Toy Talk
Volume XLIII
By Mark Patraw
Posted on 6/2/14
I have a very poor perception of the passage of time, so, because I posted last week's Toy Talk installment three days early, due to the Memorial Day weekend holiday, it feels like several weeks have passed since then to me, instead of just ten days (I kept getting the sensation that I had fallen behind, rather than gotten ahead, if that makes any sense).
Anyway, in this chapter of Toy Talk, starting on the far left, and moving right, we have: two 2013 McDonald's Build-a-Bear Workshop plush toys, Sweet Gingerbread Girl and Colorful Gumdrop Bear [Sweet Gingerbread Girl (twenty-five cents on 5/29/14); Colorful Gumdrop Bear (twenty-five cents "girls" grab bag on 12/19/13)]; above those two stuffed characters, up on the castle's balcony, is a 1999 Hasbro Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Pod Racer Anakin Skywalker action figure (twenty-five cents on 5/28/14); the structure itself is a 1995 Galoob My Pretty Dollhouse Wishing Well Castle playset (one dollar on 5/29/14); back down on the ground is a 2000 Hasbro/McDonald's Transformers: Beast Machines Optimus Primal action figure (twenty-five cents "boys" grab bag on 5/10/14); and, finally, on the far right, is a 1988 Mirage Studios/Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splinter action figure (fifty cents on 5/8/14); If anyone reading this knows more information about any of these items, that I haven't already discussed below, and would like to share, or just chat about toys, feel free to e-mail me and let me know!
I'm developing cavities in my teeth just looking at this duo!
Here are a couple of the Build-a-Bear Workshop stuffed figures from the 2013 McDonald's Happy Meal assortment. On the left we have Colorful Gumdrop Bear, and, on the right, is Sweet Gingerbread Girl. In addition to these two, the Christmas/winter themed assortment also included Cozy Cute Teddy, Merry Mint Pup, Snowy Smiles Polar Bear, Pink Flurry Bunny, Winter Wonder Teddy, and Twinkles Penguin. Four bears is a bit much for one wave, but, as that's what the company is best known for, I suppose they felt obligated to go heavy on them.
As her name implies, Colorful Gumdrop Bear's pink fabric pattern is adorned with a repeating gumdrop pattern (lighter pink, mint green, and sky blue). This pastel color scheme is pleasing to the eyes, and, if you don't happen to like gumdrops (I find them tasty, but I don't enjoy it when they get stuck in my teeth), you can pretend that the shapes are confetti instead. I'm not too enthused about her metallic blue nose, as that doesn't match the matte look of the rest of the figure (and it reflects the flash from my camera), but that's a minor quibble. In her normal sitting position, Colorful Gumdrop Bear is 3.7" (9.3 cm) tall.
In my experience (and I have a pile of them) McDonald's plush figures are always well made, with quality fabric/stitching, and these two are no exception. The seams are all nice and even, there aren't any loose threads or holes, and everything is properly aligned--you can't ask for more than that.
After I acquired Colorful Gumdrop Bear, I did an online search to find out what the other plush figures in the assortment looked like--well, it was love the moment I first laid eyes on Sweet Gingerbread Girl, and I knew right then-and-there that I had to have one. Aside from just adoring her cute design, gingerbread men are fairly uncommon when it comes to stuffed toys, and female ones even less so. The thrift store had a Sweet Gingerbread Girl in stock a while ago, but she was missing her tush tag, so I didn't buy that one (I've mentioned in the past that I don't like tags on plush toys, or even my own clothes for that matter, but, I also can't stand it when people cut them off--so, yeah, in other words, I'm impossible to please). I knew that they'd eventually get another one, in better condition, and, as you can see, my patience bore fruit.
I think she looks absolutely brilliant. The light brown fabric is the perfect shade to suggest the cookie she's figuratively made from, the candy cane striped bow is a delightful accessory, and her simple, embroidered features are warm and inviting. If I could make two small additions, I'd put one more heart on her torso and give the ends of her arms the same red-and-white striped motif as the bottoms of her feet, but, I love her just the way she is too. In profile, Sweet Gingerbread Girl's body is fairly flat, although, as the actual cookies (which are yummy) are thin, one could argue that is an appropriate look. Still, I still think that the head could have used a bit more stuffing to make it thicker. She's a little bigger than Colorful Gumdrop Bear, clocking in at 4.1" (10.3 cm) in height.
I'm currently debating whether or not I should try to collect a full set of these (the thrift store has quite a few of them, both from this assortment, and previous Build-a-Bear Workshop Happy Meal promotions, in their twenty-five cents small plush toys bin). Sweet Gingerbread Girl is by far the best one in my opinion, but some of the others also appeal to me, and, as they're small and inexpensive, the complete octet wouldn't take up too much space or cost a lot.
Mos Espa's Boonta Eve race is about to begin; is this squirt really our pilot?
Here we have the 1999 Hasbro Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Pod Racer Anakin Skywalker action figure that would have originally come boxed with said vehicle. I don't have his racing vessel, or you'd see photos of that too, so, I'll just be looking at the small fry himself.
Li'l Anakin's sculpt is very good, particularly the highly-detailed helmet and leg wraps. To some extent, especially his arms, he's "pre-posed" for riding the pod racer, which is unfortunate, because he tends to look a bit awkward in normal standing poses. While it may seem obvious, I'd also like to give Hasbro kudos for making him just about the right size, in relation to adult Star Wars figures, as consistent internal scale, across multiple waves/assortments of toys, is something that manufacturers sometimes struggle with.
Anakin's mobility is relatively limited. He's got rotating cut joints at the neck (which is very restricted thanks to the leather wrap around it), shoulders, waist, and hips. The "skirt" is made from rubbery material, and has high-cut slits at the sides, so it flexes to accommodate the movement of Skywalker's legs, which is good, as that allows him to sit with no problems. Now, because he's a child, and thus, smaller than your average Star Wars figure, I can understand that Anakin would have fewer joints, but, even so, the lack of elbow and knee mobility really hampers what you can do with him. At the top of his helmet, he stands 2.9" (7.4 cm) tall.
Young Skywalker's paintwork is impressive. His tan shirt has
a darker brown airbrushed onto it, implying sand and grime, his leg wraps and shoes have a wash to bring out all the details, and all the little panels and other doo-dads on the helmet are picked out with a variety of colors. The overall effect is very realistic. Anakin is definitely one of the better painted toys to cross my desk in a long time.
Something tells me that you're going to turn out rotten when you grow up, kid!
With the exception of Darth Maul, I'm not too crazy about Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (I belong to the camp that feels George Lucas probably should have just left well enough alone and stopped with the original Star Wars trilogy). That said, other than the limited articulation and somewhat pre-posed sculpt, this is an excellent rendition of Anakin from the pod racing segment of said film.
Dracula's tastes in decorating have certainly changed since the last time I played Castlevania.
This is a 1995 Galoob My Pretty Dollhouse Wishing Well Castle playset. In addition to this one, there were two other medieval structures to collect, Pink Swan Castle and Rainbow Castle. As far as I can tell, Wishing Well Castle didn't actually come with a wishing well in any shape or form, so, I'm at a complete loss as to how Galoob came up with that title.
The interior of the castle is almost completely smooth and devoid of molded detail (stickers got that job), but the exterior of the building has all sorts of embellishments. Bricks/stone, tiles/shingles, a pair of torches, vines/flowers, and other ornamentations are all there for your viewing pleasure. While there are some painted areas (most notably the flora), the majority of the castle's color comes from the different plastic hues that it was molded from. If not for the crenellated balcony and pointy tower, this structure could easily pass for a "normal" house (and who knows, maybe it began life as exactly that and was later modified by Galoob's designers/artists to become a castle). The main building has four floors; based on the decals, the bottom-most one appears to a be a combination kitchen and living room or den, the second floor a children's room or nursery, the third could be anything (there's only a carpet with unicorns), and the fourth is probably the attic, given its location and size. The tower also has a quartet of rooms, all of them quite tiny. Curiously, the structure lacks stairs, ladders, or an elevator, so, it's a mystery as to how people actually move from floor-to-floor (magic?) in this building.
The first and second stories of the castle also feature gray floors that slide out, which extend their respective play areas, allowing you to fit more figures and furniture into those spaces. Both sets of doors work, if a bit stiffly, but they only open inwards, not outwards. Besides those things, the structure doesn't have any other moving parts. The castle stands 10.8" (27.5 cm) tall, measures 6.5" (16.4 cm) wide, and, with the floors extended, is 4.5" (11.5 cm) deep.
Mine is empty, but, as you've probably already guessed, this item originally came with several figures and an assortment of furniture. Miniature king, queen, and knight dolls were packaged with every Wishing Well Castle, and, adding more fun to the mix, there were also two "mystery" surprise boxes that contained random bonus figures: princes, princesses, or pet dragons/unicorns (hopefully at least one of each)! As far as furnishings go, the photos on the original box appear to show thrones for both the king and queen, a fireplace, an oven, a kitchen sink, a dining room table, and a chair on the first floor; a bath tub, a canopied bed, a vanity/dresser, a toilet, a bathroom sink, and a miniature castle dollhouse on the second floor; and a rocking horse, treasure chest, and playhouse fort on the third floor. That's a pretty impressive load of stuff! Doubtlessly, the small scale of this item made it much more cost-effective for Galoob to include so many accessories and figures.
Wishing Well Castle passes the durability test in my book. Why's that? Because, while I was inspecting it in the store, I had butter fingers and dropped it, onto the hard floor, where it broke apart into several pieces on impact, but the toy didn't suffer any permanent damage (everything just snapped back together again). The building has a few scuffs and bits of paint rubbed off here-and-there, but, overall, it's in very good shape. The flag, at the top of the tower, is a little wilted/bent, but I'd guess that's just a result of the combination of the softer plastic used to mold it, time, and its own weight.
Here's a bunch of the mini figures that I've sculpted over the years hanging out in, and around, the castle.
Instead of that huge Fisher Price Loving Family "Classic" Doll House I bought recently (see Toy Talk Vol. XL), this smaller play environment is really the kind of thing that I should have gone for instead, as it's a lot easier to store/display. Other than the lack of figures and furniture to go with it, I'm pleased with this piece.
TRUKK NOT MUNKY!
Here we have a 2000 Hasbro/McDonald's Transformers: Beast Machines Optimus Primal action figure. In addition to the robotic ape, the assortment also included Cheetor, Megatron, Jetstorm, Rattrap, Blackarachnia, Thrust, Nightscream, and Tankor.
Beast Wars/Machines was a mid-90s reboot of the popular Transformers license and, in predictable marketing fashion, an all-new, computer-animated television show debuted alongside the release of the toys. Optimus Primal (whose name is an obvious play on Optimus Prime's) is the leader of the heroic Maximals (the Beast Wars version of the Autobots). I remember catching a few episodes of the TV program, back in the day, but, I didn't much care for it, and I only own one "real" Beast Wars toy, the Maximal Depth Charge (see photo below).
Due to the primitive setting of Beast Wars, Optimus changes into a silver-backed gorilla, not a semi truck, and this fast food toy follows suit (although, granted, an ape and a humanoid are pretty similar in anatomy to begin with, so, it's not like there's a huge difference between the two). While the actual transformation process is very simplistic (swap the heads and pose him hunched or erect), I'm still impressed that this toy actually changes from one mode to another, because, in recent years, most of the McDonald's and Burger King Transformers tie-ins don't shapeshift. In robot form, Optimus clocks in at 3.5" (9.0 cm) in height, but loses some of that stature in ape form, which is about 2.6" (6.5 cm) tall.
The Maximal Commander's ape disguise wouldn't fool anybody, given the color scheme and partly robotic design, but, he's still neat-looking. The toy's sculpt sports a contrasting mix of organic (fur) and mechanical (grooves and panels) detailing. I particularly like the use of the transparent orange plastic on this figure, as it makes what would otherwise be a fairly boring gray color scheme much more dynamic and visually interesting. Oh yeah, the silver robot head reminds me a lot of G.I.JOE's Destro!
Optimus Primal is surprisingly flexible for a McDonald's figure. He's got swiveling back panels (to conceal whichever noggin you're not currently using); a spinning double head assembly; rotating cut joints as the shoulders, elbows, and hips; and pin-jointed knees. While that might not seem like much compared to, say, a 6" Marvel Legends or DC Universe Classics action figure, for a fast food toy, that's super articulated!
Beast Wars Depth Charge and Beast Machines McDonald's Optimus Primal.
Depth Charge is cool, but, man, he's got the worst back kibble ever--it's literally bigger than the robot!
All the Optimus Prime/Primal toys I currently own.
While Beast Wars/Machines isn't my favorite interpretation of the Transformers license, I have to say that this Optimus Primal toy is pretty well done, especially considering that's it's just a cheap fast food item. All my other Optimus figures are based on the semi truck design, so, this simian one adds a little spice to my display.
Ever wonder why Splinter always wears clothes while his four reptilian boys run around bare-shelled? I'm sorry, but that's just poor parenting, Hamato.
Here we have the 1988 Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splinter action figure, which was the first time that the character was ever made in plastic form. In the original TMNT cartoon, he started out life as a human named Hamato Yoshi, but, one fateful day, he came into contact with, and was mutated by, retromutagen ooze, and became the ratman you see here. Splinter is the father figure and ninjutsu instructor of the four Heroes in a Halfshell: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello. His name is actually a spin on the moniker of "Stick", the mentor of Marvel Comics' Daredevil (sticks are made from wood, and a splinter of wood can come from a stick, get it?), as the TMNT's origin story is really just a parody of how Matt Murdock gained his superhuman powers. I never had this particular Splinter figure as a child, but my younger brother, who owned many of the TMNT toys, did.
As a youngster, it kind of bothered me that the toy didn't resemble the cartoon version of Splinter that well, particularly the head, but, at least the likeness was a lot closer to the animation model than Playmates' first stab at making Shredder was (see Toy Talk Vol. VII). Splinter's sculpt is fairly detailed; the ratman's body is covered with fur, the ankles and back feet are swathed in wrappings, and his tail has a ribbed texture. Aside from some gray and black embellishments, he's mostly the color of the brown plastic that he's molded from, but, as the majority of his body is covered by the robe anyway, that's fine. The eyes have sculpted pupils, but, alas, they didn't get their own contrasting paint apps, so his peepers are completely white (I've seen a number of custom paint jobs of this toy over the years, with black pupils, and he definitely looks better, and friendlier, with them).
The furry Ninja Master is relatively poseable. He's got rotating cut joints at the neck, shoulders, forearms, hips, and at the base of his tail. While there's definitely room for improvement, that kind of limited articulation was the norm for the time period in which he was originally produced, so, I can't complain too much (we're probably lucky Playmates even gave him rotating forearms). At the top of his big nose, the Turtles' sensei is 4.2" (10.7 cm) high.
Alas, when I found Splinter, he was naked, except for his black belt. A complete version should also include two throwing stars, a bow (with a permanently nocked arrow), and a sword cane with removable sheath. Truth be told, the thrift store actually had two copies of this Splinter figure the day that I purchased mine, which was rather unusual. Only one had its belt though, so, I bought the more complete version (I didn't want twins), as they were both the same price anyway.
An unclad Splinter isn't something I enjoy seeing, so, I decided to make him a replacement robe:
The first thing that I did was search for a photo of the original garment, laid out flat, so that I could copy the pattern. The person who was selling this item was also kind enough to list its width, 4.5" (11.4 cm), which was very helpful for sizing purposes.
Next, I scaled that reference image, on my computer screen, until it was the exact dimensions that I wanted. I then placed a piece of tracing paper onto my monitor and carefully copied the outline and neck hole of the garment.
After that, I transferred the tracing onto a piece of sturdier paper (a page from a lined notebook). I then folded the drawing in half, down the middle, and cut it out that way so that the resulting pattern would be symmetrical.
I then affixed said pattern to an old, red T-shirt, with transparent tape, so that it wouldn't move around on me while I was cutting it out. The fabric used for the original robe was more of a magenta color, but, I don't have any clothing of that hue, and I wasn't going to go out and buy something just for a quick little project like this, so, I made do with what was on hand. Splinter is often depicted wearing a crimson robe anyway; that being the case, it's not like red looks out of place on him.
Finally, I cut the robe out with a pair of very fine, sharp scissors (fingernail trimming ones to be exact). Note: to cut out the "T" opening in the neck, fold the fabric in half, along the center of the "T".
And voila, here it is. If I had to do it all over again, I'd make it just a smidgen bigger/longer, but, all-in-all, I think it came out pretty well.
Original Splinter and Fast Forward Splinter (who's missing his tail).
Splinter vs. the original, goofy-colored Shredder toy.
Shredder is bitter because I didn't make him replacement clothing too.
Splinter and his four adopted terrapin sons.
The boys are incredibly mismatched because they're all from different years/incarnations of TMNT toys.
Only Michelangelo, second from the left, is from the same assortment as Splinter.
Splinter has been produced in toy form many, many times over the years, and arguably better, but, as this was the first version ever made, it remains the most significant in my eyes. Sure, I would have liked to have gotten his original robe and weapons, but, now that he's sporting appropriate clothing again, I'm happy with him.
« Return to my Toy Review Index