Tiny Titans GO! In a toy world where things like Squinkies are holding an increasing presence on retailer shelves, Tiny Titans feels like a logical progression for DC Comic characters to enter the fray. To get things started, Mattel is releasing the Tiny Titans in their “convention bus” as an exclusive to next month’s San Diego Comic Con. They have made Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin so sweetly cute, I hope they are also giving away insulin at the Mattel booth.
I am not really up to speed on the market penetration of the very young audience that imprints like Tiny Titans has made, but the concept has been around for a few years now, so it must be successful for DC in some regard. I believe this is Mattel’s first foray into the Tiny Titans realm, but I do not know if this will be a one-off piece or if this exclusive will herald a new play pattern that we will see on store shelves. The concept is pretty simple and I think this will be one of those items that will either appeal to you or it won’t. I DO think that this is actually a fun offering for the kids that might be attending the convention. Yes, even as impossible as it seems to get in lately, kids do go to SDCC.
The packaging is a lot of fun and I like the idea of the Titans going on a field trip to Comic Con. Slade is driving the bus (oh noes!) and I like how they incorporated some of the Titans characters like Miss Martian, Wondergirl, and Bumble Bee that did not make it into the set, into the box art. It does make me want little versions of those characters, though, and the Super Pets, too. The box is obviously supposed to look like a school bus and the top flap punches out to reveal art of the included characters with a little phrase about them.
Each figure is a single, solid piece with one point of articulation in the neck. Not that I think that anyone was expecting “action figures” in this set, but the heads to rotate 360 degrees. They are all closely modeled to the designs of the Tiny Titans, and even though you can see some bleed in the very large close-up pictures, at normal size it is hard to notice. I like all of the sculpts too, they are expressive and very character-appropriate. I think that Starfire and Raven are my two favorites of the group, but I don’t find that there is a particularly weak figurine in the whole set. Maybe the girls just look extra cute.
Included is a Tiny Titans base with a flight stand for Raven so she can hover over her little compadres. All assembled, it makes for a nice display piece, which I think most people will use this for. As it stands, I am picking up and extra one (along with the Polly Pocket set) for my 5-month-old daughter at the convention for her room. I think they will go perfectly with some of the past con offerings I have amassed over the years of fighting the crowds.
I like this set. I know it will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a fun offering for the convention. If you have youngins, they will probably really go in for the small figurines, and I do hope that perhaps Mattel has plans for this format at retail as well since the style seems all the rage right now. You know the drill: if you are going to the con, you can get this at the Mattel booth. If not, it will be on Matty Collector in early August.
*Thanks for checking this out and thanks to Team Titans at Mattel for sending it along for a First Look. Check back soon as we have more SDCC exclusive features to bring you!
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