Masters of the Universe - SHADOW WEAVER!

MOTU Origins - Cartoon Collection - Shadow Weaver - Mattel 2025

As 2025 winds down, I won't lie that I have a little disappointment over the She-Ra 40th Anniversary year output. We've had some great releases, and there is still a heavily rumored Glimmer on the way. But I had high hopes for some deep cuts. I wanted Octavia, Peek-a-Blue, Castaspella, and a million others. Perhaps there is a whole lineup of additional POP characters stuck in tariff limbo, but for now I'm trying to be grateful for the one we already have. Shadow Weaver is easily the most iconic villain from the original She-Ra cartoon. She was in 52 episodes and her simple sinister design was hard to forget. I always knew she was a shoe-in for the Cartoon Collection line, but I'm a bit surprised that her head looks the least like her Filmation design than almost all of her previous figures. The shape of the face hole, the overly-pronounced nose sculpt, and the overall hood silhouette just looks off. But the draping cloak and sleeves look incredible. Overall I'm pretty happy with her. Let's check out Shadow Weaver 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.

TMNT Cartoon - MONA LISA!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Dirk Savage & Mona Lisa - NECA 2023

One of the main reasons I never fully bought into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was due to the lack of costumed (read:mutated) female characters. The main female (in my opinion) was Mona Lisa, a mutated human physicist (mutated into a salamander) who appeared in a single episode of season 4 ("Raphael Meets His Match"). The setting of the episode is a costume party where the Turtles think Mona Lisa is a human in costume. By the end of the episode they all reveal their true identities and a romantic tension with Raphael is formed. An action figure was made of her a few years later in 1993 (which incorrectly labels her as a lizard). This original toy was my first exposure to the character and I never saw her episode until recently. Different versions of Mona Lisa have appeared in the turtles franchise since those early days, but this figure is only her second piece of merchandise made. I'm excited to see what other TMNT ladies NECA might highlight in the future. Let's check out Mona Lisa below!

Star Trek: Discovery - MICHAEL BURNHAM!

Star Trek Universe - Science Officer Michael Burnham - Playmates 2022

I started watching Star Trek: Discovery when it first came out in 2017. I loved it, but I had to drop it because I couldn't pay attention to the subtitles. The first story arc was dealing with a large inter-Klingon power struggle (all subtitled) and I needed to multitask while watching and was losing the story. But during the pandemic I started watching again and gave it my whole attention. It's a great series from beginning to end. That standout star is definitely Michael Burnham played by Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha from The Walking Dead). The character goes through a tremendous story arc from criminal to science officer, to captain (and many other iterations along the way). And Sonequa's performance is engaging the whole time. There has been a decent amount of product for this character already: a Funko Pop, Mini-Bust, Mego-style figure, even a Hallmark ornament. But I have been waiting for a traditional action figure for a long time. Let's check her out in detail below!

Marvel Legends - MOIRA MACTAGGERT!

Marvel Legends - X-Men Tri-Sentinel BaF - Moira MacTaggert - Hasbro 2021

2019's House of X #2 is the singlemost comic in recent history to truly surprise and excite me. I will try my best not to make any spoilers because I highly suggest reading the House of X mini-series. This issue took some well-established characters, relationships, and history, and told the story from a completely different perspective. And the result (for me at least) was mind-blowing. I walked away being absolutely obsessed with Dr. Moira MacTaggert. When I was a young comic reader obsessed with The New Mutants, Moira was a maternal fixture to the team early on (and adoptive mother to Wolfsbane). I had always been aware of her, and liked her character. But I can admit I found her a little boring and inconsequential. And I certainly was never clamoring for a Moira action figure. But House of X #2 changed all that. How could I have overlooked her all these years? And why isn't she represented in my collection?! Luckily Hasbro read my mind and we rather quickly got a terrific Marvel Legends figure of her.

Marvel Legends - GWEN STACY!

Marvel Legends - Spider-Man Vintage Wave - Gwen Stacy - Hasbro 2020

Gwen Stacy has had the best resurrection in the last few years. Literally. As one of original characters to get fridged (look up Women in Refrigerators if you're unaware), Gwen had to be brought back from literary death to appear in modern comics. And this time she wasn't being wasted. Granted, she was brought back in an alternate reality where she was the one bitten by the radioactive spider to become the fan favorite Spider-Gwen. Then she inspired a month of Gwen-Stacy-themed variant covers in the Summer of 2015 which spawned another fan-favorite-alternate-reality character, Gwenpool. I love both of these character, so by default, I now love the classic 1960-70's Gwen. This figure was a long time coming and she is practically perfect. The added bonus of a classic Mary Jane head is just icing on the cake. The Marvel Legends Vintage series is one of my favorite sub-lines. I really dig a good retro vibe with my toys so these are a natural draw for me. Let's check out Gwen Stacy (and Mary Jane!) below!

Pan's Labyrinth - OFELIA!

Guillermo del Toro Signature Collection - Pan's Labyrinth Ofelia - NECA 2019

I love the fact the NECA toys is making a line of action figures based on the films of Guillermo del Toro. I'm a big fan of his movies. Similar to Harryhausen and (early) Tim Burton movies, there is a wonderful sense of imagination and creativity in all his work... with an overarching aesthetic of creepiness. The only unfortunate thing for this blog is that there are very few female characters to expect. All of the super iconic characters, like Pan, Pale Man, and Amphibian Man (from Shape of Water) are decidedly male. So I was was surprised to see this figure of Ofelia as one of the first characters released. It's been more than 10 years since I've watched Pan's Labyrinth so the details of the movie are a bit fuzzy to me, but once I saw all the cool pack-in accessories in this set it all came flooding back. I had seen both this movie and Devil's Backbone within a few months of each other so my memories are a bit blended, but this toy is definitely making me excited to watch them both again. Let's check out Ofelia below!

History in Action - BESSIE COLEMAN!

History in Action - Action Figures Series 01 - Bessie Coleman - HIA Toys 2007

When I started this blog seven years ago, I was thrilled with the idea of regular groupings of reviews based on a common theme. My first post was in late January so the natural first theme was Black History Month for February. I was really on top of things that first year - coming up with themes left and right, but soon I realized how stressful it was to put reviews on hold just so I could lump a few together. I made up for it by adding appropriate hashtags where applicable; "redhead", "felinoid", "fembots", etc, so those themed lists could be assembled at any point by clicking links on the hashtag list at the bottom of the page. By the way, I've continued to use the "BHM" (Black History Month) hashtag ever since, regardless of the actual month it's posted. This is all a long-winded way to say how excited I am that I just got my hands on the perfect figure for a February review - and I'm feeling very excited and nostalgic. HIA Toys ("History In Action") made this great series of historic action figures over a decade ago.

Scribblenauts: Unmasked - CATWOMAN!

Scribblenauts: Unmasked - A DC Comics Adv - Series 04 - DC Collectibles 2014

Scribblenauts seem to be everywhere these days.  The successful puzzle adventure game had its start back in 2009 and has only gained in popularity since.  I don't even play videogames, but I am still inundated with print ads, digital ads, and merchandise from this property all the time.  A big part of that is probably due to the fact that the franchise is published by Warner Bros and I am a DC Comics loyalist (i.e.  The websites I frequent and comics I read are obvious hotspots for Scribblenauts ads).  The fifth game in the series is 2013's Scribblenauts: Unmasked, A DC Comics Adventure.  This game features tons of DC characters drawn in Scribblenauts style (a design developed by 5th Cell's Edison Yan).  It wasn't long until the merchandising began.  The main toy output from this game are these mini 2.5" tall blind box figures from DC Collectibles.  I was honestly indifferent about getting this Catwoman figure at first.  But then the future waves were revealed with a Harley and Ivy - and having that feisty trio represented in this quirky style was too tempting to pass up.  Let's check out the first of the sirens below!

The Bibleman Adventures - BIBLEGIRL!

The Bibleman Adventures Action Figures - Tommy Nelson 2001

I discovered this little gem last Christmas when I was hunting down holiday-themed figures for a review that I never got around to (there's a surprising amount of Mary action figures out there).  The Bibleman Adventures is an evangelical superhero video series that ran from 1995-2010.  There was a slew of sidekicks and antagonists created over the course of the series and the property eventually branched out into live-action performances, books, video games, and of course toys.  I don't know a lot about the series, but I gather that Biblegirl was a young actress who received a calling to become a superhero alongside Bibleman.  All the heroes sport yellow armor pieces which have (somewhat silly) names like the "Breastplate of Righteousness" and the "Helmet of Salvation."  I'm assuming this campiness is a nod to Batman.  The series apparently borrows themes from many pop culture properties like Batman, TMNT, and Power Rangers (according to Wikipedia).  Let's check out Biblegirl in detail below!

GamePro Presents: MISS SPELL!

The Witchiest Gamer Ever: Miss Spell - JoyRide Studios 2002

Happy Halloween!  I have been saving this figure for a long time.  I ran out of time last year and didn't get to review her in time for Halloween.  GamePro was a video game magazine published from 1989-2011.  Like Wizard, ToyFare, and all the many great hobby magazines, it died in the face of the internet.  Apparently (I'm not a gamer!) the magazine had an assortment of original characters that would act as video game reviewers.  These characters were originally created as nicknames for the various editors, but eventually they took on their own personalities and eventually new reviewers would be writing under the pseudonyms.  In 2002, JoyRide Studios released a very cool (but random) set of action figures based on these characters as well as some actual video game characters.  This figure of Miss Spell is really well made.  JoyRide was folded into its parent company in 2007, but before that they had produced great figures of Halo, James Bond & Battlestar Galactica among others.  Let's check out Miss Spell!

English Novelist JANE AUSTEN!

Real World Action Figures - Jane Austen - Accoutrements 2002

I've always had a soft spot for Accoutrements and all their wacky novelty action figures.  I believe the first one I ever saw was Edgar Allen Poe.  Then Jesus.  Then Casanova.  Then who knows.  There are a ton.  It wasn't until recently that I decided to start hunting down a select few.  Luckily most of them are readily available on eBay without breaking the bank.  The first I will review is the famed English novelist, Jane Austen.  While I can honestly say I've never read any of her books, I have seen plenty of film adaptations of her work.  Plus she has twice been the subject of the amazing trend of novel mash-ups with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  There's nothing like a pop-culture gimmick to expose people to the classics.  I know this action figure is meant to be absurd, but it's honestly pretty cool.  It's well made, accurate, and quirky.  What's not to like?   Let's check her out below.

Women of Halloween Part 15 - MARILYN MUNSTER!

The Grotesque Black Sheep of the Munster Family by Diamond Select Toys 2012

Marilyn is such a classic comic element of The Munsters.  For those who haven't seen the show, Marilyn is the adopted niece of Lily Munster who comes to live with her monsterous family.  She is, in fact, beautiful and charming, but her suitors always run away, leading her to believe she is abnormal and ugly.  The constant gag being that her quirkily eerie family are always the culprits in chasing the young men away.  I wouldn't be suprized if this plot element was inspired by the classic Twilight Zone Eye of the Beholder episode from 1960.  Marilyn is the least vampy lady in my Halloween lineup, but she's new (just released last week!) and The Munsters are undeniably halloweenie.  I'm very impressed with this figure.  I felt that the prototypes made her look so much older than she is meant to be (I thought she actually looked like the lovely Cheryl Hines to be honest).  But in person she has that bubbly 20-something look I was hoping for.

Masters of the Universe Classics SHADOW WEAVER!

Mattel's 2012 Club Eternia Exclusive Figure - The Evil Horde's Shadow Weaver
 It was a very tricky thing on Mattel's part to to make such an important character in the She-Ra/Princess of Power Universe such a hard-to-get figure.  For those unaware, the only way to get Shadow Weaver was to join their Club Eternia subscription program wherein you essentially agree to buy any and all MOTUC products that Mattel will produce that year, sight unseen.  The perks are that you're guaranteed to get every toy released and you get this awesome exclusive figure.  The cons are that you're spending a LOT of money on products that haven't even been announced yet.  This is my first year subscribing so I'm still testing the waters.  Previous years have had interesting (but non-essential) characters as the Club Eternia Exclusive.  Shadow Weaver is anything but non-essential though.  She appears in almost every episode of She-Ra and was always a fan favorite and a constantly formidable foe to the Great Rebellion.