Toy Talk
Volume XXVI
By Mark Patraw
Posted on 2/3/14
This is the twenty-sixth week that I've been doing Toy Talk, so, that means half a year has gone by already--time sure flies! Today, starting on the left, and moving right, there's a 2012 Viacom/McDonald's Spongebob Squarepants Karate Spongebob (twenty-five cents "Spongebob" grab bag on 12/21/13), a 2011 Rubber Bandz Factory Finger Bandz bag of Treats Ring Bandz (twenty-five cents "Girls" grab bag on 1/29/14), a 2011 WowWee/Burger King Paper Jamz: Instant Rockstar Rock Guitar (twenty-five cents "Boys" grab bag on 1/24/14), a Magnetic Paper Doll of unknown origin (twenty-five cents "Girls" grab bag on 1/14/14), and, finally, a 2013 Oriental Trading Company Snowman plush (twenty-five cents "Girls" grab bag on 1/29/14). I purchased everything from the Ishpeming St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store on the dates noted above. If anyone reading this knows more information about any of these items (particularly the Magnetic Paper Doll), that I haven't already discussed below, and would like to share, or just chat about toys, feel free to e-mail me and let me know!
Hee-yah! It's time for some underwater martial arts mayhem! Here we have a 2012 Viacom Spongebob Squarepants Karate Spongebob McDonald's figure. At the top of his head, Spongebob is 3.1" (8 cm) tall, but, due to the positioning of his arms and the large size of his red and green gloves, he takes up a lot more space than you might expect. There were sixteen(!) figures in this wave, ten different versions of Spongebob (skateboarding, basketball, weightlifting, soccer, windsurfing, kayaking, gymnastics, golfing, discus, and this karate one), two Patricks (spinning and rodeo), one Gary (skating), one Squidward (tennis), one Sandy (boating), and one Mr. Krab (fencing). Whew, that'd be a lot to collect! Supposedly, this line was tied to the London Olympics, which would explain the sports theme. If you've never watched the cartoon, Sandy Squirrel and Spongebob Squarepants are really into practicing karate, so this look is entirely appropriate for the yellow goofball. As you've probably guessed, both of Spongebob's arms have a chopping action, the right goes up-and-down, while the left moves forwards-and-backwards. Interestingly, they're both controlled by the same lever on his back, so you can only trigger one or the other at a time, not both at once (moving the lever vertically controls the left arm, moving it horizontally triggers the right). It's a bit finicky, but works okay once you get the hang of it. Due to the weight of his large mitts, it can be tricky to get the spongey karate master to stand on his own, but, it's possible with some fiddling. You can adjust the positioning of his hands (rotating cut joints at the wrists) and left arm (rotating cut joint at the shoulder) a bit, which helps, but, other than those, he doesn't have any other joints. I really love this figure's appearance; everything from his exaggerated expression to the pose looks great. Probably my favorite aspect of Spongebob's sculpt is that the fingers on the red glove have even smaller hands at their tips, which is exactly the kind of silly nonsense the character is known for. I don't know how much use those extra appendages would be in a real fight, other than giving you a firmer grip on your opponent during a grapple or a throw, but it's a really neat design decision that fits the character. I wish that Spongebob could stand unassisted more reliably (this is one case where attaching his feet to a small base would have really helped) and was a bit more poseable, but, otherwise, I have no complaints about this toy and heartily recommend it to fans of the franchise or anyone who enjoys a goofy-looking martial artist.
Let's all put rainbow-hued rubber bands on our fingers, because, um, just because? Here we have a small bag of the 2011 Rubber Bandz Factory's Finger Bandz Treats Ring Bandz (using "bandz" that many times in one sentence should be illegal). Unlike most of the toys I get from thrift stores, this one was still unopened and in its original packaging (which is an uncommon event, although not unheard of). According to the price sticker, this item originally retailed for a dollar at Wal-mart, so, as I got it, and a bunch of other stuff, in a twenty-five cents "Girls" mystery grab bag, I received quite a discount. I don't know if they're still an "in" thing or not anymore, but these stretchy shapes were very popular with children, so much so that some schools banned them, because (allegedly) the braiding and trading of the rubber bands was becoming disruptive. Back when I was in elementary school, I remember that Friendship Bracelets were a similar phenomenon, particularly amongst the girls (although some boys wore them too), and that they would often weave/braid them, during class, when they were supposed to be paying attention to the teacher. As the old saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
The "Treats" bag contains 24 brightly-colored Finger Bandz in six different food designs (four of each): popsicles, cupcakes, ice cream cones, gingerbread men, milkshakes, and wrapped candies. If you get one that doesn't look right, twist it a bit and it should pop back into its proper shape--one of my milkshakes looked like it was malformed, straight out of the bag, but it returned to normal after manipulating it.
Other than their relatively low cost and attractive designs, I guess I just don't get the appeal of these things. They're colorful, and the shapes are fun, but once you've stretched them over your digits, you can't tell what the objects are anymore, so they all end up looking more-or-less the same. It seems to me that actual rings would be a much better choice for accessorizing your hands. That said, some people like to weave these Finger Bandz into larger bracelets/bangles, resulting in some elaborate and beautiful jewelry. The package warns that the rubber bands can potentially restrict the circulation of blood in your fingers, which is definitely something you'd want to be cautious of, particularly with younger kids who may not appreciate the danger (the manufacturer recommends them for ages 6 and up). Granted, I've got big, adult hands, but, even in the short amount of time it took me to shoot the two photos above, the pressure caused by having several of them wrapped around my thumb was noticeable and uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned, these Finger Bandz are going right back into their plastic baggie, and probably aren't ever coming out again.
If nothing else, they make colorful hair restraints.
This is my "Cold Weather Cute" Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop doll.
Are you ready to rock? Well, wipe the Whopper grease off of your fingers first and let's go! This is a 5" (12.7 cm) long 2011 WowWee/Burger King Paper Jamz: Instant Rockstar Rock Guitar electronic toy. In addition to this item, you could also get four other guitars (Flame Guitar, Rocking Guitar, Checker Guitar, and Warp Guitar), two keyboards (Electro Keyboard and Kickin' Keyboard), and three drums (Smashin' Drum Machine, Bangin' Drums, and Smashin' Aerial Drums), for a total of ten different musical instruments. Each of the three star buttons, on the guitar's neck, plays a different 2-3 second riff when you press it. You can't play more than one clip simultaneously, which would have been neat, but you can interrupt one to begin another, allowing you to string together, or repeat, several riffs in a row for a longer, continuous performance. The speaker is on the back of the instrument and projects the samples clearly. Mercifully, the guitar also has an on/off switch on the back, so that you can cut your would-be musician's recital short if the noise starts to drive you nuts. This is a fun and well-designed toy. If you had several people, and an instrument for each, you could stage a little concert, and, even when the batteries eventually die, you can still use this item as an accessory for other toys that have rockstar aspirations. I don't know that I'd want all ten of these, but it'd be nice to have one of the keyboard and drum instruments to complement and contrast the sounds produced by this guitar.
Liv in Wonderland White Queen Daniela rocks out!
Proportionately, the guitar is somewhat thick and short, but, provided you're not too picky, it's an option for 11-12" dolls.
In particular, Jem and The Holograms toy fans might get a kick out of using these with their dolls.
This blonde cutie has a magnetic personality! There's no copyright information printed anywhere on the 6.3" (16.1 cm) tall paper doll, or her pink dress, so, I have no idea when it was manufactured or by whom. If I had to guess, given the art style, and the way that it's constructed, I'd say that it's an older piece (1970s or 1980s maybe, and possibly even earlier?), as all the paper dolls that I've seen in recent years are made from much flimsier/thinner cardstock and have the fold-over tabs for attaching clothing, not magnets. The 1/8" (3 mm) deep layered cardboard is surprisingly thick for a paper doll (so much so that I have to wonder if "paper" is even an appropriate adjective to be using in this case). Unlike similar toys, this one could probably take a beating from a little girl without getting destroyed. The strength of the magnetic attraction between the pieces is just about perfect too; powerful enough to keep the clothing on, but weak enough that a young child would have no trouble removing it. The people that designed this item definitely knew what they were doing. The only real nitpick I have is that the doll can't stand by itself without some kind of support. The artwork printed on the magnetic veneer is attractive and it looks like the original illustration was hand-painted with watercolors, not the photoshopped job you'd typically see today, which gives it a warm vintage feel. The fact that her diaper has a safety pin on it does make me cringe a bit, because I've been impaled on those supposedly "safe" pins numerous times in my life. I know nearly everybody uses disposable diapers with adhesive strips these days, but still, I'd never use a safety pin to attach clothing to a baby/toddler. I'm rather fond of paper dolls in general, so I like this item quite a bit, I just wish that she had come with a few more clothing options, although I expect it'd be relatively easy for me to make her some out of refrigerator magnets.
Here's a comparison with my Greenbrier International Paper Doll Dress-up Kit doll.
Ignoring its thickness, I think the magnetic doll's garment is great on her, because it looks like a short Babydoll dress or lingerie nightie.
Like many parts of the country, the region where I live is in the midst of a bitter winter, so, given the weather, this fluffy frozen fellow is an entirely appropriate addition to my collection. He's a 2013 Oriental Trading Company Snowman plush toy, made from a combination of polyester fibers and PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pellets. The bulk of said pellets seem to be centered in the lower torso, which I expect probably helps him stand, due to their weight and ability to shift position. Speaking of which, he could have stood to be more rotund, front-to-back, as he's kind of "flat" in profile. At the tip of the ball on his hat, this icy guy is 5.1" (12.9 cm) tall. Overall, he's a charming and attractive looking stuffed figurine. The stitching and materials are both pretty good in terms of quality, and the color scheme is pleasing to the eye (red would have been more Christmas-y, but I'm glad they went with a blue and green motif instead). A broom would have been a nice accessory, but he looks fine as-is. I can't keep white fabrics clean to save my life, so, in all probability, this poor snowman will end up looking pretty gray and dingy after he's lived with me for a while . . .
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