This figure was a rough one for me. Overall I love it. But I am super squeamish about gory or zombie-like toys. It's a completely ridiculous mental thing. But after I hold a Walking Dead action figure or any superhero "blood-splattered variant", I feel odd and immediately feel compelled to wash my hands. On the other hand, I love mermaids. Especially if they're evil. Reading Mermaid Forest back in the early 90s was a formative event for me and happy pretty mermaids have played second fiddle to the wicked ones ever since. Luckily, the gory/decaying parts of this toy are a rich pink color against the dark green of her tail, so my brain registers it more as a natural skin pattern rather than open wounds. This Gallevarbe character can change shape and was given two pretty awesome figures in Wave 2: This Death's Siren mermaid figure, and the Eyes of the Queen naga figure I will be reviewing next. I'm hoping for a larger mermaid in the new 1:12 line next. Let's check out Death's Siren below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Mermaid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mermaid. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2025
Court of the Dead - GALLEVARBE (DEATH'S SIREN)!
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Saban's Little Mermaid - HEDWIG!
I love a good sea witch. There is something so captivating about a mer-creature with villainous intent that it trumps all my other vampy character obsessions. An interesting thing about all the various interpretations of The Little Mermaid in popular culture is that the antagonist is always a fairly unique creation. In Toei's 1975 film, she is a very creepy-looking stingray. In the 1989 Disney film, she is voluptuous baudy octopus. And in the 1991 television series, Saban's The Adventures of the Little Mermaid, she is a crone named Hedwig with a mermaid-like tail that has dragon (or eel-like) details. I think she is a fun variation. I especially love that she rides on the back of a stingray and has fingers that magically grow into long tendrils. I believe this 1991 "collectible figure" from The Toy Group is the only time she was merchandised. She is made from a dense, but pliable, plastic similar to a floating bath toy. While I would have loved an actual action figure, I doubt the animated details would have been captured so well.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Saban's Little Mermaid - MARINA!
I am a big fan of The Little Mermaid. I love mermaids in general, Hans Christian Anderson's folktale, and almost all interpretations of the story in popular culture. But, oddly enough, I'm not a huge fan of the Disney version with Ariel. I don't hate it or anything, but it's pretty far down my list. My favorite is the 1975 anime film by Toei Animation. It's well-animated and sticks to the original story. A close second though is Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid from 1991. The story is more cutesy and the animation isn't as refined, but there are a lot of notable similarities, mostly in the little mermaid herself. In both versions, she is a young blonde mermaid named Marina drawn with an anime influence. In the 1975 movie, she is topless with strategically flowing hair. But in the 1991 show, she has scales that continue up her torso in a design I find very appealing (the Disney seashell bra always seemed silly to me... and uncomfortable). I love Marina's two-tone green tail especially (but I could do without the little earrings).
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Mirrorverse - ARIEL!
Ever since I started collecting toys as an adult, I have wanted well-made modern action figures of Disney characters. I was always hoping S.H.Figuarts or Mafex would get a license, but it never came to be. The Super7 Disney Ultimates were a promising start, but they never produced a character I was particularly interested in (I feel like Maid Marian would have happened soon if the line wasn't cancelled). But the main characters I always imagined in highly-articulated action figure form were Tinker Bell and Ariel. While this Mirrorverse Ariel from McFarlane Toys is definitely a stretch from her classic design, it's still pretty amazing. Mirrorverse is a 2022 mobile game featuring a wide variety of Disney characters in combat scenarios. Ariel is in Melee armor with a trident. I think she looks awesome. Ariel came in an Amazon-Exclusive Gold Label 3-Pack with Belle and Mulan. This set really renewed my interest in the line and I hope it keeps going. Let's check out Melle Armor Ariel below!
Monday, October 23, 2023
Wild Republic's SISTERS OF THE SEA!
Mermaid action figures are very hard to come by. As common as mermaid dolls, mermaid plushes, and mermaid figurines may be, articulated action figures are extremely rare. I first discovered these Wild Republic mermaids back in 2014 when the first Sisters of the Sea figure showed up at a beachside 5&10 shop while I was on vacation. Then I quickly found a color variant and I knew I'd be obsessing over this line for a long time. The newer figures have swapped out the catchy "Sisters of the Sea" name for - ahem - "Mermaid Moveable Playset" but the colors and wow factor just keep improving. This line is notoriously hard to find. I suggested your zoo, aquarium, and museum gift shops, and any beachside novelty shops. I check all my locals places obsessively, but it's worth the effort to score a well-sculpted (yet inexpensive) mermaid. They are not collector toys. So, yes, the paint can be sloppy, and yes, the joints can be loose, but I love them anyway. Let's check out the Sisters of the Sea below!
Monday, January 24, 2022
A Trio of ROBLOX LADIES!
Whenever a toy line really establishes itself in the toy aisles, I know I'll eventually have to make a purchase to see what all the fuss is about. I have been noticing Roblox figures from Jazwares in stores for quite a few years now, and I honestly was never super tempted. They were blocky and simple with odd facial expressions. But on the plus side, the themes always seemed fun. I swear every time I glanced at the displays I would see a different mermaid character. I managed to avoid any purchases (not counting their non-blocky Imagination Collection) until a fateful day back in October when I saw three characters lined up: a mermaid, a centaur, and a spider sorceress. The assortment just made me happy and I finally brought a few of these figures home. Plus I was excited to add the first female centaur and first mermaid of color to my collection. And after playing with these figures and swapping parts, I get the appeal. I'm open to buying more if they call to me. Let's check out these Roblox ladies below!
Friday, December 10, 2021
Miraculous Ladybug - AQUABUG!
With the first assortment of Miraculous figures from Playmates Toys finally hitting the shelves, I scrambled to get the last couple Bandai figures I never picked up (before they became impossible to get). Similar to any Batman or Spider-Man themed property, there is some version of Ladybug in every wave of Miraculous toys. She's the focal character so I totally get it, but I usually skip slight variations of a character I already have. When I first saw pics of this AquaBug figure, I wrote it off as just "Ladybug with blue hair" and didn't pay any attention. But a few years later I saw a pic of her and realized she had some interesting details. The most impressive part is that her costume is completely covered in a fishscale texture. It's only noticeable up close and Bandai could have been cheap and just re-used the smooth mold. Her hair gradient from light blue to pink also really stands out. In the packaging, the pink blends in with the background graphics, so seeing it in person was a nice surprise. Let's check out AquaBug below!
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Sentai Hero Series - LADIES OF MAGIRANGER!
Power Rangers Mystic Force was the 2006 iteration of the Power Rangers franchise and marked my first real fascination with the brand. Every season of Power Rangers had a theme - most of which honestly didn't interest me in the least: ninjas, space, etc. But the Mystic Force season featured a mythology theme and I loved it. The main females were the Pink Mystic Ranger (Fairy) and Blue Mystic Ranger (Mermaid). Even their Zord forms looked like vaguely feminine humanoids. I picked up several of the Bandai USA toys, but my favorite products were the Japanese Sentai Hero Series vinyl figures (released with the 2005 Magiranger series). They beat out the rest because this line included the White Mystic Ranger (Snow) that I don't believe was ever included in the American toylines. The Sentai Hero Series is a really fin and inexpensive line to collect. While not especially well articulated, they have decent, consistent sculpts and great character selection. Let's check out the Mystic Rangers below!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Masters of the Universe Classics - MERMISTA!
Mermista has been my most wanted Princess of Power figure ever since Adora first arrived 5 years ago and showed us that the POP ladies would definitely be included in this line. I am glad we had to wait so long though because I think the stars had to be aligned to provide us such a perfect figure. Any of the minor flaws we've seen from MOTUC figures in the past would have been a major disappointment on a long-awaited character like Mermista. But luckily all that stuff has been ironed out. Some surprises for me included (1) her mermaid tail is glittery, (2) her main tail fin is blue instead of green, (3) her human legs are bare instead of blue, and (4) her hair is made out of a new lightweight flexible rubber. All of these changes and surprises are perfectly acceptable to me though. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if not for me actively seeking something about this figure to critique. I'll let all the pictures speak for themselves. Let's check out Mermista below!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Justice League Unlimited - AQUAGIRL!
There have been many different characters with the name of "Aquagirl" over the years. None of them have stood the test of time however. My personal theory is that this is due to their costume design. Rarely have they looked Atlantean or even aquatic in nature. Some are even wearing street clothes under water. The one design that I feel really worked though was this Aquagirl from Batman Beyond, also known as Mareena (the daughter of Aquaman). She was originally created to be a part of a future Justice League in a 2-part BB story arc, but she has since made appearances in Justice League Unlimited and many comics. Her costume, hair color, and pointed features give her that otherworldly feel that her previously incarnations lacked. Aquagirl can breathe underwater, telepathically communicate with sea life, and can control water itself. In her backstory, we learn that she was kidnapped by Darkseid and trained as one of Granny Goodness' Female Furies. Cool stuff. Let's check her out below!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Playmobil SEA WITCH!
There was a brief period about twenty years ago when I became obsessed with Playmobil. There was a little boutique kids store in my hometown that had a whole wall of them and I found them adorable and cheap (they cost about $2.50 at the time). It was a quickly passing fad for me though and I soon passed on my small collection to my young relatives. Then a few years ago Playmobil started releasing their blind bag Fi?ures series and my interest was renewed. I've collected a few random figures here and there, but my favorite overall theme is to collect witches and evil queens. My inability to find the Series 6 Maleficent figure was the only reason I didn't do a big group review this past Halloween. This Sea Witch figure (also known as Magical Ocean Queen) is one of my favorites. There's nothing like a good evil mermaid. She was a part of a fantastic series called Waterworld which consisted of Mermaids, Mer-men, Underwater Ghouls, Sea-Beasts, etc. Let's check out the Sea Witch below!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
McDonald's Hook - MERMAID!
Every time I watch some incarnation of Peter Pan I spend the whole time wishing and hoping that the mermaids will be represented properly. It's kind of a silly part to view as the highlight of the story, but it's totally my favorite part. I was in Middle School when Hook came out in 1991. This Steven Spielberg film starred Robin Williams as the titular boy -- who did grow up. Peter was reluctantly dragged back to Neverland to fight Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook. I haven't seen this movie in twenty years, but I think I would still like it today. I specifically remember being thrilled with the Mermaid scene. If my memory serves me correctly, when Peter plunges off the gangplank, there are several colorful mermaids who greet him under the water. Of course I told all my friends my favorite part was the swordfight or something, but we all know the lure of mermaids. The merchandise for the movie was pretty scant, limited to a small action figure line from Mattel and a 4-piece Happy Meal set from McDonalds. None of the toys are great, but hey, Mermaids will always have a home in my collection. Let's check her out below!
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Hanna-Barbera's Fish Police - ANGEL JONES!
I only recently discovered that there was a short-lived Fish Police cartoon in the early 90s. By "short-lived" I mean really short. It lasted only three episodes and it's easy to see why. I personally think the animation looks really good, but the pacing is slow, the voices are ill-cast, and the humor goes from childish fish jokes to some pretty serious sexual innuendo. I can't imagine who the intended audience was. I originally stumbled across the Fish Police comics accidentally in the late 80s as I was obsessively tracking down every comic that my favorite artist (Arthur Adams) had ever contributed to. These were the days prior to the internet so finding back issues of indy comics was no easy feat... especially if you were in elementary school. I managed to get my issues for the random Arthur Adams pinups and short stories, but I quickly became a fan of the book as a whole. Steve Moncuse's Fish Police was a weird film noir/gumshoe book set in the undersea Fish City that mixed gritty crime with offbeat humor.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Wild Republic's SISTERS OF THE SEA!
I found this little gem in a random beach shop on the Jersey shore while on vacation this summer. My family vacations are usually bizarrely toy-focused because they tend to coincide with SDCC. I spend my evenings frantically trying to get an internet signal to see all the exciting reveals. With all my focus on the digital world, I never expect to find interesting toys in the surf shops. Well these figures certainly burst that bubble. Sure, they're cheaply made with sloppy paint, but at the same time I know that fully sculpted and articulated mermaid action figures are exceedingly rare. The first Sisters of the Sea figure I spotted was blonde with an orange tail. I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing her right away because she was gone in a few hours and all that was left was the requisite Ariel wannabes. Wild Republic is a company I'm well aware of from their animal replicas (one of my many other hobbies). You can easily find Wild Republic toys in museum gift shops and tourist areas. I know it's just a matter of time until I get all the color variations. Let's check out this cool mermaid figure below!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean EVIL MERMAIDS!
I love mermaids. Ever since I was a kid they were my favorite of the mythological beasts. Sure, I had strong obsessions with Centaurs, Griffins, Unicorns, and the whole fantastical menagerie of legend. But mermaids were special to me. Unfortunately my love of them also made me pretty particular about what kind of mermaid I like. In short, I don't go for cute, pretty mermaids. Ariel is pretty boring in my book. I like my mermaids to either be fierce warriors, or (ideally) vicious predators. Finding evil mermaid figures is pretty challenging. Especially ones without rooted hair. These Lego figures fit the bill though. I think they're amazing. This review is technically the start of my Mermaid week reviews leading up to the release of Mermista. But my attempts to hoard a bunch of interesting mer-figures fell woefully short. There will still be some great reviews, but not to the degree of previous themed weeks like Bee Week. Let's check out the awesome Lego mermaids below!
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