It just popped in there. What, “Just popped in there?” you ask? Why it is Mr. Stay Puft and he is returning, but not to New York – this time he is coming to stomp out fan boys in San Diego at Comic Con 2011. But before he arrives on the scene in the warm California sun (hope it doesn’t toast him), he is next in line for our Pre-SDCC First Look party. Come on in a check him out!
I have to admit – of all of the surprise exclusives that Mattel offered up for SDCC this year across their various lines, Stay Puft here is the one that really caught me off guard. I mean, getting Queen Marlena and Swamp Thing is a long time coming for the MOTUC and DCUC line respectively, but I was pretty much resigned to the fact that we just were probably not going to get a Stay Puft figure in the Ghostbusters line. I was largely mistaken. Not only are we getting SP in all of his gooey marshmallow goodness, but we are getting a huge helping.
Towards that end, Stay Puft is about 20 inches tall and if you are like me, being told that pretty much falls on dead ears because it means nothing without comparison. So, if you have the old NECA Stay Puft, consider him dwarfed by this new kid, he really is a lot bigger. That is cool because while we will not get a figure that is in true scale with the six-inch figures (but there is some inflatable thing coming later this year that is like, 8 feet tall), bigger is better. Plus, he also looks cool with the vintage figures and the GB Minimates.
I know there has been some splitting on the likeness of the figures, especially in the face, but I think it does a great job. I know he looks much more like Stay Puft than the NECA figure, but there will still be some debate about if this is a better look or if the king is still the Diamond Select Stay Puft bank. This is certainly the “happy” version of Gozer, you know the one before the GBs essentially toast him. He is proportionately built and has a nice marshmallowy paunch in his stomach which makes him wide and kind of stubby. Every time I look at a figure of Puft I have to remember that, in the movie, he really did have little arms that probably could not even reach his face, they are faithfully rendered here.
The most pre-release discussion that has been had has been around the material in which he is constructed. I am afraid I don’t know exactly how to describe it, which is frustrating because I KNOW I have something that is made from a similar material. It is soft to be sure, but it is not “squishy” like I suspected. It has give to it but not to the point that he can be completely malformed. He does have some type of internal support structure, but nothing that I would call posable. He does have a cut neck, hips and shoulders so there is some movement to be had, but nothing major. That is fine though as I have never thought about needing a super-posable Stay Puft. His outer structure is made of completely the same material, including his sailor suit collar and hat tassel. There is some kind of pearlescent sheen that he has too that add a neat effect to the overall aesthetic, but it is subtle.
As for the durability of the material, he definitely feels more durable than what I was expecting, but this is most certainly a collectable and not a toy. If handled roughly he can tear and there is even a little insert in the box that says to handle him with care. That being said, I don’t think he will be “rotting” away on his own any time soon so if you are getting him to put on the shelf, I think he will be fine. He still feels like a large and heavy figure so is not actually made of marshmallow but it is kind of fun that he resembles them in look and, to some extent, feel.
Finally there is the packaging, and by calling it that, I just did it a great disservice. This is pretty freakin’ epic and I have to rethink my entire Ghostbusters shelf, vintage Fire House and Ecto-1 included so I can display this massive diorama. The real packaging is just the “suitcase” box that has a handle so you can carry this fat bastard around the crowded convention floor. It boasts that there is a full-blown diorama inside and it does not lie. Stay Puft is held in the main compartment of the diorama with twine and plastic bumpers that can be removed without harming the back drop. The diorama itself mostly depicts the street that Mr. Puft marched down on his way to meet the Ghostbusters, but with some winks here and there. Ecto-1 is parked on the side, there is a “Now Hiring” Ghostbusters billboard and one for Stay Puft brand marshmallows too. What is cool about those is that they are actually separate pieces that you have to assemble into the backdrop and they stand out for some more three-dimensional effects. The rest is mostly building for backdrop and you can see the purple sky in the distance. To give you an idea of the size, when unfolded and completely assembled it take up all of the surface distance from one end to the other of a six-foot table. It is gigantic. It can bend and fold in several places too do it is somewhat adaptable, but if you don’t yet have a massive Ghostbusters display, you will now. I am really pleased with how well the execution of this diorama is and even though it will be a challenge to integrate it into my display but it will be well worth it. My hats off to the package/design team on this one, I know a lot of companies are starting to go all out with convention exclusive packaging, but I don’t know how anyone is going to top this one this year.
You know, I think I like this figure a lot more than I thought I would initially and a lot of that comes from the fact that I feel a little more confident about his durability than I did before. He is very much an adult collectable, but he is not going to fall apart on his own, but still take caution. Mr. Stay Puft is also a shot of momentum for me for this line overall. Like I said, I did not expect to actually get this figure so I am hoping it means a lot of positive things for the future of Ghostbusters at Mattel. I am very anxious to see what is going to be revealed this coming Friday. And by very anxious I meant that I want a fraggin’ Vigo the Carpathian RIGHT NOW!
*Thanks again to the team at Mattel for sending along this massive figure for a sneak peak, we really appreciate it! Stay tuned, we move to a new line next!
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