Action, Figures

I dearly love toys. I'm particularly fond of the toys the bring back a piece of my own childhood. Legos. Hot Wheels. Fisher Price Adventure People. Old video game systems. Transformers. GI Joe. Even the lowly Go-Bot. You get the picture.

I'm not typically enthusiastic about new toys. I don't know why. I think they feel trendy. And I'm hardly ever trendy. Still, there are occasions when something new will catch my eye. Since college, this has really been limited to three lines of toys:

1. The newest series of He-Man/Masters of the Universe figures. I enjoyed the original MOTU lines of the 80's but there's no getting around the feeling that they were pretty repetitive and geared more towards marketability and sales than quality. These new toys were amazingly well sculpted figures and featured incredible detail. While they tended to be more like display pieces than toys, I fell in love with them. I was especially fond of Mer-Man, Buzz-Off, and Beast Man.

2. Stikfas. Stikfas seem like the direct opposite of the new MOTU figures. While the MOTU figures sacrificed moving parts and pose-ability in favor of detailed realism, Stikfas are simplified figures with an innovative ball-and-socket joint allowing infinite positioning. They're really the 3D version of the stick figure. I have a handful of these little guys and have successfully used them to recreate at least a dozen professional wrestling moves like the Boston Crab and the Vertical Suplex. They get a little pricey for the themed Stikfas but I highly recommend the generic blister packs...you can occasionally find them on sale online.

3. Xevoz (Zee-Voz) represent a kind of blending of the two above lines. They were developed by Hasbro off the Stikfa toys and use the same joint system. However, they're much more detailed and sculpted than the normal Stikfa. There were scorpions, robots, praying mantises, along with many, many more cool designs. They were, quite simply, a lot of fun. It's a shame the line didn't survive. They weren't really marketed here in central Indiana and I don't think they ever got the recognizability of a lot of other toys. It's hard for a new line, no matter how cool and innovative, to make it when competing against established lines and the latest movie franchise merchandising.

Anyway, that brings me to this...I'm once again excited about some new toys. Actually, two lines that are very similar. I've already mentioned Automoblox and I'm excited that these are now showing up in Target stores. I don't actually have any but I wasn't shy about opening a box at a Target and checking it out. Very, very cool. I like the simplicity and just the feel of the cars. It's not something I can really pinpoint. They feel, I don't know, wholesome. Clean. Solid. Makes me wish my Honda Civic were made of wood.

Similar to Automoblox, are these new wooden toys I saw in the latest Toys "R" Us ad. It looks like TRU is starting up entire line of more eco-friendly toys. There's a train, a fire engine, and a pretty cool truck. My favorites are the formula race car and the Indy style race car. I need to get down to TRU to check these out. I like the concept of more natural and simple toys. If I manage to get a hold of one, I'll be sure to post a review.