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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