Saturday, 3 August 2019

👣Bigfoot Action Figure by Archie McPhee 👣

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Several years ago I discovered that the wonderful people at Archie McPhee had created a Bigfoot Action Figure.

At the time I had a devil of a time finding somewhere who sold it either in the UK or shipped to the UK for not crazy amounts of money...

 Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to pay shipping but if the shipping comes to more than the cost of the item I want to buy, that's where I draw the line and start looking elsewhere for an alternative.

I was going to change this image but let's be honest all photo's of Bigfoot are blurred to buggery!

Well anyway, roll on several years and I remembered that he existed and went looking for somewhere that would met my criteria on shipping costs... and I finally did, so he ended up in my collection a few years ago, waiting for his turn in the limelight and on my blog...

Today's that day, and here he is!

Cute little "Patterson - Gimlin" style depiction of "Old Footie" on the side of the box.

First off I have to mention his box, I love the attention to detail that goes into Archie McPhee toys, along with the quirkiness of the subject matter, they always manage to produce packaging that not only compliments and shows the figure off in excellent detail but also is beautifully themed and so adds a little something more to the "lore" of the figure itself!

Another thing I really like about Archie McPhee Action Figures is their use of holographic labels on the packaging, which ensures that unless you buy the item loose somewhere, you are getting a legitimate product, which is of the quality you expect when you buy their "toys".


As you can see from the front and side panels of Bigfoot's box he's having a lurk in a most likely North American Pine forest, I say North American cos any further up the map would make him a Sasquatch! 

But anyway, I digress, he's left his little? footprints over the box, which is pretty typical I would say, Bigfoot goes where he likes after all!


On the back of the box is written some very interesting information, such as where Bigfoot can be found in the wild and what size shoes he takes, a question which I'm sure has plagues Mankind for Centuries...


Inside the box he sits in a moulded plastic package which keeps him posed in his iconic "Pattersoneque" pose...

 This is placed against a removable cardboard background which depicts the wild woods of America which he calls his home.


His arms are moulded into a bent "Pattersonesque" pose, as for other points of articulation, his arms  move up and down at the shoulder joint and up and down at the elbows. 

His waist moves from side to side, and his legs are hinged at the knees and ankles.

His head does move slightly but it is kind of impeded by his bulky shoulders...

So he isn't hugely posable, but in terms of the Patterson/ Gimlin type movements, he has it down pat!



The bottom of his box has a cute little message, encouraging the buyer to respect the environment or risk making Bigfoot cry!

By the way, if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention Patterson - Gimlin and their film; Here's a little intro into the subject...

It's a pretty famous video, taken in 1967 in North California and it's authenticity has been hotly debated ever since...

It runs for around a minute and depicts a possibly female Bigfoot which the two companions happened upon one day while horse riding in the woods...

There is a lot to this story and the apparent "encounter" so if you are interested in all the intrigue, I suggest you start by reading this Wikipedia article.

Another good article which includes a really interesting short documentary and footage from the original film, it also includes some "Bigfoot" evidence and comparisons etc, anyway check it out here: bigfoot-patterson-gimlin-sasquatch

I've also found this stabilised version of the film on Youtube, which is very short but a pretty cool watch, especially after you've gained a bit of insight into the subject, anyhoo, it's here if you are interested!

My little guy look a bit more human than that Bigfoot (he does have the pronounced bottom jaw though) and although he is only around 8 inches tall but he's pretty good all things considered... 

Plus the problem is if you play upon the Primate look of a lot of Bigfoot/Sasquatch sightings when making a plastic plaything then you tend to end up with King Kong rather than Bigfoot, and while I do love King Kong, it's just not how I like to imagine Bigfoot to look!



I can't leave without giving you a full on look at his little fur-face... One thing I have noticed is that there must be a Bigfoot Barber in the forest where he lives because he is incredibly well groomed for a forest Wild-Man!

Oh well, that's enough of my banter for now...
Laters,







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🍎 Black Phillip - The VVitch - Funko Pop! Movies #612 🐐





















I'm not a massive fan of Funko pop Figures, aside from the The Grady Twins (Rock Candy) Funkos, which I wrote about in an earlier post... I have six other Funkos: Slimer, Cthulu, Michionne's Pet Zombies, Krampus and Black Phillip.



It's a weird one, I wasn't overly enamoured with the film at first but it's a slow burner that grows on you, and it has a goat as a star, I've kept goats as pets and for milk and I totally adore their silly natures and gorgeous eyes. They are also very loyal and make awesome friends if they bond with you.

I never had a goat that looks like Black Phillip unfortunately, my boy goat, Snowy was neutered, half angora with very soft curly white fur, but I did meet one who looked identical to him who lived in the garden of a pub, he was very smelly as un-neutered male goats tend to be and apparently he was pretty wild and scary not to me though he was happy to come over and be petted by me!

Anyway, back to the Funko Pop... Black Phillip was a "havetohave" I couldn't resist him as soon as I saw him, what can I say? I love goats and he has the cutest little face and even comes with his own little apple, which is cute in it's own right.
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                                           "Wouldst thou like to play deliciously?"

He's pretty top heavy so needs support to stand up outside his box, but a little bit of blue tack works wonders on that score, so it's not really an issue.

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He's very cutesie looking facially which I absolutely adore but I would have liked his eyes to have a more realistic look to them, yeah I know Funkos aren't known for their realism but a girl can dream huh?!

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One of the things I really loved about our goats was their beautiful eyes, the shapes inside the iris and the elongated pupil gives them a character all of their own.

Anyway, in lieu of him having proper goat eyes, I decided I'd paint them in myself, and while I'm at it I'll give him a general "tidy up" and hopefully bring more "depth" into his fur while I'm at it.


One thing I really love about this figure is the attention to detail; if you look at his horns, the blood isn't just in the areas you'd immediately notice. Also his horns have a realistic texture with all the grooves and bumps you would find on a real horned Bovidae.


I would have liked him to have come with a stand of some sort though as out of my other Funkos, he is the only one who cannot stand up by himself and falls flat on his face if I try to make him... Not exactly a "Devilish" way to behave!


Another thing to come from getting this adorable little guy is that I decided I should re-watch the film, and this time I discovered I really like it? Go figure... So much so that it's now up there amongst my favourite films!!

I guess I was having a weird one the first time I watched it!

Well, that's about it for now, so take care all...








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