Ah, February is Toy Fair month and no matter how long you have been at this, it is still a very exciting time. This year promises to be one of the best shows yet thanks to a bounty of teased and promised offerings from the usual suspects. Hasbro, Mattel, NECA, Lego, Diamond, Bandai, and many others are going to hit us with all kinds of goodness, I just know it. However, longtime pop-culture product purveyors Funko are teasing us with their first real foray into the action figure realm. Yep, they make some awesome bobble heads and vinyl, but they have been teasing “Star Wars The Black Series-esque” 6-inch super-posable figures will be unleashed in New York in a couple of weeks. What is more, they have also hinted that Gentle Giant is handling at least some of the work. Even MORE, they have confirmed figures from The Fantastic Mr. Fox and have strongly hinted at figures from Firefly/Serenity and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And Game of Thrones. GAME. OF. THRONES. That last one is in my top three most-wanted action figure properties, and if they get me my Tywin Lannister and Robb and Ned Stark figures, I will be eternally grateful.
So, in due Fwoosh fashion, I am going to get waaaaay ahead of myself and start a small semi-wish list. This Top Five is just some personal daydreaming, but, even still, it doesn’t include the rumored properties, or even all of my most-wanted licenses. These picks kind of fit in the vein of what is already hinted at, coupled with some properties Funko already has produced. So here they are:
5. Wes Anderson Universe
Oh, an oddball to start the list? Yeah, kind of, but hear me out on this one. We already know we are getting Fantastic Mr. Fox figures (holy crap!), so there could be a “in” as far as a working relationship goes. Plus, if you look at Anderson’s filmography, there are actually a ton of characters that would make for some really fun toys. A good population of those would be little plastic Bill Murray figures — can you imagine? Yes, I want a Herman Blume in a suit (with a “Budweiser” swimming trunks variant), and, of course, about 5-6 different iterations of Steve Zissou, but he would just be the start. Give me Dignan, Anthony, and Bob Mapplethorpe in yellow jumpsuits (with the villainous Future Man to taunt them), all of the Tenenbaum family and the Belafonte, too. Max Fischer? Hell yes. I know, you don’t automatically go “Wes Anderson” when you consider toy-etic movie properties, but if you think about it, there is a lot of opportunity and Anderson has a LOT of fans.
4. The Hobbit
Yeah, I know – this is probably not going to happen, especially since the license to these movies/books is currently held by another company, but the current outlook for those figures is bleak, especially for the 1/12 scale that Legacy will occupy. I am a huge fan of the old ToyBiz Lord of the Rings figures, and, damn it, I want the entire Hobbit universe to go with them. Heck, even if Funko would be willing go back and mine the Lord of the Rings movies for new figures too, I would be down with that. It seems as though the mass market isn’t being overly supportive of Hobbit figures right now, but I am willing to bet that if a collector focus was initiated, Bilbo and ALL OF THE DWARVES would be wildly popular among the fans.
3. Mad Max
Wow, like, we have never seen collector-grade figures form the Mad Max franchise. The popular post-apocalyptic trilogy from Australian director George Miller has been geek-chic pretty much from its inception, so you just KNOW the fan base is already in place. Plus, the designs from the original three movies are so toy-etic it hurts. Can you imagine? Master and Blaster? The Gyro Captain and the Humungus? Max and Auntie Entity? That would make for a pretty cool display. Plus, the franchise is getting a reboot (by Miller), so the opportunity for, ahem, MAXimum exposure is there, and toys for the new cast (lead by Tom Hardy) will most certainly be required.
2. Big Trouble in Little China
Okay, I am not kidding around here. I want GOOD Big Trouble in Little China figures because I absolutely love Jack Burton and the entire crazy cadre of characters from this quirky and awesome John Carpenter opus. Yes, I know that the now-defucnt N2 Toys made some soft-sculpted plastic statues they passed off as “action figures” several years back (same as above), but I have not met a toy fan yet that found satisfaction for Big Trouble in Little China in that line. Even so, those substandard figures still go for pretty big bucks on eBay, so the demand is there. Oh lord, the line would be worth it for the Three Storms alone! Jack Burton needs to be immortalized the right way and damned quick. This property is still wildly popular, so I know it would be an absolute out-of-the-gate success.
1. Disney
Okay, I know the rumored lines list contains mostly live action movies and television shows, but you know what? I think Legacy has the potential to be pretty all-encompassing. So, if we are going to get into animated properties, Funko might as well go for the big game trophy because it is a shame that there has never been good action figures of CLASSIC Disney characters. I am talking Micky Mouse in his iconic duds with plenty of articulation. Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Huey, Dewey, Louie, ALL of the classic Disney characters are due their plastic justice, and, while I know Disney is expensive, this could be a company-defining line. Funko obviously has a relationship with Disney already, so why not? I have wanted these guys almost my entire life and there is no time like the present.
So that is my list. It is a little off-kilter in places, and while it doesn’t include all of my favorite properties still without good toys, I tried to pick stuff that fits in with what Funko has rumored already and with licensors with whom they already have a relationship. Honorable mentions could go on forever, but the General Mills Cereal Monsters, Mega Man, Thunder Cats, Monster Squad, Goonies, and countless others would certainly be included. No matter what, though, Funko is the company that I am most excited to visit at Toy Fair in a couple of weeks, and I have very high hopes for both their Legacy and Re-Action lines. We will talk about this again with a new vision later this month. So exciting!
What are YOUR picks? See you in NYC!
