Imaginext Blind Bagged Series 3 WITH CODES!

Toyriffic reader Aleksandur contacted me last week to let me know he found the Imaginext Series 3 Blind Bagged figures at a Target in Pasadena California, had bought the whole wave, and had cracked the code (so you don't have to!)

On the back left top of the packages, there is a number embossed in the packaging. Catch the light just right and you can read it to see what you will get without having to resort to the oh-so-embarrassing 'squeeze method'!

   34 - Gill-Man/Creature from the Black Lagoon
   35 - Zombie
   36 - Guy with fur hat and swords(Cossack?)
   37 - Skateboarder
   38 - Punk Rock Guitarist
   39 - Vampire/Dracula
   40 - Hazmat Suit Guy/Walter White
   41 - Bomb Squad Guy

 Aleksandur also sent along these pics!

Before I was able to make this post, I found the wave at Target while out shopping with my sister and nephew. Thanks to Aleksandur's codes, my nephew and I were able to find just what we wanted. Thanks to my sister, I didn't even need to pay for them! Sometimes having an older sister has it's advantages.

Below are the ones I grabbed:

Bomb Technician ala 'Hurt Locker.' What a crazy figure! Imaginext pretty much steers clear of military themes, and while this guy could be working for the police department, his green costume is far more military looking than policeman blue. This guy comes with a robot for dis-arming bombs, and it even pops into a peg on his back, making him top heavy but a neat feature for carrying his robot around when not in use.

 My next 'must have' was this figure clearly inspired by the Creature from the Black Lagoon. His helmet even has modled 'bubbles' so it appears his dome is full of water! Brilliant!

 Without his helmet he is a pretty fair representation of The Creature, without crossing any copyright lines.

"Eeeeevvvviiillllllll!"

Probably the craziest figure in the history of Imaginext is this guy in Hazmat suit who is undeniably inspired by...

MethMaster Walter White from 'Breaking Bad.' An incredibly inappropriate character for a line aimed at kids aged 3 to 8, which means it's exactly the kind of thing I had to own!

And speaking of things inappropriate for pre-schoolers...

There was some speculation as to why a zombie would wear a one-eye-hole sack over his head and carry a weed-whacker. Then someone over at AFI pointed out that in the Friday the 13th film series, Jason Vorhees not only wore a single-eye-hole sack over his head before his Stanley Cup fandom began, but he also used a weed-whacker at one point to kill some hapless victim who shouldn't have 'gone in there' in the first place.

Without the sack...well, it's a zombie. Which is incredibly cool. But the Friday the 13th inspirations push him right over the top!

This stuff is insane! I hope the Imaginext designers continue to push the limits as the blind bagged series continues!

Imaginext Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy action figures!

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy!

I have never been secretive in my dislike for Spongebob Squarepants. The cartoon is ok I suppose, and the character designs are cute. But THAT VOICE! Good lord it's so grating.

But one thing I have always loved about the show (or should I say two things) are Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Parodying not only the most obvious pair Aquaman and Aqualad, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are also homages to Batman and Robin (in the form of television's Adam West and Burt Ward) and maybe even The Skipper and Gilligan. With a tiny bit of 'Little Mermaid' thrown in.

Voiced in the show by the not-at-all-grating Ernest Borgnine (Rest in Peace) and Tim Conway, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are retired superheroes in the undersea world of Bikini Bottom.

The Imaginext Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy action figures are a Toys R Us exclusive, and have just recently started appearing on their shelves.

These guys are wonderfully designed, fitting right into the Imaginext aesthetic while representing their cartoon designs almost perfectly.

Mermaid Man has swivel jointed shoulders and his legs swing forward in unison. About as much articulation as you can expect from an old dude like him!

Barnacle Boy has the same articulation as Mermaid Man. His head might turn, but I'm not going to force it.

Mermaid Man comes with his Mermerang...

...and Barnacle Boy comes with his Water Ball.

I absolutely adore these two figures, as much for their association with Aquaman as with their association with Adam West and Burt Ward. They are conceptually wonderful and hilariously designed. Even if you aren't a fan of Spongebob, you owe it to yourself to track these guys down. 

'...part of your wooooorlllld!'

League of Extraordinary Bloggers :: Hake's Auction #212

This week's LOEB assignment: 'Hake's Auction #212.'

Hake’s Americana & Collectibles kicked off their latest auction (#212) on Tuesday, June 24.  And as usual, it is chock-full of extraordinary stuff that you can either bid on or keep your relationship with your wife in good standing!

Fortunately for LOEB members (and yes, YOU, if you want to become a League of Extraordinary Bloggers member) Hake’s will select one participating blog from this assignment to WIN $100 to use in this or a future auction!

So...what would I buy if I won, or if I had some extra cash just lying around?

Let's start with this tin, battery-operated Batmobile. As if the bat-symbol weren't enough to delineate this from your standard candy-apple red fifties Ford, Batman painted 'Batman' on the hood and door. Oh wait, did I say 'candy-apple red'? Yeah, this thing isn't very 'Batman-y.' I suppose it is a good thing Batman wrote 'Batman' on it after all!

Now THIS is more like it. Pretty much the pinnacle of '66 Batmobile toys, this is one clean looking Corgi Batmobile! I have one of these in pretty rough shape, so it would be nice to have a shiny clean one!

Speaking of pinnacles:

This Ideal Batcave Playset is one of my Holy Grails. I don't know what world the Batcave is labeled as 'Sanctuary', but it's a world I want to play in!

Oooh, or how about this Lily Ledy Batmobile! It's crank powered. CRANK POWERED!

Oh man, I would LOVE to own this sixties Japanese vinyl Batman. He looks like something Grant Morrison would dig up. Remember that time Batman borrowed Superman's underwear, boots and cape. ME NEITHER! but I love him anyways.

Sometimes the basic toys are the best. This Wader Batmobile is as simple as they get, yet still massively appealing (and way more expensive than I could ever justify!) It sure would look good in my Batmobile collection, though!

Sensing a theme here? Well stop it. Because I'd also love to own...

'Wings spread open' snicker-snicker

A mint on card Sorceress from the original Masters of the Universe line! I actually came really close to getting one of these for super cheap at a flea market once, but someone beat me to her. I can't complain, because I did come away with a Wonderbread He-Man, but still, the Sorceress continues to elude me to this day, and I'd just love to have her in my collection. And I promise you, I'd tear that card right open!

Well, that's my pile. Ok, I admit...I'd take anything and everything from Hake’s Americana & Collectibles auction #212 if I could. But these few items are some of my favorites and would fill some long outstanding holes in my collection.

Nerdy Life of Mine would buy some space stuff. From spaaaaace!
The Toy Box likes posters and comics and Hotwheels. From spaaaace!
And Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool already won once. From spaaaace!

Don't forget YOU can become a League of Extraordinary Bloggers member and may be selected by Hake's to WIN $100 to use in this or a future auction!

Toys That Suck: Bootleg LEGO Superheroes

Since getting my hands on a bootleg LEGO Batgirl, I became curious as to what other bootleg LEGO superheroes are out there floating across the sea from China.

And what did I discover? The short answer: There are a lot of them. There are bootleg Superheroes and bootleg Simpsons (in sets with Lord of the Rings builds - those are pretty surreal!) and bootleg Ninjago and bootleg Chima and bootleg characters LEGO hasn't even made (like Punisher, Stargirl, Winter Soldier...the list goes on and on).

What's more, they can be found for incredibly cheap. Like, less than a buck each cheap. With free shipping. From China! (Don't ask me how you can ship from China for free when it costs nine bucks to send something across town! But it involves some sort of agreement with China and the USPS to encourage more eCommerce. And, apparently, copyright infringement.)

Another thing I discovered is that their quality varies from almost-as-good-as-the-real-thing to...well...this atrocity right here:

GAH! Get a load of Derperine over on the top right. And Captain Elaphantiasis on the bottom row. Not to mention Green Lanturd and Spider-Knees.

Not sure if these large head pieces are 'helmets' of sorts, that go over a regular sized LEGO minifigure style head (ala the official Iron-Man LEGO minifigures which the pictured Iron-Men are clear ripoffs).

And honestly, I'm not sure I want to know.

Via AliExpress

Teddy Ruxpin's Caterpillar pal Grubby

Teddy Ruxpin was a 1980s phenomenon. The animatronic cassette-playing bear that read books and sang to kids was a massive hit, sparking a marketing juggernaut that even included a Saturday morning cartoon.

Everyone remembers Teddy Ruxpin, but do you remember his caterpillar pal Grubby?

For some odd reason, I do remember Grubby. Probably because of the commercials and the cartoon, because I watched cartoons then and still watch cartoons to this day - you can never be to old to watch cartoons. NEVER!

When T.R. hit the scene I was too old, however, to own a Teddy Ruxpin. But I do have a little sister who was the prime target age range. She did not end up with a Teddy Ruxpin, but did get a talking Pound Puppy named 'Cooler' that did the exact same animatronic schtick Teddy Ruxpin and Grubby did.  She was WAY into Pound Puppies. In fact, I think that Cooler is still around at my parents' house, I should track down a cassette and do a video of him singing someday. I can tell you that hours of hilarity ensued when I would put in my Weird Al cassettes back in the day!

Anyways, I found this little articulated Grubby action figure at the flea market a couple weeks ago and of course I immediately recognized him for the cute little 80s also-ran he is.

Mixed in with a basket of random McDonalds toys and other cheap junk, the seller only wanted a quarter for him. I couldn't resist, and bought him for my intern. He is dated 1985, 1986 on the base of one foot and copyright Alchemy II Inc.

Hey, I count two extra feet! INTERN, get out of the shot!

LEGO Conan and Xena Minifigures

Xena: Warrior Princess and Conan the Barbarian LEGO minifigures. Two great LEGO minifigures that taste great together! Well, they LOOK great together. They taste the same as any LEGO piece, give or take.

'Xena' is from the LEGO blind bag minifigures series 10 and 'Conan' is from the LEGO blind bag minifigures series 11.

Of course neither of these minifigures are officially deigned Xena or Conan, but no one is fooled. Their inspirations are undeniable!

Harley Qwednesday :: Arkham Knight Harley Quinn Cosplay

Get an eye-full of this Arkham Knight inspired Harley Quinn cosplay by Aridyabolika on deviantArt.

Images of Harley Quinn in the forthcoming Arkham Knight video game hasn't been around for long, but it's no surprise that it is already inspiring some great looking cosplay.

The off kilter police hat really adds a playful flair to this latest characterization of Harley Quinn, and has clearly inspired the cosplayer Arydiabolika in these pics from her deviantArt page.

No officer, I did not see that 'Stop' sign back there.

Smile for the security camera!

Harley Quinn isn't just an American phenomenon either: Cosplayer Arianna Contreras (Aridyabolika on deviantArt.) is from Italy!
 

Molto bello!

Does this count as police brutality?

Great Arkham Knight Harley Quinn cosplay, Arianna! You really made our Harley Qwednesday!

See more pics at http://arydiabolika.deviantart.com/

Evil Dr. Porkchop's Spaceship by Imaginext

In space, no one can hear you squeal like a pig.

One of the best moments in Toy Story 3 is when Hamm (as The Evil Dr. Porkchop) hovers on to the scene in his piggy bank shaped spaceship. I have known of this Imaginext version of 'The Evil Dr. Porkchop's Spaceship' made by Fisher-Price for a while now, and have always thought it was extremely awesome. But, not collecting Toy Story stuff, I could never justify picking it up.

But when I saw it at the local thrift store for $2 I couldn't pass on it! I was caught in it's tractor-beam and sucked into it's space-bacony goodness.

KHHHHAAAAAAANNNNNN I help you?

When I picked it up, something in the cockpit rattled. It's Dr. Porkchop himself!

That's one small step for pickled pig's feet...

 

This spaceship originally came with this Hamm in bowler hat, as well as an Imaginext Buzz Lightyear and a barrel/bomb. Unfortunately the bomb and Buzz are missing, but finding the ship with Dr. Porkchop included - for $2 - more than makes up for the other missing bits.

I made the Kessel Run in less than 12 pork-secs.

This thing is pretty rad. I think I might bring it to work to  keep as desk-art and to brighten my day every time I look at it. I mean seriously: a pig shaped spaceship - what's not to love?

Save me, George Clooney!

Bonus: Any standard sized Imaginext figure will fit in the cockpit. I might have Batman piloting this thing on my desk at work.

Piiiigs iiiiin Spaaaaccceeeeee!!!!!!!

Bootleg LEGO Batgirl :: ShengYuan Herd Series

I've seen the recent spate of bootleg LEGO superhero minifgures all over the internet over the past few months, usually from bloggers in the orient, or for sale on eBay from Chinese sellers. And while some of them have been tempting, I am hesitant to buy bootleg anything without seeing them in person, since bootlegging isn't an industry that is always known for it's quality control.

Well, the bootlegs have started popping up at my local flea market, and I have been able to assess their quality in person. Most of them are of a low quality and aren't even worth their weight in 'novelty factor,' but this Batgirl, and the series she comes from, are surprisingly nice, good quality minifigures!

The minifigure on the left is the bootleg, and the one on the right is the official LEGO Batgirl minifigure. As you can see, the bootleg has a unique cowl - part of the reason I bought her even though I have the official figure -  but more on that later.

I honestly don't know how to define this bootleg. The base she comes with says 'ShengYuan Herd Series' - I don't know if that means anything in a foreign language or if that's some misinterpretation of English, but I'll call her that until someone corrects me in the comments.

Anyways, unlike other, cheaper bootleg LEGO minifigures, ShengYuan Herd Series minifigures come in a nice quality full-color box. This is already retail quality here, no flimsy cardboard or cheap-o graphics.

As I stated earlier, part of the appeal of Batgirl was her unique cowl. I like the fact that the ShengYuan Herd Series has not only directly ripped off LEGO in their character selection, but they have also come up with some parts (and whole figures) that LEGO did not previous release. I am glad to give LEGO my money, and would never buy one of these figures in place of a LEGO minifigure, but to get something unique - yeah, I can handle that.

What makes Batgirl's cowl unique is the prominent proboscis...

...and the flatter hair. You can also see some excess plastic on the cowl and hair - this is something you would never see on an official LEGO minifigure!

By comparison, the official LEGO Batgirl's hair is much more well defined. And as you can see in the first picture, her nose is much more subtly defined. The ears are also longer/pointier on ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl. These differences help to make ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl not merely a straight-across rip-off, but a unique figure in her own right.

Not only is the quality of the ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl on par with LEGO, but you get a nice base and a mini-build of relatively random pieces, but also a batarang and a gem.

Other figures also include accessories and bases.

ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl also has a different face than LEGO Batgirl, and only on one side (LEGO Batgirl has a happy face and an angry face.)

The cape is of much lower quality than LEGO capes - and a few minutes of play begin to wear heavily on it. The cowl is super-tight - in fact, I doubt I'll ever get her head out of there again! Which kind of pisses me off because I didn't line it up perfectly. D'OH!

But beyond that, you would have a hard time telling the difference - in fact, you probably couldn't. The body paint apps are the same - ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl's are actually brighter...

...and both are painted on the backs, too!

Finally, all the ShengYuan Herd Series minifigures come with a couple cards.

I got Batman and Robin - not sure if there's a variety, or if this is all you can get. The 'stats' look like they should be part of some sort of card game. But look closely - Batman and Robin's stats are exactly the same! MAYBE that's just because this is Damian Wayne Robin - but I doubt it.

ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl isn't perfect, but she's a great novelty and a good quality toy, and for the price of equivalent LEGO I don't feel ripped off at all. Beware lower quality bootlegs, there is some real crap out there, but I do recommend the ShengYuan Herd Series if you have access to them at a fair price.

Lastly, I can understand that there may be no recourse for LEGO to go after these manufacturers, as they in no way state 'LEGO', but DC (and Marvel etc) MUST be peeved that these are being made and their copyrights are all over them, and there's no money coming in to them. Regardless, I will probably pick up a few more unique minifigures if I continue to find them in the future!