Movies do not come much more revered and celebrated as 1939's The Wizard of Oz, Every line of dialogue, every lyric of every song and each and every performer and costume design is permeated into the hearts and minds of generations of film fans the world over! simply put: if Ever oh ever a classic there was the Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because, because BEEECAAAUSE... Because of the wonderful things it does! Every decade that passes The Wizard of Oz reaches some milestone which is usually marked in one way or another, nowadays you could probably expect some newly minted special edition of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray as standard plus a theatrical re-release, most recently the classic film received a 3D upgrade available on Blu-Ray and spent a limited time in theatres. Back in 1998 the movie was fast approaching its 60th anniversary and in preparation was given an all new digital restoration before being shown in cinemas for a new generation who had perhaps only seen the film on Television or VHS and so wouldn't have experienced it in its full glory!
A slew of all new merchandise had been put out around the same time including a great range of action figures and dolls sold exclusively at The Warner Bros store! You could also pick up fantastic set of four premium figures made available briefly at Blockbuster video stores through their experimental "Play Pak" scheme! The "Play Pak rental program" (to give it its full tittle) was launched in 1997 in conjunction with Mattel and began with promotions based on Disney's then current release Hercules. The concept was similar to that of a McDonald's Happy meal in that there would be a free toy supplied with the purchase of a children's video rental along with an activity bag and a small popcorn. The Wizard of Oz toys were by the far the best promotional toys available through the short lived Play Pak brand and here we will be looking at three of the four toys in detail:
The Scarecrow: Dorothy Gale finds herself in a wonderful and colourful magical land named Oz after being caught in the midst of a cyclone back in her native Kansas, where she is desperate to return to and Her only hope of which is to find the mysterious and all powerful Wizard who rules over Oz who is located in emerald city and so she must "Follow the yellow brick road" to reach him! shortly into her journey she comes across a straw man who is being pestered by some crows while he helplessly dangles from a tree trunk, after being freed by Dorothy the Scarecrow decides to accompany his new friend to Emerald city in the hope of receiving a brain so he can "while away the hours conferring with the flowers and consulting with the rain"!
Originally released as a set of four available through the earlier mentioned "Kid's Play Pak" promotion from Blockbuster entertainment outlets in the USA these Wizard of Oz inspired toys are very similar to the kinds of toys you might expect to find in a fast food restaurant Kid's meal, the "puzzle slot train" gimmick has even been used several times in various Happy meal toys from McDonalds.
The Scarecrow here is probably the best looking toy of the set, he is a single sculpted solid PVC figurine posed tied up on a tree trunk which spins around when you push or pull the yellow brick road base along! The figure is really very nicely detailed and strongly resembles the on screen character and the fantastic make up and costume design with a good amount of individual paint apps that help to highlight out all of those wonderful sculpting details in this toy!
The Tin Man: Stood rusted solid for weeks in the same spot mid chop the mild and sensitive Tin man is discovered and fixed up by Dorothy and the Scarecrow and is soon skipping off down the yellow brick road in the hope of receiving that which he is most desires: a heart from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz!
The second toy in this set is another impressive looking figure with a solid likeness of the movie character and a decent paint job (though minimal is mostly accurate to the film) Tin Man even has the best action feature by far particularly when compared to the basicness of the others in this line! When you Push him along the figure raises his Axe and chops at the accompanying tree trunk which is a simple but effective function that works really well!
The Cowardly Lion: Dorothy and her new friends carry on down the yellow brick road singing merrily, oblivious to the evil old witch lurking in surrounding woods who pounces on them and vows to wreak vengeance for the death of her sister caused inadvertently by Dorothy's falling house! The witch departs but the path they have taken leads them further into the woods where they find themselves face to face with a ferocious lion! at least he appeared ferocious until Dorothy puts him in his place for trying scare poor little Toto when the Lion confesses to be nothing but a coward but wishes he wasn't and so is invited along to go and see the Wizard who they hope will grant their individual requests!
Here we have another fantastically sculpted figurine but one that has far fewer paint applications than the Scarecrow and a much less effective action feature than the Tin Man! The Cowardly Lion is cowering behind a shrub or bush and bobs up and down above it when rolled along which, as I eluded to earlier, isn't all that impressive but doesn't detract from what is an incredible looking (and quite weighty) figurine with lots of great detailing throughout and featuring a solid likeness of Bert Lahr's indelible cinematic icon!
A classic of classics with tons of merchandise and a huge following that shows no sign of letting up (on both fronts). In the pantheon of Wizard of Oz collectables these figures are pretty minor additions but considering they were giveaway premiums produced at a time when there were no shortage of giveaway premiums clogging up children's toy boxes these are pretty nifty and well made and shouldn't be written off by serious Oz collectors! They may come with a tried and tested action gimmick that is hit and miss depending on what toy it is but these are undeniably well made and great looking with each character also being spot on in the likeness department! The full set includes Dorothy with Toto, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion.
Back in 1994 there was one guy everyone was talking about, a fresh-faced rubber-faced Canadian comedian by the name of Jim Carrey, who came out of nowhere and all of sudden had three mega hit movies under his belt all in the space of 12 months! All comedic vehicles for the hilariously energetic and manic Carrey who had previously been a staple of T.V and the stand up circuit but was now a bona-fide movie star with a salary to match. The MASK was the last of the three to be released and probably the most high profile of the bunch, with multiple tie-in merchandise from Comic book adaptations to a Kenner toy line which we will be covered here. With state of the art cartoon inspired special effects and dark humour The Mask ranks as one of the most recognisable and memorable movies of the 1990's.
As mentioned above The Mask presented an ideal opportunity for licensors to cash in on the massive success of this quirky comic book inspired character, including PVC collectables from Applause and the obligatory Toy-Line courtesy of Kenner and later Toy Island. A handful or two of figures were produced along with a couple of vehicles all of which were typical of the time and so not in anyway remarkable or enervative but still nicely made and with a good variety of toys to choose from as we will now explore:
Heads up Mask: The benevolent Norse God Loki crafted a mystical Mask which turns the wearer into a crazed loon with super human powers, making them able to live out there wildest fantasies! In the case of "nice guy" Stanley Ipkiss it transform him into a green faced Wildman who can contort his body into any form imaginable (usually pertaining to Cartoon character inspired guises) where he makes a stir at the nightclub he was thrown out of and impresses the girl he has a crush on! But the Mask becomes an addiction for Stanley, one which he tries to sustain from but his social awkwardness draws him back to!
As the title of this figure might suggest the main gimmick here is that the figure is able to "transform" from Stanley Ipkiss into his crazed alter ego! Rotating his arm will see Stanley's head enter in his body via the chest and his Masked head appear in its place, its an effective action feature but sadly gives the character a little too much bulk in the chest are in order to accommodate the concealed head which is also much smaller than the head sizes on the other Mask figures but still manages to be decent representation of the on screen prosthetic make up design! The rest of the figure fairs well despite a lack of detail and oddly posed hands (one of which looks as though it should be holding something yet no hold-able accessory was supplied!)
Stanley, looking quite pleased with himself here, is an awkward and meek cartoon lover and bank clerk, who is taken advantage of or mistreated by practically everyone he meets but when he discovers an ancient Norse mask he is gifted with amazing abilities and starts to live out his wildest fantasies and confront those who makes his life a misery! There are too few action figures based on Jim Carrey and those that are very seldom represent the actor without some kind of mask or makeup on which in itself makes this particular figure quite unique it's just a shame the likeness isn't stronger but that's not to say it is bad just not spot on!
Milo Mask: Stanley's loyal mutt Milo is a curious and athletic dog who provides companionship for Stanley and even helps him escape from jail before he and Stanley take on Dorian and his goons at the coco bongo club at the movies climax where Milo ends up wearing the mystical mask himself with hilarious results!
Any accessory that is a character in its own right is always a plus and Milo is the ideal accompaniment especially as he comes with a removable Masked head of his own (which would have worked great for the main figure had they gone down that route with him also) Both of which are nicely sculpted but a little basic looking due to a lack of paint applications but for a toy that is essentially an addition to add value to the main figure it is pretty impressive!
Face Blastin' Mask: When Stanley Ipkiss' love interest Tina requests a get together with the mysterious green faced felon known as The Mask only their date (where The Mask comes attired as an obnoxious Frenchman) is cut short by the presence of detective Callaway who proceeds to arrest The Mask but is unsuccessful! As The Mask makes his escape he comes face to face with an entire army of Police offers who are then treated to a rendition of "Cuban Pete" before being lead into a conga!
This figure depicts with some accuracy The Mask as he appears in the scene described above in particular the moment where The Mask is confronted by a huge swarm of police officers responding by screaming his face off which forms the basis of this toys action feature which has his eyes pop from its sockets and his green face spring from his skull at the push of lever! This is possibly the best looking figure in the set if not it is certainly the most humorous and fun of the bunch and represents the sequence it was inspired by very well!
Quick-Draw Mask: The last time we see The Mask in the movie he has just defeated nemesis Dorian and has consumed a large amount of TNT while dressed as a 1930's gangster and brandishing a huge assortment of firearms!
This action figure is based on that brief scene and like "Face Blastin' Mask" Kenner has managed to capture the spirit and humour of this particular sequence! The face sculpt is especially brilliant on this figure and is probably the closest in accuracy to the movie make up! The "spring arm" action feature is basic and not all that exciting but is appropriate for the choice of design and the weapons are only vaguely reminiscent of the ones seen in the movie but complete the look of the toy nicely!
Heads up Dorian: Every superhero (even one as anarchic as the Mask) needs a villain and Dorian is as mean and dangerous as they come! The former heavy decides to take revenge on his boss by "borrowing" Stanley's mask, while delivering him to the cops, and wreaking havoc at the Coco bongo club!
The Dorian figure is very similar to the heads up Mask above and even has the same hand poses though at least this figure comes with a projectile launcher (not pictured) he has decent detailing on the body portion of the figure including the lapels though as stated with earlier figure the proportions aren't great plus the head is far too small compared to the body and not all that detailed either, which is a shame as the make up in the movie is pretty impressive looking! This figure has the same gimmick as before which works even better on this figure as the puffed out chest is in keeping with the muscular Dorian in Mask form!
Here we have Dorian minus the Mask and the likeness isn't too bad though is a perhaps a little heavy on the rouge colour lips and Jack Nicholson eyebrows! Overall it isn't a terrible looking representation but is distinctly lacking in effort!
If The Mask didn't have Jim Carrey and his indelible gift for wacky comedic tom foolery it may have been a slightly darker and more sinister effort from the movie studios that brought us A Nightmare on Elm Street which might have been more accurate to the comic book on which it took inspiration! As it is however the Mask is enjoyably goofy and energetic plus special effects are still convincing some 20 years later Kenner's toy line also has a lot going for it including fun action features and decent likenesses plus these toys are pretty easy to get hold of at very low prices nowadays making them easy to collect even if they aren't Kenner's best effort!
The figures available in this series:
-Belly Bustin' Mask
-Heads up Mask
-Killing Time Mask
-Quick-Draw Mask
-Face-Blastin' Mask
-Tornado Mask
-Wild Wolf Mask
-Chompin' Milo
-Heads up Dorian
Vehicles:
-Mask Cycle
