Krampus - Funko Pop! Holidays number 14

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time it'll probably come as no surprise when I tell you that I've always had a bit of a thing for the idea and image of Krampus.

I've always been into folklore and mythology, not only from the British Isles, but Nordic, Scandinavian, Germanic, Greek, Egyptian, Roman and American amongst others. 

 I love reading about old beliefs, old Gods, Goddesses and customs from around the world, there is something so rich and appealing about these old traditions and even more so when they are still practised to some extent today.

Grüße von Krampus

So when I discovered Krampus, I was fascinated by the idea of him, the customs that surround him and the fact that he is still part of Christmas traditions in Central Europe and that every year he puts in an appearance as part of the Christmas celebrations and processions or runs across these regions. 

 He even has his own night known as Krampusnacht which takes place on 5th December.

I recently watched a documentary on these "runs" called Greetings from Krampus on Amazon Prime, it was made in conjunction with The Austrian Film Commission and explains the origins and traditions of The Christmas Devil much better than I can here, so is well worth the watch for that reason alone.

Here's the trailer so you can get the feel of it...  It's in German, and the subtitles don't work in an other language, but if you watch it on Amazon you'll have no problem with watching it with subtitles in other languages...

Due to weird changes in Blogger, I haven't been able to upload the video direct from youtube but if you'd like to watch it there and give the uploader (Thimfilm Filmverleih) their dues, here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL-8JafTvWU

I loved this documentary, I found it quite inspiring and now have plans to make a Krampus style doll, as well as more experiments with painting and sketching variations of him. 

It has also inspired me to make a point of one day take a Christmas holiday and attend one of these parades, hopefully I'll have a mug of cocoa and a ginger biscuit in my hands as I do!

Anyhoo, time to show off my adorable little man...

As you can see he really is a handsome little devil, and as per tradition he is wearing chains. There isn't that much of interest to the design of the box, unless you are curious to know what the pattern in the red areas is.

When you turn the box around and look at the back of it, you can see what the pattern is... It's taken from a vintage Greetings Card which looks, judging from the art style, to be from the 1800's. 

Here's a copy of the original, which being colour shows the details in the image a lot better than the black lines against the grungy red colour shown on his box...

He's just so cute, I love his little curly horns, his swooshy tongue and his little cloven hooves, in fact everything about him is adorable.

He is holding a switch of birch branches that he uses to hit naughty boys with.

When I turned him around I discovered his "secret" ... He's found a very naughty boy to cart off to gawd knows where and be punished for not listening to his parents throughout the year.

Just look at this naughty little person trying desperately to escape from Krampus' basket - he's got no chance! 😂

Since getting my hands on this little guy a year or so ago, I've noticed there are a few more variants Funko released... This one is my favourite though so I'm more than happy with him.

If you chose to get one for yourself, I'm sure you'll feel the same way too!

Well, that's it for now - check out that documentary if you get the chance, I cannot recommend it enough.

Stay safe, keep those hands washed, wear a mask and keep away from stupid people!

Hugs

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The Incredibles 2 Interactive Edna Doll by Thinkways Toys.

movies.disney.com

I watched the first Incredibles film with my son when it came out because he was in the age bracket and wanted to see it and while I found it quite an ok film, I can't say I really remember much about it.

I'm afraid the second film completely passed me by, in fact I didn't even realise there was a second film until a year ago.

By the time it was released in 2018 my son was no longer 9 years old and no longer interested in these characters, being 23 by then and as he wasn't particularly impressed by the first film, he had no interest in it's sequel so I never bothered watching it either.

That said, you're probably asking yourself why the heck I'm writing a post about a character who appeared in these films and why I happen to own not only a toy from the franchise but an interactive toy to boot?

Well, it was kind of an accident, as I mentioned I hadn't paid attention to the film so had no idea that there were new characters in it, so it wasn't something I set out to get my hands on...

amazon.co.uk

I was doing my usual, nosing around on Ebay which normally consists of something catching my eye and then seeing what else the seller is offering. So there I was minding my own, having a little nosey through a seller's listings and then I spotted this very quirky looking lady who really appealed to me... I placed a bid and a few days later, she moved in.

The first thing that struck me was just how big and heavy this doll is...

She stands around 14 inches tall and has a very "chunky" aesthetic, she is articulated at the shoulders, which allows her arms to be moved up and down and outstretch sideways, backwards or straight ahead. Her head, however, only moves from side to side.

Listing Photo.

Her wrists are articulated in such a way that her arms can be turned 360 degrees and up and down, but her hands are moulded in such a way that they cannot grip or move out of the pose they are in - her right is open palmed with her index finger pointing, while the left is moulded into a "thumbs up" gesture. 

As her feet are also an odd shape and look like they have been put in on the wrong sides, she isn't able to stand up by herself  which is a little annoying as she is quite heavy and bulky to hold.                           .

Listing Photo.

Her clothes are made from a thick felt material which opens up at the back, held in place by Velcro.

The style is really quite boring for someone who'd supposed to be a fashion designer! I know this is movie perfect but it's still a weird choice. 

Her Glasses cannot be removed from her head which is fine as she looks much better with them over her eyes anyway. 

The lens portion is made from magnifying plastic so when they are lifted away from her face her eyes look a lot smaller; this doesn't make her look less quirky, but to my mind she looks much cuter when they enlarge her eyes.

As for the interactive bit, well her box told me she has over 55 sayings in her original voice and that she is able to respond to your voice and answer back.

Unfortunately I don't have her "Chat List" which she originally came with so I'm unable to explore this feature fully. I did email Thinkway Toys asking for a copy, so maybe I'll be able to try this feature out soon.

I replaced her batteries and tried her in both test and play modes but again, without the "Chat List" I cannot really say whether this is a cool function or not and as I hinted at earlier, this wasn't the reason I bought her anyway.

The above video depicts my first interactions with her, spoiler alert it got a bit frightening!

Also Roxy got scared too and decided to shout at her, so sorry about that!

I had planned to customise her or take her apart and use bits of her to make another doll, but since handling her I've changed my mind a bit and am not not really sure what I'm going to do with her.

While I was getting to know the doll, I couldn't help wondering if she had been modelled on a real person, her look was vaguely reminiscent of someone I've seen on my travels in Art History.

 I kept thinking black and white photos, 1930's so I did a little research and discovered this little titbit...

http://www.envynde.com/

Many people seem to think that Edna was based on Edith Head; an amazingly talented costume designer who was responsible for many of the most iconic outfits seen on the silver screen during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930's - of course there are many similarities between the two in terms of surface looks, but I personally believe she is actually an amalgamation of several iconic women.

Also, Edith Head was such an iconic and talented woman who's career spanned 44 years and designed some of the most beautiful gowns and outfits I've ever seen, that I feel it wouldn't do her justice to talk about her her as a footnote to a Disney Pixar character so I will be writing a separate post where I can go into more detail and show you the gorgeous things this woman brought to life soon.

So I'll leave it to you to make up your own mind if Edna is secretly Edith... And in the mean time I'm going to go and tweak some other posts I'm in the middle of writing...

Take care, stay safe, keep washing your hands and don't go outside without a mask.

Hugs,

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Living Dead Dolls Presents Lord of Tears - OwlMan

http://davidmoody.net/

As a child I used to read loads of stuff on mysterious creature sightings and legends and watch anything that even hinted at these things. One of the most intriguing to me was a sighting of a humanoid owl in Cornwall in 1976 when two schoolgirls spotted this strange creature and drew pictures to show what they saw.

We used to go camping in Cornwall a lot when I was young so whenever we were there I'd keep my eyes peeled hoping for the chance to see this strange being for myself.

When I got a bit older I discovered that in America they had a Mothman and also a Goatman and this cemented my interest in what I later found out are called Cryptids.

Over thirty years have past since I discovered These creatures but my fascination for them remains as strong as it was when I was little.

Around 7 years ago I came across a trailer for an indie horror from Scotland called Lord of Tears, in it where images of an Owl Man and so of course I just had to see this film.

I was so glad I did, it's the kind of film that is secretive about it's story line and reveals it through events, real and imagined that play out over the course of the film.  

The events are played out through a series of feelings, repressed memories, nightmares and strange things taking place, so that the whole story only makes sense at the end when you piece together what you saw.

So for almost the entirety of the film, you, the viewer are in the same position as the main character who is trying to make sense of what is going on around him... 

I can't tell you much I loved this style of story telling, it's so refreshing to not have to deal with a thin plot and a load of jump scares like so many films these days.

I watched it twice more after that first time.

Then suddenly it was really hard to find and as there was no dvd available to purchase of it, I had to wait and hope it would soon be released to I could watch it again.

Even though, when it came out in 2013 there was no dvd to be had I placed it on my birthday and Christmas lists anyway and waited...

This Christmas, I got my wish - my son and his girlfriend bought it for me (yay!) so of course I had to watch it again right away!

One of the things I love about this film is the fact there is such a small cast (9 people) with most scenes featuring just two.  

I find that there is something very special about films with a small cast, it feels more personal; like you are being told the story by a friend. 

Which is exactly how this film plays out; it centres around a School Teacher called James Findlay who visits his old childhood home - a mansion in the Highlands after the death of his mother where he discovers deep secrets of his past that his parents kept from him through their estrangement and unravels the strange repressed memories that had been haunting his dreams.

All this he relays to his friend / colleague Allen on his return as he tries to come to terms with what he discovered.

The thing that really drew me to this film was the image of Moloch (the Canaanite God associated with child sacrifice) who appears to the main character several times throughout the film in the guise of a man shaped being with an owl's head and long talons for hands, which is why another name for this film is OwlMan.

 I prefer the original title to be honest as to my mind it's more mysterious, but that's neither here or there really!

So when I received an email from Mezco toys back in October announcing their new release - The Lord of Tears OwlMan - I just had to have him so he went on my wish-list too...

 I didn't get him, he's pre-order at the moment but last week I went looking for him again and placed an order for him.

As he is expected to ship in July he'll be an early / belated birthday present for myself.

So expect another post about him as soon as he arrives!

Hugs,

       

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🐙 Cthulu - Master of R'Lyeh - Funko Pop Books #03 🐙

http://otherworldsfilmfest.com/

Since buying my cute little Cthulu Funko 2 years ago, I've found out there are several variations of the adorable little fellow and although I'm very happy with my Eldritch God, I can't help wanting them all, even if there are little to no changes in the design of them. 

There are a couple of others, I haven't listed here such as a Black And White version exclusive to Books A Million and a 10 inch version which has a slightly different face mould but as I don't want the Black And White version and I only want to talk about the ones that are identical to mine in size and mould here, I've decided not to include them in this post.

chaoscards.co.uk

My Cthulu is the standard green version with lidded black eyes. He was released in March 2015 and stands almost four inches tall, making him slightly larger than a standard Funko Pop figure.

Chaos Cards had the following as part of the product listing...

**Warning - playing with, or looking at, your new toy may cause crippling bouts of insanity**

As I bought him loose I unfortunately have no idea if this appears on his box, but I would like to think it does as it gave me a good chuckle.

                                                                                  entertainmentearth.com

The Glow in The dark version was released in 2015 as a Entertainment Earth exclusive.  In terms of differences - apart from the glow in the dark of course - he has staring red eyes and a dark green seaweed? doodah covering...

I've most likely mentioned this before - I have a thing about stuff that glows in the dark, I'm not sure why exactly it's just when I first discovered glow in the dark in the early 1980s I was absolutely fascinated by it and wanted anything I could get my hands on that could be charged on my bedside lamp and glow me to sleep ever night.

Considering my love for Cthulu it's hardly surprising that a glow in the dark version of him would inevitably end up on my wishlist!

popcultcha.com.au

A gold version was released in 2016 and sold as an exclusive through Books A Million on their website. Again using the same mould as the other two I've already mentioned but this time reverting back to the hooded eye look of the original.

funko.com

A green, metallic version was released in 2016 again as an exclusive for Books A Million, in some ways I find him better than the gold version as the two tone effect gives him more depth of colour and light plays on him in such a way that it accentuates the patterns he has moulded onto his skin.

https://toywiz.com/

A Neon Green variant was produced for Books A Million as an exclusive "Special Edition" which was released in 2018. While he isn't as "naturally" coloured as the original and glow in the dark versions, there is something very appealing about his colour palette to me, he puts me in mind of Pop Art and I think he'd look really good displayed against one of my psychedelic paintings.

funko.com/

In October 2015 a bronze version was released as a Limited Edition exclusive to Comic Con New York. Like the others the only difference is the paint job, but it gives him a really cool statuesque appearance.

Funko.com

Nerd Cthulu is my favourite out of all the ones I haven't got, this little guy appeals to me the most. Until I discovered this bespectacled little guy, my favourite was the Bronze version, but since I found this one, he's been usurped in the top spot of Funko Cthulus on my wish list.

I have Buckley's of getting my hands on him though as he was made exclusively for Emerald City Comic Con in 2016 and released as a limited edition of only 250 pieces so for now, I think like the great Eldritch God himself, for now I'll just have to dream!




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Pocket Pop! Harry Potter - Dobby Keychain by Funko

funko.com

A few months ago I discovered that Funko had made tiny little versions of certain characters, made in miniature so they can be worn as keychains.

So intrigued I just had to check these little versions out...

I discovered a Dobby and I just couldn't resist, while I'm not a Harry Potter fan - I have read all the books and seen all the films (comes with having a "child" of a certain age) some aspects of the franchise appeal to me (Dobby, Cornish Pixies...) but for the most part I can't understand the huge appeal, but anyway I digress...

Back to these little Funkos...

As they were designed to be used as keychains they are tiny and only stand at one and a half inches tall which makes them even cuter..

And Dobby, cutest of all... he even comes holding a little mini sock, which is such an adorable touch and of course added to his appeal for me.

As he is a keyring, I removed the screw hook and chain from the top of his head to make it easier to pose him and because it looks quite clunky with him being so small.

I don't plan to use him as a keyring anyway as I'd be too scared of losing him while I'm out and about and I bought him for "play" anyway.

Hugs,

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Regan - Living Dead Dolls Presents: The Exorcist

inews.co.uk

As you probably know by now, I love horror films, I've been a fan of the genre since I was was small.

One of my favourite films is The Exorcist from 1973, of course it's a classic that has many many fans, but for me watching it for the first time as a child I found it so creepy and it stayed with me for many years after I first watched it.

Pazuzu Statue - Etsy

From the Catholic imagery and priests battling a demonic entity with all the Catholic rites and symbolism that entails to the archaeology scenes and uncovering of an image of an actual demon, I was hooked. 

My young mind lapped that up, I got myself a copy of William Blatty's book so I could rewatch the film in my mind as I read.

  As the film is so well known, I won't bore you with a synopsis so here's some pretty pictures and information about the doll instead...                                   

When Mezco released a cute little Living Dead Dolls version of Regan from The Exorcist in 2017, I of course couldn't resist getting my hands on one, it took me a couple of years to hunt one down but I finally got one...

She stands at 10 inches high and comes wearing an exact flower patterned replica of the nightdress Linda Blair wears during the infamous bed exorcism scene in the film.

As her body is made from a similar mould as most other Living Dead Dolls she has the same posability; shoulders, hips and head but the arms and head are on ball joints so they move easily round 360 degrees.

Her face has lacerations from where the demon Pazuzu torments her, these are not only painted but her face has been moulded so that they are deep lesion like markings on her skin.

She also has a cool little hidden homage to the movie in the form of the words "Help Me" carved into her stomach, which I discovered to my happy surprise when I did my usual peek under the clothes of my new doll.

Like all my other LDD Presents and Exclusives her box displays attention to detail that I absolutely love about these dolls; inside her box she has a photo background which depicts the infamous window from Regan's room. 

The right side of the box has the iconic image of the Priest silhouetted in the glow of a streetlight which was used on the original poster advertising the movie and later on the cover of the video and dvd releases of the film.

While the back of the box has an image of the doll posed to depict another iconic scene from the film, where Regan's head spins around and she talks to the priest with her head on backwards.

Below this is written... 

"The Exorcist burst onto the cinematic scene in 1973 and quickly cemented its place in film history as the 1st horror film nominated for an Academy Award. The film tells the terrifying story of the demonic possession of a young girl and her Mother's attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests. 

Now The Living Dead Dolls welcome the tormented youth into their family with a new doll that is sure to make heads spin. Based on the groundbreaking FX used in the film to portray demonic possession, The Living Dead Dolls have created an all-new head sculpt to capture the instantly recognizable appearance of the main character.

The devil is in the details and each of them have been captured here; from her wild hair and crazed eyes to her maniacal grin. Not only has her screen accurate floral pattern nightgown been recreated, but the HELP ME inscription on her stomach has been reproduced as well."

In case you haven't already guessed, I love this doll, I think she is just perfect and a great new addition to not only my Living Dead Doll Collection but also my Horror film Dolls collection!

Well that's it for now,


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Lammily Doll First Edition Wheelchair

A couple of years back I pledged to a Kickstarter for a Lammily doll sized wheelchair. I have wanted a 1/6th Sized wheelchair for some time, but they were as rare as hen's teeth to find... 

http://legendsrevealed.com

I tried to get my hands on "Share a Smile Becky" (Barbie's friend) from 1996, a few times but, well you know Ebay, it's not always easy, especially when they item you are after is very very sought after. 

There is another version of this doll (character), this time Becky is the School Photographer - she was released in 1998.... And again, isn't easy to come by.

Amazon.com

Again, she isn't that easy to get hold of and to be honest, I don't really want the doll, just her wheelchair, which unfortunately wasn't available to buy on it's own and the time of these dolls' releases.

Until 2016, that is, when Lammily announced their Kickstarter campaign for the Lammily wheelchair, of course I headed straight over and pledged. 

kickstarter.com

The unfortunate thing was it took ages to arrive. 

I had not received an invoice for the shipping fee so had a bit of a chase to get shipping sorted out and the wheelchair on it's way to me.

Once that was sorted out the wheelchair arrives really quick though, so no big woop!

One thing I have to say I love whenever I've dealt with Nicolay Lamm, he has been so easy to deal with and very helpful, which in turn makes me happy to buy or recommend his dolls as even if there is a problem, he always does his best to help, politely and in a reasonable time period too,unlike a lot of companies nowadays, who seem to lose all interest in their customers once they have received their money!

I don't know why I was surprised to find it came in a quite thin, small box... 

Inside was a small sealed package, decorated with body positive imagery, which rattled like something was broken inside!

When I opened it up I found a bubble wrap bag with all the pieces inside, waiting to be put together.

Inside was a page of instructions, on good quality shiny paper, which were very easy to understand as it is designed to be put together by all ages.

It took less than 10 minutes to piece it all together and snap the parts in place. 

I was surprised to find how sturdy the finished article was once completed.

The funny thing is not long after I received my Lamily Wheelchair, Mattel announced that they were soon to be releasing one for Barbie as part of their Fashionistas Line.

metro.co.uk

The finally released her earlier this year. As well as the wheelchair she also has a ramp to make play negotating the doll easier, having released a Barbie with a prosthetic leg last year it seems the logical progression, however, it does seem a little iffy to me that her's is also blue.

smythstoys.com

These dolls are easy to get hold of at the moment and for around the same price as Lammily's is so I guess if you're interested in a doll wheelchair the choice is yours as to which one you go for. 

Barbie's comes with either a dark skinned or white doll whereas the Lammily one doesn't come with a doll, and instead of a hard backed plastic seat, you have a fabric one on Lammily's wheelchair, but the you do get the bonus of  supporting not only a really good small toy company but also 5% of the proceeds of the sale go to Ayita Wheelchair Dance and Big Dreams Children's Foundation both of which are very worthwhile causes.

 If you wish to purchase a Lammily Wheelchair, you can do so from their website, by clicking this link, I can't speak for the Mattel one, but I know the Lammily wheelchair fits Monster High, Barbie, Disney and many other dolls currently on the market at present.

Ok, that's me done for now...

Take care,

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