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Important Toy News: The ultimate Frankenstein's Monster, Banjo-Kazooie rock out, and more!
Welcome back to Important Toy News, the SYFY WIRE column that shows you all the best and coolest happenings in the world of amazing toys and collectibles for the week.
So join me, your resident if not favorite Toy Journalist, while we dive back into the toy box for another adventure down the rabbit hole that is new toys and collectibles announcements. Because this week we are experiencing a delicious blend of the old, the new, the retro, and the nostalgic!
Therefore, let's take it back to the past — 90 years back to the past to be precise, and start off with a new take on Frankenstein's beloved monster.
FRANKENSTOY'S MONSTER
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the acclaimed silver-screen classic Frankenstein, NECA announced the triumphant debut of Universal Monsters in its Ultimate action figure line! The sculpt captures Boris Karloff's poignant portrayal of the misunderstood monster in authentic black-and-white just like the movie.
Standing in 7-inch scale, the figure comes in premium anniversary packaging with plenty of accessories: Three interchangeable heads, six interchangeable hands, shackles, and daisies. Frankenstein's Monster costs $32.99 and is shipping summer 2021.
TOYSWALD COBBLEPOT
Iron Studios presents the sinister Penguin from the hit 1992 film, Batman Returns! A little backstory via Iron Studios: "Oswald Cobblepot was born in Gotham's aristocratic high society, but due to his deformities, he was abandoned by his parents as a baby. Created as the attraction of a freak show, he returns 33 years later as the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang, looking for revenge."
In this gorgeous diorama statue, the villain seemingly lands at the top of the staircase to his lair with his signature sadistic smile and special flying umbrella, dressed in his formal attire wearing a top hat and an overcoat in shades of black and gray. This statue costs $269.99 and ships in Q4 2021.
BANJO-KACTIONFIGUREZOOIE
Banjo and Kazooie are back at it again, this time as Youtooz collectible figures. Bring the entire retrogaming crew home with you — Banjo-Kazooie, Bottles, and Tooty — and help them thwart the evil Gruntilda's plans. Banjo himself stands 4.5 inches tall in his classic yellow shorts and blue backpack (with pal Kazooie bursting out), ready to pluck up a tune on the banjo from his game's memorable intro. The window box is illustrated to show Banjo and Kazooie's home, using elements from the franchise. Each character in the line costs $29.99 and will be available for preorder from YouTooz soon.
METOYHEADS REJOICE
More music toys are on the way from Incendium! Cradle of Filth and Joe Satriani's Crystal Planet toys have just been announced. This excites me and makes me hopeful for more and more music action figures. One day, for the good of heavy metal, I shall have my HammerFall Hector figure!
But in the meantime, Incendium is adding some cool and unseen toys into the music niche, so metalheads rejoice — it is greatly appreciated. From Cradle of Filth, we have a FigBiz 5-inch Dani Filth Figure. A master of the banshee's wail, this toy features 12 points of articulation and harkens back to the days of the classic ToyBiz action figure. The Succubus from Cradle of Filth is also available for preorder.
POWER RANGERS LIGHTOY COLLECTION
Hasbro has revealed brand new additions to the Power Rangers Lightning Collection line: all-new 6-inch In Space Black Ranger, S.P.D. Green Ranger, Lost Galaxy Blue Ranger, and Mighty Morphin' Tenga Warrior figures. Via Hasbro, "With realistic human faces and exceptional articulation, the classic Sentai superheroes and villains are back as the very best in collectible action figures! Hasbro's Power Rangers Lightning Collection 6-Inch Action Figures bring you the boxed collector amazement you crave, spanning the line's rich history."
As a Power Rangers fan, I am really happy to see more villains and off-the-cuff characters added to the Lightning Collection. Perhaps one of these days Hasbro will answer the call for Megazords in this scale. One robot lover can only hope.
MEZCO TOY FAIR 2021
While we don't have Toy Fair this year and many of our conventions are still online, toymakers are taking it upon themselves to keep fans happy with exciting events and new reveals. Mezco Toyz has announced Mezco Toyz Fair 2021, a three-day event (from Feb. 20-22) filled with giveaways, reveals, and tons of interactions and engagements for fans. Did we mention new toy reveals on the hour? Because yeah — that's what's going to happen. We have optimistic hope for 2021 and the return of some events that we didn't get to enjoy last year, so this is a great kick-off to keep us in the toy collecting spirit!
