Hellooooooooooooo, Nurse! The Animaniacs was one of those animated TV shows where there was so much crammed into each and every frame of every episode that each time you watch them you can find something new that you didn’t notice before. And the show was so joyfully subversive. It’s obvious that the show’s writers were having the time of their lives constructing each episode, and some of the gags they were able to get past the censors is pretty darn impressive. In short, The Animaniacs was one of the bright spots of the 1990s, and when Funko announced plans to release the main cast as part of their ever-popular Pop! series, well, I had no choice but to preorder with the quickness. Let’s take a look at these three!
The premise of the series was that these three, known as “the Warners,” were characters created in the 1930s but were locked away in a water tower until they escaped in the 1990s to wreak havoc on what was then the modern world. Their look is certainly a throwback to the cartoon of the 1930s, and this aspect sort of frees the series and characters from being bound to any particular period of time. Even when viewed today, the series has a timeless quality to it. And given their designs, these three are a perfect match for the Pop! format. And fortunately the ubiquitous Pop! window boxes make it easy to display them either loose or boxed. They look great in or out, but they may be just a little more fun out.
Wakko
Wakko was always my favorite, and the reason for that may very well boil down to just his hat (the Liverpool accent didn’t hurt either). It gives him a certain “Little Rascals” quality, and that mischievous nature comes across nicely here.
Yakko
Yakko was the oldest of the three siblings and, as such, was usually the perceived leader. He was never the voice of reason, though, and his antics were often enthusiastically backed up by his younger siblings. While I do have great fondness for the character, he’s the least interesting of the three from a simple visual perspective, but here he makes for an effective Pop! figure nonetheless.
Dot
Dot is just plain adorable and that comes across perfectly here. Dot was the sassiest of the three and had no trouble keeping up with her brothers. In fact, she may have been an better instigator than either Yakko or Wakko, and that just made her all the more endearing.
As far as I’m concerned, these three are the most exciting characters to see the Pop! treatment this year. I think they’re must-haves for anyone who collects Pop!s, but if you’re not familiar with the Animaniacs series, do yourself a favor and stream it immediately. And then rush right out and grab each one of these. In fact, they’re still available on Amazon.
