Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! BEETLEJUICE!
While that name doesn’t exactly strike fear into anyone’s heart, it’s become almost synonymous with Halloween, or, as we say around here, Spooky Season! Many Beetlejuice action figures have been produced over the years, in many sizes with various vibes, looks, and features, but if you want just one ultimate plastic representation, you’ve really got to go with the Mezco One:12 version. But before we delve into that, let’s look at a brief history of Beetlejuice action figures!
If you’re between 40 and 50, you probably remember watching Beetlejuice as a kid. Now Beetlejuice wasn’t anywhere near an “R” rating, but it certainly wasn’t a kids’ movie either! Still, ’80s kids were drawn to its quirky, creepy Tim Burton-ness and Michael Keaton’s cartoon-like con man from beyond the grave. Perhaps that’s why Kenner decided to produce a line of Beetlejuice action figures released in 1989!
Beetlejuice was a sleeper hit in the spring of 1988, making almost 6 times its production costs! A Saturday morning cartoon series followed in the fall of 1989. They were quite different in tone, however. See, while it rarely comes up in conversations about the film, Beetlejuice is, well… a character who chases a 16-year-old girl. Ew. The cartoon sidesteps this by reinventing Beetlejuice as a mischievous best friend to Lydia Deetz, now with 70% less of her goth angst. The animated pair go on misadventures between the mortal world and the Neitherworld, with Lydia often showing Beetlejuice how to be less selfish. Despite this family-friendly version of Beetlejuice, many of his mannerisms remain intact! So sure! As we’ve seen time and time again, they took a hit movie, made a series, and made some toys. It was nothing new, except for one thing: the toys weren’t based on the cartoon! They clearly depict specific characters and even scenes from the film. The reasons for this are quite unclear!
Both the cartoon and the toy line had about a year and a half to go from development to release. This is the typical amount of time a big company takes to develop and release a new toy. An animated series can take a little less time or a lot more. Since there isn’t much information regarding the mismatch between the action figures and the animated series, I have a few theories.
Theory A: Developing the two products at once, and in a hurry, in a pre-internet world made collaboration difficult. I feel this is the least likely.
Theory B: The movie toys had originally been designed to coincide with the movie but were passed on when the movie came out. When it was decided to produce the toy line after all, Kenner went with what was already designed.
Theory C: Animated series based on movies often did not perform well, so Kenner decided to base their toys on the movie since it had already proven itself to be a hit, rather than an animated series they had no way of knowing would make it to four seasons!
Do I have any evidence for any of these scenarios occurring? NOPE!
Anyway, the Kenner line was fun and comparable to lines like Ghostbusters and Police Academy. The articulation was pretty limited, and the figures were based around their various action features. Along with two waves of figures, several vehicles and playsets were included, such as the Vanishing Vault, the Creepy Cruiser, and the Phantom Flyer. There was also a large talking doll with a spinning head feature, and some role-play toys. This video gives a nice quick rundown of the full line PLUS some cool unproduced figures! While the animated series did not see a toy line of its own, it did get a set of 6 PVC squeezy toys that came with Burger King Kids Meals.
Since those days, NECA has pretty much been the company for Beetlejuice figures. While they’ve produced a lot of great product, I don’t feel like any of their figures have really nailed the likeness. They have made an awesome sandworm however, as well as a very cool diorama based on Dante’s Inferno Room, from a quite memorable scene in the original film. So with all of that said and done, let’s get to the Mezco figure! As Beetlejuice might say, “It’s showtime!”
Mezco One:12’s Beetlejuice is a six inch/15.24 cm high-end collectible action figure with fabric clothing and is still available on their website, as well as other online retailers’ sites. Beetlejuice has five heads with various expressions, one light-up carousel head from the “test your strength” scene, and one shrunken head from the last time we see Beetlejuice (until the polarizing sequel)! He also includes six pairs of hands, a light-up gravestone, two bendable extension arms with giant hammer hands, a nail file, the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, a figure stand, and two mini-stands for the aforementioned hammer hands. He is incredibly poseable but, as is common with Mezco One:12 figures, the fabric clothing can make some poses difficult.
If I had to nitpick, it’d be nice if the figure had separate neck and head pieces, like most Mezco One:12 figures, but I get why they did it this way, and it does look cleaner. The collar on Beetlejuice’s shirt and the lapels on his jacket might be a little big, but overall this is an incredible figure with amazing accessories! I had a Kenner figure when I was a kid, but I never really knew I needed a Beetlejuice figure until I saw this. I’d put the likeness of this figure up against any of the other Beetlejuice figures out there, including Sideshow’s! My purchasing decision was only assisted by the fact that I already owned the Mezco One:12 1989 Batman, which also sports an excellent Michael Keaton likeness (or at least the unmasked half). I couldn’t resist the fun of putting these two characters together!
That’s all for now! Come back in two weeks for my final 31 Days of Horror post of 2026! Are you scared!? … Come on, man! They’re just toys!
