!

Fairykins (the Magical Pixies) 28 Piece Play Set - CP Toys - Lanard 2012

When I went to my first Toy Fair several years ago I quickly learned that a byproduct of that event is that you get on tons of mailing lists. Most of the catalogs filling my mailbox were way off-topic for my interests (swingsets, stuffed animals, etc), but one catalog had a Fairykins Enchanted Forest playset that really intrigued me.  A little research showed me that this was yet another Lanard property that had been around for many years (perhaps as a knockoff to Sea-Wees?) but had recently modernized a'la yesterday's Pony Tales review. I found that these small dolls were available in a variety of assortments: single packs, vehicle sets, giant playsets, etc. But unfortunately I couldn't find them anywhere at a decent price.  Then recently I discovered this CP Toys-distributed "all-in-one" playset on Amazon and I finally took the plunge. I think it was a very good purchase.  I love the design of these figures, and I'm obsessed with their firefly steeds. Let's check out the Fairykins below!

Lanard's Revamped PONY TALES!

Pony Tales - Once Upon an Adventure - Single Packs - Lanard 2014

I'm not a brony (despite the t-shirt I wear to cons ironically proclaiming otherwise). I actually tried to be one when the craze first hit but it just didn't take. That said, I love the Pony culture in the toy world. They're colorful, quirky, and they are icons of 80's nostalgia. My siblings and I never owned any My Little Ponies. But the presence of MLP was simply unavoidable in the 80s. And with popularity, of course, comes imitation. Lanard is known for making high-quality knockoffs of A-list toys (most notably Hasbro properties).  For years they have been producing Pony Tails, a passable replica of the vintage MLP designs. I was aware of them as I am aware of almost all toys, but I was utterly uninterested.  Then MLP was reinvented with Friendship is Magic, and before long Pony Tails morphed into Pony Tales. The sculpting, accessories, and themes of these figures are amazing. Even if this type of toy is totally not your thing, you can probably appreciate the aesthetics of this line.  Let's check them out below!

Scan2Go FIONA RYDER and LEOPATRA!

Scan2Go - Fiona Ryder and Leopatra - New Boy / D-Rights / Giochi Preziosi 2012
 
I'm not a big collector of anime-styled action figures.  Mostly this is because of the overwhelming abundance of them, but a large part is due to the fact that they so often fail to deliver on the "action" part of action figures.  Ususally they just have some cat ears and a miniskirt and that's the extent of the character development.  But Scan2Go struck me as a little different.  Scan2Go is a Korean/Japanese cartoon dealing with an interplanetary racing game where players have miniature remote controlled cars that race for them.  The main team is composed of five Earthlings on Team Jet.  Each of their cars have names and an animal spirit.  Fiona Ryder's car is Leopatra whose animal spirit is an awesome looking pink leopard.  I'm a sucker animal companions.  Especially when they're paired with a female character.  She-Ra would be nothing to me without Swiftwind.  The two main figures from this toy line (Myron and Kaz) seemed to have had heavy circulation in the US at stores like TRU, but the other three characters seem to have only been released in Europe (at least as far as I can tell).  Let's check out Fiona below!

Dragon Booster KITT & WYLDFYR!

Dragon Booster - Kitt Raada Wonn & Her Dragon Wyldfyr - Jakks Pacific 2005

Dragon Booster was a popular Canadian CGI cartoon series from 2004.  The series combines a lot of different genres: Racing, Dragonlore, Future Tech, Fantasy, and Arthurian Legend.  Dragon Booster lasted three seasons and established a world where 5000 years of Dragon-Human interspecies tensions have grown.  There is a pending Dragon-Human war, but at the same time there are a lot of peaceful Human-Dragon interactions like the futuristic sport of Street Racing in Dragon City.  Kitt happens to be one of the best racers in the City and because of these skills is being recruited by the main character, Artha, to aid him in preventing the pending war.  Dragon Booster lasted three seasons and has quite an international fan-following.  (The hinted-at fourth season has encouraged online petitions to see its production carried-through).  The toyline produced by Jakks Pacific in 2005 is really fun.  This particular line consists of 3.75" rider figures with super-articulated dragons.  There was a smaller-scale line as well, but this one is the "deluxe" sought-after version.