I've been eyeing all the music figures in the ReAction line for years, but this is the first one I've purchased and opened (somewhere I have the Salt n Pepa set packed away untouched). Green Day is a formative band from my high school years. I personally never owned an album. However, my siblings did and three of us shared a bedroom (so I heard them constantly). As much as I like them, I'm even more thankful for their legacy and all the bands they directly inspired. The pop-punk era of the 90s and early oughts is my favorite genre of music, and I credit that sound with Green Day. Their 1991 album, Kerplunk! featured a punky rebellious girl on the cover widely referred to as Kerplunk Girl. And while not a completely proven correlation, it is widely assumed that she is intended to be Laurie L., a fictional girl whose essay appears in the liner notes of the album detailing how she killed her parents to follow Green Day on tour. It's somehow not as morbid as it sounds. Let's check out the notorious Kerplunk Girl below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Hair-Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hair-Green. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Gatchaman - JUN THE SWAN!
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is one of those properties that I discovered relatively late in life but meets all the criteria for a show I would have been obsessed with if I were aware of it in my youth. Although it first aired in Japan in 1972, the first proper English-language broadcast is from 1978 when it was re-christened Battle of the Planets. A later adaptation happened in 1986 under the additional name G-Force: Guardians of Space followed by yet another release in 1996 as Eagle Riders (in Australia). With all that staying-power, I'm surprised that I never knew anything about it until the early 2000s when a resurgence of interest hit the US comic and toy markets. The series features a team a bird-themed space adventurers solving environmentally-themed challenges. The token female is Jun the Swan (also called Princess and Agatha in later interpretations). I've been wanting a great toy of her for twenty years now, and this BBTS-exclusive figure knocked it out of the park. She's beautiful. Let's check out Jun below!
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
She-Ra the Princess of Power - GRANITA!
Granita has always been one of my favorite deep-dive MOTU/POP characters. She only appeared in two episodes of She-Ra the Princess of Power as a member of the Rock People, but her otherworldly appearance and wonderful color scheme made a lasting impression on me. As a former art student, I was obsessed with Complimentary Colors and the way certain color pairings would "pop." But my least favorite was always red and green. I couldn't see the pair without thinking it was something related to Christmas. But I eventually realized that pastel versions of those same colors had the same effect without the connotations. So Granita with her two-hued green and two-hued pink opened up a whole new world of color theory for me. When I have a toy of her in a MOTU/POP lineup, eyes my instantly go to her. It's interesting that she was included in this Altaya figurine line (of 77 pieces) over more popular characters like Frosta or Castaspella, but I'll take her gladly. Let's checkout Granita below!
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Justice League International - FIRE!
I'm glad that McFarlane Toys is taking the opportunities provided by their exclusive Gold Label and Platinum products to include relatively obscure and under-merchandised characters in the DC Multiverse line. The recent Blackfire and upcoming Huntress (and variant) are great examples. Fire is a character with a huge fanbase. She first appeared in the 1979 issue of Super Friends #25 as the Green Fury (who shot green flames out of her nostrils.. no joke). I don't know long it took for her backstory to be fleshed out. But now the commonly-told origin is that Beatriz da Costa was a Brazilian model (and secret government agent) who was accidentally exposed to a mysterious substance called Pyroplasm which gave her the green flame powers (pre-Crisis her powers were mystical in nature). She has been a member of many teams over the years and gone by many names: Green Flame, Green Fury, and her most common, Fire. She is a dynamic character who is long overdue in the toy aisles.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Marvel Legends - SHE-HULK!
I love how every few years we get a new She-Hulk figure that is an improvement over the last. Jennifer Walters is a nuanced character who has been portrayed in a variety of different ways by different creative teams. Choosing a single version to represent her is truly an impossible task, especially because the visual differences are so subtle. To me, this newest Marvel Legends figure represents the She-Hulk that I was first exposed to in the early 90's run of Sensational She-Hulk during the John Byrne era. Now, this isn't necessarily my favorite version of She-Hulk to read (the comedic elements and early-90s vibes just aren't my thing).. but visually this is still the most iconic and timeless She-Hulk to me. It also is a great representation of her first 1996 Toy Biz action figure. I don't think she ever had a toy connection to Iron Man like this current release suggests, but it's a great figure all the same. (I hope we get a purple/blue repaint of Julia Carpenter on this card next. That would make sense). Let's check out She-Hulk below!
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Boss Fight Studio - LIME CHIFFON!
In the world of geeky pop culture we are often exposed to the design theme of a group of similar characters in different color motifs. The Magical Girl genre comes to mind with Sailor Moon, Glitter Force, and Magical DoReMi. Each featuring stylistically similar characters with differentiating hair color and outfits. But action genres had it too with Power Rangers, Power Pack, and Voltron. Not to mention kid properties like Teletubbies and the Wiggles. But my very first exposure to this spectrum-of-characters concept was Strawberry Shortcake (and a few years later rather literally with Rainbow Brite). I remember rummaging through bins of donated toys in a church basement when I was about six years old and finding a slew of small Strawberry Shortcake dolls scattered around. I had never seen these characters and quickly became obsessed with finding them all and lining them up. When my sister approached and informed me they were scented, my mind was blown (and I became a fan for life).
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Spidey and His Amazing Friends - ELECTRO!
With SDCC 2023 starting to roll out toy news in just a few hours, I thought I would do a quick review of a fun little figure I learned about at last year's show, the Spidey and His Amazing Friends Electro from Disney Jr and Hasbro. I still haven't really watched this show, but they toys seem really fun and they've had a pretty prominent place in the toy aisles of Target and Wal-Mart for nearly two years now. This is the type of toy line that I expect to last for a while and continually release slightly tweaked versions of the main characters. But whenever there is a recipe like that, there is usually the occasional new villain or supporting character added to the mix. In last year's case, that was Francine Frye as Electro. I always thought the female versions of the Sinister Six characters were very cool, but never got their chance to shine, so I'm glad Francine is being introduced to the younger generations early. I hope we get a peek at some new characters soon (Black Cat and Wasp please!). Let's check out Electro below!
Monday, March 27, 2023
Marvel Legends - VERTIGO!
Vertigo is a Savage Land Mutate who first appeared in the pages of Marvel Fanfare #1 (1982). The mutates were not true mutants, but rather genetically-altered humans given powers through science. Vertigo is one of those great characters with a name, power, and costume perfectly themed for her role: dizziness. I first noticed her eight years later during the Inferno storyline in the late 80s. By that time she was a Marauder being led by Mister Sinister to massacre the Morlocks whom Sinister deemed genetically disposable. She wasn't a main character and it was hard to pick up details about her in big group scenes. Honestly I thought she was (yet another) reimagined Polaris due to her green hair. But I soon figured out her name and powers. Her story, however, is very confusing. She is one of those characters who has been killed and cloned numerous times and doesn't even have a real name. But the swirly green outfit and cool name is enough for me to be a fan. Let's check out Vertigo below!
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Marvel Legends - MADAME HYDRA!
I won't lie and pretend that the character of Madame Hydra hasn't always been confusing to me. Her alternating aliases of Madame Hydra and Viper made me think she was two separate characters for a long time. And then I assumed she was a member of the Serpent Society, which I eventually discovered she was, but her lack of powers and any reptilian traits (aside from the color green) made her inclusion odd to me. Her main claim to fame is as the leader of Hydra. But I have to admit, I always found Hydra and A.I.M. storylines boring. I want my comic enemies to be individuals with unique powers and backstories, not largely anonymous paramilitary groups. Yet somehow this character always managed to still capture my attention. It's the combination of her commanding presence, monochromatic costumes, and menacing codenames that I find so intriguing. Surprisingly this is her second Legends figure, although 10 years apart, so it is a definite improvement. Let's check out Madame Hydra below!
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
POP Funko - POLARIS!
Late June is the time of year when I get really excited about Funko Pops. Any day now there will likely be a series of Summer Convention exclusive reveals (usually followed by a few random product leaks from Asia that end up being Fall Convention exclusives). The reason I get so excited is because there is a trend of having one single essential classic female character revealed each time. These are characters never seen in standard store assortments, but they are usually some of my favorite characters. In the past we've seen Spider-Woman, Huntress, Zatanna, Stargirl, etc. Maybe this year we'll finally see Firestar, or Hellcat, or Bette Kane, or Clea - anything is possible. The most recent was last Fall's Polaris in all her green Silver Age glory. She's an absolutely gorgeous Pop that is both an obscure yet quintessential character. The average MCU fan wouldn't recognize her, but any semi-serious comic reader would know her significance. Conventions are the perfect way to deliver these ladies to our collections.
Friday, April 8, 2022
Fortnite - SIONA!
There's something special about astronaut action figures. When I was a kid, there were certain toy archetypes that were always present: The soldier, the farmer, the fireman, the policeman, the ninja, and of course, the astronaut. And of all these, the astronaut is the only one that doesn't imply labor or violence. As a nerdy curious kid who eschewed chores and fighting, there was only one choice for me. Unfortunately there have been very few female astronaut toys over the years. That's why when I saw this Fortnite Deo and Siona 2-pack I just had to have it. These figures combine a lot of the traditional astronaut visual cues: domed helmet, white bulky body suit, and a series of tubes or harnesses wrapping around them. But then they have the Fortnite twist with bright green hair and orange costumes details. The fact that they are both Indian in origin only adds to the appeal. As infrequent as female astronauts are, women of color as astronauts are exponentially more rare. Let's check out Siona below!
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
HealeyMade - THE ASSASSIN!
Anthropomorphic action figures are pretty much my favorite thing in this toy-collecting hobby. I tend to group them into four main categories: Felinoids are the most popular, Reptilian is second, followed by Insectile and Avian. But in general it's pretty rare to get female figures of any of them. That's why I was super stoked to get this Assassin figure from HealeyMade. I've been paying attention to the designer toy market for years. The genre is 99% male characters, but I keep tuning in to see if the next drop will be of the female persuasion. The few times over the years where the stars aligned, I was an hour or two late and missed the brief on-sale window. But a few weeks ago I was in the right place in the right time and snagged this amazing Assassin in all her green reptilian glory. For a first designer toy purchase I think I got really spoiled. The sculpt, paint, and plastic quality are all top notch. I'm excited to see the obligatory color variants in the future. Let's check out the Assassin (R-Complex) below!
Friday, August 6, 2021
Marvel Legends - SHE-HULK!
Lately I've been reading the original Savage She-Hulk series from 1980 (I picked up the two Marvel Masterworks collections) and my appreciation for her has been growing exponentially. I also picked up two collections of her later John Byrne run which I'll be diving into next. Most of her modern comics feature a Jennifer Walters that is in control of her powers and never really "hulks out." But those early comics (and the recent 2017 Hulk series) had her uncontrolled transformations as a focal point of the stories - and I like those unpredictable character dynamics. That's why I love this new She-Hulk figure. She is a repainted 2020 gray Hulk figure, which is a monstrous hulked out version of Jennifer (a physique that we'd be very unlikely to see a green version of in toy form). All the previous green She-Hulk toys have looks too happy and scrawny for my tastes. So although this one isn't particularly comic-accurate, it's my favorite. And the alternate calm face is an amazing added bonus. Let's check her out below!
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Super7 ReAction - JEM & PIZZAZZ!
These two latest ReAction figures have thrilled me more than you can imagine. Jem and the Holograms was an iconic part of my childhood. I was always very multi-faceted with my interests loving everything from girly properties to sci-fi, to action, to horror. There was a weekend cartoon block called Super Sunday which seemed perfectly catered to me. It contained cartoon shorts of Inhumanoids (a scary demonic cartoon), Robotix (a sci-fi robotic fantasy show), Bigfoot (a (boring-by-comparison) vehicle-based action cartoon), and of course Jem (the music-filled pop extravaganza). I loved them all. As I became an adult collector, I have desperately wanted to include Jem in my collection. But my aversion to soft-goods dolls and my loyalty to cartoon-accurate designs have kept any products from making the cut. My (impossible) ideal would be MOTUC-style figures. But as the ReAction line picked up, I knew this would be the line to eventually include Jem, and I'm so happy I was right. Let's check them out below!
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Gremlins - GRETA!
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.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Nick Jr - RAINBOW RANGERS!
It's actually pretty surprising that there hasn't been a preschool-age magical girl series in the US before. The formula is so simple: girls with powers, transformation sequences, adventures. And if you want to have a really successful property, apply color themes to the characters. The most recent similar show I've watched was Glitter Force on Netflix (aka PrettyCure), and it followed an extremely similar format as this new Rainbow Rangers show on Nick Jr, albeit aimed toward an older preteen/YA audience. But the interesting thing about seeing this rainbow-themed genre interpreted for a preschool audience is that it instantly reminds me of many classic properties from my childhood like Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite. The show itself almost has a Dora the Explorer feel with a constant flow of adorable wildlife in need of rescue, but the costumed adventurer angle really makes it stand out. These toys are simple with only 4-poa, but they are really colorful and fun. Let's check them out below!
Monday, January 11, 2021
Toy Biz - SHE-HULK!
I've been sick for a week but today the announcement of a new Marvel Legends She-Hulk figure thankfully brought me out of my funk a bit. I adored the Gray Hulk version of Jennifer Walters we got last year, and I eventually read and really enjoyed that comic (the 2017 Hulk series), but I'll admit, despite my admiration for gray Jennifer, I always had my fingers crossed for a classic green repaint of that mold. And today was that long-awaited day. So in honor of my happy green day, I decided to post a flashback review to the first She-Hulk figure from the 1996 Toy Biz Hulk line. It's actually surprising it took 5 years into the Toy Biz Marvel lines to finally get us this green goddess. She seems way more popular that most of the B-and-C-listers that came before her. It's probably because she required an original mold. And it's quite a unique mold too, at over 6", she towers over almost every other Toy Biz figure, especially the females. She's not perfect, but still a really fun toy to have. Let's check her out below!
Monday, January 13, 2020
Marvel Legends - HULK!
I love She-Hulk. There's something special about the quick burst of female Marvel characters in the late 70s. Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman, and She-Hulk were simple female rebrandings of established male characters created in a desperate attempt to secure copyrights (After Filmation's Web Woman fiasco). But the characters quickly became something very special. Having the same power sets, with similar origins, and similar environments created an unintentional social experiment on gender. It was like a long-format What If story, and it became the basis for a lot of my aesthetic and collecting obsessions. She-Hulk has gone through a ton of transformations over the years. Not all of them were to my liking, but others were amazing. For some reason I never questioned why she never had a "gray" transformation before, but I'm glad it finally happened (in 2017) because I think she looks amazing. Plus this buck will also be perfect for a new classic green She-Hulk (which has to be coming). Let's check out Hulk below!
Monday, December 2, 2019
Justice League International - FIRE!
My first exposure to Beatriz da Costa was in the pages of Super Friends when she went by the name Green Fury. I was always drawn to monochromatic characters, even at such a young age. But on the flipside, I was also so young that the idea of fire that wasn't red or orange baffled me. That's honestly why I remember her so well.. because her powers confused me. I didn't even realize she was she same character as Green Flame and Fire until very recently. When she was Green Flame in the Global Guardians, she first started being paired with Icemaiden. And when Icemaiden was re-created as Ice in Justice League International, Green Flame followed suit and shortened her name to Fire. I really don't know much about the pair, except that they seem so iconic - like a female Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. There have been a handful of good action figures of this pair, but I personally think these DC Direct Justice League International versions are the best. Let's check out Fire below!
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Marvel Legends - POLARIS (X-FACTOR)!
This may be a very unpopular opinion these days, but I was never a huge fan of the 1991 X-Factor relaunch. Most of this had to do with my love for two of the main characters, Polaris and Wolfsbane, and my extreme dislike of their costumes and personality changes in this run. However, seeing these characters showing up on the shelves in toy form still hits me with a powerful wave of nostalgia. I remember buying and reading those issues like it was yesterday. I may even have to did out the old comics and give them another chance. At this point I'm probably going to have to hunt down a couple Madrox the Multiple Man figures then budget to build the Strong Guy build-a-figure next year. And of course I think we all expect to see a proper X-Factor Wolfsbane now. Plus the new furry arms and legs can be re-purposed for Feral, Tigra, and Hepzibah (And Squirrel Girl's tail for Hepzibah!). I'm imagining a fun few years for the Legends line. Let's check out the emerald-haired beauty in detail below!
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