Christmas Giveaway! Win a White Reindeer!!!

Giveaway is now closed.

As part of my blog launch I thought it would be nice to offer another freebie. This is the first year I have made this gorgeous white reindeer. This limited edition softie is only available during the holiday season. I'll even pay for shipping within the United States.To enter, fill out the form to the right and at the end of the month I'll pick a WINNER! Contest ends Nov. 30. Make a comment to improve your chances of winning. Who knows I may have a giveaway every month so check back often. :D

Plush Fashion Part 2

Stuffed toys in fashion shoots

As the toys have noted back in March, the fashion industry has turned to children bedrooms for shoot inspirations, often with a quirky or demented twist to the theme of the shoot.. We've gathered some more evidence of this trend.


Numéro 97 October 2008 - 'Mommie Deariest'
Cool French magazine that never disappoints.



Awww....






Mildly disturbing mask in the midst of the toys



*stuff toys screams in horror* Happy Halloween btw.




Diane Kruger in Russian Tatler
We take a breather with a much more wholesome shoot





Awwwww....


Stalker Teddy



and finally... Little kids pls close your eyes







Supermodel Lily Cole's shoot for PlayBoy France Oct 2008


The Stuffed Toy Rights advocates will be looking into this apparent outrage of modesty of the nice, seemingly innocent-looking pink teddy bear. Yummy.




Christmas has arrived early this year!

I just LOVE this photo. Can't you just see them celebrating and dancing around like the timeless Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer Christmas special? Included in this years Christmas Collection are elves, snow people, whie fawns and whole lot more.

Nutcracker Clothes Pin People Ornaments



When I was a child my favorite part at Christmas besides opening presents, was trimming the tree. Every year the best part was unwrapping the clothes pin people from storage. It was such a treat to unveil each handmade pin doll from its packaging to discover what wonderful character was inside and place them on the tree.



I'm excited to share with you a limited edition Clothes People Ornament Kit. Based on the holiday classic the Nutcracker, each kit contains materials to make three enchanting characters from the timeless story. Everything is included to make the Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King.

Cupcake Softie Tutorial



Make a yummy cupcake in your favorite flavor. Decorate it any way you wish, add frosting, sprinkles or fruit. Share a cupcake with a friend or family member.
Celebrate your LOVE of cupcakes.


A PDF version with instructions and pattern is also available for download.
Download Cupcake Pattern and Tutorial

I'd love to see photos of your delicious creations! Post them at the flickr group I created.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/665113@N22/

Please do not sell the cupcakes. They are to be made for your enjoyment and given away as gifts to family or friends. Please ask me if you can use my photos or tutorial before you post them anywhere else online.

Materials Required

Craft felt
Craft glue
Needle/Thread
Trim-ribbon
Polyfill stuffing
Embroidery floss
Pins

Instructions
Cut out felt from pattern pieces in your favorite flavor and cup color.

1. Sew up cake side with a backstitch.
2. Gather cake base with a gathering stitch.
3. Stuff cake full with polyfill and pull opening closed with gathering stitch. Secure thread with knot.
4. Sew baking cup side. Pin cup base to side and sew together.
5. Glue eyes on and embroider mouth with embroidery floss.
6. Decorate cupcake to your liking. Add sprinkles, frosting, or strawberries. Add trim or ribbon around cup. Have fun!

Day 76: Pingu



Pingu is a Swiss animated television series created by Otmar Gutman, about a family of penguins who live at the South Pole. The main character is their son and title character, Pingu.

The programme is set in Antarctica, where the penguin families and businesses live and work in igloos. One reason for Pingu's international success is its lack of dialogue per se. All dialogue is in a honking "penguin language" (called Penguinese), and was initially performed without script by Carlo Bonomi.

Download the PDF file here!

DC Superheroes - Darkseid

Since I've gone through a good chunk of the Batman related action figures from the DC Superheroes toy line, I figured that I should start on some more of the Superman portion of the series. So today, well go over Mattel's DC Superheroes Darkseid from series 6 which is a repaint variant or the series 4 Darkseid figure and was released back in 2006.




This sculpt of Darkseid was originally released in DC Superheroes Series 4. The only difference is that Darkseid's uniform in series 4 was a light blue and his belt was silver, a very classic look. But for me, I preferred the darker look of the series 6 toy.





Its a great looking figure. His face and body looks great with a rock like texture for his skin. His uniform is basically a one piece suit starting from his head all the way down to his skirt.


He's bigger than most of the other DC Superheroes line up standing about 7 1/4 inches tall. He ranks up there as one of the taller figures in the DCSH & DCUC toy lines. As you see below, I've placed him next to some of the other larger figures, Gorilla Grodd & Clayface. His body is also very thick all around dwarfing DCSH Superman. Kind of reminds me of a powerlifter.



The paint job is nothing fancy but done well. He is for the most part 4 colours. His, red eyes, the metallic blue on his belt, the dark gray/blue outfit and his rock colored body. There isn't any shading or highlighting so to speak which is a shame as I think that would bring out the great detail in rocky skin. But, the paint job is very clean, the with no slop or runs.

Darkseid comes with one small handheld computer which i suspect is a motherboard. It has some nice detail for such a small trinket. It doesn't fit very securely in his hand though. Your best bet is to keep the clear mini elastic band that comes with it and leave it attached to his hand so you don't loose it. The DCSH series 4 version of Darkseid comes with a reprint Superman comic book. This series 6 version comes with a cardboard diorama.

Darkseid's articulation is pretty good but he does not have as many points as most other DC Superheroes figures. Starting from the top, you've got neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, waist, hips, knees and ankles. If you bother to look up Darkseid's skirt (that sounds so wrong), it appears Mattel has used ball joints for his hip joints instead of their usual four way joints (not sure what else to call them) that you see with most of their other DC action figures. Ball hip joints have more flexability but are a uglier in my opinion. That being said, Darkseid's hip joints are covered by his skirt and unfortunately the skirt also minimizes the hip joint movement. You can barely get any lateral movement at all. Its a bit of a design flaw but hard to get around without hurting the sculpt of the figure.

Overall, its a great looking figure with minor flaws. A Superman collector needs a good Darkseid and this figure does not disappoint. The figure's size makes him fit in with either DC Direct or Mattel toys quite nicely. Weather you prefer the costume from series 4 or series 6, DC Superheroes Darkseid is a worthy purchase.

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8, Accessories - 6, Articulation - 8, Fun - 8
Darkseid Overall - 8/10
Since he was originally released in 2006, Darkseid is obviously a discontinued toy at this point in 2008. A quick search on eBay revealed a wide variety of price ranges from $15 to $65 dollars (plus shipping) for either the DCSH series 4 or series 6 versions. There are the odd online stores as well that will carry him. Its just a matter of doing your homework if you are a collector and want this figure.
To find DC Superheroes Darkseid by Mattel on eBay click here
Thanks for checking out my action figure review blog which is currently featuring Mattel's DC Superheroes and DC Universe Classics toys. Check back for more news, reviews and info. The latest release from the DC Universe Classics line, series 4 will be review shortly.

Day 75: Emily the Strange



Emily the Strange is a fictional counterculture character, created by Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris Etc. Inc. Emily the Strange first appeared on a sticker, a freebie distributed at concerts, record stores and skate shops to promote Cosmic Debris, the clothing line founded by skateboarder Rob Reger and racecar driver Matt Reed.

Although the Emily the Strange character dates from 1991, the 1978 children's book Nate the Great and the Lost List features a similar young girl named Rosamond. Like Emily, Rosamond has long black hair and a short black dress, white mary jane shoes, four black cats of different sizes, and is frequently described as "strange." In particular, the text of Nate the Great introduces Rosamond: "Rosamond did not look hungry or sleepy. She looked like she always looks. Strange." An early Emily the Strange sticker has the text: "Emily did not look tired or happy. She looked like she always looks. Strange." Multiple sources have noted this overlap, but no official statements have been issued by any of the copyright holders involved.

Download the PDF file here!

Intro

Urban Problem - Overcrowding

Welcome to Doc18's Toy Boot Sale :)

I have been asked many time regarding where to get some of the toys that you have been seeing on my Flickr photostream. As my collection is constantly evolving, mainly because of the lack of space, I have to sell off some of my toys (sometimes very painful decisions). Instead of posting on forums or ebay, I've decided to do it in a blog style.

If you are interested in picking up some bargains, you can simply subscribe to this blog's RSS feed and I will be posting details of the toys for sale from time to time. I collect a wide range toys so there should be something for everyone ;) You can find instructions on how to buy on the right-hand column.

Best regards,
Doc18

DC Universe Classics - Batman

Continuing with my DC comics action figure theme, today I'm going to focus on the DC Universe Classics Batman series 1 (aka Classic Detective Batman) and comparing some differences between it and previous Mattel Batman figures

For years, Mattel has been producing a variety of Batman action figures. Recently they've been licensed to make action figures of all sorts of characters from the DC Comic world. So with the first series of DCUC that was released in early 2008, who do we get, another Batman of course. Why? Probably because he sells.






So whats the difference between this Batman and the previous two Batman figures that were released in the DCSH toy line. Well quite a bit actually. It's not just a re-paint of previous sculpts. For starters, the outfit is different. Mattel has gone with the classic batman look, similar to that of the old 70's Superfriends TV show. Its a little more campy and not quite as dark or rough looking as the DCSH Batman toys.
The cowl is blue with black over the face. The bat symbol on his chest is also different. On the DCSH figures, the outline of the bat symbol is carved into the sculpt and painted black. On the DCUC Batman, it is just painted on his chest. There are also a number little sculpt differences. It looks to use mostly different pieces. The DCUC Batman has a modified chest piece with more rounded pecs. The legs are also different. In the DCSH toys, Batman's right leg seems to be positioned differently making it look like he is slightly leaning on his left leg. In the DCUC version, both legs are straight and he has a straighter stance. The belt and cape are also different. The belt has been shrunk down and no longer has pockets. The cape is a little different around the shoulders and not quite as long as the previous figures. The cape is still a little heavy and can weigh back the figure at times. One big plus over the older toys, his hands are open and can now hold accessories.

The quality of the paint job is good, but not great. The main different between this figure and the DCSH series 3 batman is, there is no highlighting or shading on the cape, cowl, gloves or boots on the DCUC Batman. This figure is painted with a brighter blue and its a nice change. There are spots where they go over the lines so to speak. The black around his cowl is not perfectly oval and there are various places where the blue seems to run a bit over the grey or flesh colors specifically around the edges of the boots, gloves and mask. I may be nit picking a bit but that's the purpose of the review. The belt is basically one shade of yellow with a dark red outlining the belt buckle that looks like it could use another coat. The bat symbol on his chest is perfectly painted.
Aside from the "Collect and Connect" arm piece of Rex Mason that comes with Batman, he also comes with two hand held accessories. A bat grapple gun and one bat-a-rang. The gun is well detailed with a removable hook which is attached to a 4 inch string. The gun seems a little bulky if you think about it. Its suppose to fit on Batman's belt which is quite small. The bat-a-rang is nothing special. Just a black piece of plastic with a different shape from previous bat-a-rangs that came with the older Batman figures. Both accessories fit very nicely into Batman's hand
Articulation is as good as it's going to get with these Mattel figures. DCUC Batman has mostly the same articulation as the previous DCSH Batman figures. Neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Very standard for these toys. Classic Detective Batman fits in nicely with other DC Universe Classic toys as you can see below. He also looks great with DC Superheroes figures as well.

Overall, Classic Detective Batman does not disappoint. At first, I was not thrilled about Mattel releasing another Batman figure so soon after the DCSH black and grey Batman variant which i love. But when I finally got around to buying him, he grew on me. The weakest part is the paint job. Its just a bit messy around the lines in some areas. Accessories are good and articulation is what we've come to expect with this series.
Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 7, Accessories - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Fun -9.5

Classic Detective Batman Overall Score - 8.5/10

This Batman figure is of course from series 1 of the DC Universe Classics toy line. Also included in series 1 are The Penguin, Red Tornado, The Demon Etrigan, Orion and of course the Connect & Connect figure Rex Mason (Metamorpho).
DCUC Batman is still fairly common and not overly expensive compared to some others. He can be found at many online story and eBay for 10-15 bucks. Just watch out for shipping costs.
To find Classic Detective Batman on eBay, click here and on Amazon.com, click here
Thanks for checking out my action figure review blog currently featuring Mattel's DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toys.
Be sure to check back for more reviews, news and info. DCUC series 4 will be reviewed shortly and I'll also start gearing towards some of the Superman characters from the DCSH line.

Day 74: Stay Puft Marshmallow Man



The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is a fictional character in the movie Ghostbusters and the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. He was the cartoon mascot of the fictitious Stay Puft marshmallow corporation. Stay Puft's familiar mascot combined elements of real life brand ambassadors Bibendum (aka the Michelin Man) and the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Download the PDF file here!

DC Superheroes - Catwoman

Today's I'll be going over the Catwoman action figure from Mattel's DC Superheroes action figures, series 8.




So far Mattel has not given us a large variety of female characters to choose from. The current DCUC series only has two females (Harley Quinn & Wonder Woman). The previous DCSH line had 3. Batgirl (2 variants), Supergirl (3 variants) and Catwoman. Now that Mattel has access to the full DC Universe list of characters (not just Batman & Superman), expect to see more females figures in the future.

At first look, this is a good looking figure but it does have its flaws. Catwoman's outfit design looks very similar to the look she had in the Batman Hush comic. Also you could say its similar to the Catwoman from "The Batman" cartoon. She is in a full black outfit with big goggles (which cannot be removed) over her eyes, a zipper that runs right down the middle of the torso and buckles on her belt and boots. There is some nice detail in the leather belt and wrinkles in the costume around the neck, waist and back of the head. The sculpt is similar to the other female DCSH female action figures with the exception of the head of course. The arms are very thin but they do fit in compared to the size of the figure. The hands are different too. They are open and look like sharp little claws made of a softer plastic so you don't scratch your eyes out. Catwoman stands at about 5' 3/4 inches tall.

The paint job is ho-hum at best. Its mostly a dull black with the exception of the zipper and buckles which are silver and the gloves and boots which are a very glossy black. The paint on the face is most disappointing. The skin tone is terribly done. Its done in a dark flesh skin tone over most of the face except around the mouth. There is a circle of lighter flesh color around the mouth and it just looks cheap and lazy. The lipstick and eyes are painted on fairly clean. The eyes are hard to see through the goggles though. It would have been nice if they were removable.

Mattel has given us a few extras to go along with this action figure. First is a removable purple & black back pack (above). Also included is her traditional whip, a black necklace and a cat statue. Unfortunately, the whip only loosely fits into her hands. It falls out very easily if not positioned properly.


One area where this figure does not fall short is articulation. We have joints in the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Very standard compared to the other toys from these series.
Overall, Catwoman is not my favorite DC Superheroes toy. Not by a long shot. From far away, she looks great, but close up, not so much. Maybe i need to wear beer goggles. The paint job on the face was the real letdown and her goggles should be removable. The accessories are plentiful but it ticks me off when they don't fit properly in their hands. Articulation is the best you can get on any 6 inch Catwoman figure.

Sculpt/Design - 6, Paint - 5, Accessories - 10, Articulation - 9, Fun - 7

CATWOMAN OVERALL - 6.5

If you're a Batman fan looking to fill out your villain gallery, then sure, she fits in nicely. There are other DC Direct figures you can try like Hush Catwoman or the Long Halloween but they have their faults as well. Due to distribution issues with Mattel, this figure did not have a big release so there are a limited supply available. Problem is, you're looking at about $25-50 US for her right now. Ouch!! Since the toy was released in 2007, it is now discontinued and eBay is your best bet to get her.

To find Mattel's DC Superheroes Catwoman on eBay, click here
Thanks for checking out my Action Toy Review blog currently featuring DC Comics Action figures from Mattel. Check back for more reviews, news and information.


Reader's submission: Domo by Richard Young



Richard sent me this cute character. His name is Domo, and he is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station which appears in several 30-second stop-motion sketches shown as station identification during shows.

You can check out his blog or download the PDF here.

DC Superheroes - Mr. Freeze

Ice day for a review....uhhhh!!! Now that I got that lame Mr. Freeze joke out of the way, on to my review of this very sweet (avoiding the term "cool") Mr. Freeze action figure which was a 2007 NY Comic Con Exclusive meaning it wasn't and never will be available at your local Walmart or Target.  This is a rare action figure and can be found only be found on eBay and you're looking at a minimum of $35 to $75.  But this action figure is well worth the price to a collector and/or Batman fanatic.







First off, this was not a new sculpt when it was released. There have been a number of repaints for this figure that i can recall which adds to the complaints of Mattel re-using or recycling the same figures and parts. It was originally released in the 2003 Mattel Batman figure toy line. One variant with goggles, and one without. It was released again with a new paint job in 2006 in the DC Superheroes toy line in series 3 and then finally this exclusive figure came out a year later in 2007.



So, aside from the re-using the same sculpt issue, this is still a great looking toy. Mr. Freeze's stands 6 inches tall with bulky wide shoulders and big boots. The Tech Suit has plenty of detail including small patches of ice leaking out in various spots. The head is under glass which is NOT removable. The face looks great supporting a cold evil expression.


For the most part, the paint job is decent. The metallic blue color over the boots, gloves. belt, neck and shoulders looks awesome and was a great choice. The rest of the suit is mostly black with red buttons or gauges positioned in various places. There are some spots where the paint goes over the lines, like around the belt and the blue part of the shoulder piece but overall there is nothing really bad. The face is painted nicely and very clean with some highlights in a lighter tone over the forehead, chin and nose. Unfortunately, this is probably the only area on the figure where there is any highlighting which is a shame. The worst part of the paint job in my opinion is the frost they've attempted to put around the glass helmet. It just looks like splattered paint and is really quite sloppy. I could have done without it.


Mr. Freeze comes with one huge freeze gun that is permanently attached by a plastic hose to a very bulky back pack. The back pack just pops right into Freeze's back and fits in securely. The gun is meant to be held by two hands. His right hand at the trigger and his left hand on the handle towards the front of the gun. The gun can be held by just his right hand but it is quite heavy and just weighs his arm down. Despite the clunkiness, the gun and the back pack have plenty of detail although, like the figure, could use some shading and highlighting. He could also perhaps use a smaller gun, one that is just the size of a hand gun and doesnt attach to anything as seen in Batman the Animated series.

As for articulation, Mattel has done a good job. Mr. Freeze has joints at the shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, mid-torso, hips, thighs, knees, calves and ankles. As for the neck, as I mentioned the glass helmet is not removable. But it turns when you turn the lower end of Freeze's body so the head is always facing the direction that the feet are facing. The shoulder joints are constricted a bit by the bulky tech suit design. Out of the package, the joints were a bit loose for my liking. Mostly in the knees which ticked me off a little. Usually i find i don't have this issue from this line of action figures. Regardless it's not bad enough where he can't stand but I would have liked the knees to be tighter.
Out of all the different re-paint versions of Mr. Freeze Mattel has given us, this is probably the best looking of the bunch. Hopefully if Mattel decides to do another Mr. Freeze figure, they will choose a new sculpt. I think 4 re-painted versions is enough. Despite its flaws, (the re-used sculpt, paint flaws and the clunky accessories) Mr. Freeze is still bad ass! A great fit with the other DCSH and DCUC toys from Mattel. He would not be bad with DC Direct toys either but keep in mind DCD figures are generally a bit taller than Mattel figures.

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 7, Accessories - 8, Articulation - 8, Fun - 8
Mr. Freeze Overall - 8/10
Since this is a NY Comic Con exclusive toy, this figure is hard to find. If you do find it, it's expensive at this point. A quick search on eBay came up with 2 auctions for this figure in the $50 range. The other versions can be obtain at a cheaper costs
.
To find DC Superheroes Mr. Freeze by Mattel on eBay, click here.
Thanks for reading my action figure review blog currently featuring DC Superheroes, DC Universe Classics and DC Direct toys. Be sure to check back for more reviews, news and information about your favorite comic book action figures.