M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Happy birthday, Mickey!
Wow, 90 years! In a way, it is kind of hard to believe that Mickey Mouse is 90 years-old, but at the same time, it is even more difficult to comprehend that there population of people on this Earth who were alive BEFORE Mickey is getting to be very, very small. No matter your thoughts about Mickey and Disney in general are, there is no way you can deny the international cultural impact the Mouse has had over these nine decades, and his scope, influence, and permeation only seem to be getting stronger. November 18th, 1928 is the day Mickey debuted in the classic animation short, “Steamboat Willie,” so we figured there was no better time than to have a little celebration of our own.
Lots and lots and lots of companies are celebrating this year for Mickey’s 90th, and while some toy companies are getting into the act, I cannot help but feel a bit disappointed that we haven’t gotten some solid collector-grade ACTION FIGURES to celebrate the event. Sure, I have a few Mickey figures here and there, but I am also by the lack of an expansive Disney collector line – that’s another conversation, though. So, what I did latch on to are these six figurines that were released by Bandai between August and October. Their Figuarts Zero line, if you are not familiar, is exactly as the name suggests: an execution that maintains the sculpting and paint detail you know from Figuarts, but with ZERO points of articulation.
Yes, I am an ACTION FIGURE collector, so I like my little plastic people (or mice) to move, but since Bandai has done a great job with the sculpting on these, and I appreciate the celebration of Mickey’s changes throughout the years, so while this won’t scratch that action figure itch, these figures are a great way to celebrate the life and times of Mickey on this 90th. Looking over the history of changes in Mickey’s design, Bandai hit most of the major and/or important milestones. I would only nitpick and say I would have also loved to get a Sorcerer’s Apprentice version of Mickey from Fantasia due to its importance and iconography, but each of these six figures look wonderful and, as I said, are looks that are crucial to Mickey’s history.
The collection begins where Mickey did – with his boat captain look from “Steamboat Willie” and covers his looks from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1980s, and his “modern” incarnation as well. This covers the spectrum well, and while there are certainly some other looks that could be considered important enough to be in this line, all of these certainly make sense. Being an 80s kid, I am certainly biased towards that 1980s figure, and since the look is such a departure in terms of outfit from anything else, that one is my favorite.
Overall, Bandai has done a nice job in executing these figures, and the sculpts certainly reflect that. There are a few production nitpicks with some visible seam lines and paint imperfections here and there, but they are all mostly very nice for what they are. Each figure does include a generic character base with “Mickey Mouse The True Original” stamped on them. These are fine, but all of the figures save for Willie stand just fine without them.
STEAMBOAT WILLIE
1920s
1930s
1940s
1980s
MODERN
So, YAY! Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse! I might not always agree with everything that Disney does, and I am well aware of their flaws and history, but I love Mickey and all of the characters with all my heart, so I am glad to be celebrating his 90th birthday with these Figuarts Zero releases. Sure, they are not action figures and will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are nice way to celebrate the occasion. These will take a nice spot on my shelf while I wait for a full Disney collector line, so if you are interested as well, they can be had HERE. Like I said, if you are just going to get one, get that 80s boi, he is a unique look and makes for the most interesting of all the figures.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICKEY!
