Sonic the Hedgehog - DIGITAL AMY ROSE!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2.5" Series 25 - Digital Amy Rose - Jakks Pacific 2026

Jakks Pacific never ceases to amaze me with all their surprise releases. This Classic Amy Rose in an 8-Bit deco was just unveiled in an SDCC slide show about five weeks ago. And now I have her in hand thanks to a well-stocked Macy's/Toys'r'us. The existence of this figure itself is also a surprise. While the 8-Bit digital figures from Jakks have been fairly plentiful (I count nearly 30 so far between Sonic, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Megaman), Amy is only the second female (after the 2017 Princess Toadstool). This figure is great. Pixelated 8-Bit toys conjure an unmistakable nostalgia that's really fun and playful. I've tried to make my own (unarticulated) ones as a pandemic craft project with knockoff brick toys but it's very difficult to make look good. The process was so frustrating that I have a massive appreciation for figure like this. The sculpts capture the looks of the characters from every angle. I hope they make a 4" one to match the recent Sonic/Tails/Knuckles 3-pack. Let's check out Digital Amy below!

Marvel Legends - SPIDER-GWEN!

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Spider-Gwen/Ghost-Spider - Hasbro 2024

I remember buying this figure a few years ago in a fit of retail therapy after I almost died. It was around noon on the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2024 and I found myself driving on a steeply-inclined highway during an early-in-the-season snowstorm. IT was accumulating fast and I was sliding all over the road and losing traction on the hills... and there was only a flimsy guardrail between me and a huge embankment down into the dark woods below. When I next saw civilization I breathed a sign of relief, pulled in to a shopping center, and found myself walking through a Target for an hour while my nerves calmed and I waited out the storm. In my shaken state, I filled up my basket with all sorts of stuff I didn't need. I truly has no intention of buying this Spider-Gwen since I had so many figures of her already. But in retrospect, I'm really glad I did. The super-thin animated body sculpt is so unique and her punky hair color looks great. It only took me two years to appreciate her. Let's check out Spider-Gwen below!

Thrilljoy Pix - WONDER WOMAN!

Thrilljoy PIX - DC Comics - Wonder Woman (Event Exclusive) - Thrilljoy 2026

With all the Funko Pops I've bought of the years (dozens, possible even hundreds), I surprisingly never pickup up a single Wonder Woman. I have countless Batgirls and Harley Quinns, but for some reason Diana never made the cut. She is the most merchandised heroine out there, so I suppose I was intimidated by the notion of a potential deluge of star-spangled Amazons into my overcrowded toy room if I were to purchase a single one. Whatever the reason, it wasn't conscious. I've some to really appreciate the aesthetic of a "classic" Wonder Woman. I put that in quotes because everyone has their own definition of that word. For me, it's the Wonder Woman that I saw in coloring books and on lunchboxes throughout my childhood in the 80s. When I saw this Wonder Woman Thrilljoy PIX at Box Lunch a couple weeks ago, I immediately appreciated the design and knew she deserved to be purchased as the third figure in my new 80s' Ladies collection. Let's check out Wonder Woman below.

Marvel Legends - SPIDER-WOMAN!

Marvel Legends - Spider-Woman - Marvel Unlimited Exc - Hasbro 2025

Once again the Marvel Unlimited exclusive figure has given us a fun variant we might have never seen in plastic otherwise. In June 2024, there was a variant cover of Spider-Woman #7 by artist Peach Momoko featuring Jessica Drew in a black spider suit with some face markings that implied this was a symbiote. This was a one-off image that did not correlate to the story (very similar to 2020's Kamala Khan as Spider-Girl, which was also from a single cover illustration). But it makes for a perfect exclusive figure. Meaning: this is not a crucial, nor even canonical, figure to own; but she's awesome for super-fans; and she is made from some simple repurposed parts (The 2019 Polaris head was a surprising choice, but it works well). I'm already so curious what obscure figure will be revealed for next year's subscription. I have a ton of ideas. But I will personally get most excited for any new Spider-Lady figure to my collection (so I knew this Momoko design was an instant must-have). Let's check out Spider-Woman below!

Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY!

Marvel Legends Vintage - Uncanny X-Men - Jean Grey (X-Factor) - Hasbro 2025

I think the inevitable dilemma of any hardcore X-Men fan is "what is your favorite version of Jean Grey?" As arguably the most powerful of the core X-Men roster, she has been the epicenter of multiple iconic storylines and had numerous iconic costumes in the process. I personally love her in green and yellow. My favorite is her skirted costume with the domino mask from 1967-1976, but this X-Factor (1986) costume and her green Phoenix suit (1976) are close runners-up. X-Factor was a book with a great premise - the original five X-Men brought back as government mutant hunters who were secretly saving all their targets. In the beginning, they all wore these classic "X" costumes in bold colors. Jean's was classic green and yellow for the first 25 issues until she swapped it for the red and yellow costume (I fully expect this figure to be repainted in red someday). This figure was a Target exclusive in the Summer of 2025 and became quite the shelfwarmer. She's great though. Let's check out Jean below!

Thrilljoy Pixl - SHE-RA!

Thrilljoy PIXL - Masters of the Universe - Blind Box S1 - She-Ra - Thrilljoy 2026

I'm a sucker for a tiny cartoony She-Ra figure. Unlike a lot of iconic heroes, She-Ra doesn't get this playful treatment very often. She's had a handful of Funko Pops (2013, 2021a, 2021b, and 2022), a very cool Dorbz, a criminally-scarce Rock Candy, an "unreleased" Eternia Mini, and a recent Funko Mystery Mini. That may seem like a decent list, but He-Man literally has dozens of figures in this aesthetic, so her exclusion from a lot of these lines is very noticeable to me. Luckily, Thrilljoy, the new vinyl collectible company by Brian Mariotti (the former CEO of Funko), has produced a She-Ra vinyl in two scales so far (plus a variant). That's a very strong showing right out of the gate for me. The character selection for Thrilljoy seems a bit random without the clearly defined "waves" of characters belonging to the same license we've come to expect. But that kind of excited me because I immediately dreamed of a Cheetara and Jem to display along with her. Fingers crossed! Let's check out She-Ra below!

Thrilljoy Pix - SHE-RA (CHASE)!

Thrilljoy PIX - She-Ra Princess of Power (LE 6000) Chase - Thrilljoy 2025

I'm still pretty surprised the 40th Anniversary of She-Ra: The Princess of Power in 2025 didn't have more fanfare. There were rumors flying of a ton of Mattel product that unfortunately never surfaced. There were justifiable excuses of tariffs and shipping delays, but I now think they were simply wishful thinking. Still, we got a New Etheria She-Ra, Origins Despara and Shadow Weaver, the Origins Swiftwind set. And the (super expensive) Mondo She-Ra and Swiftwind pre-orders. A surprise for me was this Event Exclusive She-Ra Thrilljoy PIX. I discovered it after coming home from NYCC last year with my newly-acquired Batgirl '66 PIX and curiously Googling the Thrilljoy catalog. I'm not normally a fan of Chase figures, because they typically have a paint deco I don't particularly covet, and I get frustrating with the blind box experience. But in this case I really want the Chase variant (which has a shield) and I was luckily enough to get one on the first try. Finally got a lucky break. Let's check out She-Ra below!

Thrilljoy Pixl - BATGIRL '66!

Thrilljoy PIXL - Batman Classic TV Series - Blind Box S1 - Batgirl  - Thrilljoy 2026

No, you're not experiencing déjà vu. This figure is virtually identical to the Thrilljoy PIX Batgirl I posted yesterday, but half the size. Actually my only complaint with my scant Thrilljoy PIX purchases is that they seem fractionally larger than I would prefer, so these 2.5-3" PIXL figures are a great solution. I only fear that they won't have the wide characters selection I predict the larger figures will have. Plus the larger blind-box assortment cases mean it will be harder to get your specific character (I picked up mine on eBay to avoid the stress and because I didn't know where to buy them - I have since seen them at Hot Topic). I don't expect to be buying a ton of these vinyls. I have hopes I can get some more key iconic characters like Cheetara and Jem - that will honestly be the only way I stay engaged in this collection. But so far I've been enjoying my little foray into the Thrilljoy universe and I look forward to seeing their booth at NYCC in a couple months. Let's check out the Batgirl '66 PIXL below!

Thrilljoy PIX - BATGIRL '66!

Thrilljoy PIX - Batman Classic TV Series - Batgirl (LE 6666 pcs) - Thrilljoy 2025

The last thing I ever expected was to start collecting a new Vinyl figure line. Funko provided me many years of fantastic products. I was an early adopter with the first Funko Force line in 2010 (coincidentally my first purchase was that 2010 SDCC Exclusive silver Batgirl) and I continued gleefully until recently in the last few years when the character selection just stopped being appealing to me (or were so scarce I couldn't obtain them). So I had checked out of the vinyl market and thought I would focus on true action figures going forward. But then at NYCC last October I walked by the Thrilljoy booth and saw this convention exclusive Batgirl '66 figure. Regular readers will know I'm a total sucker for a Yvonne Craig Batgirl. There was miraculously no line and I spontaneously bought her. And within a few months I also bought a She-Ra. I currently only own five Thrilljoy products (one purchased today at Box Lunch), and I'm kind of excited to see what random characters might come next. Let's check out Batgirl below!

DC Blokees - JUSTICE LEAGUE WONDER WOMAN!

Blokees DC Defender Version 02: Justice League - Wonder Woman - Blokees 2026

It's pretty amazing that the first DCEU Wonder Woman we saw was so spot-on. Gal Gadot had a perfect blend of beauty, grit, and presence that set a high bar for all future live-action Dianas. Her four films, the Zack Snyder Cut, and two film Cameos (The Flash and Shazam) is a lot to live up to. I figure the new James Gunn casting will be leaked before too long and the comparisons will begin. But in the meantime, we are still getting slow trickle of Gal Gadot Wonder Woman product. This second wave of DC Defender Version (2.5" scale) Blokees features a DCEU Justice League assortment that thrilled me with the inclusion of both Mera and Wonder Woman. And if the DC lines are anything like the Transformers assortments, we are likely to see dozens of new characters over the next few years. I expect there to be themes like Batman '66, Teen Titans Go, or maybe Batman: Hush, but my fingers are crossed for some seriously obscure deep cuts. Let's check out Wonder Woman below!

DC Blokees - JUSTICE LEAGUE MERA!

Blokees DC Defender Version 02: Justice League - Mera - Blokees 2026

Although Mera's presence in the Justice League and Aquaman movies wasn't groundbreaking or even very memorable (I'm a big fan of the character and I can barely remember her role), that silver screen incarnation granted us eight action figures between 2017-2023 that fit in nicely with a comic-based display (thank goodness for a classic costume!). For comparison, the upcoming McFarlane Mera figure is only the third non-cinematic action figure of her we've ever seen (not counting the two Imaginext figures). So my little Mera shelf is dominated by representations of her fleeting three live-action appearances. This second wave of DC Defender Version (aka 2.5" scale) Blokees is based on the Justice League movie, but with a cartoon design aesthetic. The inclusion of Mera is what made me start obsessively collecting Blokees a few weeks ago. I had to make a detailed spreadsheet to sort out all the scales and characters. This could be a very slippery slope. Let's check out Mera below!

DC Blokees - ARKHAM KNIGHT BATGIRL!

Blokees DC Defender Version 03: Arkham Chaos - Batgirl - Blokees 2026

Blokees has been dominating both the collector and commercial toy markets in the last few years. They produce figures at a rapid pace, they have great character selection, they are inexpensive (these Blind Box model kits are $3), and they are fun to put together. Other cool thing is the wide variety of scales that exist within each license. These Defender scale figures are the smallest at around 2.5" tall. I think they are pretty fun and adorable. The Transformers Defender line is already up to Series 08 (in two short years), so I have hopes that same momentum will exist for DC and give us a flood of characters. My excitement for these is reminiscent of how I felt when I discovered Mini-Mates or Medicom Kubricks; A fun tiny scale, cool characters, and a lot of product. The Arkham Knight Batgirl design was never my favorite. I always felt that her cowl was too bulky and the gold gauntlets and boots contradicted the gritty aesthetic. But in this scale I find it much more palatable. Let's check out Batgirl below!

DC Blokees - ARKHAM KNIGHT CATWOMAN!

Blokees DC Defender Version 03: Arkham Chaos - Catwoman - Blokees 2026

About ten years ago the Arkham Series of video games dominated the Gotham Girls merchandizing. For a brief period of time, I loved the new spin on my favorite characters. But I can admit it got old pretty quick. The darker, grittier designs were just too far of a stretch from the simplified comic designs that initially drew me to the characters. I would have been more excepting if almost every action figure of Catwoman between 2012 and 2018 wasn't in this style with a little tuft of hair on her forehead and unnecessary cleavage. But by the time her 2022 McFarlane figure was released, my criticism had abated a lot. So last week when I first learned that the third wave of the Blokees DC Defender blind box minis was Arkham themed, I was genuinely excited to hunt them down. And then within a couple days, my local toy shop got them in stock. Luckily the ladies are almost always the lightest figures in the assortment so they're relatively easy to pick. Let's check out Catwoman below!

Super7 O-Ring - BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!

Universal Monsters Reaction+ Wave 2 - Bride of Frankenstein - Super7 2026

I've been a big supporter of the O-Ring renaissance in recent years. I didn't realize how much I loved this 80's staple until it started trickling back into the action figure world a few years ago. And companies like Super7 are riding this renewed wave of popularity hard and producing all sorts of interesting properties. Micronauts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ghostbusters are not licenses I would have expected to work so well in this format, but they certainly do. My favorite line, aside from G.I.Joe, so far is the classic Universal Monsters. As much as I was always fond of the old Universal Monsters Remco and Placo toys, the production style was a bit unpolished for my tastes and they never included the Bride of Frankenstein.. so I never bothered to collect any of the vintage figures. But now finally getting a Bride in a vintage format scratches an itch I didn't even know was there. I think she's glorious. And I'm already anticipating an eventual GITD or a mummy-head variant. Let's check her out below!

G.I.Joe Classified - STEEL CORPS TROOPER!

G.I.Joe Classified Series #95 -  Steel Corps Trooper (Female) - Hasbro 2023

I have these great childhood memories of my brother "sending away" for exclusive mail-in toys. He would be constantly collecting UPCs, cereal box tops, Bazooka Joe wrappers, and reading the Free Stuff For Kids books. We always suspected he would grow up to be a problem gambler or an extreme couponer (he didn't luckily). But I was always kind of jealous of the toys he would get. I remember Mumm-Ra coming in the mail, and well as the G.I.Joe Major Bludd and Super Trooper. But the most intriguing one was easily the G.I.Joe Steel Brigade soldier. The big gimmick for this mail-away toy was that it was supposed to be You. The toy would come with a personalized filecard and an iron-on patch to wear. It's was a very cool idea. The toy itself was a little generic. It had a new (helmeted) head with repurposed body parts from other characters. When I saw this Steel Corps 2-Pack advertised, the memories of that old forgotten toy resurfaced. And finally there's a female trooper too. Let's check her out below!

G.I.Joe Classified - PYTHON PATROL VYPRA!

G.I. Joe Classified Series #88 - Cobra Vypra (Python Patrol) - Hasbro 2023

I remember very fondly when the Python Patrol faction was released in the Hasbro G.I.Joe toy line. I was just about losing my interest in all things 'Joe (it was 1989 and I, along with the rest of the world, was renewing their obsession with Batman). But those Python Patrol repaints sucked me right back in. It seems silly considering how young I was at the time, but I found the nostalgia for those re-used original sculpts irresistible. The cartoon explanation of the faction was pretty generic (magically-induced camouflage) and the actual deco with yellow (geometric) diamond patterns and splashes of red, wasn't very snake-like at all, but the alliterative name, Python Patrol, and seeing all those old figures again was all my young brain needed to get me fully obsesssed. This Python Patrol Vypra figure is a repaint of the Cobra Blue Ninja. It's amazing to get a female character in the faction, even if we had to wait 34 long years. I hope they repaint one of the Classified Valkyries now too. Let's check out Vypra below!

G.I.Joe Classified - COVER GIRL!

G.I.Joe Classified (Vintage) Series  - Courtney "Cover Girl" Krieger - Hasbro 2025

It's amazing how the G.I.Joe Classified figures just keep getting better and better. This Vintage-Card Cover Girls figure from last year (in her M.A.S.S. Device design) is probably the best looking female figure in the line so far. It's very rare to see a sculpted smiling face that doesn't look creepy, but this figure achieved it in spades. She comes with two heads and two separate hairpieces to give you four unique display options. When she first came out I had several preorders arrive on my doorstep only to find some very unfortunate paint errors marring my figures. I kept buying her desperate to find one without crossed eyes or a crooked mouth. I eventually found a booth at NYCC with about 15 of her and and I finally found my good one. The sculpt was just too good to not go the extra mile hunting a great paintjob. This blonde version of Cover Girl only appeared in the first 5-episode G.I.Joe miniseries in 1983, but her popularity is still strong 40+ years later (3 figures in the last 4 years!) Let's check out Cover girl below!

Batman the Animated Series - ZATANNA!

DC Direct - Batman: The Animated Series - Zatanna - McFarlane Toys 2026

I just went down a rabbit hole watching all the animated appearances of Zatanna I could find. Since she is not typically thought of as a character who associates with Batman or Gotham City, I have wrongly thought for ten years that this was a Bruce Timm design from Justice League. (I say 10 years because this sculpt was originally released by DC Collectibles back in 2016). But when I compared her to the Justice League Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl figures, the scale and style didn't match. So I came to the conclusion that this figure is indeed a representation of her single-episode BTAS appearance in 1993 (S1E50 "Zatanna"), despite appearing in at least 7 episodes of Justice League Unlimited (FYI I believe she wears a white bowtie in all her JLU appearances). The TNBA stand this figure comes with further confused me. I watched Zatanna's single BTAS episode twice before I realized she was the dark-haired plainclothed wedding guest sitting with Jason Blood. (Like I said, quite the rabbit hole tonight).

DC Universe Infinite Heroes - RAVEN!

DC Universe Infinite Heroes - Crisis Series - Raven (Teen Titan) - Mattel 2009

In 2003, the Teen Titans animated show premeired and exposed a whole new generation to thee characters. The influence was undeniable. The aisles were suddenly full of toys, the fast food chains had promotions, and school supplies were emblazoned with the characters. I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the slapstick nature of the show nor the cartoony redesigns. But within a few years, those same new costumes were incorporated into the mainstream comic titles, and they began to grow on me. I once thought the red ornamentation on Raven's costume was distracting, but now it seems pretty iconic. I just saw SDCC images of the new McFarlane Raven coming later in 2026 and it features a lot of these modern animated details (and looks pretty great). These DC Universe Infinite Heroes figures were all the rage 17 years ago, and this Raven was one of the more tricky figures to get. But I'm glad I eventually did because this was the gateway drug that got me to accept some change. Let's check her out below!

DC Universe Infinite Heroes - STARFIRE!

DC Universe Infinite Heroes - Crisis Series - Starfire (Teen Titans) - Mattel 2009

As SDCC approaches this week, I find myself remembering back to the late aughts when Mattel was regularly blowing our collective minds with new product. Both DC Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Classics began in 2008 and revolutionized the toy industry (I know Marvel Legends had started way back in 2002, but I think their female sculpts were pretty terrible until 2013). With all the focus on Mattel's 6-7" scale back then, it's easy to forget that their 3.75" DC Universe Infinite Heroes line also launched in 2008. It only lasted two years, but it gave us an absolute flood of characters. I believe there were 67 individual figures and 17 multipacks. That's roughly 3 new characters each month for two years. I recently dug out my old Starfire and Raven in anticipation of their new Super Powers figures on Entertainment Earth. I find the Infinite Heroes to be a little weird, a little awkward, and sometimes they're downright hideous, but I still adore them. Let's check out Starfire below!

Digimon - SAKUYAMAN!

Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 3 - 6" Digi-Warriors - Sakuyaman - Bandai 2001

This figure has been a holy grail of mine for many years. She is one of the scarce female characters in the 6" line of original Digimon characters from Bandai. She's a popular character and it's almost impossible to find her complete for under $100. Technically, she is a genderless being, but the genders in this franchise aren't exactly subtle. My favorite thing about her is the fox/kitsune motif to her design. Beyond her fox armor and belt buckle, her characters has four tubes attached to her belt (unseen on this figure) that contain four Kuda-gitsune spirits (aka Tube Foxes) representing the elements of Fire, Water, Wind, and Thunder. These colorful fox spirits wrap around her from four directions and make the figure look super awesome. Coincidentally, these fox spirits are the missing culprits of the "incomplete" figures you see all over eBay. I picked up my Sakuyamon loose, and the fixes seem pretty firmly attached (except for the yellow one that pops off), but my previous owner might have glued them for safety.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - TEELA!

MOTU Origins - Cartoon Collection (200x Wave 4) - Teela - Mattel 2026

I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of the character designs from the 200x Mike Young Productions He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon. With Teela in particular, the impossibly-long gravity-defying ponytail seemed extremely silly. And her blue shoulderpads were an odd departure from her typically-simple color palette. That said, I really appreciate when an action figure is a good representation of an animated design. And this Cartoon Collection Teela is a great example of that. There have been a few Teela figures from this show in the past, but they didn't look anything like the source material. But this one looks really good and actually makes me like the 200x animated design a little more. I even splurged on the Mondo preorder after I felt my judgement waning. I'm now surprising myself by looking forward to the Sorceress figure coming in Wave 6 (and I always felt like her redesign was the most tragic). Here's to changing opinions! Let's check out Teela below!

G.I.Joe Classified - SNAKE-EYES!

G.I.Joe Classified Series #197 - Dawn Moreno (Snake-Eyes III) - Hasbro 2026

In 2016, IDW Comics introduced a new Cobra recruit named Dawn Moreno in the pages of G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero. Dawn caught the attention of all the baddies and was eventually mentored by Cobra Commander, Baroness, and Storm Shadow. But when she goes in for Dr. Mindbender's brainwashing program (to fully indoctrinate her), she is accidentally given Snake-Eye's memories. Already a skilled fighter, she now has all the basic skills and knowledge of an Arashikage ninja. She continued training with Storm Shadow (and his mother!) but the good memories of Snake-Eyes were too potent and she eventually joins the Joes. (This costume didn't appear for a full year - in issue #244). I regularly noticed this new Snake-Eyes gracing the covers of numerous comics over the years (I just counted 18!) and her design always caught my eye. But I admit it was actually this figure that made me truly become obsessed with the character. Her masked head is perfection. Let's check out Dawn below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Wave 9 - Lady Jaye (Covert Ops) - Super7 2026

Lady Jaye has always seemed like one of the simpler characters to be made into a cartoon-accurate toy. She has a classic 2-tone green military uniform, a short haircut, and her signature weapon is a classic (looking) javelin. But her first figure inexplicably had a hat, a single-color bright green uniform, and they turned her simple javelin into some sort of gun. It was still a great toy and probably the best of the vintage female figures, but you never realize how off it was until you see this new Super7 ReAction+ version. Before this, the closest thing to a vintage-style cartoon-accurate Lady Jaye was her 5th version from 2006, but that was in the era where all the figures had disproportionately small heads. This new figure is perfection. It makes me excited to see their take on an update Scarlett - who suffered the most from the limitations of the 80's toy design. If this Lady Jaye and the previous Jinx are any indication, she will be great. Let's check out this classic Lady Jaye below!

Bluey - YOUNG CHILLI (as SHE-RA?)!

Bluey - Single-Pack Action Figures - Young Chilli with Sword - Moose Toys 2026

Bluey is an extremely popular Australian children's show that ran from 2018 through 2023. It's technically only on hiatus while a movie is in production and will likely return with more full seasons. I've watched quite a few episodes while babysitting and it is a fantastic show. If you ever had a great teacher in your life who could explain heavy concepts to young children without being patronizing or annoying - this show gives that same vibe. It's charming and comforting. I think that kids will learn a lot by watching it, and adults will learn new communication skills from the delivery presented in the show. I'm a fan. There is a Season 3 episode called Fairytale where the sisters Bluey and Bingo are being told a story by their father Bandit about when he met their mother Chilli. The setting of that story is a 1980's Halloween and and 8-year-old Chilli (dressed in a She-Ra homage costume) runs up to a young starstruck bandit to return his hat. It was a great flashback. And now it's a great toy! Let's check out Chilli below!

Masters of the Universe - KITTRINA!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #56 - Kittrina - Altaya 2024

This time last year I posted the first review from my Altaya figurine collection. That was Dree-Elle, which I was excited to open because I had just gotten my Mondo Dree-Elle in the mail. That fateful day opened the floodgates and I knew I would have to finally open and photograph all 20 of the MOTU figurines I had purchased (of 77 total). The lone straggler of all those post was Kittrina, the fan-favorite single-episode character from The Cat and The Spider (1984) where she grappled with Teela and flirted with Battle Cat - all while sharing screentime with Webstor, who was introduced in the same episode. Despite her C-list status and minimal screentime, she is very much a fan-requested character. The funny thing is that both figures of her so far (the 2020 Super7 figure and this 2024 Altaya figurine) are pretty odd and lackluster. The main reason I delayed this post is because she is my least favorite of all my Altaya purchases. I'm probably too critical though. Let's check out the long overdue Kittrina post below!

New Teen Titans - STARFIRE!

DC Direct Action Figures - The New Teen Titans - Starfire - DC Direct 2000

Every time I get an old DC Direct figure into my photo tent I am blown away by the sculpt and attention to detail. I was very excitedly buying lots of toys back then. I loved all the Silver Age and Legion of Super-Heroes figures in particular. But in general, I was really taking this early-aughts toy renaissance for granted. I should have been buying ever single toy put out there. I think Starfire is a tricky character to get right. Especially when trying to replicate the early-80s George Pérez design. Honestly I've only seen it done right twice in toy form: the 2018 Funko mini figure, and this DC Direct figure from 2000. I desperately tried to find who sculpted this, but the information seems lost to time. My best guess is Tim Bruckner. But it could easily be Sam Greenwell as well. Both were very active with DC Direct at the time, but the sculptor names being featured on the packaging was inconsistent in those early years. Whoever the artist is knocked it out of the park though. Let's check out Starfire below!

DC Universe Classics - STARFIRE!

DC Universe Classics - Starfire & Adam Strange (Mattycollector Exc) - Mattel 2009

This figure stirs up a lot of old feelings for me. I remember the campaign for the first DC Universe Classics in the Mattycollector Exclusives program. The pictures online (and maybe in ToyFare?) looked great. But the reality of the figures were very different when they arrived. I felt a little ripped off. When the final product had such drastic differences from the preorder prototype images, the whole subscription process seemed unreliable and scammy. All these years later, I can appreciate her for what she is; scrawny limbs, limp hair, and anatomically bizarre cleavage and all. (Seriously though, she has more modest costume options that should have been used if they had to use this cloth-sculpted torso). In photos it doesn't look that bad, but in person there are a lot of sculptural details that just look off. The perfection of the Four Horsemen prototype compared to the sloppy Mattel tooling felt insulting to collectors who purchased these on good faith. 27 years later and I'm almost over it. Let's check out Starfire below!

The New Teen Titans - STARFIRE!

Legion of Collectors - The New Teen Titans 3.75" Figures - Starfire - Funko 2018

The new Entertainment Earth DC Super Powers line from McFarlane Toys has me very excited. The main retail waves of these figures were pretty cool, but they were a total boys club (aside from 4 repaints of a Wonder Woman mold). But since the EE-exclusive waves were announced, we've already seen pre-orders for Supergirl, Power Girl, Starfire, and Raven. Anticipation for the latter two has put me on a bit of a Teen Titans kick. I've recently been photographing a lot of older figures that I never got around to posting about prior, and I'm really obsessed with the classic look of the characters. The 2018 Legion of Collectors Teen Titans subscription box from Funko contained 2 of 4 potential 3.75" classic Perez-era Titans figures. These are in the same style as the Batman '66 figures (Batgirl and Catwoman) from the year prior. For years these fetched about fifty bucks each on eBay, but now they can be found for less than retail. It's just a shame they didn't make the other characters. Let's check out Starfire below!

The New Teen Titans - RAVEN!

Legion of Collectors - The New Teen Titans 3.75" Figures - Raven - Funko 2018

Around ten years ago, collector's subscription boxes were all the rage. The most I ever subscribed to was two at a time, and honestly even that felt a little overwhelming. You would get a shoebox of surprise goodies every other month and it was an exciting aspect of the hobby for a while. I say "for a while" because the novelty wore off quickly. After several consecutive boxes with nothing particularly appealing to me, I started to feel like a sucker. That said, there were plenty of true gems that came out of these subscriptions. Funko was one of the leaders and I distinctly remember a Marvel subscription and a separate DC subscription. The second to last DC box was (in my opinion) the best of the bunch with two (of 4) 3.75" New Teen Titans action figures included. It was sad because it was hard to get all four, and even sadder that they never made more (like Beast Boy and Wonder Girl) like they hinted at in their YouTube videos. But the figures we were able to get are amazing. Let's check out Raven below!

DC x Sonic - WONDER WOMAN!

DC x Sonic - 5" & 2.5" Hero 2-pack - Wonder Woman & Amy - Jakks Pacific 2026

It's been quite a while since we've had a non-McFarlane, non-preschool Wonder Woman figure on the shelves. There was an under-the-radar 9.5" figure from Spin Master in 2023, but before that was 2020. That's six years without fun little off-scale Dianas filling the gaps between McFarlane releases. The DC x Sonic comic and toyline isn't something I would have expected to work so well. Mashups can be a tricky thing.. they have the potential to bring together two large fandoms. But if either one of the fandoms is misrepresented, it can easily be a double failure. I'm glad the decision to keep the DC heroes untouched while having the Sonic characters don DC costumes was a very smart move. Having Wonder Woman in animal ears would look goofy, but Amy in a star-spangled costume looks cool. It gives sidekick vibes and I love it. These hero multi-packs are unexpected. I assumed true DC action figures were already tied up in existing licenses, but apparently not. Let's check out Diana below!

DC x Sonic - BLAZE as STARFIRE!

DC x Sonic - 5" & 2.5" Hero Multipack - Starfire and Blaze - Jakks Pacific 2026

I am having a great sense of vindication about owning these figures. Back in November, I posted an image on social media featuring the lineups of the next few waves of DC x Sonic figures. The post was several blurry graphs of character renderings, but no actual figures. I knew this leak was authentic (and it was proven to me when I was officially asked to remove it). But the collector community (outside of my amazing network) jumped all over me in the few short hours the post was up. The majority consensus was that it was fake and I was lying. Comments like "Blaze and Starfire don't even make sense. And it's blurry. Fake" flooded my feed. I made sure to screenshot them for posterity (read:grudge holding) before removing the post. About five weeks after the post, the next series of DC x Sonic comics was announced with promo images of the exact characters I leaked. Flash forward six months and I have the first few figures in hand. It's a smug sense of satisfaction that I'm loving. Let's check out Blaze below!

DC x Sonic - STARFIRE!

DC x Sonic - 5" & 2.5" Hero Multipack - Starfire and Blaze - Jakks Pacific 2026

I love how modern interpretations of Starfire have been so covered up. I know her original barely-there costume is iconic and classic, but I always found it so cringey - especially in a team of teenagers. Ironically, the first time I truly started to love this character was in the New52's Red Hood and the Outlaws when her outfit was even tinier and her actions were portrayed as much more cold and sexual than she had ever been before. Something about the art and older appearance of Koriand'r made her super appealing to me. But since then, DC has really course-corrected and she's mostly been costumed in an almost prudish way. But honestly I love it. This DC x Sonic design is new to me, but I realize it's her primary costume in the most recent (2023-present) Titans series. She still has the iconic orange skin, firey hair, purple outfit, and bright green alien eyes, but the pulled-back hair and more utilitarian uniform really makes this design stand out. It's crazy that Jakks was the first to give us a figure. Let's check out Starfire below!

DC x Sonic - ROUGE as CATWOMAN!

DC x Sonic - 5" Series - Rouge the Bat as Catwoman - Jakks Pacific 2026

Something about this Rouge the Bat as Catwoman design just looks right. Having an anthropomorphic bat character be pink and white with a heart motif never seemed weird to me before, but now seeing her clad in black/gray with goggles suddenly makes for a very nocturnal and aeronautical design. If you didn't know this was a Catwoman crossover (and you ignored the little cat icon on her belt), you might think this was just Rouge in a cool new stealth suit. I think this figure is a must-have for Sonic fans, even if you aren't into the DC x Sonic crossover. The leaked lists of Sonic products from last fall didn't include any of the 5" Sonic characters from this line (only the 2.5" figures in both blind bag assortments and the DC hero 2-packs), so when this 5" Rouge as Catwoman started hitting Gamestop two weeks ago, it was a total surprise. Not necessarily an unexpected figure, but it was pretty amazing there weren't any leaked factory pics or inventory lists. Let's check out Rouge as Catwoman below!

DC Comics - HAWKGIRL!

DC Multiverse Collector's Edition - Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) - McFarlane 2025

When the Superman (2025) movie hit the theatres last year, it really rekindled an old obsession I had with Hawkgirl. Nearly 20 years ago I was quite in love with this character and had quite a large collection of figures. I was drawn to her palette of primary colors and animal-themed characters always grab my attention. But something about the toys themselves put me off. They were always difficult to display - taking up much more space than the average action figure, and often toppling over due to the weight of her wings (taking down a whole shelf of toys along with them). I eventually made the sad decision to sell them all. But I always regretted it. Her role in the cinematic Superman movie brought on a new surge of classic products, and with that refreshed supply of collectibles occupying my brain, I eventually went to eBay and picked up all those old figures I had parted with ages ago. I'm a more patient collector now so I'll figure out how to display them safely. Let's check out her newest figure from McFarlane below!

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger - ZENKAI MAGINE!

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger - Change Heroes Zenkai Magine - Bandai 2021

When I was lamenting over the lack of new Power Rangers seasons a few weeks ago (during my Armorsaur reviews), it made me wonder about the Super Sentai seasons that never make the jump to the US market after Hasbro slammed on the brakes back in 2020. And the funny thing is, when I started to to look at the six un-translated series since Dino Fury/Cosmic Fury, I realized I had purchased this toy years ago and promptly forgot about it. The 45th Super Sentai series from 2021-22 was Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. Without any western-hemisphere version to help me fully understand the series, I am admittedly a bit confused. But I know that the main team is made up of one human and four kikainoids - mechanical humanoid aliens. Magine is the Pink Ranger of the team and the token female kikainoid. This figure is depicting the powered-up Zenkai Magine who transforms into Magine Dragon. She has an amazing design and I'm so glad I picked her up years ago. Let's check out Magine below!

The Creature Cases - KIT & CUBBY!

The Creature Cases - Action Agents Adventure Crew - PMI Kids World 2026

I can't visit a toy store without checking out what's going on in the preschool aisles. I very rarely buy any of the toys, but I like seeing how the preschool toy industry is growing and adapting. A few months ago I noticed these Creature Cases figures from PMI based on the Netflix show featuring young anthropomorphic animal agents solving animal-related mysteries in an educational format. It's the kind of show I would have loved as a kid. However, what made the adult me purchase this set was the fact that one of the two main characters, Kit Casey, is a Kit Fox - and I'm obsessed with anthropomorphic foxes or any vulpine-themed characters. If fact, when I bought this, I had just won an eBay auction for one of my holy grail fox characters (arriving in the mail tomorrow hopefully and review coming soon). So I was on a bit of a fox kick when I saw this set again and Target and took the plunge. The addition of the female dog character, Cubby, was a bonus. Let's check out the Creature Cases below!

Transformers Cyberworld - AIRACHNID!

Transformers: Cyberworld - Armor-Up Cyber Changers - Airachnid - Hasbro 2026

Transformers: Cyberworld is a YouTube web-series that began in 2025 and currently has 36 five-minute episodes (with a Season 2 premiering sometime this year). I've personally only ever watched these episodes in preparation of posting a review for the toys, so I don't have a lot of context for this toyline. Both the toys and the show itself are heavily geared towards young kids. Not necessarily preschool (like Rescue Bots), but not quite the audience for the G1 cartoon or other recent (slightly more mature) iterations either. Despite it being a YouTube show with a very limited cast of characters, there have been at least 23 Hasbro action figures so far, including Elita-1 and now Airachnid.  Plus I recently noticed a collection of Cyberworld figural keyrings from Monogram. So this show is definitely getting  peculiar merchandising push. I hope the upcoming Season 2 introduces more female characters, because a this point they've made toys of everyone. Let's check out Cyberworld Airachnid below!

Armorsaurs - PRISCA!

Armorsaurs 5-Pack (Armor-Up Aquatech Pilots) - Prisca Silva - MGA 2026

I'm a little sad that this is last Armorsaurs figure I will be reviewing for the foreseeable future. This line hit the market fast last month and has significant shelf space in both Target and Walmart in the US. MGA was smart to fill the void left by the absence of modern Power Rangers shows. The last Power Rangers show was Cosmic Fury in 2023, and that show wasn't merchandized. Hasbro seemingly bought the franchise and then scuttled it. 2024 was the first year in 30 years without new Ranger content/product. And coincidentally, that final unmerchandised Cosmic Fury season featured a female Orange Ranger (Fern) that I was really looking forward to adding to my collection. So this Aquatech Prisca figure from Armorsaurs is especially satisfying since she looks like spiritual successor to the neglected Cosmic Fury Orange. I know there is supposedly some big Rangers reboot coming, but dare I say that the biological dinosaur element in Armorsaurs adds a dimension that is more exciting than Power Rangers.

Armorsaurs - PALOMA!

Armorsaurs 5-Pack (Armor-Up Aquatech Pilots) - Paloma Silva - MGA 2026

When 3.75" action figures have translucent parts, my mind instantly goes to MicroMan toys - specifically the resurgence of products in the early oughts. For the first time since the original prolific toyline began in the 1970s, there was an abundance of female characters. They all had translucent bodies and an abundance of metallic armors and weapons. I was rather obsessed with them and managed to collect nearly 20 ladies. But they were very expensive and tricky to display, so I made to sad decision to sell them all. Now twenty years later, these Aquatech variants of the main five Armorsaurs pilots take me right back to that early fascination with the small lollipop-colored toys. I know these toys have only been on the shelves for a few weeks, but I'm already very excited to see what the future of this line holds. I hope they keep a steady stream of new figure variants coming, and maybe even new characters is the show introduces them. I could easily get hooked. Let's check out the Aquatech Paloma below!

Yo Gabba Gabba - FOOFA!

Yo Gabba Gabbaland! - Articulated Figures - Foofa - Jazwares Toys 2026

I walked into FiveBelow last week and was overjoyed to find this small articulated Foofa figure. Believe it or not, I've wanted to add this character to my collection for almost two decades, but was unable to find a toy that wasn't plush or a simple PVC figurine. I love flower-themed characters, weird preschool properties, and I was obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba! in my early thirties. If you're unaware, this show was bizarrely cool. It was created by musicians... specifically alt rock indy/punk band members who wanted a better show for their kids. Kidrobot designed the character models and awesome bands regularly appeared doing original kid's songs in their unique styles. The characters even went to Coachella 15 years ago when it was still cool. My favorite band appearances/songs were The Faint, The Killers, and The Shins (Youtube them!). The show was just fun. Foofa is the token girl of the five main characters. She is a pink "flower bubble" and I always loved her design. Let's check her out below!

Armorsaurs - PALOMA!

Armorsaurs Series 1 (Armor-Up 3.75" Pilots) - Paloma Silva - MGA 2026

I've been aware of MGA Entertainment toys for many years. They've been a major player in the pink aisles for years. While I wasn't personally wowed by their flagship Bratz, I was thoroughly impressed by the design and production of several other projects like Novi Stars and LaLaLoopsy. A few months ago I learned of their newest foray into the action figure market, Armorsaurs, and was really excited. Their previous "boy" lines like Ninjombie, Alien Racers, and Shrek just didn't appeal to me. But this new sentai-like action dinosaur line was just my speed. The kismet thing is MGA started their toy journey in the 90's with the Power Rangers license (making a variety of branded handheld games) so this seems like a return to form. I love that the main lineup of Armorsaurs pilots have two female characters.. and they each ride a velociraptor (a decidedly aggressive choice that I greatly appreciate). The whole line is very tempting. Let's check out Paloma below!

Armorsaurs - PRISCA!

Armorsaurs Series 1 (Armor-Up 3.75" Pilots) - Prisca Silva - MGA 2026

In October 2025 a new live-action/CGI hybrid show premiered on Disney called Armorsaurs. I best describe it as a mash-up of Power Rangers and Dino-Riders. In this world, the ancient dinosaur extinction event is described as the dinosaurs all being "taken" by alien forces... only to be used in modern time invasion of Earth with advanced armor and tech (or maybe the invading dinos are completely robotic...it's hard to tell). There are five teen pilots recruited to pair with five earthborn (a'la Jurassic Park) dinosaur steeds. The pilots have a rare genetic anomaly that lets them telepathically connect with birds... and now dinosaurs. The show is based on South Korea's 2021 Armored Saurus. All the Armorsaurs action sequences are CGI and "human" unmasked scenes are live-action. I haven't proved it, but it appears that some/most of the CGI scenes are reused from the Korean show. It seems Korean toyline never produced pilot figures, so this new MGA line is very exciting. Let's check out Prisca below!

Batgirls - STEPHANIE BROWN BATGIRL!

DC Multiverse - DC Direct Digital - Stephanie Brown Batgirl - McFarlane 2025

Between 2021 and 2023 there was a 19-issue comic series called Batgirls featuring Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown patrolling Gotham with Barbara Gordon in their earpieces. Having all three Batgirls teamed up like this was a plot I had been dreaming of for years. The books themselves ended up being a little far from what I ideally wanted. The art was loose and cartoony (which is a weird trend for female-led titles) and the bad guys - at least in the first story arc - were techno-hacker-types (which I find rather boring in comparison to the vast Gotham rogues gallery of colorful costumed psychopaths). But one great thing about the title was the inspiration of the two titular characters in toy form. Bat-females are my greatest obsession and Stephanie Brown in particular is my favorite Bat character (in any costume and with any name). It had been seven years since her last (Mattel) action figure so I was very excited for this figure. I even bought extras to make some custom Stephs. Let's check out Batgirl below!

Super7 Reaction+ O-Ring - LADY JAYE!

G.I.Joe RAH ReAction+ O-Ring Wave 8 (USA 250th) - Lady Jaye - Super7 2026

I love the trend of holiday repaints in all the Hasbro toylines. The Christmas and Halloween Star Wars figures have been a fun annual gimmick to hunt down in various stores. The unfortunate thing for me is that they've rarely involved female characters. I was theorizing with some friends this winter that the 250th Anniversary of the United States this year would likely prompt some patriotic repaints. And by Toy Fair time in February, I was proven right. We learned of Hasbro G.I.Joe and Transformers Walmart Exclusives in Red, White, and Blue, and also a Walmart exclusive wave of Super7 Reaction+ G.I.Joe figures. I was thrilled with this announcement because the Super7 set featured a never-before-seen Lady Jaye sculpt. Of course, as of today's announcement we now have seen images of a traditionally-hued Lady Jaye coming in the next Reaction+ wave, which is very exciting because I desperately want an O-Ring hatless cartoon Lady Jaye. Let's check out the 250th Anniversary Lady Jaye below!

G.I.Joe Classified - CRIMSON BARONESS!

G.I.Joe Classified - Crimson Strike Team (SDCC Exc) - Baroness - Hasbro 2023

Right around 2002 was when I started collecting toys as an adult. I had just moved to a new city, had adult income for the first time ever, and was feeling super nostalgic about my youth. I started with a goal to get every female G.I.Joe ever. The only vintage one I still owned at the time was Baroness, and she was always my favorite character. The modern Valor vs Venom style G.I.Joes at the time were not very appealing to me, but it wasn't long until I realized that there was a steady flow of vintage-styled figures as convention exclusives and various collector packs. Later that year was a convention exclusive Crimson Strike Team set featuring red deco'd vintage re-releases of Baroness, Xamot, Tomax, and a dozen Vipers. I had never considered a Crimson Baroness before but I instantly loved it. Apparently everyone else did too, because every 3-4 years thereafter, we got another red Baroness. This Classified 6-7" scale version was part of the SDCC 2023 set with the Crimson Twins. Let's check her out below!

Labyrinth - SARAH (MASQUERADE)!

Labyrinth Action Figures Wave 2 - Sarah (Masquerade) - Plastic Meatball 2025

I've been a fan of Jim Henson's Labyrinth for as long as I can remember. Initially, it scared me (but I still liked it), then my high school art teacher's obsession with the artistry of the film was contagious (he played in constantly in class) and I became a superfan. There were two scenes that always bugged me: the Firey scene (because of rough green screen effects) and the Masquerade Ballroom scene (because it slowed the pace and seemed romantically inappropriate/creepy to me). But over time my criticisms have softened significantly. I even danced to As The World Falls Down by David Bowie at my wedding. So I really appreciate this figure now. I knew a line of Labyrinth toys would eventually have multiple releases of the same characters in their different iconic outfits. Unfortunately for Sarah, she only really has two costumes, so this is it. Jareth has at least two more good ones to anchor future waves (finger crossed!). We need more goblins, and Fireys, and a million others. Let's check out Sarah below!

G.I.Joe Classified - COBRA C.L.A.W. PILOT!

G.I.Joe Classified #152 - Cobra C.L.A.W. Pilot (Pulse Exc) - Hasbro 2025

A really fun thing about G.I.Joe in the 80's was the vehicles names, especially the Cobra vehicles with their reptile-themed acronyms. The bad guys embraced this trope early (the Joes didn't start for a few years, and they never really had a cohesive theme). But Cobra gave us gems like: F.A.N.G. (Fully Armed Negator Gyrocopter, H.I.S.S. (High Speed Sentry), S.N.A.K.E (System Neutralizer Armed Kloaking Equipment), A.S.P. (Assault System Pod, and C.L.A.W. (Covert Light Aerial Weapon). Once again, Hasbro's G.I.Joe Classified team has found a way to get us another female soldier. There was never an original C.L.A.W. pilot, so I don't believe the design of this figure has any vintage references. I really like the red Officer's Helmet. It's visually very bold but fits in the with the Cobra soldier aesthetic nicely. I find myself pondering what troop builder should be next. The obvious answer is a generic green shirt female, but an Iron Grenadier or Python Patrol would be fun too. I can't wait to see what's next.

G.I.Joe Classified - COBRA VALKYRIES!

G.I.Joe Classified Series #68 - Cobra Valkyrie Officer & Trooper - Hasbro 2023

I normally pay no attention to troop builders or generic trooper characters in my favorite media properties. There are two strong exceptions though: Hellfire Club soldiers in the X-Men comics and Cobra Troopers from the G.I.Joe cartoon. Those blue-clad, laser-firing idiots were in every episode and I loved them. Something about their black face masks and flared helmets made them the perfect bad guy fodder. Plus I have always been obsessed with the Cobra insignia which is emblazoned so boldly on their chests. There were occasionally female troopers in the cartoon, but they didn't get the action figures treatment until 2007. I was so excited to get these, but I was a little bummer that they were in stylized black costumes (we eventually got blue ones in 2017, but I was never able to get them). When I realized the Classified line was here to stay, I couldn't wait for a female Cobra Trooper. I purchased them right away but didn't open them for three years. Let's check them out below!