Teen Titans - BUMBLEBEE!

Teen Titans - Teen Titans Go! - Bumblebee (Bumble Bee) - Bandai 2004

Teen Titans made major comeback in the early 2000s with their extremely popular animated series on the Cartoon Network.  This show definitely wasn't my speed at all (it was totally geared towards kids), but I loved seeing all these cool characters being reinvented for a younger audience.  The massive amount of merchandising was a bonus, too.  I doubt we would have ever seen a Bumblebee action figure if not for the popularity of this show.  This Bumblebee figure can fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market, so I confess that this is a figure I bought for a few dollars from a seller in China.  The real release of this figure had cleaner paint lines and came with either a bee-themed vehicle or another 3.5" figure in the 2-Pack series.  Bumblebee has no true superpowers, but derives her unique skills from technology.  She can fly, her armor is strong, her speed is increased, and she can emit stinging blasts.  Occasionally she shrinks in size a'la Wasp, but that skill seems par for the course with an insect-themed character.

Earthworm Jim's PRINCESS WHAT'S-HER-NAME!

Your Favorite Video Game Insect Princess from Playmates 1994

I first became aware of this figure early on in my collecting days (roughly 10 years ago).  She was raved about on my favorite online toy resource at the time, Action Girl's Guide to Female Figures.  At the time, however, I was very picky and would only buy non-cartoony 80's figure like GIJoe, He-Man, and ThunderCats.  So it wasn't until very recently that I picked up this figure in a lot on eBay.  I must say I'm very impressed with this little lady.  She's fun, well-sculpted, and a great likeness of both her cartoon and videogame counterparts.  I'm not too knowledgeable on the Earthworm Jim franchise, but from what I can gather it was a pretty unique development.  Playmates developed the characters for an original videogame with the intent of creating merchandising potential.  The original Sega/Genesis game was released in 1994, the same year as the first action figures.  The cartoon series didn't debut until a full year later in 1995.  However, the action figures seem to incorporate the details of the cartoon moreso than the videogame.

The Ladies of MAYA THE BEE!

Maya the Bee - Articulated 3.5" Figures - IMC Toys/Giochi Preziosi 2012

Welcome to my third Bee Week review!  When started to plan this series of reviews earlier this summer, the first "bee" girl I thought of was Maya.  She was originally presented in a German children's book from 1912 but really became the iconic character she is now when the animated series was created in 1975 (and was subsequently aired all over the globe for decades). These action figures are from her newest incarnation, the Studio 100 CGI animated series from 2012.  Maya is an inquisitive and adventurous little bee struggling to reign in her curiosities in a rigid and protected hive. She sneaks out of the hive to explore, makes friends, and often get into trouble.  It's a classic recipe for good children's storytelling a'la Curious George and Fraggle Rock.  I never thought I would find actual action figures for Maya.  Everything I've seen previously has been either plush or PVC.  I hit the Jackpot with these guys though.  Let's check them out in detail below!

Lego Mini-Figures - BUMBLEBEE GIRL!

Lego Minifigures Series 10 (71001) - Bumblebee Girl - LEGO 2013

Welcome to my second Bee Week review.  This Bumblebee Girl figure is just about the most adorable Lego I've ever seen.  When Lego introduced the first series of blind-bagged minifigures back in 2010, I honestly don't think they had any clue what kind of effect they would have on the toy market.  Sure, blindbag figures existed before, but I'm pretty sure it was the first time this marketing technique was used on such an established brand.  It was an unprecedented success.  Now consumers are obsessed with these collectibles and all the other brands are scrambling to jump on the bandwagon.  I'm pretty obsessed with these little guys myself, but luckily I can satiate my brick craving by living vicariously through a coworker who gets everything Lego.  The figures I do buy are limited to superheroes, Chima girls, and the adorably weird characters dressed up like animals.  Bumblebee Girl falls into that latter category and is one of my favorites from the bunch.  Lets check her out in detail below!

DC Direct's QUEEN BEE!

Silver Age Justice League of America (Villains) - 7-Piece PVC Set - DC Direct 2001

Welcome to Bee Week here at She's Fantastic!  Due to a wonderfully insectile beauty that should be arriving in my mailbox at the end of this week, I decided to do a anticipatory review series of some of my favorite bee-themed ladies out there.   Queen Zazzala is an alien from a civilization where insects have evolved into humanoid form.  Queen Bee is obsessed with her own immortality and having her hive of bee-men loot other planets.  She is such a classic DC villain that it's a little shocking that we don't see more of her.  In her more modern incarnations, she is very alien/insectile looking, but I much prefer this classic look.  DC Direct used to be great at putting out high end collectible figurine sets.  These were usually full of characters that you would be unlikely to see in a full 6-7" scale.  The best thing about them for me is their size.  They're not as tiny as you would think from a PVC figurine and are actually perfectly in scale with modern G.I.Joes.  Let's check out Queen Bee below!

Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic Boom STICKS!

Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Boom - Action Figure Series 01 - TOMY 2014

I love when I am completely caught off-guard by a toy.  In the modern toy collecting hobby, we are pretty much aware of every product six months before it ever hits the shelves.  I wrote yesterday how I was still mourning the end of the Jazwares Sonic line when I discovered the new Tomy Amy at Toys R Us this weekend.  I knew that Amy was coming out of course, but this figure of Sticks the Badger was a total surprise for me.  When I first saw her, I assumed it was Marine the Raccoon (who I just became aware of in the pack-in comic with Blaze the Cat last year).  The two characters share a lot of similarities, but are in fact different characters (and species).  Sticks is a jungle badger who brings a little Tarzan-esque barbarism to the Sonic family.  Her weapon of choice is a homemade boomarang - which would have made an amazingly simple accessory - but alas, she comes empty-handed.  Regardless though, I am obsessed with this new addition to my video game shelf.  Let's check out Sticks below!

Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic Boom AMY!

Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Boom - Action Figure 2-Packs Series 01 - TOMY 2014
 
I was very sad earlier this year when I finally caught on to the fact that Jazwares had lost the Sonic the Hedgehog license.  I had been a fan of Sonic since I got my first Game Gear way back in Middle School.  I had watched the franchise grow long after I stopped playing video games and I was always upset that I no longer had ties to any of it.  Like I said, I stopped playing games, and the comics just weren't my speed.  Then I discovered Jazwares amazing 3" line of hyper-articulated Sonic action figures.  I was immediately trying to figure out who all the new characters were so I could predict the toy lineups.  I was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of cool females in Sonic Universe.  Amy, of course, is the most popular of the bunch.  She's always the first girl released in any Sonic toy series, so she's not necessarily indicative of a heavily female-inclusive line, but I have a really really good feeling about this new Tomy line.  Despite the loss I still feel about the axed Rouge and Cream figures from Jazwares, I think Tomy will keep this line and scale thriving for many years to come.  Let's check out this new Amy figure below!

Photos from NYCC 2014!

A Small Collection of My Favorite Action Figure Reveals at NY ComicCon 2014

If I was to be perfectly honest, I would have to say that this year's New York ComicCon was the most disappointing toy-wise than it has been in a long long time.  There was a lack of vendors.  Mattel was absent; Hasbro is continuing the tradition of setting up shop several blocks away (and by appointment only); and DCC showed us nothing new.  And on top of that, my favorite small vendor seemed to be a no-show as well.  This is a booth that usually has tons of large bins of loose action figures in little baggies.  You have to be patient to get close enough because this booth magically turns everyone into kids digging for buried treasure.  I always look forward to spending a good hour there, and I was sad that I couldn't find it (although it may have been there for all I know.. I was an unplanned mess this year tbh).  Despite my overall disappointment on the toy front, I still enjoyed myself and found a few great gems to share.  Let's check them out below!