October 13th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Phoebe “Rapture” Ashe

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Jem and the Holograms – Phoebe “Rapture” Ashe
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
MSRP: $119.00 from official Integrity Dealers
Availability: September 2013
Website: Integrity Toys: Jem and the Holograms

When I was a child watching the Jem cartoon, Rapture was the member of the Stingers that interested me the least. It might be because she never really got a focal episode. “Riot’s Hope” introduces us to Riot’s disapproving father and loving mother, and shows us the more sensitive side of Riot, as well as the strong bonds that unite the Stingers. “A Change of Heart” shows us Minx at her most vulnerable, trying her best to do good and rise above her “bad girl” past.

Rapture, meanwhile, is the same in every episode. She likes to play tricks on people and is a scam artist. That’s about it. Until I opened her box, I wasn’t even sure what instrument she played in the band. Wasn’t she the lead tambourine? Or maybe the back-up vocalist? As it turns out, she plays guitar.

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I was delighted and surprised to find that Rapture was my favorite of the Integrity Toys Stingers dolls. Her outfit is unapologetically cartoony, with improbably large black collar and shiny yellow-and-black top contrasting with her fluffy chiffon sleeves. She’s side-glancing in the opposite direction from Minx, and her hair is gelled into perfect curls.

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October 12th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Ingrid “Minx” Kreuger

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Jem and the Holograms – Ingrid “Minx” Kruger
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
MSRP: $119.00 from official Integrity Dealers
Availability: September 2013
Website: Integrity Toys: Jem and the Holograms

Minx was the sexually liberated keyboardist of the Stingers. She wasn’t remotely shy about using her feminine charms or pursuing Jerrica Benton’s boyfriend Rio… and in the episode “Change of Heart”, she showed her technical proficiency and potential for good.

Although the Stingers are technically a German band, Minx is the only member who has an accent. Riot is the son of a military man stationed in Germany, and Rapture is…

I have no idea what Rapture’s story is, even after seeing “Riot’s Hope”, the episode that reveals the Stingers’ past and Riot’s family drama.

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Integrity’s Minx has a sultry side-glancing expression that perfectly captures the original character’s sensuality. Although she comes packaged in bare feet (showing off her lovely pedicure), she does come with footwear.

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October 11th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Rory “Riot” Llewelyn

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Jem and the Holograms – Rory “Riot” Llewelyn
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
MSRP: $119.00
Availability: September 2013 from official Integrity Dealers
Website: Integrity Toys: Jem and the Holograms

Rory “Riot” Llewelyn was the lead singer of The Stingers, formidable rivals to the Holograms and Starlight Music. Riot used his musical abilities and bad-boy charisma to gain a massive following; only Jerrica Benton seemed immune to his charms. His relentless pursuit of power (and romantic interest in Jem) led to many wild adventures for the Stingers and the Holograms alike.

The Stingers’ boxes are in their signature colors, black and yellow. The cardboard band quotes the lyrics of the Stingers Theme and gives a quick explanation of who these mysterious figures are.

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October 11th, 2013

Integrity Toys – The Stingers

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Jem and the Holograms – The Stingers (Minx, Riot, Rapture)
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
MSRP: $119.00
Availability: September 2013 from official Integrity Dealers
Website: Integrity Toys: Jem and the Holograms

Over the last decade or so, more and more companies have been revisiting past products as the children of the 80s have grown up enough to fall prey to nostalgia. Sometimes it happens in the form of parents wanting to play with My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake and Transformers with their children. Other times, as in Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics, the toys are marketed directly to collectors, recreating childhood favorites using modern technology.

Integrity Toys’ Jem and the Holograms line has taken the latter route, reinterpreting the toys and animation models into a high quality modern fashion doll with an undeniably outrageous 80s feel. The latest release features The Stingers, Jem and the Holograms’ OTHER rival band. The Stingers were presented as edgy newcomers competing with both the Holograms and the Misfits. Lead singer Riot and keyboardist Minx complicated the romantic tensions in the show by pursuing Jem and Rio respectively, while Pizzazz of the Misfits found herself lovesick over Riot.

The Holograms and the Misfits were available as fashion dolls in the 80s, but the Stingers were never made commercially available. Boxed prototypes and toy catalogue scans have tantalized Jem fans for years, but this is the first time that the Stingers have been made available for purchase.

This is where adult collectible lines really shine, in my opinion: taking figures that were never released, for one reason or another, and making them available to the dedicated fans who have been waiting decades to own them. Personally, I think it was worth the wait.

Over the next few days, I’ll be reviewing Integrity Toys’ take on the Stingers.

March 19th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Aja Leith

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Jem and the Holograms Series 2: Kimber Benton, Shana Elmsford, Aja Leith
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
SRP: May vary by retailer
Availability: Official Integrity Toys dealers
Website: www.integritytoys.com/jemandtheholograms/

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Aja Leith is the lead guitarist of the Holograms, as well as the driver, mechanic, and occasional Chinese interpreter. (It doesn’t come up very often.)

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March 19th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Shana Elmsford

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Jem and the Holograms Series 2: Kimber Benton, Shana Elmsford, Aja Leith
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
SRP: May vary by retailer
Availability: Official Integrity Toys dealers
Website: www.integritytoys.com/jemandtheholograms/

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Shana Elmsford was the most talented of the Holograms. She was their drummer, fashion designer, and bass guitarist… and yet she always remained down-to-earth and modest. If anything, she was TOO modest, with several episodes hinging on her lack of confidence.

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March 19th, 2013

Integrity Toys – Kimber Benton

Integrity Toys debuted their Jem and the Holograms line (under license from Hasbro) at San Diego Comic Con 2012 with Hollywood Jem. The first series, consisting of Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Rio Pacheco and Synergy, came out in December 2012. The second series was released in Spring 2013, featuring the three original Holograms: Kimber Benton, Shana Elmsworth, and Aja Leith.

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Jem and the Holograms Series 2: Kimber Benton, Shana Elmsworth, Aja Leith
Manufacturer: Integrity Toys
SRP: May vary by retailer
Availability: Official Integrity Toys dealers
Website: www.integritytoys.com/jemandtheholograms/

Kimber is one of my favorite Holograms. She’s Jerrica Benton’s younger sister and her opposite in many ways: impulsive, sentimental, extroverted and prone to squeaky exclamations of “Out-RA-geous!” If there’s a case of royal mistaken identity or a romantic triangle or a shotgun wedding, Kimber’s likely to be in the middle of it.

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February 23rd, 2013

American International Toy Fair 2013!

We weren’t sure if we’d make it, but we’re back from the American International Toy Fair! This year, a massive blizzard shut down major transportation routes into New York… but we still made it to all of our appointments!

Click here for our Toy Fair 2013 Album!

Here are some of my thoughts on what I saw on the showroom floor this year…

The supernatural element seemed very popular in fashion dolls, with no fewer than three different companies featuring zombie fashion dolls. Monster High is still going strong with a genie-themed movie “13 Wishes” due out later this year, while Playhut expanded their Mystixx line with Zombies and Grimms (a series of animal-themed dolls). WowWee debuted their Once Upon a Zombie dolls, and even Tonner’s got in the game with some dolls inspired by the recent movie Warm Bodies.

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December 30th, 2012

MH Create a Monster Siren and Harpy

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Monster High Create-A-Monster Siren Add-on Pack
Monster High Create-A-Monster Harpy Add-on Pack
Manufacturer: Mattel
MSRP: 14.99 at Toys R Us – Price may vary by retailer
Availability: Mass retail, now
Website: MonsterHigh.com

The latest release from the Monster High Create-a-Monster series includes Add-on Packs that (together with one or more Starter Packs) permit you to make a Siren or a Harpy. I’m a fan of mythological creatures from around the world, so it’s very exciting for me to see Monster High branching out like this, with so many unique body parts!

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The store I bought these at did not have the Ice/Blob or Mummy/Gorgon Starter Packs, alas. But I was so thrilled to find the Siren and the Harpy, it was hard for me to care too much.

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The Monster High Create a Monster dolls are a bit of a challenge for me sometimes. Although I think the mix-and-match aspect of the line is terrific, I always find that I want the bodies and limbs to look harmonious together. I was surprised and thrilled when Mattel released a 5-pack of torsos and upper limbs for their online store that matched the Three-Eyed Ghoul, Bee-Girl and Skeleton Girl.

I feel like the Monster High Create a Monster Harpy is designed to teach me some kind of lesson about accepting the things that I can’t change. There is NO way for me to get a perfect match between the torso and limbs.

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October 31st, 2012

Gremlins Mogwai Series 2: Mohawk

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Gremlins Mogwai Series 2 Mohawk
Manufacturer: NECA
MSRP: 12.99 at Toys R Us
Availability: Mass retail, now
Website: NecaOnline.com

In 1984, Warner Brothers released a little movie called “Gremlins”. The premise was simple… a young man receives a mysterious adorable creature called a Mogwai as a pet. He is given three simple rules for taking care of it. It must not be exposed to water or sunlight, and it must not be fed after midnight.

For the longest time, “Gremlins” and its sequel, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch”, were the only horror movies that I had ever seen. In fact, I don’t think I even saw Gremlins 2 until it came out on video; I read the paperback novelization in elementary school. I was startled to discover that they were generally considered horror-comedy or satire.

As a child, the nuances of the Gremlins franchise were lost on me. All I knew was that Gizmo the Mogwai was cute, the Gremlins were scary, and in the absence of actual Mogwai in real life, I desperately wanted a lunchbox with Gizmo on it.

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In 2011, NECA brought me a little closer to achieving my dream by releasing the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Gizmo, which came with sunglasses, a tiny SDCC attendee badge, and a SDCC loot bag in which he could hide. Since then, NECA has released two series each of Mogwai and Gremlins, with fairly impressive articulation and a neat little gimmick. Today, I’m taking a look at Mohawk, from the second series of Mogwai.

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