“This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors die of fright
It’s our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween”
— A Nightmare Before Christmas
At a glance, their packaging looks to be the same across the board, much like how Funko handled the Back to the Future ReAction figures, but it you pause and actually look at them for a second, you’ll see there are character-specific graphics on each card. Every figure is juxtaposed with their on-screen counterpart, which is actually a strong selling point for these figures because it’s plain to see just how faithful an adaptation these figures are, Kenner-style or not. Each and every one captures the likeness of their respective characters perfectly. They really do!
Barrel and Scary Teddy
I initially had no plans to pick up any of the figures from this line because, while I have always enjoyed the movie, I have always feared the “rabbit hole” that is Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. But then I saw Barrel and I caved instantly. Oogie Boogie’s little crew of trick-or-treaters has always been one of my favorite aspects of the movie, and Barrel was always the standout simply because of his mask. It’s such a crappy attempt at a skeleton costume — especially considering he looks way creepier without it — that it’s as endearing as can be. The removable mask sold me on the figure, and the basic five points of articulation work well here because in the movie he really didn’t move much more than this configuration allows.
His accessory, Scary Teddy, is pure awesome too. He’s a static little figure that doesn’t move at all, but he looks great when posed with Barrel. He sort of adds value to the price tag as well since Barrel is a good deal smaller than the rest of the assortment.
Now that we have Barrel, we NEED Lock and Stock to accompany him. Please, Funko — don’t leave us hanging like this! One or two more waves, please!
Behemoth
The Behemoth is another favorite from the movie because of that face! And the Ax! The ax kills me every time I look at it. Also, when he blurted out “Bunny!” I’ve been quoting that line for more than 20 years now, every single time I see a rabbit. Again, the likeness here is spot-on. The only thing Funko could maybe have done differently is adding a bit of weathering to make him even more faithful, especially around his stitches, but since that has never been part of the Kenner approach, I suppose this is actually perfect considering the format. Still, I may dirty him up a bit.
He comes with a small red nutcracker, which is his only accessory. The ax in his head is not removable, so the nutcracker does end up being his only accessory.
I had some trouble getting his legs to move, but since they’re attached via a “v-crotch,” I can’t see my using that articulation point very often. I’ll probably just have him posed on the shelf pointing at things.
Jack Skellington
Jack is the main man, of course, and the one most collectors will target first when building their collections. There are actually three variants, not including the SDCC version, that have been released, but unfortunately I have only been able to track down the two pictured here: the evil grin and the surprised face. The third is the one pictured on the back of the card — a calm, neutral expression. I have the SDCC figure and that’s close enough, but I would like the third version eventually just for completion’s sake.
*UPDATE* I did manage to find the third variant right before publication, so all three retail variants are now included here:
Jack’s head sculpts are excellent, as his his general body sculpt, but it doesn’t quite convey just how insanely lanky he’s supposed to be. That’s one of the limitations here, I suppose. He should, of course, be much taller and much skinnier, but Funko did a good job with the size restrictions of this format. When viewed on his own, Jack does look awesome, but when posed in the group, he looks a bit short — that’s really my only crit. It’s a bummer that the main character isn’t as perfectly rendered as the rest of the cast, but it’s still a good figure regardless.
Jack comes with two accessories: his ledger and a jack-o-lantern with a ghost emerging from its mouth. The latter is a curious accessory since it appears very briefly at the start of the movie and has no direct connection to Jack, but it’s still cool to get it.
I know a lot of people are going to wonder why Zero, Jack’s faithful dog, wasn’t included. Well, Zero was part of the SDCC exclusive set, so if you want Zero, and of course you do, eBay is your best bet, unfortunately.
Sally
In a wave of exceptionally well-done figures, Sally is exceptionally well done. Her sculpt is darn near perfect, with the exception of her skirt, but, again, it’s done in the style of this type of figure, so it’s not a miss or a mistake or anything. And it’s done much more effectively than the Bride of Frankenstein’s gown was because her legs actually stay together somewhat. (That’s bad taken out of context. Yikes.) Funko nailed her colors and her sculpt — and her accessories. She comes with the spoon she used to “sip” her poison soup, and she also comes with the basket she gave Jack as a gift.
Sally looks great. Now, if her arm were detachable, or if she could come apart like Kenner’s C-3P0 from Return of the Jedi, then that would have been insanely awesome, but she’s still a rock-solid offering even if she can only be posed all in one piece.
The Mayor
I’m pleased with every single figure in this line, but the Mayor, more so than anyone else, looks as though he stepped right out of the movie. His body shape is perfect, and Funko even found a way to articulate his little, stubby legs. They actually do move! Not a ton, but they do. The character’s signature gimmick is also recreated here — his head can spin from calm, optimistic Mayor to stressed-out and panicked Mayor. Both faces looks perfect.
The Mayor comes with two signature accessories: his horn and his collection of plans for next Halloween. Barrel may be my favorite from the wave, but the Mayor is a darn close second.
Devil
This is the only figure included in the wave to have me scratching my head. All the others are main characters, to varying degrees, but the Devil had such a minor part (if memory serves, that is) that I’m surprised to see him here. Don’t get me wrong — I love seeing minor characters released in any line, but he’d be near the bottom of my own personal wish list. He’s still a well-done and worthy entry in this assortment, of course, but I nearly skipped him because I have little connection to the character. I picked him up only for the sake of completion.
Be careful with his arms when posing. Mine were extremely gummy, so I had to try using heat and cold to try to free them up. I got his right arm moving, but his left is still stuck. They’re so thin that I’m afraid they’ll tear, so I’m going to let that left arm be.
Overall, this is a fantastic wave of figures Funko has produced, and because of the property, they really don’t feel like “retro” figures at all. The property lends itself so well to this format that it just feels like a wave of Nightmare Before Christmas figures rather than a wave of Nightmare Before Christmas figures that are part of a gimmick.
I hope-hope-hope more is planned for this line because I want the entire movie cast to add to my shelf. I wholeheartedly recommend this assortment to anyone who is a fan of the movie. These are a ton of fun, and the price is not bad at all.