31 Days of Horror is in it’s death throes but we have one last Figure Friday to freak you out with. This week we shine a spotlight on one of the more underappreciated lines in the horror genre, NECA’s Toony Terrors!
If you aren’t familiar with Toony Terrors, they are 6-inch scale animated style figures. To call them action figures, would be a bit of a reach because they feature limited articulation. Kenner Star Wars figures look like MEZCO One:12s in comparison to most of the Toony Terrors line. What they lack in articulation, they make up for in style. NECA promotes them appropriately: Bring the fun of Saturday morning cartoons to your horror collection with the adorable little creeps of Toony Terrors. Think of the guest stars that appeared on Scooby Doo. Now imagine that instead of Don Knotts and the Harlem Globetrotters solving mysteries with the Scooby Gang that Freddy and Jason stopped by to scare up some fun. On their own, they aren’t much, but get them in a display with some Scooby Doo figures and you really start to see the magic horror happen.
NECA has leveraged their large roster of licenses to bring all of the major horror icons to the line. Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and Leatherface have all been toonified. Series 6 is just now hitting pegs at retail and includes Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Captain Blake from The Fog, Herbert West from Re-Animator, and The Miner from My Bloody Valentine. Target and Walmart carry them in their collectibles section for $14.99. There’s also a box set of Quint and the Shark from Jaws hitting currently which retails for $29.99.
As you can see, after six series, it feels like NECA is starting to reach a bit in terms of the traditional horror franchises. With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to put together a wish list of what I’d like to see added to the line.
Universal Monsters
With NECAs recent addition of the Universal Monsters franchise, this one feels like a no-brainer. As we’ve established in previous Figure Friday columns, I’m a sucker for a good Creature From the Black Lagoon figure and this would be no exception. Gill Man is at the top of my list, but all of the Universal Monsters would look amazing given the Toony Terror treatment.
Halloween 3 Season of The Witch 3 Pack
Two more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! Two more days till Halloween! Silver Shamrock!
I’d love to see a 3 pack of trick or treaters wearing the Silver Shamrock masks. NECA has already pulled this set off to perfection in their traditional 8-inch scale. No need to reinvent the wheel in this case. Give me the exact same set in the Toony Terrors line and take my money.
Cryptids
Why limit ourselves to movie franchises? If we’re going a wish list route, let’s really think outside of the box. How about an entire wave of Cryptids? Bigfoot in a traditional Patterson video pose would be a lock. After that, you can take a bit of creative license. Jersey Devil, Chupacabra, Mothman, The Lizard Man, The Abominable Snow Man could be a lot of fun for the folks on the design team. I’d love to see what they’re capable of without having the handcuffs of answering to a licensor.
Victims
What good are all of these slashers without some victims? My Scooby Doo figures make great stand ins, but their less than frightened faces make figure photography a bit of a challenge. I’d love to see both men and women with multiple heads featuring varying degrees of shock and horror. Bonus points if they include some removable bloody limbs. As a side note, this would be welcomed in just about every figure line. Marvel Legends released The Hood and he makes a much better victim than he does a super powered bad guy.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Both Pennywise figures from Series 1 are standouts in the lineup. Clowns just translate to the animated style better than others. That being said, let’s bring the Killer Klowns From Outer Space Big Top to Toony Terrors, cotton candy cocoons and all. The movie might have been terrible, but the characters are begging for the stylized treatment. A deluxe Klownzilla in a larger scale would add some great variation to my Toony Terrors shelf.
With that, I wish you all a safe and happy Halloween. Remember to leave your light on… you never know what might happen if you don’t.
