The Nightmare Before Christmas (Funko / ReAction Figures)

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

It's interesting that the film is billed as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. While he did have his hand in writing it, he didn't do it alone, nor did he direct it.

Tim Burton confusion aside - The Nightmare Before Christmas weaves so much fun into a single story. From great characters to a unique setting and story arc, it seems to have it all - Plus Danny Elfman singing! Huge Oingo Boingo fans over here.

Figures based on the film aren't a new concept, and truth be told - If you're interested in toys based on it, there are better ones out there. These however serve their purpose for what they are - Nostalgic based five points of articulation fun.

 Jack Skellington (Smile)

 Jack Skellington (Surprised)

 Jack Skellington (Evil Grin)

Unlike most of the other ReAction figure lines, this particular series does feature a couple variants - All for Jack Skellington. He comes with three different facial expressions as noted above.

 Sally

 Mayor

Out of all the ReAction lines we've collected so far, these are by far the most accurate in terms of sculpt. Then again, these aren't humans, so it would be a little harder to extended disbelief with if they looked to far off.

 Behemoth

 Barrel

 Devil

Funko actually managed to produce a pretty good exclusive here. We get Jack Skellington with an open mouth grin, and a packed in Zero figure. Out of all the exclusives that Funko has plopped out for the ReAction Figure series, this one is by far the only one we see much value in obtaining.

This particular exclusive is also what launched the series in general; as denoted by the "Early Bird Figure" blurb on the front of the package. The back depicts all the series one figures which would later be released.

2014 SDCC Exclusive
Jack Skellington and Zero

They followed 2014's exclusive with the 2015 orange ornament set featuring Jack and Sally (each sold separately of course).

2015 SDCC Exclusive

Jack Skellington Ornament*Sally Ornament

There's a ton of room for this line to grow, and hopefully Funko will do just that. It would be disappointing to get another half attempt Nightmare toy line. We've had plenty of those already.

Join us next time when we take a look at two Funko ReAction Figure lines!

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Horror Series (Funko / ReAction Figures)

Horror Series
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

You can keep your Dracula, Frankenstein,  The Mummy and Wolfman. Those old skool horror icons have run their course for us. We're more into the horror icons from our own era - The 70's and 80's! Bring on the Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Meyers to get us excited.

Funko appeases in that regard with the all new Horror Series in the ReAction Figures line.

First up we get Jason Voorhees, the murderous killer at Camp Crystal Lake who in and of himself was nothing short of a victim due to the poor supervision of the counselors. That's right, we're justifying his actions. Probably the most fun aspect of the whole Friday the 13th series (for us) was how incredibly cheesy and predictable each consecutive one got. It became less about the story, and more about what insane way Jason would choose to wipe someone out.

 Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)

Out of all the 80's horror flick series, A Nightmare on Elm Street is our absolute favorite - With the exception of Wes Cravin's New Nightmare and anything beyond that. There was always something that was just fun about the way that Freddy would taunt his victims before finally doing them in.

 Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Then there's Michael Meyers from Halloween. An equally good series of horror flicks that out of all of the above seemed to be focused the most on story - Give or take a handful of installments. Yes, Meyers is a dreadful killer, but one that was established with motives that were constantly being revisited and evolved.

 Michael Myers (Halloween)

Hellraiser has its ups and downs. Some of the installments are really good, while others seem to fall flat on their face. Truthfully, Hellraiser: Bloodlines (number 4) is our all time favorite - Mainly because it digs deep into the story of Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites.

 Pinhead (Hellraiser III - Hell on Earth)

The first Scream was a pretty good flick for its time - Though dated these days. I remember busting out laughing a couple years ago at the part where Billy (Skeet Ulrich), Sidney's boyfriend is being questioned by the sheriff who asks, "What's a kid your age doing with a cell phone?" Priceless.

Personally for us, the franchise just fell flat from the first one on as it tried and failed to weave an intricate plot that would have us believe that Sidney had a long lost brother (the killer in the third film) who in turn manipulated Billy's mom (the killer in the second film), and Billy and his friend (the duo of killers in the first film) to randomly start killing people in a vain effort to kill Sidney...When they could have just killed her in the first place, and just called it a day. We haven't bothered with the installments past number three.

Regardless of our opinion on the film, our opinion of the figure is that he's still an iconic horror movie character, regardless of who was behind the mask. Meaning, we love the figure itself.

 Ghost Face (Scream)

Trick 'r Treat was a horror film we long anticipated to see, and when we finally got the opportunity were not disappointed. It's a great horror film that basically takes segments, and weaves them together into one larger story arc.

Sam is a great horror film icon, and one we're disappointed hasn't been seen much since.

 Sam (Trick 'r Treat)

The Crow is one of our ultimate all time favorite movies which we still watch pretty consistently these days. Everyone in that movie did an awesome job in their respective roles. That said...What exactly does The Crow have to do with a horror series? It wasn't a horror film, rather a comic book action film. It's as much a horror film as it was a romance flick.

Still...It's The Crow, and if that's the only way Funko would release it, we'll take it - Even though they could have made an entire series based on the film...Just saying.

Eric Draven (The Crow)

For those of you who enjoy paying a premium for the same figure with a different paint job, Funko released two Toy Tokyo exclusives via New York Toy Fair 2015 - 8-bit versions of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger.

 Jason Voorhees (8-Bit) - New York Toy Fair / Toy Tokyo Exclusive

Freddy Krueger (8-Bit) - New York Toy Fair / Toy Tokyo Exclusive

Where does Funko go with a horror series from there? We're eager to find out with future releases.

Join us next time when we take a look at The Nightmare Before Christmas!

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Pulp Fiction (Funko / ReAction Figures)

Pulp Fiction
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

Pulp Fiction was writer / director Quentin Tarantino's ticket to fame, and his license to develop the type of films he wanted to make without studio interference - For the most part. It also put him on the map as one of the most sought after directors to work with. A film under his name was big bucks for everyone involved - Even when said film turned out to not be so good.

Unfortunately for fans, while Pulp Fiction memorabilia isn't hard to come by, action figures are. Nobody seemed at all interested in producing any form of line on the infamous characters - Which is odd now that we think back on it.

Thank goodness that Funko has collector's covered with not only their Pop! line, but also their new ReAction Figures line. With eight characters to choose from, Funko definitely covered a lot of ground in what is hopefully only the first wave of figures. You can't have a Pulp Fiction line without everyone that was included below, so much to the point that while there are other characters in the film, we can't really think of any that would be "essential" beyond what was already produced.

 Vincent Vega

 Jules Winnfield

That's not to say that there are characters we don't want to see. We'd love to see Honey Bunny and Ringo brought to the line - After all, they're the two characters we are first introduced to in the film. Of course there's also Lance, Jody, and let's not forget Captain Koons. We'll also happily take Vincent and Jules in Jimmie's shorts and t-shirts and Marvin - With or without a hole in his face from the gunshot he took.

 Mia Wallace

 Marsellus Wallace

If we had to nitpick the series, we could easily complain that the artwork looked much nicer on the mocked up prototype cards. That particular artwork (or photo as it were) was customize individually for each figure, and didn't go with the standard Uma Thurman look.

 Butch Coolidge

 Jimmie Dimmick

 The Wolf

 The Gimp

True to Funko form, they splattered a couple of figures with painted on blood, tacked an even higher price tag on them, and called them exclusives. We're not fans of exclusives, and this is honestly why. Don't gouge my pocket for something that you're going to put little to no effort in.

 Vincent Vega - 2014 SDCC Exclusive

 Jule Winnfield - 2014 SDCC Exclusive

Those looking for an exclusive with a tad bit more thought put into it can also nab The Gimp in a collectible crate. The crate itself is actually really nice because it has the film logo and series information etched into it - Though the figure is the same as the retail release.

The Gimp - 2014 SDCC Exclusive

As we've said numerous times already in our prior Funko ReAction Figrues posts - Give us more, Funko...Just not more exclusives.

Join us next time when we take a look at Horror Series!

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Big Trouble in Little China (Funko / ReAction Figures)

Big Trouble in Little China
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

<Insert Jack Burton quote here>

Much like our prior post on N2's Big Trouble in Little China, we'll let you provide your own quote from the film to start this post off. Feel free to throw it in the comment section.

Cult classic film meets nostalgic cult classic style toy line! What more needs to be said?

Funko has been hitting the ball out of the park these past couple years with their retro five points of articulation sty;e lines. It seems every time you turn around that a new license is hitting store pegs, and with momentum building more and more, this is definitely something you want to get on sooner than later if you're still on the fence. Remember, it's easier to keep up than catch up.

Jack Burton

Gracie Law

We appreciate the ground that Funko covered in this wave, but wow - What an overkill of villains to hero ratio. Where's Wang Chi and Egg Shen?

Lo Pan

Rain

Lightning

Thunder

There are lines we collect because we're interested in them to an extent, and then there are lines that excite us, that we absolutely want to be a part of. Funko's ReAction figures is definitely the latter for us.

Join us next time when we take a look at Pulp Fiction!

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Back to the Future (Funko / ReAction Figures)

Back to the Future
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

Gotta get back in time...With Funko's nostalgic style Back to the Future figures. Fans of Back to the Future have been waiting decades for an action figure line based on the hit trilogy, and Funko delivers - Though in small quantities.

Unlike other Funko ReAction Figures which have launched with six to eight figures, BttF got only four. Licensing issue perhaps?

Whatever the reason, fans will have to suffice (for now) with Marty, Doc, George and Biff - We suppose something is better than nothing.

Marty McFly

Doc Brown

Biff Tannen

George McFly

It's difficult for us to justify and / or endorse exclusives in general, and it's even harder when said exclusive is nothing short of the same repackaged figure from the basic line with an added in plastic dog. At an average of $40.00 - We don't consider that money well spent.

Marty McFly and Einstein (Japan Limited)

Hopefully we'll see some new figures in the very near future. This particular series hasn't even nicked the surface. While it does provide a little scratching for that itch, the itch is still very much there. It's odd that so few figures came out for this particular series, because out of all the others released (Nightmare Before Christmas, Big Trouble in Little China, The Goonies, Etc.), BttF has three films that could expand the line well beyond most of them.

Join us next time when we take a look at Big Trouble in Little China!

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The Goonies (Funko / ReAction Figures)

The Goonies
Funko / ReAction Figures
2014

True story - I once sent a letter to Richard Donner pitching an idea for a Goonies sequel. The concept was a simple one - Bring back the old cast, have them sitting around Mikey's home celebrating a holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas with their own children. Mikey's kid comes running to the table dressed in pirate garb to which one of the Goonies says, "Just like One Eyed Willy!" The adults (older cast) have a laugh, to which one of the younger children asks, "What's so funny?"

After settling down, Mikey says something to the tune of, "When we were younger we met THE One Eyed Willy." Of course the kids all scoff, saying, "No way," and things like that. Mikey says, "No, it's true. It all started when we ran into the vile Fratellis famly..." The film then fades into the beginning of the original Goonies movie which plays from start to finish

Boom, done! Long time fans get their long awaited sequel, but also the original. Why the original? Because let's be honest here - Fans of movies want sequels that are nothing short of the original. So, just give them the original with fluff (such as a reunited cast telling the tale of their younger days), and watch the cash flow in. I'd see it.

So....The Goonies. It's a classic. Can't deny it. Everyone knows it, to and include Funko. That's why they chose the film as one of their leading releases for their new Funko ReAction Figures back in 2014.

Mikey

Funko hit the basics, releasing Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk and Sloth, but let's hope that a follow up series is in the works. We still need Brandon, Andy, Stef and of course the Fratellis; Mama, Francis and Jake. We also wouldn't mind a Rosalita to give our plastic Mouth someone to torment. Give us more, Funko!

Mouth

Data

Chunk (below) needs a little more....Well, chunk to him. The figure is way too skinny. Especially when compared side by side with the other figures. Look at the stock photo on the package - Data (cowering behind Chunk) is literally half the size of the actual actor. This should have been reflected in the figure.

Chunk

Sloth

It's a little annoying that the SDCC exclusive Sloth was nothing short of the same figure with the Superman logo added to the shirt. We're not saying we don't want a Sloth with a Superman shirt on, we're just saying that it shouldn't have been an exclusive - It's how the figure above should have been to begin with. A better exclusive would have been Sloth with his chains on.

Sloth (2014 SDCC Exclusive)

Admittedly, we were skeptical about any of the ReAction Figure lines when we first started hearing about them. We thought it was a step backwards for toys, and would give companies an excuse to charge premium prices for "dumb downed" figures. After actually getting our hands on the product - We can't help but think the complete opposite. These are fun, nostalgic in feeling, and quite frankly - They're just awesome when combined with that wonderful packaging.

On a side note, Funko, can we please get a Revenge of the Nerds series?

Join us next time when we take a look at Back to the Future!

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Funko ReAction Figures!

Funko has been churning out figure after figure in their all new line of ReAction Figures - So many to the point that it's getting a little difficult to keep up. That's why we're dedicating the month of September to cataloging a "new" series every Monday and Thursday.

Fans of Funko, rejoice! We'll be looking at eight series in total over the next thirty days.

Those who aren't fans...Well...Let's just say we may not be your "go to" site for the month of September - Though we hope you'll still stop by. Who knows, you might just be turned on to an all new toy line.

Mighty Muggs - Indiana Jones (Hasbro)

Mighty Muggs - Indiana Jones
Hasbro
2008

We've covered a fair amount of Indiana Jones toys "HERE" at The Toy Box, so there's not a whole lot we can say about the franchise in general at this point - So we won't.

Around 2008 (or so), the world of collectibles went crazy with the inception of mini distorted figures. Funko and Hasbro have been cashing in on that craze for years now, and there's no signs that it's slowing down any time soon - Though Funko has certainly made more of a killing at it than Hasbro.

2008's Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs line helped to cement that craze with popular iterations of everyone's favorite whip wielding archeologist. Hasbro unfortunately didn't cover a lot of ground before they were off to more popular licenses, but they still managed to produce a fun assortment of mini figures.

 Cairo Swordsman*Dr. Henry Jones

 Indiana Jones*Mola Ram

 Monkey Man*Mutt Williams

 Sallah*Short Round

Fertility Idol

Though numerous key players didn't get the chance to be imagined in vinyl, it was fairly exciting to see Hasbro give just a little bit of love to every Indiana Jones film.

Join us Tuesday September 1, 2015 for a special announcement!

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