Halloween Kids - THE CREATURE!

ReAction Halloween Kids - Creature From the Black Lagoon - Super7 2024

Happy Halloween! One of my favorite recent toy trends is the representation of the simplistic Ben Cooper costumes of the 70s and 80s in action figure form. NECA has the Ben Cooper Costume Kids which are 5" fully-articulated figures wearing soft-goods costumes. And Super7 has the ReAction Halloween Kids line, which don't appear to be officially branded for the vintage costume companies, but they definitely give that classic homage. This Creature from the Black Lagoon girl is my first purchase from the line, and I'm quite obsessed. As my favorite of the Universal Monsters movies, she was always going to grab my attention. But the fact that the figure is female (as is the NECA Creature figure), further appeals to me because I feel it pays tribute to the creator of the Creature costume, Milicent Patrick, who was only properly credited in recent years (read The Lady From the Black Lagoon book for more!). I can't help but think the gender of these toys was intentional because of that. Let's check out Creature below!

Royale High - DARK FAIRY!

Royale High - 3" Fashion Dolls - Dark Series 1 - Dark Fairy - Jazwares 2024

When I find myself shopping for toys, I enjoy perusing all the aisles. I like to get a sense of what the market trends in pop culture are and I like to keep my eyes open for unique new product lines. This was how the Royale High line caught my eye a few months ago. I'm always intrigued when dolls are completely sculpted with no soft goods. But these went further by combining several popular genres. I see elements of Roblox with the geometric cylindrical heads (they are actually a Roblox spinoff), Bratz with the heavy makeup, minimal noses, and sultry expressions, and Polly Pocket with the swappable outfits and hair. I always knew I would have to buy one eventually, and that time came when I saw this vampy, spidery, Dark Fairy character in Walmart last week. I discovered that Royale High is an online roleplaying game on the Roblox platform featuring a variety of princesses in a High School setting. I personally love how wicked and dark many of the characters look. Let's check out Dark Fairy below!

Trollify - BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!

Trollify by Good Luck Trolls - Frankenstein & The Bride - Kidrobot 2023

I have had a long fascination with Trolls. When I very young in the early 80s, my parents had a puzzle with a collage of vintage toys pictured on it. Buried in the heap was an image of a Troll doll from the 1960s. I was obsessed and would ask every adult I knew if they had Trolls when they were kids. Believe it or not, the toy line was a scarce thing then and the license was in a sort of hibernation. In the 90s, they came back in full force. They were everywhere and unavoidable. However, I did not like these at all. They had neon hair, they wore human clothes, and they had gemstones embedded in their bellies. The folklore-ish aspects we gone. The earthtone palettes, woodland aesthetic, and overall connection to nature were replaced by whatever trending fad the manufacturers could think of. My original childhood intrigue was rekindled in 2013 with the Zelfs line and ever since then I've been really appreciative of all the modern Troll spinoffs and homages. And these Trollify figures are a great example.

The Simpsons - WITCH MARGE!

Simpsons - Treehouse of Horror ReAction Wave 4 - Witch Marge - Super7 2024

The Simpsons has created a lot of great traditions over its record-breaking run, but I think the best one would have to be the annual Halloween Treehouse of Horror episode. I'm proud to say I watched the first one as it was broadcast back in 1990 (The Raven and How to Cook Humans segments still seem permanently fused into my psyche). I certainly haven't watched all 34 Treehouse episodes (although they are all grouped together on Disney+ right now) but I always appreciate the merch that comes from them. This Witch Marge figure comes from the 8th episode segment Easy Bake Coven (1997) where Marge and her sisters are exposed as witches in puritan Springfield (Sprynge-Fielde) and inadvertently invent Trick-or-Treating. I just watched the segment right now and it's pretty clever. Other common Halloween Marge toys we commonly see of are Skeleton Marge and a Blue Cat Marge, but this green witch version is always my favorite. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - LILITH!

Strange Tales (Blackheart Series) - Lilith Mother of All Demons - Hasbro 2024

In 1992, in the pages of Ghost Rider #28, the second character named Lilith was introduced into the Marvel Universe. The first Lilith was Dracula's Daughter and has been a fixture in Marvel's more macabre comics since 1974. But this new character was very different, both visually as well as her role in the comics. This Lilith is an ancient (Atlantean) deity known as The Mother of All Demons. She actually gives birth to demons who are forever obedient to her. I remember reading her first storyline as it was published. There was a random X-Men/Ghost Rider crossover (#26-27) that got me to read my first Ghost Rider comic, and the immediate next issue (which I decided to stick with) was the start of the Rise of the Midnight Sons arc that introduced her. She has always been a visually iconic character to me. But I won't lie, I had completely forgotten her name until this figure was announced. This action figure is a blast from the past and a really great Halloweeny character to revisit. Let's check her out below!

The Munsters - LILY MUNSTER!

The Munsters Ultimates (2022 Rob Zombie Film) - Lily Munster - NECA 2024

I never really watched the original The Munsters TV show (1964-1966). I was somehow always aware of it (as well as The Addams Family, but they just never played on my childhood stations (I only had 4). So, that said, I didn't have any nostalgic scrutiny making me overly judgmental when I watched The Munsters (2022) film. I found the movie to be fun, and Lily Munster was a standout for me. It reminded me vaguely of the comic Gloom Cookie that I was obsessed with in the late 90s - specifically in how dating in the goth world can be comically frustrating. Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob Zombie's wife) played Lily with a bubbly vampy tone that set the her apart from other similar characters (like Morticia). Sheri is not new to the toy world either. Her characters in House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects both got the action figure treatment. Whether you liked the movie or not, this toy is pretty spectacular. The faces are great and the mix of soft goods with sculpted drapery creates a unique effect.

DC Comics Total Justice - HUNTRESS!

DC Multiverse -  Collector's Edition - Huntress (Platinum) - McFarlane Toys 2024

Huntress has had quite a few notable costumes over her 46 years. I honestly haven't been a fan of them all. But they always had a few consistent elements through all the variations. Namely: lots of purple and a domino mask (of varying sizes). Plus her Bertinelli era typically included a cross motif or some religious iconography. But this McFarlane Platinum variant design holds a special place in my heart because it is the costume represented on her very first action figure (the Kenner 1996 Total Justice figure). As far as I can tell, she first wore this costume in the August 1996 issue of Shadow of the Bat #53. She then wore it, with only minor variations, for about six years through such landmark storylines as Cry for Blood, No Man's Land, Justice League of Amazons, Last Laugh, and the beginning of Birds of Prey. It wasn't until Hush in 2002 that she saw her first significant costume change. As iconic as this late-90s costume was, I simply wasn't reading those comics, so the nostalgia is purely based on that first toy in 1996. This new figure is a wonderful homage to that. Let's check out Huntress below!

DC Comics New 52 - HUNTRESS!

DC Multiverse -  Collector's Edition - Huntress (New 52) - McFarlane Toys 2024

Huntress holds a special place in my heart because my discovery of her was the first time I truly fell in love with comics. My brothers and I were big fans of Batman from the '66 live action show and the Filmation and Super Friends cartoons. My first forays into comics were just an extension of my TV watching (mostly G.I.Joe comics), but I soon found myself buying backissues of Batman Family and expanding my knowledge of the Batman universe. When I first learned of Huntress' lineage, my young mind was blown. I had watched Catwoman and Batman flirt for years. But to learn that in an alternate timeline they were married and had a vigilante daughter was the coolest thing I had ever heard. I've been a fan ever since. I much prefer the Helena Wayne version, but I'm a fan of all her incarnations. Interestingly enough, the last comic I read starring Huntress reconciled the Wayne and Bertinelli versions into one multiverse-misplaced character. Don't know if that story stuck, but I highly approved.