Halloween Toy Review: Pumpkin King Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction by Funko

Happy Halloween!
 
Trick 'r Treat is both one of my favorite horror and Halloween films, and I absolutely love Sam, but I'm not sure I really want to see him become the unofficial symbol of Halloween when we already have guy who has been around for 20+ years as the Pumpkin King: Jack Skellington! Yeah, he dabbled in Christmas a bit, but I really think that Jack Skellington should be the mascot of Halloween. I honestly cannot even begin to describe the mixture of utter fascination mixed with a bit of dread that I experienced when I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas as a child. The first 10 minutes of the movie is quite possibly one of the greatest things ever put to film and is just absolutely wonderful. It's amazing that I can watch that scene 20+ years later and still be as in awe of it now as I was as a kid. A huge part of that has to do with the amazing first appearance of Jack in his guise of the Pumpkin King. I am absolutely in love with this character design! Series 2 of Funko's Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line has started hitting stores this past month and Pumpkin Jack is the first figure I'll be looking at. Ready for a closer look? Then join me after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror: Halloween Batgirl from DC Bombshells by DC Collectibles

  Happy Halloween! Today as part of the final day of 31 Days of Toy Terror for Halloween 2016 I've got something really special for you: Halloween Batgirl from DC Collectibles' DC Bombshells. I love the Bombshells property; I've collected the Lil Bombshells, read the comics, and I reviewed the Batgirl Bombshells statue back when it was released in 2014. I have to admit that I didn't think very highly of it that piece. I've started collecting some of my favorites of the Bombshells statues and still I just don't like that Batgirl very much. Fortunately, DC Collectibles has kind of given Babs a second chance in the form of this new, updated Halloweem Batgirl statue. Not only has Batgirl been given a new orange and black paint scheme but she's received a new backpack and a new headsculpt that captures the look of a piece of vintage Halloween pinup art quite nicely. Mix together Halloween and Batgirl and you probably new I'd be picking this up, eh? If she had a pumpkin standing on her base, I'm not sure this could have been any better. Ever since this piece was announced I knew it would be the crowning jewel of this Halloween 2016 countdown. Let's take a closer look at her after the break...

Classic Hokey Halloween Horror: Tombstones of Halloweens Past

I wrote this piece in 2013 and it's about some Halloween memories that involve my grandma. She passed away in 2014 and now this piece seems even more special!
  
  Tombstones are always super fun to put in your yard, unless they're really marking the graves of beloved pets or freeloading relatives who didn't plan ahead.  Anyways, here are some fun gravestones that I made as a kid with help from various relatives.  In the picture above are some tombstones that date back to 1987 (although the dates fool you into thinking they're older) and were made with the help of my Grandma (the same Grandma who dressed up like Skeletor to play He-Man with me).  Looking at these, they're pretty honest and regular.  Usually gravestones used for decoration have silly little sayings on them or the names of movie monsters; these ones apparently served to educate kids about the harsh realities of life before the discovery of penicillin.  They also helped me to become an expert at the Oregon Trail in computer class.  More Hokey Halloween Horror after the break....

Hell in a Cell 2016 Special: Braun Strowman from WWE Elite Series by Mattel

   It's Halloween Eve (so All Hallows Eve Eve) and guess what I'm doing? Getting ready to watch some Hell in a Cell, baby! Tonight is the WWE Raw Hell in a Cell 2016 event and to commemorate this, I'm doing a special review of someone who may or may not be in the event: Braun Strowman. I've written a number of these special Halloween reviews a good bit in advance (I think I started in late June or early July this year) and I'm writing this one about 1 week and 1/2 prior to the event, so not everything on the card has been announced yet. Considering the run that Braun Strowman has had lately, I wouldn't be surprised if he does get a match. Strowman is a beast and WWE finally seems to be using him in a way that makes sense lately. This is the first Elite Braun Strowman figure Mattel has released and it's part of series 44. I'm a huge fan of the Wyatts and, while Braun isn't really with them right now, this figure represents the time when he debuted with them as Sister Abigail's black sheep. Let's take a closer look at the Abominable Strowman after the break...

Action Figure Review: Nico Minoru (Mystic Rivals) from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro

 Off the bat, I'll let you in on a little secret: I had no idea who Nico Minoru was until I saw this figure released as part of the Doctor Strange themed Marvel Legends series. Sold as one of Hasbro's 'non-variant' variants alongside Enchantress (Mystic Rivals), Nico is an incredibly powerful witch who has been part of the Runaways and A-Force in the little over a decade that she's been around. This as absolutely a figure I picked up simply because of how cool she is. She kind of strikes me as a mixture between Cassie Hack, Lydia Deetz, and a Hot Topic employee. The amount of extras such as an interchangeable magic imbued arm and an energy effect also make this one stand out. Let's take a closer look at Ms. Minoru after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror Lives: The Nocturnal Barrow-Wight from Middle-Earth Toys by Toy Vault

   Today on "31 Days of Toy Terror Lives" we'll be visiting the haunted lands east of the shire known as the Barrow-Downs or Tyrn Gorthad, haunted by the Draugr-like creatures known as the Barrow-wights. Hailing from one of the creepiest segments of The Lord of the Rings, the barrow-wights are evil spirits that have reawakened ancient bones resting in the cairns and harass the Hobbits as the make their way towards Bree. This figure was released in September of 2000 as part of the last series of figures from Middle-Earth Toys and is inspired by the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (and not the Peter Jackson films). There were a few variants of this figure and this version, the Nocturnal Barrow-wight, was a Diamond Comics exclusive. This was a really cool line of action figures that sadly didn't last very long (only nine separate releases, not including variants) and I'd love to see another company take a stab at the property. These was a lot of thought put into each release and you can tell there was a lot of love, too. It's very cool to see that the packaging for these included not only quotes from the books but also credits for the creators of the toys. I love Toy Biz's movie based The Lord of the Rings line but it's pretty cool to have a unique take on characters from the books, too. Let's delve into some spookiness with the Nocturnal Barrow-Wight, shall we? More horror after the break...

Toy Bloggers United Contest Part 5: October 29th Edition: What Toy Scared You as a Kid?

This is it! We're only two days away from Halloween and it's time for your fifth and final entry in the super spooky Toy Bloggers United October 2016 Contest! Remember that all you have to do to win is leave a comment on one of the five posts (leave one on all five for five chances to win) by 8am on Nov 1st EST.

 Since we're toy bloggers, today we want to ask you about the toys that scared you as a kid! Here's mine:

Image courtesy of the Ghostbusters Wiki

Yup. The Ghostbusters ghost zapper. As much as it pains me to admit it, as a kid I was afraid of some ghosts. A few of the ghosts from this toy in particular. You see, this wasn't just a toy Ghostbusters weapon: It actually functioned as a projector of sorts that allowed the spooky spirits to show up on your walls before you pushed the button to bust them. I was pretty young when I wanted this toy (maybe 3) and the ghosts on this thing terrified me!

Image courtesy of the Ghostbusters Wiki

Here are the images of the ghosts from the viewmaster like reel. If I can recall correctly, the offending images were Gozer (3rd from the top left), the skull (2nd from top right), and the terror dog (top right). Apparently after getting the toy, having asked my parents for it enthusiastically, I brought it to them and told them it needed to be returned to the store. My parents couldn't figure out why I was requesting that and began to play with it, eventually realizing that I bolted behind our old tan recliner whenever certain ghosts popped up. My dad took his picket knife and cut out the terrifying images, thus rendering the toy safe for me! I've collected some way spookier stuff since then, but this toy still stands out as something spooky from my childhood.

What toy scared you as a kid? Let us know in the comments below to be entered into a contest for an amazing surprise prize package with cool stuff from the Harvey Mercheum, Cool & Collected, your old pal Barbecue17! Also, check out the past four weeks! It's not to late to comment on these and get more chances to win! Remember the contest ends on Nov 1st at 8am EST, so comment now!

Contest Post #1: When did you realize you still loved Halloween?
Contest Post #2: Have you ever dressed up as a favorite toy for Halloween? 
Contest Post #3: Halloween Nostalgia 
Contest Post #4: The Perfect House for Trick 'r Treating