Snoopy's Sister BELLE!

Peanuts Collectible Miniature Figurines - Series 01 - Schleich 2014

Peanuts is one of the longest running comic strips of all time.  The characters are recognized worldwide and are virtually unchanged from their original designs.  That's why I was surprised to see a "girl Snoopy" show up in a random ebay search of mine a few months ago.  I had never heard of such a character - despite some heavy exposure to the property throughout my life.  I called my brother who is a bona fide Peanuts fanatic (and the reason behind the "heavy exposure" mentioned above) and he informed me that this was Belle, Snoopy's sister (i was half hoping it was Snoopy in drag a'la Bugs Bunny).  Then last week I was in TRU and saw a new Peanuts display from Schleich. While some characters were glaringly absent (Peppermint Patty), there was indeed a Belle.  It was kismet and she left the store with me without a second thought.  Belle was introduced in 1976 among a litter a long-lost siblings of Snoopy.  She was raised a block away from Charlie Brown's house but they never knew. 

Sonic the Hedgehog's ROUGE THE BAT!

Sonic the Hedgehog: SonicX - Rouge the Bat - Toy Island 2005

Sonic the Hedgehog was a major obsession for me as a teenager.  I only had the game on a Sega Game Gear but it still made a lasting impression.  When Jazwares got the toy licence several years ago, my interest was renewed and I started buying all the highly-articulated tiny figures without hesitation.  In the process of collecting these new figures, I discovered a previous line produced by Toy Island.  This earlier line is especially notable to me because they produced two females which Jazwares never got around to: Cream the Rabbit and Rouge the Bat.  These figures are super hard to come by so hopefully Tomy (who now has the license) will get to them eventually.  Their rarity on the secondary market makes direct comparison with the more modern versions hard to come by.  I was personally shocked at the large size of Rouge when I finally got her.  She towers over the Jakks figures, but she's still an awesome addition to my tiny Sonic collection.  Let's check out Rouge below!

The Great Rebellion's FLUTTERINA!

Masters of the Universe Classics - Club Eternia Mattycollector Exc - Mattel 2014

It's surreal to think how many very unlikely characters have been produced in the MOTUC line so far. And as of Monday's announcement that the 2015 line got the green light (barely), we know we'll be getting the final three POP ladies next year. When the first Princess of Power figure, Adora, was released in 2010, I don't think anyone would have expected the entire vintage POP roster to follow suit. I'm ecstatic. Flutterina was always a very notable character for me - even though she only appeared in 5 episodes. I guess I noticed her because her butterfly wings were such a dominant feature. Despite having a fondness for the character, I honestly wasn't expecting her to make such a formidable-looking action figure. She stays extremely true to her classic look, but somehow I now view her as a tough fairy warrior as opposed to a "flying lookout." This makes me really excited to see how the Four Horsemen work their magic on the remaining characters. Let's check out this unexpected beauty in detail below!

Angry Birds Stella - GALE!

Angry Birds Stella - Telepods - Gale - Hasbro Gaming 2014

I'm not a big player of video games. In high school, I was a total addict though. I was only allowed to play on weekends and on more than one occasion I would plug in on Friday and in a blur of stars and explosions it would be Monday again. I gave up games cold turkey my freshman year of college and haven't looked back. Then along came the smartphone (and my need to take long unwarranted bathroom breaks to clear my head at work). Angry Birds quickly became an addiction for me. I am super OCD so I had to get full stars on every level and all bonuses. I felt like a high school kid again. I beat the first game, then Seasons, but then I gave up halfway through Space and skipped Star Wars altogether. I've since dabbled in Candy Crush and Farm Heroes, but nothing has matched that initial thrill of Angry Birds. Then a month or so ago I saw news of a new game: Angry Birds Stella - starring the fan favorite pink female bird (the only girl) that first appeared in Birdday Party pack of the classic Angry Birds in 2011.

Princess of Power's MADAME RAZZ (and BROOM)!

Masters of the Universe Classics - Club Etheria Mattycollector Exc - Mattel 2014

Madame Razz was never a high point of the She-Ra cartoon for me. I've never been a fan of comedic slapstick characters (or overbearingly cute characters either). Orko, Snarf, Imp, Slimer, even Cringer.. they are all characters that annoyed the crap out of me.  Madame Razz was no exception. But something interesting is happening in my adult life where I no longer take the cartoons so seriously (I realize I probably shouldn't have ever been taking them seriously), but now I view them as camp-fests; I try to do impressions of all the crazy voices; I laugh at the extreme cheesiness (especially the "dramatic" parts that I used to watch so solemnly). So, lately I've taken an amused liking to Madame Razz. But the arrival of this figure in my mailbox this week has made me love her. Holding this amazing figure in my hands, seeing her in comparison to the other Great Rebellion ladies, and especially reading her great bio made me elevate her to the next level in my mind. Let's check out "The Magical Witch of the Whispering Woods"!

Funko Vinyl³ Magnetic Figures HARLEY QUINN!

Vinyl³ Interchangeable Magnetic Vinyl Figures - Harley Quinn - Funko 2014

This quirky little figure was one of my favorite reveals from NY Toy Fair 2014.  Cute little super-deformed vinyl figures are majorly appealing to me... as long as they're inexpensive.  These retail for about eight bucks so she was definitely on my hit list.  I love how Harley Quinn has become a go-to character for DC Comics novelty products.  The fact that we often see Harley represented before Wonder Woman is pretty major.  It's also great that 90% of the time, she'll be represented in her classic duds... which I am willing to bet are sorely missed by everyone but gamers and cosplayers.  These figures are cute and fun, but I seriously doubt anyone will really want to interchange body parts.  Harley's head on Joker's body?  eh.  On its own though, the figure has a lot of personality and playability.  She'll look great on my shelf with all my non-action-figure Gotham ladies.  Plus she's super tiny at only 2" tall.  I love tiny, cool toys.  Let's check her out in detail below!

The Walking Dead's ANDREA (Comic Style)!

The Walking Dead - Comic Book Series 3 - Andrea - McFarlane Toys 2014

I still haven't read any of the Walking Dead comic books (despite owning them all).  I love the show though and that's enough inspiration for me to buy these toys.  I half-thought that the Comic series might be over because of their slow release dates.  The Television Series toyline is already at series 6 despite debuting several months after the first comic wave.  Andrea is one of my favorites from the show.  Most of the survivors eventually evolve into tough characters, but in my mind she was more dynamic; transforming from a simple passive nobody into one of the most formidable members of the group.  She was also flawed, making decisions that weren't popular with the other characters nor the viewing audience.  But that's what made me like her so much.  Predictability in a zombie show is just boring.  While I really like this figure, I feel like it is a departure from the other comic figures (I only one Michonne).  She's a little bit larger and a lot more grim and realistic than I expected.  Let's check her out below!

Imaginext Rescue Heroes WENDY WATERS!

Imaginext Rescue Heroes Firehouse - Mattel/Fisher-Price 2014
 
This little beauty is a very exciting figure for me. She marks the beginning of females in the main Imaginext line. Years ago we received two medieval characters - and more recently we've received a small collection of female superheroes. But the hugely popular Imaginext line was still glaringly devoid of the ladies  Even though she comes packed in a huge playset, it's still a great step forward for the line. Everytime I head into Toys R Us or Target I check out that bright yellow section of the toy aisles to see if any new ladies have slipped in. When I found this set yesterday I actually tried to find evidence that it existed online with no luck. Sneaky sneaky. Now I can't wait to see if we get any females in future blindbag series. I foresee a witch and a Cleopatra-type in the next wave. Another cool thing about this figure is the fact that she is actually an established character with a ton of larger-scale 5" action figures produced already. In my mind, that means we can expect the rest of the Rescue Heroes girls (Ariel Flyer and Maureen Biologist) in Imaginext form eventually. I can't wait. In the meantime, lets check out Wendy Waters below!