A few weeks ago I trudged nine blocks through a foot of snow to visit Barnes & Noble and pick up the YA Graphic Novel Snowlands (I was impressed by the art at the NYCC Scholastic booth and marked the release date on my calendar. Then when the snow fell I thought I needed a new winter-themed book to read). Surprisingly, the store was crowded. But that meant I was stuck in the line for a while where I noticed this fantastic Bumblebee Girl LED Keyring hanging on a low peg in the impulse-buy gift section lining the checkout area. I've been obsessed with Lego minifigures featuring animal costumes for years. Plus I love bumblebee-themed ladies. And finally, I'm very fond of these 3" light-up keychains. I always stumble across them in odd places like museum giftshops, bookstores, or truckstops and they appeal to me greatly. I know it's an odd novelty item to post about here, but she hits a few key facets of my collecting experience so I'm making an exception. Let's check out Bumblebee Girl below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Bee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bee. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Imaginext - BUMBLEBEE!
When I think of criminally underused DC characters, Bumblebee always hits pretty high on that list. Karen Beecher first became Bumblebee in the 1977 issue of Teen Titans #45 and is considered the first Black female (costumed) hero in DC Comics (Nubia appeared three years earlier but wasn't considered a traditional costumed hero, and Vixen wasn't introduced until 1981). Bumblebee's powers and overall concept weren't groundbreaking. She was essentially DC's version of Marvel's Wasp (who has been around for 15 years already). But something about her design, personality, and role in the Teen Titans lineup was much more appealing to me. She has been a regular team character in several comic series over the years, but she never hit the spotlight. Her animated presence has had a lot more momentum. Since the first Teen Titans animated series in 2003, she has been regularly included in Titans or various DC Girls media, Bombshells, etc. - with a decent amount of cartoony merch to support it.
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Miraculous - QUEEN BEE!
I love Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir toys so much. I've tried to watch the cartoon but I'm too far removed from the target demographic to fully embrace it. But these action figures just thrill me. Colorful female characters with animal themed costumes makes for a toyline seemingly custom-made for me. Plus, I always take notice when an action figure line is catered to a young female audience. It's surprisingly rare for there to be product beyond dolls. But Miraculous has never shied away from true articulated plastic action figures, and I adore them for that. Recently the toy license has shifted from Bandai to Playmates and the core characters are slowly being re-released in a slightly smaller scale and greatly improved accessories. It's a very well-made line, but the distribution is extremely spotty and only the five original figures shown have been released. I certainly hope there will be more, but only time will tell. There are tons of characters deserving of figures. Let's check out Queen Bee below!
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Miraculous Ladybug - QUEEN BEE!
I love Bumblebee-themed characters. I even did a week-long series of bee-lady reviews back in 2014 leading up to the release of Sweet Bee. There's something about the yellow and black color palette that I find very appealing (with the inexplicable exception of team colors in sports... on a jersey I hate this color combo). The occasional wings and stinger added to the look is just an added bonus. Something I find enjoyable about Miraculous is how the same human characters assume different costumed identities throughout the series. Chloe is Marinette's nemesis and has appeared in Ladybug's outfit, a color-swapped version named Anti-bug, then this Queen Bee costume (which I think is her most iconic look), followed by a color-swapped version Queen Wasp. Marinette's best friend, Alya, has been Lady Wi-Fi, Rena Rouge, and Rena Rage. And Marinette herself has been a number of characters, most notably Ladybug, Lady Noire, and Multimouse. I love this system. Let's check out Queen Bee below!
Friday, August 23, 2019
Transformers - TRICKDIAMOND & FLOWSPADE
Assigning gender to robots is always a tricky business. I personally find myself drawn to characters with a typically feminine (aka hourglass) silhouette and a face with some feminine characteristics. However I cringe when those same features are exaggerated and we see gigantic metal breasts and pouty lips. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the stocky (and dare I say, masculine) characters like Strika, Manta Ray, and Override. I always have a lot of issues with these characters too. But it's not because I think femininity has to be confined to a certain aesthetic, but rather that my pessimistic side assumes the toy-makers were lazy and just wanted to re-use male parts. This brings us to the legs of the Megatronia combiner: Trickdiamond and Flowspade. I love one, and I hate one. They both have short stocky bodies (that are indeed re-used male bucks), but Trickdiamond also has a great face and cool color scheme. Flowspade has an unexpressive ninja head and a stereotypically pink color scheme.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
DC Comics Superhero Girls - Action Figures!
Did you ever have one of those "woulda coulda shoulda" moments when an idea of yours comes to fruition but you had nothing to do with it? This DC Superhero Girls line is that for me. I remember about 10 or 15 years ago when the Disney Princess theme first started to form. I thought it was a genius idea and immediately started ranting about how all the DC superheroines could be just as successful. All these years later and it's finally happened. I was nervous of the quality and design of the figures, but I am extremely pleased. I think the intended audiences of young girls will eat these up and the adult collectors like myself will have no problems adding them to their "serious" collections. I can't wait to see what the future of the brand holds (there was a Lego line mentioned!) All I know is that I want a ton more of these beauties. These figures were released first in Targets across the nation on February 28th. I'll believe they'll be available in all stores by April or May. Let's check out the girls below!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Masters of the Universe Classics - SWEET BEE!
This figure is exactly the reason why I love MOTUC so much. In the classic She-Ra cartoons, my least favorite character by far was Sweet Bee. I didn't like her looks, I didn't like chemistry with He-Man, and I absolutely loathed her voice. Of all the POP characters to be made into MOTUC figures (back in the day when it was just a pipe dream to get them all), she was very low on my list of wants. Never underestimate the Four Horsemen though. When this figure was revealed earlier this year, I didn't waste any time before eating my words. She's gorgeous. The best part about it is that this figure makes me totally reappraise my feeling about the original animated Sweet Bee.. kind of like how a cover of a song makes you appreciate the original. When it came time to make a decision about subbing up for 2015, the excellent interpretation of Sweet Bee was my deciding factor. Perfuma is another character I've always kind of dreaded for this line, but now I'm excited to see what they can do with her. Let's check out Sweet Bee!
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Kamen Rider - BEE WOMAN (HACHI ONNA)!
I have a major obsession with female monsters (kaijin) in Japanese serial television programs. Whether it's the newest incarnation of Power Rangers, Metal Heroes Series, Ultraman, or Masked Rider, the female villains are right up my alley. There's just something about their theatrical presence, their formidable strengths, and their de-sexualized nature makes them awesome. (I say desexualized because 90% of the Japanese pop culture properties I pay attention to are inundated with girls in bikinis). I think the most successful Japanese action figures these days are high-end, super collectible, and super-articulated toys like Figma or S.H.Figuarts. These companies produce all the major characters quickly and within a reasonable budget. But sometime $40-80 bucks for a 6-7" action figure is not a feasible prospect. That's where these amazing vinyl Super Sentai-type action figures come into play. You can get the same detailed character selection, but at an extremely low price. Let's check out Bee Woman below!
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Darkstalkers 3: Vampire Savior - Q-BEE!
Welcome to (possibly) the penultimate review of Bee Week! I say possibly because there's a figure I was dying to review that slipped through the cracks. Hopefully I can get to her Monday. Vampire Savior was a 2-D fighting game from Capcom in the late nineties. Q-Bee was a fan-favorite character due to her speedy and focused attacks. This figure is essentially a gashapon. I ordered mine from an eBay seller in China and it came in pieces to assemble. I honestly don't know if the original packaged figures were originally puzzle toys like this or not. There are two versions of this figure: one in purple (the true-to-life game version) and this black variant. Since I purchased mine from a questionable seller, the quality of my specific piece should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm assuming a true release of this figure had tighter-fitting joints and cleaner paint lines. After reading all about this character, I really wish a true action figure of her would be made. We see Morrigan and Felicia all the time, I think Q-Bee deserves the spotlight for a second. In the meantime, let's check out this little Q-Bee mini-figure below!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Teen Titans - BUMBLEBEE!
Teen Titans made major comeback in the early 2000s with their extremely popular animated series on the Cartoon Network. This show definitely wasn't my speed at all (it was totally geared towards kids), but I loved seeing all these cool characters being reinvented for a younger audience. The massive amount of merchandising was a bonus, too. I doubt we would have ever seen a Bumblebee action figure if not for the popularity of this show. This Bumblebee figure can fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market, so I confess that this is a figure I bought for a few dollars from a seller in China. The real release of this figure had cleaner paint lines and came with either a bee-themed vehicle or another 3.5" figure in the 2-Pack series. Bumblebee has no true superpowers, but derives her unique skills from technology. She can fly, her armor is strong, her speed is increased, and she can emit stinging blasts. Occasionally she shrinks in size a'la Wasp, but that skill seems par for the course with an insect-themed character.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Earthworm Jim's PRINCESS WHAT'S-HER-NAME!
I first became aware of this figure early on in my collecting days (roughly 10 years ago). She was raved about on my favorite online toy resource at the time, Action Girl's Guide to Female Figures. At the time, however, I was very picky and would only buy non-cartoony 80's figure like GIJoe, He-Man, and ThunderCats. So it wasn't until very recently that I picked up this figure in a lot on eBay. I must say I'm very impressed with this little lady. She's fun, well-sculpted, and a great likeness of both her cartoon and videogame counterparts. I'm not too knowledgeable on the Earthworm Jim franchise, but from what I can gather it was a pretty unique development. Playmates developed the characters for an original videogame with the intent of creating merchandising potential. The original Sega/Genesis game was released in 1994, the same year as the first action figures. The cartoon series didn't debut until a full year later in 1995. However, the action figures seem to incorporate the details of the cartoon moreso than the videogame.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Ladies of MAYA THE BEE!
Welcome to my third Bee Week review! When started to plan this series of reviews earlier this summer, the first "bee" girl I thought of was Maya. She was originally presented in a German children's book from 1912 but really became the iconic character she is now when the animated series was created in 1975 (and was subsequently aired all over the globe for decades). These action figures are from her newest incarnation, the Studio 100 CGI animated series from 2012. Maya is an inquisitive and adventurous little bee struggling to reign in her curiosities in a rigid and protected hive. She sneaks out of the hive to explore, makes friends, and often get into trouble. It's a classic recipe for good children's storytelling a'la Curious George and Fraggle Rock. I never thought I would find actual action figures for Maya. Everything I've seen previously has been either plush or PVC. I hit the Jackpot with these guys though. Let's check them out in detail below!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Lego Mini-Figures - BUMBLEBEE GIRL!
Welcome to my second Bee Week review. This Bumblebee Girl figure is just about the most adorable Lego I've ever seen. When Lego introduced the first series of blind-bagged minifigures back in 2010, I honestly don't think they had any clue what kind of effect they would have on the toy market. Sure, blindbag figures existed before, but I'm pretty sure it was the first time this marketing technique was used on such an established brand. It was an unprecedented success. Now consumers are obsessed with these collectibles and all the other brands are scrambling to jump on the bandwagon. I'm pretty obsessed with these little guys myself, but luckily I can satiate my brick craving by living vicariously through a coworker who gets everything Lego. The figures I do buy are limited to superheroes, Chima girls, and the adorably weird characters dressed up like animals. Bumblebee Girl falls into that latter category and is one of my favorites from the bunch. Lets check her out in detail below!
Monday, October 13, 2014
DC Direct's QUEEN BEE!
Welcome to Bee Week here at She's Fantastic! Due to a wonderfully insectile beauty that should be arriving in my mailbox at the end of this week, I decided to do a anticipatory review series of some of my favorite bee-themed ladies out there. Queen Zazzala is an alien from a civilization where insects have evolved into humanoid form. Queen Bee is obsessed with her own immortality and having her hive of bee-men loot other planets. She is such a classic DC villain that it's a little shocking that we don't see more of her. In her more modern incarnations, she is very alien/insectile looking, but I much prefer this classic look. DC Direct used to be great at putting out high end collectible figurine sets. These were usually full of characters that you would be unlikely to see in a full 6-7" scale. The best thing about them for me is their size. They're not as tiny as you would think from a PVC figurine and are actually perfectly in scale with modern G.I.Joes. Let's check out Queen Bee below!
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