Arg, forgot it was Thursday again! Oh well, 2 for today.
004-R
McFarlane Toys- Movie Maniacs: Nightmare on Elm Street- Freddy Krueger
Release Date (approx): 1998
Current Price and availability: $69.99
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/McFarlane-Mo...oAAOSwVWFarjQU
Well kids, buckle up cause this is a bit of weird one. In the 90’s there was a toy boom and thanks to companies like McFarlane Toys, the game had changed from the regular, wholesome figures from the 80’s. Wholesome is relative, considering every popular toy line revolved around some war with at least one weapon accessory, but no one was every really killed in the different series’. Given that McFarlane was already pushing the boundaries with the Spawn line, it seemed reasonable that they would release a blood covered toy line that celebrated some of the biggest names in horror movies to date. And while this may seem completely normal in this day and age, it was crazy at the time, especially considering many of these were being sold at places like Toys R Us and Wal-Mart next to Beast Wars and Star Wars. Infact, I seem to recall a bit of an outcry leading Mcfarlane to release a “Non Bloody” version of each figure, which in the case of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre leads to more questions than answers given that he comes with a seamling clean (that is, not bloody) bucket full of sawed off appendages. I mean after all, random chunks of human parts is fine, but as soon as blood is added everyone loses their mind.
Pros: McFarlane Toys was the exemplar when it came to sculpting and detail and Freddy is a great example of that. Everything from his fedora covered burnt face to his torn wool sweater to his iconic 4 bladed gloves looks really good. Even though I’m not certain of the reference (not a huge horror fan) I do like how they included a mini Freddy as an accessory. This line also acted as a litmus test for the genre in the collectable toy market. Hell NECA would probably not exist if these figures weren't released.
Cons: In typical McFarlane fashion Freddy amounts to little more than a semi-poseable statue. The line also kinda went off the rails quickly and lost its focus on Horror movies (but I'm talk’n bout Shaft!) but I suppose licences would be more difficult to obtain. I also think it's lame that ‘no blood versions’ had to be produced.
