I've been a fan of Jim Henson's Labyrinth for as long as I can remember. Initially, it scared me (but I still liked it), then my high school art teacher's obsession with the artistry of the film was contagious (he played in constantly in class) and I became a superfan. There were two scenes that always bugged me: the Firey scene (because of rough green screen effects) and the Masquerade Ballroom scene (because it slowed the pace and seemed romantically inappropriate/creepy to me). But over time my criticisms have softened significantly. I even danced to As The World Falls Down by David Bowie at my wedding. So I really appreciate this figure now. I knew a line of Labyrinth toys would eventually have multiple releases of the same characters in their different iconic outfits. Unfortunately for Sarah, she only really has two costumes, so this is it. Jareth has at least two more good ones to anchor future waves (finger crossed!). We need more goblins, and Fireys, and a million others. Let's check out Sarah below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Jim Henson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Henson. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Labyrinth - SARAH (MASQUERADE)!
Monday, January 27, 2025
Super7 ReAction - JANICE!
Modern Muppets programs have a tendency to get canceled too soon. The Muppets (2025) lasted just 17 episodes, Muppets Tonight (1996) ended after 22, and most recently, The Muppets Mayhem (2023) was canceled after a mere 10. I'll be honest, I only ever saw one episode of Mayhem and it didn't immediately capture my attention the way 2015 series did, but I had friends and family who raved about it and I really like the creative team behind it, so I will start it again this week. The series features the Muppet band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they tour and create an album. It features lots of classic Muppets but most notable (for me) is the iconic spacey lead guitarist, Janice. Even if the series didn't have a massive cultural impact, it still prompted this great Reaction line from Super7. It would be awesome to get a whole Muppets line to go along with the Sesame Street figures, but in the meantime, this lone Janice is the only Muppet ReAction in my collection. Let's check her out below!
Sunday, January 26, 2025
The Muppets - JANICE!
It's sometimes a little odd to realize that for the longest time there were only two female Muppets in the main cast. Miss Piggy got all the attention, but the lead guitarist for Electric Mayhem, Janice, was there from the very beginning with her iconic lips, lanky stature, and valley girl drawl. I always knew the lore that she was based on Mick Jagger with Janis Joplin's name, but beyond the exaggerated mouth, I didn't see the connection. But then last night I saw her original concept sketch for the first time I finally saw the likeness. I've wanted a Janice figure forever, but back in the heyday of the Palisades line, I wanted the pink-shirted Chase version, but was unable to ever find her. Then all these years later I was finally able to add this amazing DST version to my Collection. This figure was originally released in 2018 in a set with Floyd, but this review is for the re-released "Best of" version last year. I'm playing catch-up with this line so I'm grateful for the reissues. Let's check out Janice below!
Friday, January 24, 2025
The Muppets - MISS PIGGY!
I have always been big fan of Jim Henson. And his flagship creation, The Muppets, is very hard not to love. Yet, somehow, I've managed to not have any Muppets in my toy collection until very recently. Many years ago, when I started collecting toys as an adult, the epic Palisades Muppets line was in full swing. There ended up being over 100 amazing figures, but it was just too overwhelming and intimidating for me. I never purchased any but I always regretted not picking up a few choice characters. Flash forward 15 or so years when Diamond Select Toys started a new Muppets line in 2018. I've been eyeing them since they started coming out and there have been several times where I almost took the plunge and bought them all. But it was the recent "Best of" re-releases last year, combined with a random bogo sale at FYE right before Christmas that finally made me pull the trigger. Now I'm addicted and I can't believe I waited so long to add these characters to my collection. Let's check out Miss Piggy below!
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Fraggle Rock - RED!
Despite being constantly exposed to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show all throughout my childhood, it was actually Fraggle Rock which made me a lifelong Jim Henson fan. The subterranean society of lovable adventurers, artists, explorers, and performers captured my imagination like nothing had before. Red is one of the two main female Fraggles in the show and is presented as a daring athlete and stuntwoman. She often challenges her friends to join her in competition or gathers the whole Fraggle community to watch her perform a daring high dive. I won't lie, she was easily my least favorite character. I am neither sporty nor competitive, so I just didn't relate. But at the same time, I think she is the most iconic with her big red ponytails and boisterous tomboy personality. This Fraggle line from Boss Fight Studio is technically from the new Back to the Rock reboot on AppleTV+, but luckily the character designs are mostly identical to the classic looks. They are amazing. Let's check out Red below!
Friday, July 5, 2024
Fraggle Rock - COTTERPIN!
In 2022, Apple TV+ premiered Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, a faithful reboot of the amazing 1983 Jim Henson series, Fraggle Rock. I love this new series. Some of the character designs have been tweaked, mostly for the better. For instance, a lot of the puppets in the original series had thin wispy hair and dull colors. But in the reboot it's as if the material limitations of 1980's puppetry have been overcome. It honestly looks the way I imagine the 1983 series looked in my memory (but am always critical of when I actually watch the vintage episodes). Cotterpin is the main Doozer character from both series. She is a young Doozer from a long line of hard-hat-wearing construction Doozers who wants nothing more than to be a Fraggle (so she can dance her cares away). This updated design of Cotterpin has fuller hair, brighter colors, and now she appropriately wears her namesake cotter pins in her hair as barrettes. The Boss Fight Studio Fraggle line is very impressive. I can't wait to get the rest.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Labyrinth - SARAH!
Few movies bring me as much joy as Jim Henson's Labyrinth does. The first few times I saw it in the eighties, it actually quite scared me. But in high school I had an art teacher who loved the movie and his adoration was contagious. I swear it was always playing on the TV in the background and I am now a fan for life. It's surprising how sparsely Labyrinth has been merchandised considering its cast of iconic colorful characters. I have all the Funko Pops from 2016 and the Neca and McFarlane Jareth figures. The only modern collectibles I don't own are the ones from Weta Workshop. But even at this early stage, I'm most excited for these 3.75" figures from Plastic Meatball. The first wave had the expected assortment of Jareth, Sarah, and Hoggle. But the sneak peeks at the second wave show Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, which to me signifies a commitment to giving us a more complete cast. I can't wait to see who is next. Ludo and a few random goblins are my most wanted. Fingers crossed!
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Farscape - ZHAAN!
Farscape was a science fiction space adventure series that aired from 1999-2003. This was a time period in my life that was essentially a television blackout for me. In late college and early career time, I never had cable. Just a television and a VHS collection. But I was still very aware of Farscape. It seemed like a no-brainer that the Jim Henson Company should be involved in a space adventures series. Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and the various Star Trek spinoffs were a television staple for a solid decade. And right in the middle was the oddity of Farscape. The creature puppets and makeup made it stand out from the pack. I had a roommate who watched it when back home for holidays and I would get all these action figure junk mail catalogs (remember those?) that featured toys based on the show. I only started watching the show this past Fall and coincidentally one of my favorite local collectible shops just got a bunch of the old toys. Perfect timing! Let's check out Zhaan below!
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Muppet Babies - PIGGY & SUMMER!
The original Muppet Babies cartoon was a constant presence in my childhood. In fact, it was one of those shows that I watched well into young adulthood purely out of habit. It was this random show that my siblings and I all found non-offensive and silly. I just learned that it ran from 1984 through 1991 with eight seasons and 107 episodes. The original Muppet Show only had 120 episodes, and Muppet Babies surprisingly almost matched that run. Who would have guessed that the mature sardonic humor of the primetime Muppets would translate so well into an imaginative children's cartoon. I was really excited when the property was being rebooted back in 2018. I knew I would likely never watch this show, but I love that a new generation of kids (and, hey, teenagers too) might be exposed to the same joys I was able to experience. In true Disney Junior fashion, a line of action figures hit the stores. I was intrigued to see the new character, Summer Penguin, along with Piggy. Let's check them out below!
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - DEET & AUGRHA!
Few things in pop culture get me quite as excited as The Dark Crystal. Back in 2016 when Funko released a slew of retail products and exclusives, I was in collector heaven. I never expected this iconic movie from my youth to get this kind of love from a modern toy company, and I couldn't have asked for more. But then the Netflix prequel series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was announced, along with even more action figures and Pops, and suddenly I realized my well-of-want could go a lot deeper. This first assortment of action figures is amazing, but the show was so vast that I want several more waves of toys at the very least. Hell, only two of the three main heroes are included, so at the bare minimum we need a Brea from the the Vapra Clan. But of course my actual (impossible) wishlist is dozens of characters long. Plus if we get another season, I will be completely insatiable. I can't wait to see what comes down the line in the next few years. Let's check out Aughra, Deet, and the rest of Wave One below!
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Funko ReAction - The Dark Crystal AUGHRA & KIRA!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I had a very busy and festive Christmas/New Year's season including two separate houseguests staying with me and filling the whole time in-between. One thing I did manage to achieve in that time though was getting my toy room completely in order before a home reappraisal inspection a few days ago. It feels really good to be so organized. But now I have a lot of backed-up posts to write. I probably won't get to to my 2016 year-end review for months at this rate! This retail wave of Funko's Dark Crystal ReAction series is perfect. They are pretty much the exact toys I've been fantasizing about for decades. I really hope that Super7 continues this momentum with the Henson brands. I would love some podlings, urSkeks, more Mystics and Skeksis, and of course a Build-a-Figure Orrery. There is almost endless potential. But in the meantime, this current roster is extremely satisfying. Let's check out Kira, Aughra, and all the rest of the inhabitants of Thra below!
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Funko ReAction - The Dark Crystal's KIRA (WINGED)!
The Dark Crystal is my favorite fantasy movie of all time. The story is spooky, insightful, and classic. As a kid it frightened and intrigued me, and as an adult the puppeteering details and production quality amaze me. When I started collecting toys, I knew without a doubt my collection would be incomplete without the world of Thra on my shelves. That's when I learned the sad merchandise history: a cancelled toyline, rare miniature pewters, and a slew of awesome but pricey statues. When ReAction first announced they were releasing the 1979 Alien prototypes, my first thought was "Oh my God we're going to get the cancelled Dark Crystal figures!" Three years later I'm actually holding the first couple figures. And although they are not the actual old Aviva molds, they are a thousand times better. The detail and love put into these is undeniable. The first two box sets were exclusives from SDCC & NYCC this year, but the rest of the gang will start showing up in stores next week. Let's check out Kira below!
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