Bathound v Superdog: Dawn of Buttsniff

"Tell me. Do you have fleas? You will."

Who will win?

Krypto the Superdog!

I scored TWO different Kryptos at the Flea Market today for $3 total!

I only picked up the Ace the Bathound at retail when this series was in stores, based on the animated series from 2005. I always regretted not getting, well, the whole line to be honest...but especially the title character Krypto himself! Thankfully now I have rectified that situation in spades!

Let's take a look at these two super canines, shall we?

While digging through bins of random toys I first came across this Krypto and though to myself 'Well wouldn't ya' know it, some dumb kid cut off his cape!' I was pissed for a second or two before I realized this Krypto had a retractable cape action feature:

Push a button on his collar and his cape pops out (as well as his 'S' dog tag.) He also talks! The batteries were dead of course (but fortunately not corroded!). Thankfully Toyriffic headquarters has so many toys around it would give Santa an aneurysm, so we were able to find some replacement batteries located in another toy quite easily.

Krypto says such gems as 'Ruff Ruff and awaay!' and 'Oh no, Kryptonite!'.

Good times!

Once I had confirmed the retractable cape Krypto was not in bad shape after all, I continued to dig and came across a second, wholly different Krypto!

This Krypto is more basic in construction, lacks an action feature or electronics, but does boast...

...flight poseability!

This Krypto is actually my favorite of the two due to the flying pose. I need to figure out a way to display him in this position.

Ruff Ruff, and Awaaaaayyyyy!

Krypto the Superdog Imaginext Figure

I first picked up the Imaginext Krypto years ago in a two-pack along with the first Imaginext Superman (the one with the sculpted face.) I believe he's been released a few times since then, usually in multi-packs and maybe in a playset or two.

I found this specific Krypto at the flea market (for a  mere quarter!) and gave him to my intern.

I've waited years for Fisher-Price would release an Ace the Bathound to compliment Krypto. But when Fisher-Price finally did release an Ace recently...well...he's a little disappointing.

I take that back. He's not the iconic Ace the Bathound I'd prefer, but he's actually not too shabby and would probably look awesome next to Krypto. The mountain-skateboarding Batman he's included with, however, is pretty lame looking. Not that I'm even all that averse to a mountain-skateboarding Batman in theory. It's just that in execution he does nothing for me and I can't bring myself to buy the set just to have Ace. I'm hoping that at some future date Ace is again released in a different set or multi-pack, or perhaps I'll find him at the flea market for a quarter.

Krypto is simple but wonderfully cute and in perfect scale to human (or Kryptonian as the case may be) Imaginext figures. He only has articulation at the neck, but he does have a cloth cape (something ever Robin himself can't claim!)

It's surprising that Fisher-Price hasn't cashed in on the concept of super pets any more than with Krypto, Ace and B'dg. I guess you could argue that Aquaman's robo-shark and Penguins penguins count too. Regardless, they've not capitalized on the concept to the extent that they could and should - they'd re-sell every Imaginext superhero all over again if they slapped a small simple relevant super pet packed in!

We'd complain that we had to buy those guys all over again, but we'd do it!

Ace the Bathound from Krypto the Superdog Animated and Fisher-Price

Constant Reader John aka Jboy asked on yesterday's post "Have they made a official Ace figure? I have seen Krypto but I don't remember seeing one of the Bathound."

The answer, John, is 'Yes!' There was one packaged with a Batman Beyond action figure, but that was the Ace of Batman Beyond continuity. There was also one packaged with a Golden Age Batgirl and Batwoman made by DC Direct. Then there was this one from the Krypto the Superdog cartoon. In fact, I believe there were a few versions of Ace the Bathound made back in 2006 for the Krypto the Superdog cartoon. The only one I picked up was this one, which also came with an 'Ace Racer' skate-type vehicle and Bud and Lou, Harley Quinn's Hyenas.

Unfortunately my Bud and Lou have been lost to time as I let my kids play with them back in the day. But I still have Ace and his Ace Racer!

This was the only toy I picked up from the short lived Krypto the Superdog cartoon, but looking back, I wish I had grabbed them all. Or at least a Krypto! But if I recall correctly, the series had lots of cumbersome action features, and this specific set was just the figures, clean and simple. Which is how I like my action figures.