Star Wars (Wonder Bread)



Before I start, there was a little weekend activity here at The Toy Box. Scroll down past today's post to see my review of Funko's Married With Children figure set, as well as, an offer for some free CD's.

Star Wars
Wonder Bread
1977

Though the images may look familiar to fans of the original blue border Topps cards, make no mistake, these Wonder Bread premiums were not from Topps.

In 1977, Wonder Bread struck a deal which would allow them to produce a small batch of cards to be packed in with their bread at local grocers. One of sixteen cards could be found inside each loaf, making this set challenging (to say the least) for your average consumer to complete if doing so based on buying bread. Fortunately, Wonder Bread offered an easier solution, where customers could send in for a complete set. As such, while these cards are highly desirable to may Star Wars fans, they're rather in abundance.


Each card showcased either a character or ship on the front, and featured a beautiful (if I do say so myself) blue border Star Wars logo running down the side (or bottom if the card was horizontal). The outer black border helps not only this, but the yellow banner at the bottom "pop". In short, these cards are beautifully designed. Well, the fronts anyway.


The backs of the cards are rather bland with their all white color and plain black text. Sure, it provides a bit of insight to the character or ship on the front, but at the same time, it's yawn inducing.


Like I said above, these cards are fairly common. A full mint condition set can easily be purchased for as little as $20.00 to $25.00. However, it is because of this that several dealers have taken to getting these cards graded. Though the majority of the cards garner an 8 to 9 grade, those few which have gotten 10's can go for $2,000.00 each! I'm not personally a fan of professional grading systems, but dang! That's a heck of a price jump!

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Whoa Bundy!



I don't normally buy "new" toys. I prefer to keep my plastic collection based around what I had or wanted, but never had, during my childhood. However, when a good one comes around that hits my radar, I'll consider it, and if deemed something I absolutely want, I'll go ahead and pick it up...eventually.

This four pack of the Bundy family had been around since 2018 as a Funko Fall Convention Exclusive. Fortunately, it never went the way of the brand's Golden Girls set, and remained very reasonable in price over the past couple years. Very reasonable in fact. I picked this set up for a mere $12.00 off of ebay with free shipping.

Package wise, it's not too pretty. I personally feel a more appropriate design would have been that of the Bundy's living room. Even better would be if it had a 3D cardboard couch, or if you want to up size it, a plastic one in the package. Sadly, this isn't the case.

The back of the package isn't any better, in terms of eye catching.


I'm not sure why Funko went with a promotional photo from season seven, as this is clearly not the era in which these figures are based on. Then again, in that regard, the era for each figure is all over the place, but more on that below.


I was happy to find quite a bit of articulation in these figures. The heads swivel, the arms are on ball joints with bendable elbows and the legs bend at both the waist and knees. With that said, some of the articulated sections felt fragile, while others didn't bend at all, despite them supposed to do so. Again, more on that below.

Sculpt wise, admittedly, these aren't very good. While Al and Peggy are recognizable, Kelly and Bud aren't. If they were randomly found in the wild, I dare say most people wouldn't recognize who they were supposed to be. I've definitely seen better in terms of capturing the look of the character the designer was going for.

So let's start with Al.

Facial wise, it definitely captures the look of a young Ed O'Neil. While he wore the sculpted blue and white striped shirt throughout the first half of the series, it was first seen all the way back in season one, episode 107 - Married...Without Children. Of course, the brown pants were always a staple for the character, among other colors.

Admittedly, it's kind of a downer that one key element was neglected in the figure's design - Al's cheap Timex watch. I can't recall one episode where he didn't have this on his wrist, so for me, it's a glaring omission.

An issue I had with my figure was the left leg. I had to force it to bend at the waist, and when it did, I thought it was going to snap off. I don't know if excess glue got in there, or what, when it was produced, but it definitely caused me to wince when I heard the plastic creek in protest.

Overall, it's a pretty decent figure though. It's Al Bundy in plastic form, and most importantly, it's recognizable that it's him.


Next up is his red haired muse and disdain all in one, Peggy Bundy. Much like the two couldn't live without each other, so too would it be impossible to have just an Al Bundy figure without Peggy by his side.

From season three on, Katey Sagal seemed to stop aging. As such, this figure's overall facial features could represent anywhere from that season all the way through to the final eleventh one. However, if I were to pinpoint what era Funko was going for, I'd say season two. The reason being is the clothing. While Peggy never wore a solid green shirt in this style, as of episode 215 - Build A Better Mousetrap, she did wear a similar style as sculpted.

This particular shirt, while green, had a black zigzag pattern across it. She also wore the pants and shoes with this shirt, as shown on the figure. Peg would wear this same outfit several times over the remaining earlier seasons of the show.

The figure also had its issues in the articulation department. Despite having joints in the elbows, the arms refused to move. I finally gave up from fear that I would snap them off.

Much like Al, this sculpt is pretty spot on. A single glance, and fans of the show can immediately tell who the figure is supposed to be.


Then there were the Bundy children. I'll start with daughter Kelly. This is where Funko seemed to be all over the place.

While the facial features represent those of a very young girl, the clothing design is of that from the intro to season six - The only time in the series the character wore this exact ensemble from head to toe. Sure, Christina Applegate was fifteen when the series first launched. However, by this late in the show, she was twenty-one. As such, the clothing style doesn't match with the young features they were going for.

The face sculpt is off. Way off. It doesn't look like Kelly Bundy at all. Rather, it more so represents a young Miley Cyrus. For me to have picked up on this only solidifies how off it is. Because I know about as much about Miley Cyrus as I do about how to separate atoms.

Unlike the prior two figures, all of this figure's joints twisted, turned, bent and rotated the way they were supposed to. However, her legs kept having a tendency to bend inwards, making it difficult to stand the figure up without the use of a plastic figure stand. If you missed it, you can see what I'm talking about in the above packaged photo.

Speaking of which, while each figure has holes in their feet for pegs, you'll find that your average G.I. Joe stand won't work. Even the smaller vintage Star Wars size pegs, which did end up working, had to be wedged on with twists and pressure. Obviously, not ideal, but they work in the long run.


Last up is the youngest member of the Bundy clan, and sadly, also the most disappoint figure of them all.

I'm sorry, but this is not Bud Bundy. This is generic mullet boy from any random toy line you need to throw him into. Again, Funko went with a very young facial feature, but then proceeded to utilize an outfit from that seen in a glimpse during a very short scene in season three.

Episode 303 - Poke High, is the one and only time you'll see the character dressed in this particular outfit, and the scene lasts no more than three minutes. How Funko landed on this particular look is beyond me.

While the figure's articulation bends and moves at all the appropriate locations with ease, he stands at an angle - Even when on a flat surface without the stand. I've looked it over several times and I simply cannot figure out why this is.

If I haven't drilled home my opinion enough, overall, this is the worst figure of the bunch. It doesn't look like Bud at all!



With all of that said, as a complete set, it still works. With Al and Peggy in the mix, you can come to the obvious conclusion that it's supposed to be the entirety of the Bundy family. It's a decent attempt, but not perfect, and it's also the only way you're going to get the family in 3.75 fashion. So I suppose for a fair attempt, Funko gets a...


 "WHOOOOOOOOA BUNDY!"

I do hope there's future plans for this series. While I don't necessarily think more figures are in order, I'd love for Funko to release a Bundy home playset. If nothing else, a living room backdrop with the iconic couch would be in order. I'd definitely buy that. I also wouldn't hate having Al's brown 1974 Plymouth Duster.

Until then, I'll let the family tool around in another piece of junk.

 Bud and Kelly can ponder their next moves in a game of Dejarik...

...While Al and Peggy can sit in the front seat, perhaps taking in a drive-thru film.

I hope I don't forget I put all of them in there.

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Order Of Battle: Married With Children



This will be an ongoing post of my Married With Children figures, as I obtain them. 

 Al Bundy
Obtained: September 20, 2019

 Peggy Bundy
Obtained: September 20, 2019

 Kelly Bundy
Obtained: September 20, 2019

 Bud Bundy
Obtained: September 20, 2019

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below.

Overhauling My CD Collection



Want free CD's?

One of the problems with dollar CD's is you can easily accumulate a massive collection of discs, which ultimately you don't end up wanting. Such is the case I'm facing.

Over the years I've accumulated several discs from bands I know, but who's music I ultimately didn't end up enjoying. Additionally, I initially started with greatest hits albums and then launched headfirst into full studio ones. Then there's the remasters which got replaced with original pressings. You see where I'm going with this? I have a lot of remastered duplicates, excess greatest hits and others which I simply don't like.

That's where you potentially come in.

You want them? They're yours. No money. No strings. Just leave a comment with your e-mail address, which won't be published. I'll reach out, you give me your address, the CD's go from my house to yours. Win / win.

At this time, I'm still going through everything, and no, I won't be compiling a count or list of them for someone to pick and choose from. It's really one of those take it or leave it things. You're welcome to throw out, trade, sell or otherwise part ways with anything you don't want once you receive the box.

US residents only. Shipping via media mail.

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Retro Spins: Don Henley - Building The Perfect Beast



Don Henley
Building the Perfect Beast
1984

Building the Perfect Beast wasn't Don Henley's first entry into his solo career, but personally speaking, it's his best. Perhaps it's because of all the collaboration which occurred with the album which gives it the punch it packs. Or perhaps it's just lightning striking. Who knows.

It's interesting to note that while the album starts with the familiar pop rock sounding The Boys of Summer, the tone quickly changes (but doesn't stay) to that of a blues-like country rock. Almost as if it's a nod to the country stars of the 80's who hit big, but then quickly got shifted to their own genre as synth pop took center stage in the era. For some reason, I keep comparing it to the likes of Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt, and perhaps even Willie Nelson. Perhaps there's an even simpler explanation. Maybe, I was just in the mood for it.

Now, with that said, while I enjoyed the album for the most part, there was nothing really beyond The Boys of Summer, All She Want's To Do Is Dance, and Sunset Grill which "wowed" me. I also don't understand why Henley would pick Building the Perfect Beast as the title track, as quite frankly, it's one of the worst ones out of all eleven songs.

Don Henley has never been one of my "favorite" artists from the 80's, but I don't hate him. He's got some good hits here and there, but I'm by no means a fan.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Ghostbusters (Playmates Toys)



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Ghostbusters
Playmates Toys
2018

Who ya gonna call?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Towards the tail end of its popular 2012 - 2018 line of Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Playmates Toys produced a series of the fab four garbed up in Ghostbusters gear. Each figure represented a character from the popular 1984 film, and has been meticulously sculpted to capture the actor's characteristic facial features.

 Leonardo as Stanz

Standing at six inches tall, these figures are larger than the aforementioned Nick line, which stood at only four and a half inches. As such, they're not designed to be cross compatible. Then again, with their sleek window box packaging and higher price point, perhaps they weren't really aiming for a younger target audience, but rather, the adult collector.

 Michelangelo as Venkman

In addition to the fantastic sculpted Ghostbuster suits, each figure also came jam packed with a slew of screen accurate accessories, such as, Proton Packs (with shooting beams), Ghost Traps, PKE Meters and packed in ghosts to catch.

 Donatello as Spengler

Though some folks claimed these figures were Target exclusives, I can personally attest to have seen these at other retail chains, such as Toys R' Us. Regardless, you won't find these on store shelves as of 2019. They came and went in a blink of an eye in early 2018. Such is the life of toys released at the end of a line's life cycle.

Rapahel as Zeddemore

On average, these figures go for about $30.00 each these days, which isn't bad considering their original $20.00 retail price point. They're not bank breaking just yet, but who knows what the future will bring.

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Retro Spins: Madonna - Madonna



Madonna
Madonna
1983

I don't hate this album. I really don't. It's a great debut for Madonna, the queen of *$&^# pop.

Everything starts out with Madonna's hit, Lucky Star, and from there leads into another chart topper of hers, Borderline. There are a couple tracks I'd never heard before between that and Holiday, and then the album finishes off with a few more which were new to me.

Overall, it was pleasant to listen to...But...

The impression I came away with was the hits are the hits, and there's a reason for that. By no means was the album hard on the ears. It just wasn't memorable beyond Lucky Star, Borderline and Holiday - For me any way.

For certain it was a great start for the things to come from Madonna, and you can hear it in the tracks how she's developing her own sound which would become a staple across future albums throughout the 80's.

Having been someone who has only really focused on Madonna's hits over the years, it's great to be taking the opportunity to listen to career spanning tunes from her. I definitely look forward to hearing more, which won't be a problem considering, as of this writing, the only album I don't own from her is Rebel Heart. Why I've amassed such a collection of CD's, but never taken the opportunity is baffling, but an easy question to answer. Simply stated, I have a ton of CD's, and I'm trying to get through them all. More will come from Madonna in the future here at Retro Spins / The Toy Box.

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Mr. T Cereal (Quaker)



Mr. T Cereal
Quaker
1984

"I pity the poor fool who don't eat my cereal!" - Pee-Wee Herman.

Despite appearing as the infamous Clubber Lang in Rocky III, which only served to boost his popularity as a household name, Mr. T was seen as a kid friendly persona. His moral compass always seemed permanently pointed towards being good, while at the same time, being strong of the body, and willing to stand up for yourself and others. This image was only solidified with his appearances on shows such as Silver Spoons, Diff'rent Strokes and Alvin and the Chipmunks - Not to mention his own self titled popular cartoon series.

Mr. T cereal was by no means my favorite as a kid. Even as I type this post, I can taste that awful aftertaste these sweet corn and oat pieces left in the back of my throat. It's very similar to that of Cap'n Crunch, also one of my least favorites. However, this didn't stop my from slamming bowl after bowl of these "T" shaped bits which seemed to never get soggy in milk.

The back of the box featured a short paneled comic strip, which featured the characters from the animated series. In fact, the front of the box, which shows Mr. T, was also the design from the cartoon. This would be, of course, because the cereal came about based on the cartoon.


Inside each box, kids could find one of three sheets of stickers. You guessed it. Those stickers featured the characters from the animated show.


Though I wouldn't rush to have a box of Mr. T cereal these days, for what it's worth, it remains one of my all time remembered cereals from my childhood. Maybe it's because it reminds me just how much of it I ate, but at the same time didn't necessarily like. Perhaps it's just because it's Mr. T. Whatever it is, I too pitty the poor fool what didn't eat Mr. T cereal in the 80's!

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Retro Spins: Billy Ocean - Love Zone



Billy Ocean
Love Zone
1986

I was really hoping to get more than I got from Billy Ocean's 1986 album Love Zone. With how great his hits are, I honestly thought I would love song after song, but that didn't turn out to be the case. In fact, it was really only the hits I enjoyed at all. The rest were just sub par tracks which felt like filler.

The album's most notable song is the opening track When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going, which many fans of 80's films will recognize from the film Jewel of the Nile, the sequel to Romancing the Stone staring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner...and Danny DeVito. Unfortunately from there, things get very mediocre 80's pop quick. The only other tunes which stand out from this bland snooze fest are the title track Love Zone and There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry).

P.S. "There'll" is not a word. Just saying. Then again, nor is Sussudio, so you know, I guess there's no limit to words one can use in a song.

Overall, it was honestly just boring to sit through this album. I actually found myself consistently checking which track I was on because I just wanted it to be over. I was bored.

Billy Ocean is by no means down for the count with me. I have two more of his albums which I'll eventually get around to - 1984's Suddenly and 1988's Tear Down These Walls. Maybe, hopefully, these will offer a better, more rounded out album.

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Superman The Movie: Series Two (Topps)



Superman The Movie: Series Two
Topps
1978

Here's a little follow up to to last week's post based on Superman The Movie from Topps.

With pack after pack of the first Superman trading cards based on the popular Warner Bros. film flying off shelves, Topps naturally put into production a second series. One of the things that confused me about collecting Topps cards back as a kid was how the numbering system picked up where the last series left off. My young mind could never grasp this simple concept.

Superman The Movie, Series II, picked up with card number seventy-eight, and continued all the way through one hundred sixty-five, for a total of eighty-eight cards. Each pack, once again, featured ten cards, one sticker and a stick of gum.

Unlike the prior series, which featured a red and white border, this all new set depicted a red and blue one. Personally, I think I like the original series style more than this all new one.

As was the case, when Topps began running out of images for the set, they began including behind the scenes photos, as well as, the director and production stills. The at the time highly popular Star Wars series from Topps was notorious for this, and it was all in an effort to pad the series.















There were six stickers released in the series, and with one per pack, it was easy to complete multiple sets if buying a full box.


Topps produced ten all-new foil chase cards for the set.



While this would be the last set of cards Topps would release based on the first film, it wouldn't be their last Superman series. Not by a long shot. Topps would be right back at it in 1980 with cards based on Superman II.

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It's Still Sad





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The Toys That Made Us Season 3 Coming Soon



The creators of The Toys That Made Us have announced that season three will premiere on Netflix on November 15, 2019. This season, which appears might be the last, will include four all new episodes. This time focusing on Power Rangers, Wrestling, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and My Little Pony.

Admittedly, it's not a very exciting season to hear about. However, it was rather inevitable that the excitement level would drop as the episodes continued. Let's be honest, you can only talk about G.I. Joe, Transformers, Star Wars and Masters of the Universe once before moving on. With the hard hitters out of the way, you can only go down from there. Still, I look forward to tuning in for the next set of episodes.

Rumor has it, the creators will shift their attention to a new series, The Movies That Made Us. While it's not as exciting a premise as toys, I could see myself tuning into a series focused on iconic films.

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