This is it! The last Figure Friday before X-mas AND the first night of Hanukah! Now, while I’m going to focus on stuff you can pre-order right now that’ll be here in time for the next holiday season I’m still going to implore you to get on down to your local comic shop and support a small business if you’re last second shopping.
Also, check in on some of your Snyder Cut pals…they may be having a a rough go of it right now.
As my grandmother used to say, “Ho-ho-horseshit” let’s look at some toys.
EMMET OTTER’S JUG BAND CHRISTMAS 45TH ANNIVERSARY FIGURE SET
I may have a decidedly Henson bias towards this Christmas special, but it is without a doubt one of the greatest Christmas specials of all time. Depending on when you grew up, you may have enjoyed the special with or without Kermit the Frog, who was excised from some cuts due to the rights to the Muppets being acquired by another entertainment monolith. Personally, I prefer the largely “lost” cut which has Kermit as well as a couple of lines of his VoiceOver dialog that was present in the original 1977 HBO version.
Unsurprisingly, Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas was in regular rotation in my household over the last 45 years and still ranks among my dad’s personal favourites. After completing our annual viewing, the almighty Instagram algorithm decided to show me Plastic Meatball’s officially licensed first EVER figure set.
Here’s the blurb:
Jim Henson’s celebrated holiday classic comes to life for the first time ever with this set of officially licensed action figures from Plastic Meatball!
Originally airing December 4th, 1977 on the CBC, “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas” would have its US Premiere the following year on HBO, quickly becoming a holiday favorite that continues to be a cherished family viewing tradition to this day.
Now Emmet and Ma Otter can take their rightful place amongst your holiday decor with this made to order, commemorative 45th Anniversary set!
- Officially licensed action figure set from the holiday classic
- Ma Otter stands 5.5″ and comes with a basket of laundry and washtub bass
- Emmet Otter stands 4.5″ and comes with Pa Otter’s tool box, saw, hammer and Christmas Branch
- This 45th Anniversary set is made to order
- PRE-ORDERS ACCEPTED UNTIL 12/31/22 – SCHEDULED TO SHIP IN Q4 2023
As mentioned directly above, pre-orders are only open until 12/31 so don’t delay in ordering or you’ll have both a hole in your washtub and your figure collection!
Star Trek The Next Generations Delta Pin by FanSets
My enduring love of Star Trek is no secret and honestly it would be kind of hard to hide since I have the bridge dedication plaque of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D hanging on the wall in my living room. Directly opposite of the plaque is a tasteful (if I do say so myself) shadow box containing various Starfleet badges in chronological order from The Original Series up to Discovery. The one badge missing was the original Next Generation version…well, until today.
All of the badges I mentioned were purchased from FanSets, who have been doing a bang-up job the last several years of producing the Starfleet deltas. I should point out that these are not prop replicas, but actual wearable metal pins and/or magnetic badges. Wear them on your coat (I have!) or display them (I do!) They’re pretty amazing and affordable to collect.
This one caught me by surprise and while it’s not exactly a toy I couldn’t help myself and I felt compelled to share it…AND it’s going up for preorder today.
I’m a firm proponent of physical media since actually holding something in your hands means you’re not at the mercy of a company that can decide to just take something away from you by removing it from their servers. There have been scores of video games in recent years that are now considered “lost” media since the digital platforms they were playable on no longer exist. This seems especially relevant now as HBO is removing TV shows and movies left and right from their streaming app, some of which never received releases on physical media.
Night in the Woods is another one of my all-time favorite games, ranking right up there with Kentucky Route Zero, Journey, and What Remains of Edith Finch. Up until TODAY there had been no physical copies of NitW until Limited Run Games came along and decided to save the day.
First off, here’s a synopsis of the game:
College dropout Mae Borowski returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs seeking to resume her aimless former life and reconnect with the friends she left behind. But things aren’t the same. Home seems different now and her friends have grown and changed. Leaves are falling and the wind is growing colder. Strange things are happening as the light fades.
And there’s something in the woods.
Join Mae on a trip through her hometown and into the dark on the other side.
NIGHT IN THE WOODS is an adventure game focused on exploration, story, and character, featuring dozens of characters to meet and lots to do across a lush, vibrant world. Break stuff, play bass, hang out, walk on powerlines, jump between roofs, and discover strange and amazing and terrible things you never asked for. Come home and waste your life away in Possum Springs.
Limited Run Games is offering both regular and collector’s editions of the game for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch and the hardest part for me here is deciding which collector’s edition I’m going to order (the correct answer is not “both” as I am not a wealthy person). Check out all the cool stuff the collector’s edition comes with!
NIGHT IN THE WOODS COLLECTOR’S EDITION INCLUDES:
- Physical Copy of Night in the Woods
- Night in the Woods Collector’s Box
- Night in the Woods Original Soundtrack
- Demontower Soundtrack
- Mae’s Journal
- Possum Springs Official Coin
- Acrylic Standee Set of Possum Springs
- “Longest Night” Planisphere
- Glow-in-the-Dar Dream Cards
- Transparent Sticker Sheets
There’s SO MUCH great stuff included with that which is awesome for a game that hasn’t had a ton of official merch over the last few years. I would honestly part with a pinky finger or toe to get a copy of the soundtrack on vinyl (left hand or foot only, offer valid only in North America).
So there it is! Get out there and do some preordering and make sure to tune back in here next week on Christmas Eve-eve for a special Figure Friday surprise!
