Uncle Deadly

Uncle Deadly, part of the Jim Henson's Muppets Exclusive line by Palisades Toys at PalisadesToys.com. I haven't bought any other figures in this line, but when I saw this one at Acme Comix I had to get it. I always liked this weird, elusive, dragonish figure on the show, that seemed to hark back to the old fantasy Muppets that used to appear on Saturday Night Live, Skragg and that lot. He came with a transparent skull and Muppet ghost, and there was an alternate Uncle Deadly that was colored grey-white.

Peter Jackson as a Hobbit

Got an e-mail from my friend Tom at Z's Toys & More. The action figure of Peter Jackson as a Hobbit that he had been beating the woods for me had finally come in! All the way from Scotland (for some reason this figure seems to have been more available in Great Britain and its Dominions), it cost a mere $16 including shipping. It was out of the box and lacking some little satchel that came with the figure but that's okay, as I would just open it anyway, and this kept the cost down (I saw some places asking more than a hundred for it).

The sculpt and paint are very nice. Peter Jackson's glasses are great, and the bronze vest and brown coat and pants are a very hobbit-like ensemble. The figure itself makes a bit of a nitpick, though: no real Hobbit has so full a beard. Of the three varieties of Hobbits only the Stoors have any facial hair, and that is a light down on the chin, not anything like Jackson's furry chinpelt.

Lezard Valeth

I'm back from a week in Florida, and here is the first fruits of the harvest I reaped while there. Besides visiting Universal's Islands of Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom, Yen and I went to the wonderland of Acme Comix (http://www.acme-superstore.com/) where we spent all too short a time. But one of the first figures I picked out was a character from a series I've never seen before.

This is Lezard Valeth, from Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. The action figure line is produced by Square Enix Products. Although the articulation is limited, the sculpt and paint are exquisite, especially considering the size of the figure, which is only about five inches tall, far shorter than other Square Enix figures I've got before. And he has a book, which doesn't seem removable.

Hogsqueal, Dammit

I admit it. I was weak. After all my complaining about 'Jared Grace', the minute I saw the Hogsqueal action figure at Hastings I bought it. $13.99. And it does indeed have all the flaws that seem endemic to this line. The right arm is ratchetty and and loose. The sculpt doesn't seem quite true to the dimensions of the character in the movie. And the tree base is hollow in the back so you can't look at it in the round. So why did I buy it?

Well, it's a fantasy character. And a pig in an overcoat. And my nephew when he saw it lighted up with excitement, and he seems to love the movie of The Spiderwick Chronicles. So I'll let him play with it, and maybe later if he still likes it and the new is rubbed off, maybe I'll let him keep it.

Maybe.

Let Us Gaze Into...The Past!

1975. The Planet of the Apes. Sets, horses and vehicles we could only dream about getting. I mean, $15.79 for a tree house/fort? Outrageous!

Seriously, in the wake of the Mego Star Trek re-issues they are now set to do Planet of the Apes. This picture is from a page in a 1975 Christmas catalog at a great website called Welcome to WishbookWeb.com (http://wishbookweb.com/). It shows many different Christmas catalogs page by page, and not only can you see the toys at these amazing pre-inflation prices, but by looking at the clothes and 'kitsch' you can really remember what life was like back then.

I'm A Psychiatrist...This Is My Pipe

From Accoutrements at http://www.accoutrements.com/, it's the Carl Jung Action Figure! Part of the company's line of historically and culturally significant action figures (you might remember their latest imbroglio about the Jesus action figure), these toys come as a refreshing difference in a field swamped with superhero, sword fighting, and military themes. After all, you got to have some ordinary-looking people sometimes. And as the Accoutrements website points out, Carl Jung looks like everybody's friendly old grampa.

Quote from the card: "Legacy: Carl Jung was one of the most influential psychiatrists in history. His lifelong devotion to the study of the mind resulted in some seminal theories about the human unconcious that he articulated in numerous articles, essays and books on the subject. He is directly responsible for a great number of psychological concepts including the Collective Unconscious, The Complex, The Archetype, and Introvert/Extrovert."

I also have some vague recollection of him using toys and play in his therapy to help unlock and work through deeply buried issues. But don't quote me on that.

I bought the figure itself at Hastings, for $8.99. It's 5&1/4 inches tall, comes with a brown and gold pipe accessory, and is perhaps the only action figure I've ever seen with a pair of glasses molded to its forehead rather than over its eyes.

Death...And She Has No Hat!

Got the "original" Death from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman yesterday, another DC Direct action figure. This Death has no hat (which was molded to the head on the other figure and couldn't be removed) but did have a rolled umbrella, as per the illustration previously posted. Rather than simply re-running that image, here is a panel showing her saying one of my favorite quotes from 'Facade' in Dream Country.

Terry Pratchett's Death (who is the more traditional skeleton in robes with scythe) says a line very similar in one of the Discworld novels. Pratchett and Gaiman collaborated on the novel Good Omens, and seem to enjoy referencing each other's work now and then. Who wrote it first? Don't know; can't say; daren't speculate.

Thanks again to Tom at Z's Toys for hunting her down for me.