Nananananananana Lava-Man!

If you're a child of the eighties and were into the sword and sorcery theme of the time (and if you were a red blooded American and not some sort of pinko commie) then you've probably heard of Arco's Other World toyline.

Other World was a weird bendy/action figure toyline with heroes, villains and steeds that also boasted glow-in-the-dark weapons and accessories. The GITD weapons were the bomb-diggity and really set the Other World toyline apart from other toys of the time.

This guy is Lava-Man (or is it Lava Man, or perhaps Morty Lavaman of the Long Island Lavamans?) And...yeah, that's all that I or probably anyone knows about Lava-Man.

Other World was a cheap knock-off/rip-off of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe but they had GLOW IN THE DARK WEAPONS (and...bendy-ness...yay?) but I loved them, and you probably did too.

Sadly I didn't hold on to my childhood Other Worlders (oh Froggacuda, I hardly knew ye). The only other Other World toy I currently own is Gaifand who, like Lava-Man, I found at the flea market. These things just don't pop up much at all on my toy hunts.

derp

I'd love to gather together a few more Other World figures, especially that one dude and the red dude and maybe the green dude (yeah, I don't remember their names and am lazy so I won't look them up right now) and FROGGACUDA! Oh man, that Froggacuda was pretty great. He was a frog, crossed with a umm, well, person, and I don't know, some sharp teeth so BARRACUDA!

I'm pretty sure the first draft of Heart's hit was originally titled Froggacuda but Nancy Wilson knew your feeble minds just couldn't take it. So Anne suggested 'Barracuda' instead and the rest is rock and roll history.

Bendy Harley Quinn by NJ Croce :: Harley Qwednesday

After receiving the 66 Batman Bendy set by NJ Croce for Christmas last year, I started paying a little closer attention to the company and their bendable bat related offerings. I was overjoyed when I discovered the next series in their Batman themed collection was The New Batman Adventures, and even MORE excited to learn Harley Quinn was part of the first wave of figures available in the series!

Knowing how much we love Harley Quinn here at Toyriffic, NJ Croce was kind enough to send us a sample bendy Harley Quinn figure, and she's absolutely retro-gorgeous on card.

It's a shame I had to open her for this review. The card is nice heavy stock and is reminiscent of the Kenner action figures released when The New Batman Adventures was on air in the late nineties, and the black and red colors perfectly compliment Harley Quinn's costume.

The cardback is equally beautiful. Simple but effective, it includes a brief character bio along with images of all the characters available in this series. Notice how Harley makes an appearance in wave one, and the Joker doesn't! Mr. J isn't going to be happy about that! In fact, Harley is the ONLy villain in series 1. That's pretty incredible and quite a testament to the girl's popularity.

Thankfully we do get the teaser 'stay tuned for more' which has me excited for more villains to come. Obviously we'll probably see The Joker next, and Poison Ivy and Catwoman are both shoe-ins for early inclusion, but if anyone is asking my opinion I say a bendy Clayface would be pretty darn great.

The Harley Quinn figure is a bendy-beautiful representation of her Bruce Timm animated design. Of course the cartoon designs are very simplified so they aren't difficult to translate into this rubbery format, but it is nice to see the costume components, color transition lines and diamond elements sculpted and not simply painted on/color transitions.

I have to say it feels odd (in a good way) to get this figure new in 2015. I know Harley is at the height of her popularity these days, but most of the toys bearing her grinning visage are either completely different takes on her classic costume or are stylized in some fashion, or both (ie Funko POPs). Even figures like the Imaginext Harley Quinn, while wearing her iconic costume, are stylized to represent that toyline's running design aesthetic.

This figure, so perfectly representing Harley's TNBA appearances, as well as the retro packaging, seem like something that should have been hanging around on toystore shelves back in 1997.

Her thin limbs allow her to bend nicely. If I had the bendy TNBA (or the inevitable bendy TNBA Joker for that matter) I might be tempted to wrap Harley around them in a death (or love) grip accordingly.

The New Batman Adventure single carded bendy figures available now are Batman, Robin, Harley Quinn, and Batgirl. Available as part of a five figure set are Alfred and Commissioner Gordon (along with Batman, Robin, and Batgirl). Order online or look for these at your favorite novelty toy store.

"Later skaters!"

Batman Bendable Figures by NJCroce

This set of '66 Television Batman Bendable Figures came to me this past Christmas. It's the perfect set for me and my intern to play with together - in fact, right after this photo shoot they were all riding around on Dumbo, looking for Dumbo's mom. Sounds like a Grant Morrison story.

All the figures are pretty good representations of the actors they portray, especially considering the fact that they are soft rubber bendies.

The paint applications are basic, but Batman and Robin do have nice cloth capes. These guys feel pretty sturdy for rubber bendies, I think they will withstand a lot of intern-time.

Joker and Penguin have thicker upper legs due to their coattails, so their legs don't have as much bendy motion as the others.

But that doesn't make these guys any less fun. They are what they are, you pretty much know what to expect if you've ever had a bendy figure in your life.

Bendy figures were a part of my youth as much as little green army men and die cast cars and regular action figures. Not sure when they fell out of favor but you don't really see much of them much these days.

So it's fun to see them again, and to see them representing characters (or versions of characters) that represent the timeframe of the bendy renaissance. Well, I can't speak for 1966, but the Batman tv show was certainly a part of 70s and 80s childhoods, at least in reruns.

All of these characters are also sold as singles, in case you aren't in the market for the whole quintet.

And so far this is everyone from the '66 TV show in bendy form. Which is a shame, as I really think they need Batgirl's help! Three villains and two heroes? That's just not fair.

Plus: Batman and Robin are way too chivalrous to punch Catwoman.

I don't know if you can find these guys at basic retail, but I have seen them at local novelty shops. You know, those stores that sell, well, stuff like bendy figures.

'Wah wah wah wah waaaaaah!'

The best things in life are free

And I submit as proof this Arco Other World two headed dragon 'Gaifand.'

I found this guy at the swap meet yesterday in a pile of non toy, totally unrelated stuff. I immediately knew what he was, and the 'Arco' and '1982' on his belly confirmed it. Wow! Other World stuff doesn't pop up all the time, especially in good condition. I of course had to have him. When I asked how much the guy said 'free.' Aw yeah!

Other World was an early eighties fantasy toy series of cheapish bendy toys, many of whom came with glow in the dark weapons. I had a few (namely the epic Froggacuda - BTW if anyone wants to trade this Gaifand for their Froggacuda I'd be willing to talk!) and I thought they were awesome!

Gaifand is supposed to have a saddle, but mine is missing. He's still a beautiful example with little play wear and all his bendy parts still bendable.

And the price was right, too!