Monsters, Inc.
Hasbro
2001
When Pixar started releasing full length animated films, I was intrigued by Toy Story. It was decent film, one with a lot of charm, heart and fun. Then they released their follow up, A Bug's Life, which I was not a fan of. They followed this up with the sequel to Toy Story, which while I thought was better than the original, left me thinking, "So Pixar is a one trick pony. Toy Story movies are going to be the only thing they can do."
Then 2001 came. Specifically, November of that year. Pixar released Monsters, Inc. - A movie which I figured I would see, but didn't have high hopes for. It was awesome! Pixar was now on my radar as an animation company to get excited about when they announced new films.
Their films were no stranger to merchandise tie ins, and Monsters, Inc. was certainly no exception to this. Hasbro produced a ton of toys to correlate with the film. However, much as the case with Disney related merchandise, it was all over the place. Figures, plush, giant dolls, mini figurines, etc. There was no concise focus on any one given style, and as such, I think it may have hurt any possible longevity something such as a sole figure line could have potentially had.
As for those figures, Hasbro produced a "Top Scarer" line. This featured six characters from the film, eight if you count the two packed in with Mike. However, there are glaring omissions. Granted it's title is "Top Scarer", but seriously, no Boo? She's the maguffin of the whole film! Not even a Roz or Celia to be found here. To say the omissions are a great disappointment would be an understatement here.
However, with that said, I do really like these figures. The sculpting is spot on, the subtle variations to sizes and heights correlate well to their actual on screen appearances, and overall, and most importantly, they're simply just fun.
It's interesting to note how each main character's card has their own picture at the bottom. Then you get George Sanderson and C.D.A. Agent who ended up with a mugshot of Sully. Could nobody find a piece of artwork with these characters on it so they could have their own unique cards as well? I suppose that's a minor nitpick.
Hasbro produced a six pack of figures. While this was a great way to get the majority of the line, it omitted the two which were short packed in the cases. I honestly feel like if Hasbro was going to go through the trouble of making a box set, they may as well have included the other two figures inside so people could get an entire set in one swoop.
I feel like I'm doing more complaining than praising about this line. Especially since I do really like it. My gripes really come down to one major thing - I think the Monsters, Inc. brand, in general by Hasbro, was completely mismanaged. This lead to a lackluster release and inevitable failure for any longevity.
Hasbro released two gift packs of mini figurines. Each one contained six different characters, and this time around managed to include Boo, Roz and Celia.
For those interested in interactive toys, Hasbro also released a series of electronic dolls and large scale figures. Each one is unique in its own right. However, as a result, they're also not very compatible with each other in terms of scale and play.
Again, this feels like a lack of focus and structure for the line - Mismanagement if you will.
The last items produced were a series of plush items. Out of all of these, I think I like the Sully / Mike two pack. Not because they necessarily appeal to me, but rather because they're designed in somewhat of a scale to each other. In general, I'm not a big fan of plush toys.
So there you have it. The entire run of Hasbro released Monsters, Inc. toys.
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