Gremlins Mogwai ZOE!

Gremlins 2: The New Batch - Mogwai Series 5 - Zoe - NECA 2015

Gremlins 2: The New Batch was a far cry from its predecessor. I recently watched them both and I was surprised how creepy and dark the original Gremlins movie was. But in sharp contrast, the sequel was over-the-top and farcical from beginning to end. Suddenly that Key & Peele sketch is infinitely more funny. The movie is full of plot holes and gimmicks, and from a collector's perspective it looks like a merchandiser's dream. I personally love cute-but-formidable creatures in film, and Mogwai are a fantastic representation of that. The NECA Mogwai line has been a joy to collect. I'm only missing two (Lenny and George) and I'm ecstatic that NECA will be re-releasing them shortly (along with the new Mogwai from the Mountain Dew commerical). My excitement made me want to post this Zoe figure from 2015. The name leads me to believe this is a second female Mogwai (after Penny), but I can only speculate since these characters were unused concepts that didn't appear on screen. Let's check out Zoe below!

Disney Heroes - MALEFICENT DRAGON!

Disney Heroes - 9" Maleficent Dragon (w/ Sound) - Disney Store Exclusive 2005

Back in 2005, I was very excited about this new Disney Heroes line of highly-articulated action figures. Previous the Disney Heroes brand had been small Kenner-esque figures featuring the casts of Peter Pan, Robin Hood, and Sword in the Stone (possible Euro-only releases). Then I saw the announcement for a wave of these large, stylized, highly-articulated figures of Peter Pan and Prince Phillip (with a note saying Captain Hook, Hercules, and Maleficent were also coming - to US Disney Stores). I was very excited. I had always wanted a Maleficent action figure. As one of the most visually striking Disney characters, I was surprised we only had PVC figurines and dolls. But when I finally saw an image of the toy I was crestfallen to see it was her dragon form. While it looked great, I was hoping for the mistress herself. But then years later I got the DST figure and immediately wanted to pair her with this dragon. It took a few years to finally hunt her down and display them together. Let's check out Maleficent below!

Gremlins - GRETA!

Reel Toys: Gremlins 2 The New Batch - Ultimate Greta - NECA Toys 2021

I just watched Gremlins 2: The New Batch for the second time ever (it's streaming on HBO). I saw it originally in the early 90s but I remember not liking it as much as the first one. But watching it now I can see it's a wholly different concept. Where the first movie was mysterious and a bit scary, the sequel was pure camp. I was just a little too young to pick up on the cues that it was one long running gag... like Christopher Lee as Dr. Catheter? Completely over my head. One thing that really stuck in my memory though was the green-haired female Gremlin, now known as Greta... no real details about her other than the visual though. When I watched the movie again this weekend I was excited to see which Mogwai she evolved from. But alas, the mythology was changed so that Gremlins could be spawned from wet Gremlins, skipping the Mogwai step altogether. Also, Greta is a male/genderless Gremlin who drinks a gender hormone and essentially becomes a sexual predator. Oh 1990s you are endlessly problematic.

The Shape of Water - AMPHIBIAN MAN!

Guillermo del Toro Collection - The Shape of Water - Amphibian Man - NECA 2019

Your eyes aren't deceiving you. I'm breaking a big rule by posting a review of an ostensibly male character here on this blog. But to my credit, amphibians can have very ambiguous genders, and I honestly don't have any other outlet to post these pictures (I've pretty much withdrawn from the forum and message board scene). The Shape of Water was easily my favorite film of 2017. It combined all my favorite genres: forbidden romance, historical noir, science fiction, cryptozoology, archaeology, and of course a gill-monster. Apparently Guillermo del Toro watched Creature From the Black Lagoon as a child and had the same reaction I did: why doesn't the monster ever get the girl? I saw the Creature as a misunderstood romantic, and this new film tells the story I always wanted. The Guillermo del Toro collection from NECA is a line with a lot of potential. As far as I'm aware, there aren't any more figures on the horizon, but my fingers are crossed for Mimic and Crimson Peak. Let's check out the Amphibian Man below!

Disney Junior's VAMPIRINA!

A Collection of  Disney Junior Vampirina Action Figures - Just Play Toys 2017-18

Vampirina is a Disney Jr cartoon about a young vampire, her vampire family, and all of her friends (human and monster alike) as they run the Scare Bed & Breakfast in Pennsylvania. I always love it when child and adult genres are mixed like this. When I was a kid most monster stuff was too mature for me, so when I see new properties like Vampirina I am hit with a mix of nostalgia and jealousy for all the cool options that kids today have. I've been eyeing the Vampirina toys since they first hit the shelves back in October of 2017. However, I never planned on buying any until I found the new Scream Girls box set featuring the titular character and her three awesome bandmates. Suddenly I had to have them all. Now I'm looking forward to scanning the Disney aisle for future characters. There is a gill-girl and ghost character in a picture below that I would love to see. Although they are unnamed extras from a music video, so that's pretty unlikely. Let's check out all the cool Halloweenie girls below!

POP Universal Monsters BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!

POP! Movies #113 - Universal Monsters - Hot Topic Exc GITD - Funko 2014

The Bride of Frankenstein is easily the most iconic female monster of all time. She isn't exactly scary like her male counterparts, but she is definitely a very original looking character. That said, there are surprisingly few action figures made of her. In fact, if you discount dolls and bendies, there wasn't a true action figure of her released until 1998 (that's 67 years after her silver screen debut). Early Universal Monsters lines left her out in favor of characters like the Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame (both of which seem lesser on the cult-favorite scale than the Monster's Bride). I always struggle with what to call her, technically she should be "Frankenstein's Monster's Bride" but that just sounds silly. From what I remember of the film, I think they just refer to her as the Bride. I tend to get tied up in semantics. Funko released two version of this POP! figure in 2014: the standard release and this Hot Topic exclusive version which has a glow-in-the-dark face. Let's check out this beauty below!

Target Exclusive MONSTER HIGH Figurines!

Monster High -  Scary Cute Howl-oween Figures - Target - Just Play Toys 2014

I don't know anything about Monster High.  I don't collect dolls (contrary to what my father thinks) and I've never seen the cartoons.  Despite that though, it's hard not be at least peripherally aware of this uber-popular brand.  The impact these characters have had on the toy world is undeniable.  I personally love how they took a girly medium (fashion dolls) and made it edgy and cool.  The fact that Toys R Us has an entire girl's aisle that isn't pink is startling.  Plus they regularly have convention exclusives aimed at adults (which greatly increases their street cred in my opinion).  I've always wanted some representation of this brand in my collection, but I just couldn't get past the "doll-ness" of them.  Then luckily these Target exclusive Halloween figures came around.  They aren't too large; They aren't too expensive; And the series seems finite.  Basically they are the perfect resolution to my Monster High vacancy.  Now I'm secretly hoping they make some more characters.  Let's check out these 5 ladies below!

Gremlins Mogwai PENNY!

Gremlins: Mogwai Series 4 - Penny - NECA 2014
 
Sorry for the lack of posts lately!  I just moved and my priorities are completely shuffled around.  All my toys are packed (but itching to be put out on brand new shelves) and I don't even have internet yet.  I was uncertain when I would be able to post again but it's always on my mind.  It's amazing how much I've missed reviewing toys the past few weeks.  Luckily I developed a new obsession which inspired me to spend an evening in my old apartment (where I still have keys - and internet) and write this quick review.  Gremlins was a smash hit in 1984.  I was both in love with and terrified of this movie.  Most all all I remember desperately wanting a pet Mogwai like Gizmo (I think it goes hand-in-hand with my Ewok obsession).  Then Gremlins 2 came out in 1990 and I just loved it.  I was older so the Gremlins didn't bother me in the least, plus I realized the movies were a great mix of silly and scary.  NECA has been producing an amazing line of Gremlins toys for the past few years.  Penny is the first girl and my first purchase from the line, but definitely not my last. (I ordered three more already)  Let's check her out below!

Godzilla Force's MARGARET O'BRIEN!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters - G-Force - by Trendmasters 1994

We've been a little spoiled in the past ten to fifteen years by very well-made, well-proportioned, beautiful female action figures.  That definitely wasn't always the case.   A lot of early plastic ladies had the unfortunate origins of being a male buck with add-on breasts.  I don't have any proof that this kind of corner-cutting actually happened, but I do know I have a lot of figures from the 90's that certainly look the part.  This figure of Margaret O'Brien is a prime example.  Godzilla Force is a team of monster-fighting experts whose sole purpose is to protect the human population from the wrath of Godzilla and other Kaiju.  I have seen versions of this team in movies and comics, but I think this specific roster was created by Trendmasters for this toy line.  I think this is also the first time that I've seen a Godzilla-fighting team not wearing matching outfits.  This group ends up looking a bit like the Power Rangers when all lined up.  Check her out in detail below!