I talked yesterday about
rediscovering Ren & Stimpy recently, and I intentionally
left my initial exposure to the show for today.
I’m almost positive that I was there
for the premiere of The Ren & Stimpy Show in 1991. I seem
to recall that Nickelodeon was promoting it heavily and I think I
made a point of tuning in. Something about the look of the animation
really appealed to me.
Whatever the case, I was absolutely
addicted. I was fifteen years old, and while I was an admittedly
innocent and naïve fifteen, I was old enough to get how subversive
the cartoon was. It was weird and intentionally off-putting. It both
mocked and paid tribute to all of the cartoons that I had grown up
watching.
Later on there were plush toys and
other types of merchandise, but I don’t think there were ever
proper action figures. I had farting plushes of Ren and Stimpy. I
don’t know what happened to the first ones I had, but I bought
replacements on eBay maybe ten years ago just because I found a set
for cheap. Unfortunately, they were some of the casualties in the
flood in 2009.
But now, thanks to Jazwares’ new
licensing deal with Nickelodeon, we have some new Ren & Stimpy
toys to enjoy. Ren was a worthwhile addition to my figure collection,
but how will his pal Stimpy fare?
First Glance: I
immediately liked the Stimpy figure more than the Ren, mostly because
he’s closer to being neutral. This is Stimpson J. Cat at his most
vacuous.
Articulation: Jazwares’
articulation can be a little rickety sometimes, but I’ll give them
credit for squeezing in as much as is reasonable.
Shoulders – swivel/pivot
Wrists – I think they are supposed to
swivel, but I am too nervous to make them
Hips – swivel/pivot
Considering Stimpy is essentially a big
blob with tiny arms and legs, there’s not a whole lot that could
have been done here. The joints are tight and sturdy enough to have
survived my photo posing and a bit of play from Lil’ Troublemaker.
Stimpy stands a bit more easily than
Ren despite his teensy, little legs having to hold up more mass.
Sculpt: For its size
this is a pretty heavy figure. He’s made of the same solid,
slightly textured plastic as Ren and I really like this stuff for
these cartoon characters. While a lot of cartoons might benefit from
a glossier plastic, The Ren & Stimpy Show was anything but
glossy. Jazwares chose the right materials here.
Unlike Ren, Stimpy does not have a
butt. But he does have a big wrinkle of back fat and it's gross.
The head/body sculpt is as good as I
could have expected. I suppose if this were a Japanese figure they
would have done twelve different removable faces, but then the thing
would have cost fifty bucks. I’m good with the one face Jazwares
chose. The hanging tongue is good and the expression is mostly
neutral/stupid. It’s Stimpy all the way. Although I have to say -
if they release a “Thoughtful” Stimpy I’ll have to buy that one
as well.
His arms and legs are the correct
proportions. The hands are a little wacky, but they could have been
even wackier. The feet are the simple blob designs rather than being
toes or anything. Ren and Stimpy both had their appendages depicted
numerous ways throughout the run of the cartoon. I think Jazwares
chose well with the simple, blobby ones.
Coloring: Stimpy’s
paint job is a little more involved than Ren’s. Not only does he
have a distinct stomach color, he also has facial patterns and that
big, blue nose.
The colors on the figure reflect the
cartoon perfectly. The shades are immediately recognizable. This may
seem like a simple thing, but sometimes I’ll get a figure based on
specific media and something about the coloring just doesn’t seem
right. This actually happens with Star Wars figures a lot since they
use so many different sources for reference and they often do not
match what the actual film looks like. But Stimpy is solid.
The actual placement of the colors is
good. Nothing bleeds or overlaps and there’s none of the fuzziness
that I’ve seen on some Jazwares figures.
Flair: Is his tongue
flair? Nah.
Accessories: Stimpy
comes with an excellent accessory – Muddy the Mudskipper.
Admittedly I would have liked to also have a bag of Gritty Kitty
Litter and Stimpy’s litter box, but if I could only have one thing
Muddy is a win.
Muddy looks perfect. Not only is he the
correct size to go with these scale figures, he is a great sculpt in
a good pose for the character. All of his proportions are spot-on. I
love his fishily enthusiastic expression as well.
Muddy’s coloring is good, with more
detail than Ren or Stimpy. Everything is tight and well-placed.
Packaging: I do love the
new packaging for these Hanna-Barbera toys. It has a nice,
distinctive shape and the design can carry across all the different
licenses and seem right. Also, it isn’t a clamshell. So bonus
points for that. Jazwares cheaped out(!) and opted not to print bios
or cartoon histories or anything neat on the backs. That’s pretty
lame.
Value: I think these guys
were $8.99. But anything between eight and ten dollars is a pretty
good deal for these. And I can’t help but feel like their
exclusivity to Target (and the fact that I haven’t seen any more
since I bought mine) adds a bit.
Overall: This is a great
Stimpy. The only way I can imagine a significantly better one is if
somebody made a Japanese-style version with interchangeable faces and
hands and feet. And costumes. And that would probably be eighty
bucks.
4
out of 5
If you happen to see a Stimpy, grab
him. He’s fun to have on the shelf.
-Phantom
Thanks for reviewing these Ren and Stimpy toys! I'm a long-time fan of the cartoon, but I didn't know these toys even existed. I guess it's because they're "Target Exclusives," and I haven't been inside a Target for a while. Now I'm going to have to seek them out.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to have been able to review them! Good luck finding a set. Maybe they'll start popping up again after the holidays.
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