Ghostbusters Hot Dog Munching Slimer - Funko Pop! Movies Number 747

1000logos.net

As I mentioned in my last post, Slimer was my favourite character from the original Ghostbusters film, still is if truth be told. His introduction in the film was cute, funny, gross and weird... 

Whereas the Librarian ghost looks normal and then gets scary when tying to get visitors to be quiet, here was a creature that didn't look remotely human, or act in a normal way, bright green mind you, like a giant wrinkly bogey and stuffing it's face with hotdogs it's stealing from a cart in a hotel hallway.

That image of Slimer always stuck with me and I'd draw it often.

Of course, I had Buckley's of getting a toy version back in the 1980's and 1990's and to be honest, I never thought there would ever be one...

Until after I'd bought my first Funko Pop! Movies Slimer, blimey almost 10 years ago now, being happy with him and not really being a Funko person, I never thought of keeping an eye on their range. So it came as a complete surprise when I was nosing around Amazon a couple of years back, for Metal themed figures and I happened to find this...

My dream Slimer!!

Of course I bought him straight away, and now I am the proud owner of two Slimers!

In terms of differences between the two, they are the same size (around 4 and a half inches) They weigh around the same in your hand, but there may be a slight weight difference.

But I was pleasantly surprised to discover, they didn't just use the same mould and stuff a few hotdogs in his mouth, they really put some thought into it. 

The Hotdog version isn't as wide as the original version as he is in the process of filling his face so his hands are busy around his face ad not in the outstretched about to slime pose of the first figure.

The slime bases are different too, the hotdog version has thicker strands of slime, more of them and the overall shape is narrower than the original version.

 His facial expression is different too, he clearly needs to concentrate on munching and so his brow is more expressive in the newer version, he is a shade or two darker too.

Out of the two, I don't have a favourite, I love them both for different reasons and I'm really pleased to not only finally have a Slimer, but now have two Slimers depicting my favourite scenes from Ghostbusters, which I must admit is also still one of my favourite films.

Well, take care all,

Speak soon,

Herbs x

Ghostbusters Slimer - Funko Pop! Movies Number 108

1000logos.net

Being an 80's child I like most of my peers really got into the Ghostbusters craze when the first film was released in cinemas in 1984, of course my brother Carl and I hassled my parents to take us to the cinema to see it. 

Going to Walthamstow Cinema was always a huge treat not only because we were going to watch a film but because the building itself was so magical to me as a child.

It was only a 10 minute walk from my house but in those days it felt like an adventure as we had to go along the main road which was always scary but after a few minutes there we were in front of the huge building, having been built in the 1930's it was decorated inside with what I later learnt to be Art Deco designs.

Alfred Hitchcock who grew up in nearby Leytonstone (where I used to go to the Swimming Pool with my friends every week) was a regular visitor to Walthamstow Cinema as a boy, I like to think this is where his love of films originated and what drove his desire to make iconic films in later years.

As usual I've digressed but if you'd like to read a little more about the place; there was a recent push to save and restore it which you can read about here, and of course the link above which talks more about the history of the place.

                                                                     

Slimer was my favourite character in the film, of course, what 8 year old wouldn't be impressed by a bright green blob that loves to eat and when interrupted, covers the offender with gooey ectoplasm?

 I have to say though, I never did understand his need to eat, what with being dead and all, or why he looked the way he did, but he was cute and funny and he let Peter Venkmen have it after being called an "ugly spud" so he was great in my book! 

As for toys, well back then, I don't remember any on sale, or I would certainly have begged for a Slimer! We didn't have the crazy amounts of merchandising we do now, also being an American film, merchandise would have needed to be imported so most shops didn't do that unless they knew they could shift the stock.

 It wasn't until or 3 years later, after The Real Ghostbusters Cartoon became a hit, that I started to see Ghostbusters toys in shops. 

I had a few of those, Peter, Ray, Winston, Egon and a few ghosts... Mr. Staypuff, Granny, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster but sadly, no Slimer. In case you're wondering, yes I still have them! 

It wasn't until the 90s when Extreme Ghostbusters came out that I finally found a Slimer and bought it for my son as he loved him as much as I did.

So, when Funko released their Funko Pop! Ghostbusters range in 2014, and I saw their version of Slimer, I had to have one, it took me several years before I managed to find one but when I did, he was worth the wait...

Isn't he the cutest?!

  I love how they've moulded the slime in such a way that it gives him a stand but also makes him look like he's floating, like he does in the film.

I love that the slime looks wet even though it isn't and that they haven't over done it, there's just enough to look like it's dripped off him and formed a puddle on the floor but not so much that the figure loses detail.

In case you're wondering, he stands at around 3 and a half inches tall, that doesn't sound like much but he certainly feels substantial in your hand, and is balanced very well weight wise, so never tumbles over while on display.

 

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Several years after this figure came out, I managed too find this one, he didn't come with is box but that's ok, I wanted to put him on my shelf so I could look at him often anyway.

If you've read any of my previous Funko posts, you'll know that although i have a few, I'm not that enamoured by most of them. I find the human figures mostly non descript which is why my collection mostly consists of non human entries, except for my Bob Ross keyring, which I'll maybe get around to showing you someday and my Grady Twins which I've already posted about.

Anyhoo, that's it for now, I have another Slimer to show you, so I better leave off here and post about that one... 

Take care,

Herbs x
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Salad Fingers by Unbox Industries.

https://www.theverge.com/

In the early 2000's I discovered an animated series made by a British animator called David Firth. It centred around a cute green being, who has very long fingers, an obsession with rusty spoons and nettles and has several friends who appear to do finger puppets and may or may not be real.

Salad Fingers, lives alone in a landscape that appears to be post apocalyptic and populated by strange mutated characters whom he occasionally interacts with.

 As the series progress, you learn more about Salad Fingers and his situation, his family and are introduced to the possibility that everything you see may be an illusion taking place inside the mind of a possibly mentally ill person that takes the form of Salad Fingers.

I was obsessed with the series when I discovered it and showed it to everyone I could. 

Over the years, an occasional upload would be released continuing Salad Fingers story until the final upload in 2013... And that was that, Salad Fingers was over and all there was to be discovered about his origins, life and back story were all contained in those 10 episodes.

That is until January last year when I received a notification that David firth had uploaded an 11th episode of Salad Fingers... after 6 years, and so began my obsession all over again!

A few months later, I discovered that there was now a Salad Fingers Action Figure, and of course I wanted one!

For one reason or another, I didn't manage to get my hands on him, until December came around and I discovered that Aaron had brought me one for Christmas... What can I say, my son is awesome!

And so, I now have my own Salad Fingers to play with... He now lives inside his blister pack on my wall until I have a new rusty spoon to show him, or discover a patch of nettles for him to rub on his teats to make the milk drip out!

He stands around 7 inches tall, has articulation at the shoulders, ankles, wrists and neck, which means his head can rotate 180 degrees, but that just looks silly because then his face is on upside down!

His hands are moulded into touchy scrape position, but as they turn at the wrists it is possible to make him hold things, although he much prefers running his elongated fingers along spikes or against rust particles.

He doesn't quite manage to stand up by himself, probably having jabbed his finger on one of those aforementioned spikes and losing too much red water... But he can be posed with his feet turned in different directions.

I recently discovered there is another version of this figure.. Mine is the Red Water Edition, but there is also a Teeth version, which shows off his cracked and decaying teeth to full effect.

Unbox Industries.

I've also discovered that there is a third version, one where Salad Fingers is smiling, by smiling I mean his closed mouth kind of smug expression.

All three versions were designed and produced by Unbox and I'm not totally sure if this is correct, but I have read on another site that each edition is limited to 300 pieces.

Anyhoo, there's my little guy, and none of the reasons why I love him because I can't really put into words how he makes me feel.

So check out the cartoon series if you haven't already, the episodes are pretty short so it won't take too long out of your day and if you like surreal, slightly creepy stuff you're sure to like it!

Well that's me done, so take care...

Living Dead Dolls Presents: The Joker

If you read my LDD Presents IT Pennywise (2017 version) you'll know that my son bought me a couple of dolls for my birthday this year... Pennywise was of course one and the other was this awesome little guy.

I first spotted his doll as a pre-order announcement email from Mezco in September last year and really wanted him, as he wasn't going to be sent out until around April this year it worked out better because Aaron bought him as a present for my birthday instead!

Before I get into talking about the doll himself, I think I should take a few minutes to tell you about my relationship with  The Joker and the various incarnations of him that have been seen in films and on TV for many years for longer than I've been alive..

My favourite Joker throughout my childhood was played by Cesar Romero who portrayed the enigmatic villain in the TV Series which also starred Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt among many others.

He played the role so quirky and silly but also ingenious in his schemes and fitted in so well with the cartoon / comic book style of the show.

Out of all my favourite Jokers (spoiler alert, I now have 4!) he is still my favourite and the only on to have played the role more than once, having portrayed the maniac villain from 1965 to 1968  and in that short time was in some of the most memorable episodes of the 3 season series as well as the film Batman: The Movie which came out in 1966.

Growing up Cesar Romero's Joker was the ultimate Joker to me but then in 1989 a new Batman film was released, and with it came a new Joker. 

This time played by one of my favourite actors; Jack Nicolson I was a little dubious at first as while I love Jack Nicolson's ability to play weird, edgy and over the top characters, I really wasn't sure how he would fare as The Joker.

I needn't have worried as when I went to the cinema to see the film, I loved his portrayal so much that I went back the next night, and the next until I ran out of pocket money and had to wait for it to come out on video instead!

Whereas Cesar Romero's Joker has a kind of childlike quality to him Jack Nicolson's Joker had a kind of Gangster appeal and along with it a vicious streak which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I now had 2 favourite Jokers, besides The Joker from the Arkham Asylum graphic novel, but I might talk a bit about him later...

Throughout the 90's I watched the new Batman films as they were released but apart from loving Jim Carey as The Riddler and Danny Devito as The Penguin, nothing much sticks out from those films, and for the most I didn't enjoy them. 

But then came the 2000's and with it new Batman films... in 2005 Batman Begins was released I found it pretty boring, except for Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow... (I'm sensing a pattern here!)...

 Christian Bale's Batman voice was stupid and grating which didn't help, so I was really unsure about whether I was going to bother with The Dark Knight when it was released in 2008, Aaron being a fan of Batman, and wanting to see how they portrayed his origin story, convinced me to do so, and I have to say I'm very glad he did!

I'd only seen Heath Ledger in three films; A Knight's tale, Ned Kelly and Candy so I really had no idea what to expect from his portrayal, what I'd seen of his acting was a sensitivity, firmness and determination which he expressed so well in those films, but how was that going to work for The Joker?

Pretty bloody well it turned out!!

IMDB.

And so we come to one of the best depictions of the Joker I've ever seen... 2019's The Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix. When I first heard he was going to play the role, I again was sceptical but it turned out that once again I was very pleasantly surprised...

Joaquin Phoenix was the perfect choice to play this role, his Joker is an amalgamation of of my favourite Jokers, except much much darker and I love him and this movie for it!

Like Cesar Romero's Joker he has a silly, playful side, combined with the ruthfulness of Jack Nicholson's Joker and the psychotic villainy of Heath Ledger's Joker.

Another of my favourite Jokers just happens to be the one that most inspired the 2019 film, he is the subject of the 1988 DC Comics graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke.

Like Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, Killing Joke's Joker is also a failed comedian who has a stressful home life and after one too many hard knocks, loses his sanity and resorts to murder.

This Joker's psychosis leads him into a far more evil mindset than the other's mental illnesses do, and so his crimes are harder to forgive or even understand. 

He doesn't care if his victims are undeserving or if his crimes go way beyond retribution and are just cruelty for cruelty's sake. 

When he decides to toy with someone it isn't playful or a silly scheme like Cesar Romero's Joker or to some extent Jack Nicholson's his is a game of torture and pain.

Anyway, it's time to show off my little man now, which of course is why you're reading this so I'll shhh about the depictions of The Joker and tell you about the Living Dead version instead!

I totally fell in love with the promotional images Mezco send out for this little guy, he's so quirky looking... Although I can't decide which if any Joker he is based on.

His box puts me in mind of Romero's Joker with the addition of Heath Ledger's Joker's playing card / calling card, and the colour suit of Jack Nicolson and Heath Ledger's Joker coupled with the pinstriped trousers of Cesar Romero's Joker's outfit...with it's bright purples and greens... 

While the box has loads of Ha Ha Ha's all over it and inside a hypnotic green and purple swirl which really makes me think of the 60's tv show, 

He has the same articulation points as other Living Dead Dolls - 8 points, as he is based on the same body type used for normal Living dead dolls.

The quality of the fabric used for his outfit is really good and well sewn, so he displays perfectly either inside his box or outside.

He comes with a cute little gun, which is a mini replica of the one Jack Nicolson's Joker used in Tim Burton's Batman. 

It is moulded in it's "shot" position, showing the "Bang" flag which pops out when the gun is shot.

It is moulded in such a way so that his finger fits perfectly against the trigger and it is firmly held in place by the moulding of his hand so doesn't slip or fall even if the doll himself does!

I'm sure it goes without saying, I love this little guy and am very pleased to have him in my collection - Thanks Aaron!

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The Governor's Room ( The Walking Dead) Construction Set - McFarlane Toys

I'm sure by now you are aware that I've had a thing about Zombies since watching George Romero's Day of The Dead when I was 6.  

I couldn't get enough of the stinking reanimated corpses as they shambled along looking for human flesh to consume.

Over the years I've watched pretty much any Zombie film I could find, from Romero's other classics in "The Dead" series to the comedy horror "Living Dead's" were the corpses now are trying to consume brains as a way of stopping the pain of feeling thier insides rotting... 

To the not quite but definitely Zombies of The Crazies (and the remake) to the fast moving vicious buggers of the "... Days later" movies or the contaminated ice cream turned Zombies who have no idea they are gross Zombies from Wasted Away... I just love me a Zombie!

So it probably comes as no surprise to find out that when The Walking Dead came out I got well into it, I got hold of the dvds as soon as they came out but sadly something happened to the story along the way and I grew bored with the show, so I stopped watching it after the 5th Season.

While I found the character of The Governor annoying and felt his story ark when on too long, especially the stuff with Angela being an idiot vs Michonne; I loved it when we got to see how he lives behind closed doors, with his fish tanks full of Zombie heads and his infected daughter, Penny, whom he keeps locked away, often with a bag on her head - Apocalyptic parenting 101!

So a couple of years back, when I discovered that there was a construction set available,  which allowed you to make your own mini version of his room, well I was sold!

The box contains 292 Lego-like pieces which take 40 minutes to an hour to put together, depending how fiddly you find it.

For the most part the pieces go together easily, and it didn't take long before I'd built the base and 

placed the floor boards down..

I couldn't wait to get it finished so I could play with Penny and those  small decapitated zombie heads!

I won't lie, I did find a few bits of it quite fiddly and for some reason my fingers decided to turn into sausages, but after a few attempts, it was finished and I'm really proud of it, not only because it took a while to make but because it just looks so awesome!

After that I just had to see what it looks like with the lights off and fish tank lights and ohmyfuckinggawd it was something else again... 

I love this set, I really didn't expect the lights to bring so much to the piece, but they do - the atmosphere it takes on takes an already creepy scene to a darn right sinister one! 

                                                                      

The furniture and Penny are have only one peg they can fit on, sure they could be moved from peg to peg but the best and most authentic display is to place them in their intended spots.

This is the perfect set for any Walking Dead / Zombie/ Horror fan who enjoys making models, dioramas or even one who loved Lego as a child - or still does... I'm not judging, I can't resist Lego myself!

 I love this set and enjoyed making it so much that I bought another, not Walking Dead though, this time I got my hands on The Throne Room from game of Thrones, but that one has been giving me a hard time so I put it away. 

I really should start again on it soon though, I would like to see it completed, and when I do... Expect another Construction Set post!

Before I go, I'd like to add, I think this type of kit is really good for anyone who is into dioramas and also modelling, it's a great entry into the hobby, especially if you're worried about painting or gluing tiny pieces together, as it is all already done for you and you just need a little bit of hand dexterity to snap the pieces into place.

Anyhoo, that's it for now folks, so stay safe, take care, keep those masks on and away from idiots who think it's ok not to wear one, and yeah that's it!

Laters,

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Motorhead (Snaggletooth) Warpig - Funko Pop! Rocks Number 163.

Before I go into information about this figure, I'd like to take a few minutes to tell you about the mascot that became known as "Snaggletooth" or "Warpig" and how he came into being.

After Lemmy left Hawkwind in 1975 he formed a band called Bastard, which was later changed to Motorhead to ensure they would be able to play on mainstream music shows such as Top of The Pops - a weekly music show that ran on the BBC in Britain from 1964 to 2006, showcasing the most popular bands and songs from the weekly charts - It was a pretty big thing in it's day as it was an easy way of getting your music out to the masses and introducing new bands to people who wouldn't normally get to hear what you have to offer. 

Lemmy chose to rename his new band Motorhead, after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind.

 In 1977 the band released their first album, which was as many bands first albums are, self titled Lemmy wanted an image for the band that would become a mascot of sorts and so he contacted Joe Petagno, an artist who Lemmy met when he had done some work for Hawkwind in 1975.

After discussing ideas, in typical Lemmy fashion - over a few drinks, Joe left to go home, on his way he past by the library and decided to look few a few books to get some ideas to incorporate into the themes Lemmy had already given him; Lemmy wanted something that wouldn't look amiss on a cut off over a biker jacket and could be scaled down for a patch or up for an album cover without loosing detail and would be easily recognisable as a symbol for Bastard, and later Motorhead... 

This was a a fortuitous idea on Joe's part as he began to look through books on animal anatomy he hit on the idea of an animal skull this idea, during initial sketches developed into a hybrid creature's skull that was a cross between a canine skull, with a gorilla's cranium and huge oversized tusks from a wild boar, after adding a few more touches and ideas from Lemmy, such as the chains, iron cross, a human skull dangling from one of the tusks and spikes coming out the top of the skull; the iconic creature that would become known as Snaggletooth, Little Bastard, War Pig etc, was born.

Out of the 22 studio albums Motorhead released, there are only two that do not feature Snaggletooth on the artwork in some way. as a consequence Snaggletooth became as synonymous with Motorhead as the music itself.

Google images

He  would first appear on the cover of  Motorhead's first album released in 1977 as shown in the picture above and would continue to make an appearance on albums, t-shirts, badges, patches, and all manner of merchandise for the band over the next 40 years of the band's existence!

So it was inevitable that at some point Funko would add this iconic figure head to their line up of Motorhead themed Funko Pop! Rocks figures.

In 1982 Motorhead released thier 6th studio album, Iron Fist, which went to number 6 in the UK Album Charts, with the album came the Iron Fist Tour the same year.  

As with any tour, there was merchandise, one such piece of merchandise was a t shirt which depicted Snaggletooth as an anthropomorphic being wearing a biker jacket and jeans.

Iron Fist Tour t shirt, Worthpoint.com

It was this image that Funko decided to model their Snaggletooth Funko Pop! on, in my mind it was an inspired choice and of course, as you should know by now as soon as I discovered him, I just had to have him... And so I did!

Now I've whetted your appetite it's time to give you a look at the cute little guy, so here he is...

   

Doesn't he look adorable in his little box?!

The back of the box is pretty basic,with nothing to give any information on the character himself, but at the same time it's anything but plain... 

If you are a motorhead fan or know anything about the mascot you really don't need any more information, in a way this is a very motorhead thing to do, they were a no frills band in a lot of ways and very down to earth in their individual outlooks to fame and it's trimmings.

I couldn't wait to release him from his cardboard and plastic prison, so I didn't!

He's absolutely perfect and so dwt  - he stands around 4 inches tall, but because of his head he is quite chunky, although fortunately not top heavy, which would have been very easy to have done with this size head.

Because he is perfectly weighted, he can stand up by himself without fear of falling over.

Detail wise, he's spot on, right down to having a little skull hanging from the right side of his chain, and in keeping with the fact he's a Funko Pop, the skull is a "Funko shaped" skull instead of a human shaped one!

When you rotate him and view him from all angles, you can see that a lot of thought has gone into making him look as close to the source material as possible - He even has little rivets holding his back plate onto his metal skull!

I love the fact his little axe is blood stained because it should be, it is a "battle axe" after all!

Unusually for a Funko figure, he also has a lot more detail on his jeans and leather jacket than I've seen on other figures.

His jeans and leather jacket have little belt loops on the waist, the back pockets of his jeans have stitching detail, his jacket has sliver press studs to hold down the collars and zip details on the pockets and main body... He even has boot laces on his little DM's!

             

Because his body is moulded in the position he stands in, it isn't possible to pose him in any way other than moving his head from side to side.

All in all, I think you can guess, he is an awesome little figure and I'm very proud to be able to add him to my collection.

If I did have to pick something negative about him, I'd say the only complaint I have is that he isn't wearing an Iron Cross on a chain around his neck, which as you know was a favourite thing of Lemmy's.

Well that's it for now, I'm sure I'll something else to brag about soon!

Take care, stay safe and keep your distance!

Hugs,

                                                          

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