Ok, so like everyone else, I’ve seen the new Star Trek movie and absolutely love it. Because of this, I’ve been thinking a lot about Star Trek and it’s place in my childhood, as well as how I’m in danger of becoming a Trekkie now. My dad was a big ST fan, but we only ever had the movies around the house. I remember watching the shows occasionally, but my memories of Kirk and Spock will always be from the films, especially The Voyage Home.

Read More

Action figures based on bad movies of the 90s seems to be a recurring theme in my nostalgia. Some of my favorite toy lines growing up came from films like Super Mario Bros, Last Action Hero, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and last but not least, Dick Tracy.

Dick Tracy has been around in one form or another for almost 80 years, but in 1990 Warren Beatty decided to make a film version of the pulp icon, and pretty much buried the character.

This isn’t a movie review, so bring on the movie tie-ins! Like most big Hollywood event films (especially those adapted from cartoons or comics) Dick Tracy had a toy line, apptly titled Dick Tracy: Coppers and Gangsters. The figures had the classic 90s Playmates stocky look to them, and came with awesome accessories. Check out a commercial and lots more after the jump.

Read More

I don’t really know why I took a picture of the 25th Anniversary Leonardo next to my
Obama action figure, but thats not important. The important thing is that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turn 25 this year, and we all need to spend lots of money on them so they will hang still be around for a few more years. It would be pretty cool to be “writing” about the 50th Anniversary of the TMNT in 2034 on my new iBrain chip, or watching new TMNT movies in glorious HD Holovision.

Anyway, what better way to celebrate the toys of your past then duplicating them exactly and charging $8.99 for them? If I had kids, I’d be living vicariously through them and forcing them to play with these instead of Pokemon or Big 10 or whatever it is that kids play with these days.

So anyway, I bought a Leonardo, took it home, and got out 80s Michelangelo in the box to compare. The boxes are pretty similar, except with the new ones they didn’t want to print cards specific to the figures, so they just made one generic card. This means the back does not have an ID card for the character, which was always my favorite part of the packaging. Another thing its missing is Pizza Points. NO PIZZA POINTS? WTF?

Read More

I swear that I’ve always said there should be a Death Star Beach Ball (DSBB). Well, now there is, and I’m not going to make a dime from it. I’m not terribly disappointed though, because I can still buy it and hang it from the ceiling in my office to ward off intruders.

They’re also coming out with some sweet pool toys and, to quote Bones from Monster House, awesome kites. Hurry up summer, I can’t wait to get made fun of at the park.

Read More

Hasbro’s cutesy action figures. You know you love them, you know you want them all over your desk, mingling across franchises like the characters have known each other since they were cute little babies with giant hands. You love seeing Optimus Prime battling that big, bald, Nazi Mechanic guy from Indiana Jones while Cobra Commander and Chewbacca wait for round two. There’s just something about the little buggers.

They may have started with Star Wars, but one of my favorite lines is the Marvel Super Hero Squad. They’ve been around for a while, but they’re about to burst into every nook and cranny of kids culture this year with the release of a series on Cartoon Network and even an upcoming MMO.

Read More