McFarlane Toys

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Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc.
Type Sister company of Image Comics
Industry Comics and Toys
Founded Tempe, Arizona, USA (1994)
Founder(s) Todd McFarlane
Headquarters Tempe, AZ, USA
Key people Todd McFarlane, CEO
Products Spawn, Hellspawn, Sam & Twitch
Revenue Increase $8.9 million USD (2005)
Employees 100 (2005)
Website spawn.com

McFarlane Toys, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes highly detailed models of characters from movies, comics, popular music, video games and sporting genres. McFarlane has attracted both acclaim and criticism for offering a select range of action figurines that graphically depict torture, mutilation, bondage and murder. Founded in 1994, the company was originally dubbed "Todd Toys," but the name was changed in 1995 following pressure from Mattel (who feared the new company's name would be confused with that of Barbie's younger brother).

Overview

The line, which originally began with action figures based upon Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic series, has since grown to feature a large number of licenced property lines including The Simpsons and "Movie Maniacs" (which features numerous famous horror icons such as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, The Terminator, Leatherface, and The Thing), as well as other characters and lines like Basketball and Baseball legends, video game characters (from Soulcalibur, Onimusha and Metal Gear Solid), and Where the Wild Things Are characters. The toy line has also made original works of their own, giving a grotesque twist to fairy tale stories, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and historical figures. They have also collaborated with people like Clive Barker and H.R. Giger to produce other original figures.

Spawn figures

The first line of Spawn toys ever produced was released in 1994 and consisted of six figures, the hero Spawn and his medieval counterpart (aptly named Medieval Spawn) with Tremor and the villains Violator, Overtkill, and Clown, as well as a Spawn Alley Playset, the Spawnmobile and the Violator Monster Rig.[1] They were notably different from the toys common on shelves at the time because of their level of detail in both sculpting and painting. Other toys utilized only a few colors painted in general areas (a singe flesh tone for the face, etc.) and were tacked to cardboard backs. McFarlane's figures had individual items such as spikes, teeth, claws, and buttons painted individually and packaged encased by hard plastic that surrounded both the figure and blister card, making them more suitable collectors items. Each toy came with a regular-sized comic (although with fewer pages than the standard 22), which were individualized to the character.

Spawn Series

SERIES 20: SPAWN CLASSIC SERIES 2
Release Date: October 2001

  • Clown IV
  • Domina
  • Medieval Spawn III
  • Overtkill III
  • Spawn VI
  • Violator III

SERIES 21: ALTERNATE REALITIES
Release Date: February 2002

  • Alien Spawn
  • Pirate Spawn
  • Raven Spawn
  • Spawn VII
  • She Spawn
  • Wings of Redemption Spawn

SERIES 22: DARK AGES SPAWN: THE VIKING AGE
Release Date: July 2002
This 22nd line of Spawn action figures features the Hellspawn mythos translated into the Viking time frame.

  • Berserker The Troll
  • Spawn The Bloodaxe
  • Bluetooth
  • Dark Raider
  • Skullsplitter
  • Spawn the Bloodaxe and Thunderhoof
  • Valkerie

SERIES 23: Mutations
Release Date: May 2003

  • Al Simmons
  • Kin
  • Warrior Lilith
  • Malebolgia
  • Spawn

Series 24: The Classic Comic Covers
Release Date: October 2003

  • Spawn the Dark Ages i.023
  • Hellspawn i.001
  • Spawn i.039
  • Spawn i.043
  • Spawn i.064
  • Spawn i.088
  • Spawn i.109

Series 25: The Classic Comic Covers 2
Release Date: February 2004

  • Creech Ci.001
  • Spawn Hsi.011
  • Spawn Hsi.005
  • Redeemer I.117
  • Sam And Twitch Sti.022
  • Spawn I.095

Series 26: The Art Of Spawn
Release Date: October 2004

  • Spawn (Issue 7 Cover Art)
  • Spawn (Issue 8 Cover Art)
  • Spawn The Black Knight (Dark Ages Issue 1 Cover Art)
  • Curse 2 (The Spawn Bible Art)
  • Tiffany 3 (Issue 45 Art)
  • Tremor 3 (The Spawn Bible Art)
  • Spawn Vs. Cy-Gor (Issue 57 Cover Art)

Series 27: The Art Of Spawn
Release Date: March 2005

  • Spawn (Issue 85 Cover Art)
  • Spawn (Issue 119 Interior Art)
  • Spawn (Issue 131 Cover Art)
  • Clown 5 (Original Art)
  • Vandalizer 2 (Original Art)
  • Wanda 2 (Issue 65 Interior Art)
  • Spawn Vs. Al Simmons Deluxe Boxed Set (Issue 86 Cover Art)

Series 28: Regenerated
Release Date: October 2005

  • Cyber Spawn 2
  • Lotus Warrior Angel 2
  • Mandarin Spawn 2
  • Zombie Spawn 2
  • Commando Spawn 2
  • Grave Digger 2
  • Spawn Vs. Urizen 2 Deluxe Boxed Set

Series 29: Evolutions
Release Date: June 2006
Action Figures From The Armageddon Saga Of The Spawn Comics.

  • Disciple
  • Man Of Miracles
  • Ninja Spawn 2
  • Spawn 9
  • Thamuz
  • Zera

Series 30: The Adventures of Spawn
Release Date: December 2006
Spawn in the tradition of the great Saturday morning cartoons

  • Spawn X
  • The Redeemer
  • Omega Spawn
  • Overtkill The Destroyer
  • Codename: Cy-Gor
  • Tiffany The Amazon

Series 31: Other Worlds
Release Date: April 2007
This series focuses on a number of different Hellspawn-ed characters from various Spawn-related comic book titles both old and new.

  • Spawn 11
  • Spawn The Marauder
  • Goddess Llyra
  • Lord Covenant
  • Necro Cop
  • Nightmare Spawn

Series 32: The Adventures of Spawn 2
Release Date: October 2007
The adventure continues! Unlike any other Spawn action figures, The Adventures of Spawn has streamlined Spawn, his allies and adversaries. Featuring clean lines and eye-popping color reminiscent of anime or Saturday morning cartoons; it's a whole new look.

  • Spawn X (blue)
  • Agent 8
  • Omega Squadron
  • Raven Spawn
  • Creech
  • Commando Spawn
  • Tremor

Series 33: Age of Pharaohs
Release Date: April 2008

  • Spawn The Immortal
  • Warrior Isis
  • Jackal King
  • Soldier of Ra
  • Scarab Assassin
  • The Crocodile King

Series 34: Spawn Classics

  • Pirate Spawn II
  • Poacher II
  • Wings of Redemption Spawn II
  • Manga Spawn II

McFarlane's Dragons

McFarlane's Dragons are a line of action figures that was launched in 2005 under the "Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Action Figures section of McFarlane Toys. These figures were released biannually.

The set features several highly detailed six inch dragon action figures and a slightly larger and more expansive "boxed set" figure. For the first five series, the figures were broken into these clans: Eternal Dragon Clan, Fire Dragon Clan, Komodo Dragon Clan, Sorcerer's Dragon Clan, Water Dragon Clan, and Berserker Clan. Series Six includes new clans: Fossil Dragon Clan, Hunter Dragon Clan, Ice Dragon Clan, Scavenger Dragon Clan, and Warrior Dragon Clan. In addition to these highly detailed dragons, McFarlane released a part of the dragon's history with each dragon set; some had a piece of the story with each dragon, and some had whole chunks of the story in one boxed set. The first series was a general overview of the dragon's history, from their rise in power to their fall due to inner strife. The story expanded from there into describing the quest for the lost king of the dragons, and then back in time for several series to describe the exact rise and fall of the dragons . The most recent set features the hydra, a monstrous dragon set loose during the ultimate war among the dragons. The next set to be released will describe the rise of mankind to take the place of the dragons.

"The Tales of the Dragon Scroll"

The Tales of the Dragon Scroll is the name of the story of the events of the Rise and Fall of the Dragon Kingdom.

Series 1: Quest For The Lost King (February 2005)

  • Berserker Dragon Clan Vs. Human Attacker Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Eternal Dragon Clan 1
  • Fire Dragon Clan 1
  • Komodo Dragon Clan 1
  • Sorcerer's Dragon Clan 1
  • Water Dragon Clan 1

Series 2: Quest For The Lost King (December 2005)

  • Eternal Dragon Clan 2 Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Fire Dragon Clan 2
  • Komodo Dragon Clan 2
  • Sorcerer's Dragon Clan 2
  • Water Dragon Clan 2
  • Berserker Clan 2

Series 3: Quest For The Lost King (February 2006)

  • Sorcerers Dragon Clan 3 Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Eternal Dragon Clan 3
  • Fire Dragon Clan 3
  • Komodo Dragon Clan 3
  • Water Dragon Clan 3
  • Berserker Clan 3

Series 4: The Fall Of The Dragon Kingdom (September 2006)

  • Komodo Dragon Clan 4 Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Eternal Dragon Clan 4
  • Fire Dragon Clan 4
  • Sorcerer's Dragon Clan 4
  • Water Dragon Clan 4
  • Berserker Clan 4

Series 5: The Fall Of The Dragon Kingdom (February 2007)

  • Fire Dragon Clan 5 Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Eternal Dragon Clan 5
  • Komodo Dragon Clan 5
  • Sorcerer's Dragon Clan 5
  • Water Dragon Clan 5
  • Berserker Clan 5

Series 6: The Fall Of The Dragon Kingdom (July 2007)

  • Fossil Dragon Clan Boxed Set
  • Hunter Dragon Clan 1
  • Ice Dragon Clan 1
  • Scavenger Dragon Clan 1
  • Warrior Dragon Clan 1

Series 7: The Fall Of The Dragon Kingdom (October 2007)

  • Hydra Dragon Clan Boxed Set
  • Fire Dragon Clan 6
  • Ice Dragon Clan 2
  • Warrior Dragon Clan 2
  • Water Dagon Clan 6

Series 8: The Rise Of Man (January 2008)

  • Hunter Dragon Clan 2
  • Eternal Dragon Clan 6
  • Water Dragon Clan 7
  • Berserker Dragon Clan 6

Much to puzzlement of the McFarlane staff it was decided to end the dragon line despite the fact that it did so well and no licensing had to be paid on it.

Horror figures

Company owner/founder, Todd McFarlane, had been a long-time fan of the horror genre and decided to produce his own perspective on the classic monsters with the "Todd McFarlane's Monsters Playsets" line in 1997. Each figure was released as a playset in a clamshell package that featured the character, a background diorama, and (in 3 out of 4) an additional figure, such as the werewolf’s victim. A second series came out 2 years later with approximately the same quality of sculpting and articulation in the figures as well as fully detailed bases that had two different levels. In 2002, the horror toy line re-invented itself, doing away with the playset idea (and reducing the name to simply "McFarlane's Monsters") in favor of creating individual figures with vastly more detail and much more frightening appearances. Among its various sculpts, it featured a decaying mummy with individual muscle sinews and textured wrappings carved in, a half-man/half-bat version of Dracula with wrinkled flesh and covered in chains, and a scantily clad voodoo queen covered in grass and bones. The figures had the high-quality sculpting that McFarlane had been incorporating into its Spawn figures, which had made them so commercially and artistically successful, and would mark the last time it created versions of the prototypic monsters (mummies, vampires, etc.).

Instead, McFarlane decided to continue the idea of generating new versions of classic stories and characters, releasing a shocking line subtitled "Twisted Land of Oz" in 2003, which featured vicious or sadistic versions of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz characters created by L. Frank Baum. Dorothy was half-naked, bound, and blindfolded by mutant munchkins; the Tin Woodman was more akin to a cyborg zombie; and the Scarecrow was a straw-filled corpse being devoured by crows. All toys came with a warning that they were not for individuals under age 17, and an alternative version of Dorothy was released in large quantities (such that it was the more common variant) with a black piece of cloth covering her upper chest to prevent people from viewing the leather belt crossing her bosom. Major distributors such as Toys R Us and KB Toys, which had carried the previous line refused to stock any of the Oz figures. However, their appeal to collectors was good, and the more-revealing version of Dorothy without the black cloak became the most sought-after of the group.

In 2004, the third series, subtitled 6 Faces of Madness, used historical killers and madmen as its theme, generating vividly detailed figurines of the 5th century conqueror Attila the Hun, American "Wild West" gunslinger Billy the Kid, the "mad monk" Rasputin, the British serial killer Jack the Ripper, the Hungarian "Blood Queen" Elizabeth Bathory, and the real-life inspiration for Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. It similarly carried the "over 17" warning for its viciously gory depictions of all persons, including Jack the Ripper carrying a bag oozing red and Bathory literally bathing in blood near a candelabrum with the heads of three women impaled on it. They were more akin to semi-poseable statues than action figures, since they lacked all except a few points of articulation and were painted to be displayed precisely as shown on the toy's package. Again, the line enjoyed commercial success despite some retailers not carrying the figures or not distributing particular ones (notably Bathory) in all markets. It challenged the boundaries for horror figures by the company's previous standards and mixed in elements and themes reminiscent of the Clive Barker lines (released beginning in 2001), while generating a uniquely imaginative vision of each character. Alongside the Six Faces of Madness series was released the Clive Barker's Infernal Parade series, similarly semi-posable statues featuring figures in a hellish carnival. The series was accompanied by a comic book setting forth the backstory of the characters depicted, with a chapter of the comic included with each figure. The stories explained how each character committed sins that resulted in their sentence of eternal torture as part of the circus. Each figure came with a stand attached to a wheeled cart; the carts could be linked together to form a moving procession of horrific circus freaks. The characters were (1) Bleb the Sabbaticus Beast Tamer; (2) Bethany Bled, the Prisoner in the Iron Maiden; (3) Dr. Fetter's Family of Freaks; (4) Tom Requiem, King of Showmen, with Clovio; (5) Mary Slaughter the Spike Swallower; and (6) the Golem Elijah.

The fourth series featured Twisted Fairy Tales. The figures were of classic children’s stories, including Peter Pumpkin-Eater, Hansel & Gretel, Little Miss Muffet, Humpty Dumpty, & Red Riding Hood, and incorporated many of the gory elements that consumers had come to expect from McFarlane, but with a sense of ironic humor. Red was in a leather bikini, hooded cloak, and thigh-high spiked boots while holding up an eviscerated wolf (whose stomach contents included most of Grandma); Peter had a pumpkin full of human remains, but wore boxer shorts with a jack-o-lanterns print; and Gretel looked like a gothic model with fishnet stockings and tattoos of candy canes and lollipops running up her legs. Due to the sadomasochistic appearance of the female figures and the macabre mutilated bodies in almost every member of the line, it met with some retailers shelving only select figures or selling strictly via their websites rather than displaying all of them in-store.

Series 5 featured McFarlane's Twisted Christmas. Like the previous series, the figures all are twisted variations of Christmas, including a hunchback and obese Santa Claus who hides a lifeless skull under a gasmask-like headpiece and wears contraptions on his hands similar to the glove of Freddy Krueger; a near-naked Mrs. Claus who is dressed in nothing more than a red bikini, black platform boots and a Christmas hat; mutant blade-wielding elves; an axe-wielding "Rudy" reindeer who is restrained by fairy lights and belts; a monstrous melting snowman with six arms made from tree branches; and a massively deformed Jack Frost who is made from ice, snow and a tree.

Movie Maniacs

In 1998 McFarlane introduced the Movie Maniacs line of figures. Series one began as a line of horror and science fiction based figures that had been licensed from influential and financially successful horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th, as well as the upcoming (at that time) Species II. The second series of figures expanded the character base for the line into the realms of cult and action cinema with a figure based on the title character to The Crow. Series three would further push the boundaries of character selection into fantasy, with Edward Scissorhands, straight action with Shaft, and back into cult/sci-fi with Escape from L.A.. These conventions would continue, with character selections in future series frequently containing a mix of many, or even all of these various film genres, much to the chagrin of a small section of fans and collectors who, incorrectly, saw the line as being meant to be horror specific.

The line began as an annual release, with each of the first few series being released at, or around, October, however as years went on this tradition began to slip, initially as a factor of slipping release dates, and then, the tradition already broken, just as a matter of course.

Although never officially confirmed by McFarlane Toys, the line is now considered defunct, and no new releases carrying the Movie Maniacs brand name have been created for quite some time.

McFarlane Anime Series

McFarlane Anime Series is a series of anime figurines chose visually striking characters from several groundbreaking properties that are well-known and respected among the world's anime followers..

Serie 1:

  • Ryoko Hakubi (Tenchi Muyo)

Serie 2:

  • Kaneda with Motorcycle (Akira)
  • SOULTAKER (Soul Taker)
  • Tenchi Masaki (Tenchi Muyo)

6" Series

Series 1:

Series 2:

Series 3:

Series 4:

Series 5:

Series 6:

Series 7:

12-18" Series

Series 2:

  • 12" Chucky

Series 3:

  • 18" Freddy Krueger
  • 18" Michael Myers

Series 4:

  • 18" Ash
  • 18" Leatherface

Series 5:

  • 18" Edward Scissorhands

Series 7:

  • 12" Battle-Damaged RoboCop
  • 12" Leatherface

Deluxe Figures

Series 1:

  • Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees (in display case)

Series 2:

  • The Crow (in display case)

Series 5:

  • Lord of Darkness (in display case)
  • Stealth Predator (Collector's Club exclusive)

Series 7:

  • Colonial Marine Hicks (Collector's Club exclusive)

Boxed Sets

Series 2:

Series 3:

  • King Kong Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Ash & Pit Witch 2-Pack

Series 4:

  • Jaws Deluxe Boxed Set
  • Ash & Evil Ash 2-Pack

Series 5:

  • Alien & Predator Deluxe Boxed Set

Series 6:

  • Alien Queen

Music figures

McFarlane Toys did not solely limit itself to creating figures based on Todd McFarlane's creations. Rather it branched out into other forms of media, capitalizing on the popularity of famous rock musicians with the release of figures based on the rock legends KISS in 1997. The number of music figures produced by the company continued to grow in number, diversity, and quality in the following years as they acquired the action figure rights to famous properties such as the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Slash, Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury and Elvis Presley.

KISS

In 1997, action figures were part of an overall marketing deal between McFarlane Toys and the rock band KISS, with both toys and comic books based on their album Psycho Circus. Release of new KISS products from McFarlane continues to the present day.

The Beatles

The second musical property that McFarlane released was based on the immensely popular pop-culture icons, The Beatles, featuring figures of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as they appeared in their 1968 animated movie "Yellow Submarine." The figures were produced in 1999 to coincide with the film’s 30th anniversary as well as the advertising campaign marketing its re-release. Each musician comes with a character or object from the film, making each item essentially a two-pack: George with the Yellow Submarine, John with Jeremy the Nowhere Man, Paul with the Glove and Love Base, and Ringo with the Blue Meanie. Additionally, a version of Paul with Old Fred was marketed exclusively through Musicland stores. Since they were based on the simple, basic-shape animation style of the movie, the figures were vastly less detailed than the normal McFarlane fare and had only seven points of articulation. The series ended up to be a best-seller for the company[citation needed] and a second series was produced the following year featuring the animated band members dressed in their "Sergeant Pepper" costumes. These figures followed the same basic idea as their predecessors, one figure of each band member packed with a supporting character from the movie: George with the Snapping Turk, John with the Bulldog, Paul with the Sucking Monster, and Ringo with the Apple Bonker. In 2004, the company re-released all the figures from series one in individual clamshell packages and a Musicland exclusive boxed set with all four figures plus the submarine.

Three months later, in December 2004, a line of figures based on the 1965-67 Beatles TV cartoon show was released, with each band member sold along with his instrument and a small base piece that connected with the other three. Again, the toys were true to the look and feel of their cartoon character origins, with little fine detail and few points of articulation, but having smooth, stylistic sculpting. A boxed set of all four figures, plus a cartoon alligator, was released in October 2005. They mark the most recent line of Beatles figures the company has produced, and, to date, the company has not announced intentions to generate any further series. It is interesting to note that, despite three figure series based on cartoon versions of the band, no figures of the real-life band members have been created by McFarlane Toys.

The Beatles: Yellow Submarine (Series 1, September 1999)

  • George w/Yellow Submarine
  • John w/ Jeremy the Nowhere Man
  • Paul w/ Glove and Love Base
  • Ringo w/ Blue Meanie
  • Paul with Old Fred (Musicland Exclusive)

The Beatles: Yellow Submarine (Series 2, October 2000)

  • George w/ Snapping Turk
  • John w/ Bulldog
  • Paul w/ Sucking Monster
  • Ringo w/ Apple Bonker

The Beatles: Yellow Submarine (Series 1 Re-Release, September 2004)

  • George w/Yellow Submarine
  • John w/ Jeremy the Nowhere Man
  • Paul w/ Glove and Love Base
  • Ringo w/ Blue Meanie
  • Yellow Submarine Boxed Set (Musicland Exclusive - Four band members plus Yellow Submarine)

The Beatles: Saturday Morning Cartoon (December 2004)

  • George
  • John
  • Paul
  • Ringo

The Beatles: Saturday Morning Cartoon Boxed Set (October 2005)

All four band members and instruments plus alligator, speakers, and radio

The Simpsons

In 2005, McFarlane acquired the rights (previously held by rival manufacturer Playmates Toys) to produce figures based on the popular Fox TV series The Simpsons. The first toy, produced in 2006, was a motorized statuette entitled "Ironic Punishment" based on the "Treehouse of Horror IV" episode where Homer sells his soul to the Devil (Ned Flanders) in exchange for a donut. Homer is sent to Hell and force-fed donuts as ironic punishment for his gluttony, although he ends up enjoying his fate immensely. The figure features a rotund Homer swallowing stacks of donuts from a large machine run by a blue demon; plastic donuts fall from the machine into Homer's open mouth. The second figure was the "Family Couch Gag", based on the opening sequence of each episode where the family rushes into the living room and performs a 3-second sight gag. The McFarlane release features the entire Simpsons family plus their pets, which are stackable into a human pyramid via connectors on their heads and feet. A third boxed set is based on the "Treehouse of Horror VI" episode where Homer steals a giant metal donut from the Lard Lad (a parody of Big Boy), and includes figures of Homer, Lard Lad, and a diorama background. Released concurrently with the Lard Lad is another Treehouse of Horror set based on the thirteenth such episode, called "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" (a parody of H. G. Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau). It features the family and Comic Book Guy as animalistic creations of Dr. Hibbert.

On June 23, 2006, McFarlane announced the first line of actual Simpsons action figures, rather than statuettes or boxed sets, which would be released in 2007. All figures will depict specific episodes or events in the show, as opposed to Playmates' figures which merely depicted general characters and environments. According to a company press release, The Simpsons Series 1 will include a boxed Itchy and Scratchy "Spay Anything" set as well as six figures: Homer and Bart Simpson as Pie Man and Cupcake Kid; Krusty the Clown and Homer from an episode when Homer attempted Clown College; Treehouse of Horrors: The Raven (based on the poem of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe); the classic scene of Homer strangling Bart; Kamp Krusty; Treehouse of Horror: Belly of the Boss.

Simpsons boxed sets (2006)

  • Ironic Punishment (April 2006)
  • Family Couch Gag (July 2006)
  • Lard Lad (November 2006)
  • The Island of Dr. Hibbert (November 2006)

Simpsons (Series 1, 2007)

  • Simple Simpson - Pie Man (Homer) and Cupcake Kid (Bart)
  • Why You - Homer and Bart
  • Kamp Krusty
  • Treehouse of Horrors XV: Belly of the Boss
  • Cape Feare: Spay Anything - Itchy and Scratchy (Boxed Set)

Simpsons Movie (July 2007)

  • Movie Mayhem Bart
  • Movie Mayhem Homer
  • Movie Mayhem Marge
  • Movie Mayhem Lisa & Maggie
  • "Who's a Good Piggy?" - Homer & Plopper
  • Presidential Politics - Itchy & Scratchy
  • "What You Lookin' At?" - Bart & Flanders (Boxed Set)
  • Doodle Double Dare - Bart, Sherri, & Terri (Boxed Set)

The McKenzie Brothers

Released in September 2000, the figures were based on the characters of SCTV and Strange Brew fame, Bob and Doug McKenzie. Originally portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, respectively. The figures were sold separately and each came with half of the diorama from the Great White North set. Each had a sound chip with famous lines from the film and various extras to complete the scene.

"These two hops hosers are best known as the stars of the cult classic movie "Strange Brew" and as members of the comedy show SCTV, Canada's answer to "Saturday Night Live." Beauty, eh? Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, respectively) are popular worldwide with fans of, in no particular order, beer, back bacon, doughnuts, beer, one-liners, Canadiana (that's like Americana only ... Canadian) and beer. The fully detailed and articulated Bob and Doug action figures are sold separately with a complement of extras, voice chips with signature sound phrases and half a diorama that assembles into a complete custom backdrop (with plenty o' suds) when the figures are put together."[2]

McFarlane's Military

The company gave a modern-day revival to the classic "toy soldier" with the release of McFarlane's Military in 2005, which capitalized on the fervor and media coverage surrounding the American military and support for its soldiers serving abroad. The figures did not depict actual people so much as it did their professions, named simply by their job descriptions, such as "Army Ranger" or "Navy SEAL." All were of stern-looking males in full military gear, with highly detailed weapons and accessories modeled after the exact materials each soldier would be carrying in real life. Later the same year, the figures were re-released in a series called McFarlane's Military Redeployed, although all the figures were visually different with new sculpting, painting, and packaging. The names of the figures, however, stayed the same, as did their basic articulation, accessories, and posture. A second series was released in November 2005 under the title "2nd Tour of Duty" with six new figures depicting additional professions such as "Army Paratrooper" and "Marine Radioman." These were followed in April 2006 by a third series with "Army Ranger Sniper" and "Navy SEAL Boarding Unit," among others. Series 2 was also "Redeployed" in July 2006, with resculpts, repaints, etc., but also with changes to the names and nature of the characters themselves, such as the new "Marine SAW Gunner" and a never-before released 2-pack of a grenade-launcher gunner and loader.

Series 3 was released in April 2006 alongside the Series 2 "redeployment." Series three notably made its mark by producing 2 different versions of each profession, one depicting a Caucasian soldier and the other depicting an African-American soldier, except for the Army M60 Machine Gunner, who could be Hispanic or Caucasian. The same concept of having 2 variants of soldiers of different cultures was carried forward again in Series 4, which was released in October 2006.

Sports figures

Main article: McFarlane Sports Picks

McFarlane Toys reflects Todd McFarlane's love of sports in its creations of popular figures from all five major North American sports (baseball, football, basketball, hockey and stock car racing). The company has official licensing rights to the major professional leagues of all of these sports, and began this line - officially known as McFarlane Sports Picks - in 2001.

Rare figure variants

This is an incomplete list of rare or hard-to-find figure variants from many different McFarlane toy lines and series. While McFarlane is known for producing many variations on their figures, particularly when re-releasing them, the rare variants are initially shipped along with the more common variant and are considered more valuable by collectors because of their relatively low quantity in relation to the common variant as well as the other figures in the series. Collectors should always check a legitimate industry trade magazine (such as ToyFare) for prices and actual notes on the style and identification of rare variants before making a purchase.

Spawn, Conan, McFarlane monsters

  • Belit (Conan: Series 1) She wears a Viking-style outfit with a twisted metal belt, which either has a black line painted in-between the links or simply shows her skin. In contrast to the Tiffany figure from the Spawn 26 line and the Dorothy figure from "The Twisted Land of Oz," the rare variant of this figure is the one that shows less skin (i.e. the one with the black painted-in belt).
  • Dorothy (Twisted Land of Oz): Rare variant has her full body visible, showing her breasts bound with a leather strap. Common variant comes with a black piece of cloth over her upper torso, effectively censoring the toy for mass distribution.
  • The Ogre (Spawn 11): Variant has a giant mace in the right hand while common has no weapon
  • Tiffany (Spawn 26): The versions of the angel Tiffany from this series differ by the style of underwear that the character is wearing, which is visible by looking at the toy's backside. The more common variant is wearing bikini-style underwear that shows less skin, while the rare variant bears a thong that is more revealing.
  • Lotus Angel II (Spawn 28): Variant has no covering over the upper portion of her chest. Common variant has a red and green covering with a small skull on it around her neck that obscures her bust.
  • Zombie Spawn II (Spawn 28): Variant has three skulls chained together and attached to right arm, while common has no chain of skulls.
  • Grave Digger (Spawn Regenerated): The figure's base has two arms coming out of the grave, whereas the common variant base is just a pile of dirt

Lost

Series 1: All the Lost action figures in series 1 come with limited articulation, a detailed base, a sound chip playing memorable quotes from that character, and a prop central to that character's story. series 1 includes Jack, Hurley, Kate, Locke, Charlie, and Shannon.

In addition to the figures, McFarlane released a box set with each wave. Series 1 included the Hatch box set with a special light-up feature and mini-figures of Locke, Jack, Kate, and Hurley. In the Summer of 2007, McFarlane released series 2, which included Sawyer, Sun, Jin, and Mr. Eko. No box set was included with this wave.

McFarlane planned to release series 3 in January 2008, which would have included Sayid, Desmond, Claire, and Henry Gale (Benjamin Linus) as well as the box set, Oceanic Flight 815 Crash Site. However, due to lower than expected sales, the line was officially cancelled. Several members of the Spawn messageboard created an Online Petition to help save the Lost action figure line, which was unsuccessful.

24

In January 2007, McFarlane Toys announced plans for a line of 24 action figures. Two figures of Jack Bauer were produced. Both are packaged as boxed sets and re-create scenes taken directly from the series. The first figure was expected to hit store shelves in August 2007, with the second scheduled for holiday season 2007 release.

Halo

Halo 3

Series 1

  • 5" John-117
  • 6" Brute Chieftain
  • 5" Jackal Sniper
  • 4" Orange Armored Grunt
  • 4" Green Armored Grunt

Series 1 Vehicles

  • 3" Warthog
  • 3" Brute Chopper
  • 3" Ghost

Halo 4

McFarlane is designing a new line of action figures for 343 Industries' upcoming title Halo 4. The first series is set for August, with new figures being release from launch to 2013. Some of the figures aren't yet announced, but subject to change.[3]

Series 1

  • Carded Figures
  • Master Chief
  • Elite Zealot
  • Grunt Storm
  • Spartan Warrior

Boxed Figure

  • Frozen Master Chief and Cryotube

November 2012

Carded Figures

  • Cortana
  • Crawler
  • Watcher
  • Secret Figure 6

Boxed Figure

  • Knight

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Spawn Action Figures". McFarlane Toys. spawn.com. Retrieved 7 February 2013. 
  2. ↑ ">> Toys >> Movies >> The Mckenzie Brothers". Spawn.Com. Retrieved 2012-08-13. 
  3. ↑ "McFarlane Toys to Create Halo 4 Action Figures". 343 Industries. Retrieved 2012-01-19. 

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