Tag: #SomethingElseSunday

From the Archives: Rowlf

Recommended music: Rowlf – Cottleston Pie

It’s time to play the music with this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives. Today, we’re celebrating 70 years of the Muppets and taking a look at the Palisades Toys Muppets Rowlf!

Rowlf the Dog debuted in Dog Chow commercials in 1962 and, by the following year, became the first Muppet to achieve nationwide recognition as a cast member on The Jimmy Dean Show. Performed exclusively by Jim Henson until 1990, Rowlf regularly appeared on The Muppet Show as the resident pianist and featured in recurring sketches such as “Veterinarian’s Hospital.”

Rowlf has contributed significantly to the music and humor of the Muppets over several decades. He was the first character featured in Muppet Studios’ year-long celebration of its 70th anniversary, which spotlights a different Muppet each week. Although I am behind since the celebration began last year, I intend to catch up at some point.

The sculpt for this Rowlf in a tuxedo figure was first shown with a White Tux Rowlf giveaway at Toy Fair 2002. About a year later, this version was released as part of the third wave of Palisades Toys figures. The tuxedo Rowlf was the only way to get the character on its own card. The regular version without clothes was made at the same time, but it was only available with the rare Backstage playset at the end of 2004.

This version included a baby grand piano, a bust of Beethoven for display, and a figure stand. I chose to pick up this figure loose, as I believe the upright piano and dollhouse candelabra better reflect Rowlf’s aesthetic in the Muppet Show’s “Rowlf at the Piano” segments.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheMuppets70
#ToyPhotography

Harlequin Demon

Recommended music: Hans Zimmer – Discombobulate

For this #WhateverWednesday, we’re looking at action figures perfect for the season between Halloween and Christmas. From the Super7 ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Harlequin Demon!

The Harlequin Demon is inspired by the classic harlequin clown, known for its diamond patterns, feathers, and jester hat. It’s a look that’s both familiar and a bit creepy. Like other Halloween Town residents, this monster loves to scare people and help get ready for Christmas. He’s also puzzled by the new holiday and shows off by turning a dead rat into a hat you can give as a gift.

Funko didn’t add Harlequin Demon to their The Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line, but Super7 brought him in when they relaunched the line in 2020. The figure’s lower jaw moves for a sixth point of articulation, but there aren’t any accessories, which is a bit disappointing for the $20 price. While NECA Toys and Diamond Select Toys have made better Harlequin Demon figures, and Funko has produced cheaper versions, this figure fits in well with the ReAction line. The sculpt and paint match the movie really well, and I think it would look awesome under a black light.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography

Bean Bunny

Recommended music: Humanga Danga – Lima Bean Bunny Board

It’s time to spill the beans this #SomethingElseSunday, as we’re still celebrating 70 years of the Muppets! Here’s a character you’ve likely seen a few times, but never really cared for. From the Diamond Select Toys Muppets Select line, it’s Bean Bunny!

In 1986, HBO aired a new TV special, “The Tale of the Bunny Picnic”. The program told the story of an overtly cute Bean Bunny, who naturally came from a family of bunnies, and helped to make peace with the farmer’s dog.

The character returned in 1989, appearing on 11 of the 12 episodes of NBC-based The Jim Henson Hour. The following year, NBC aired a special, ‘The Muppets at Walt Disney World’, which promoted the planned merger of the Muppets and the rest of The Jim Henson Company into The Walt Disney Company. Bean fits right in with established Muppet characters on the special, appearing at EPCOT Center with Scooter. A walk-around version of Bean, played by a cast member at Disney-MGM Studios, was part of two stage shows: ‘Here Come the Muppets’ and ‘Muppets On Location: Days of Swine and Roses’, which ran from 1990 until 1994.

Like Sweetums last week, Bean Bunny is undoubtedly most well-known for his role in the 1991 film attraction Muppet*Vision 3D, which ran for 34 years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. In the attraction, Bean appears in the pre-show and main-show films and also as a physical puppet in a theater balcony, playing a critical role in the show.

With all these inclusions in the theme parks, it seemed Bean was meant to be a major player in Muppet productions going forward, but his role diminished after Jim Henson’s passing. Bean’s performer, Steve Whitmire, took over the role of Kermit the Frog around this time, and while Whitmire’s other character, Rizzo the Rat, had a bigger role in 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, Bean only appeared in a few scenes. While Bean did show up on Muppets Tonight, Muppets from Space, the Muppet Babies reboot, and a few direct-to-DVD Muppet films, he was in a background role for these appearances as well.

Unfortunately, the Palisades Toys Muppet toy line ended before Bean was considered. Still, he finally showed up in action figure form outside of the theme parks in a couple of lines from Diamond Select Toys. When the first wave of figures in DST’s Muppets Select line debuted in 2016, Bean was packed in with Kermit the Frog. The figure was then included in the Backstage Deluxe Action Figure Box Set, which came with a half dozen repacked figures in 2023.

I typically don’t collect the DST Muppets line because of its scale and detail. However, Bean’s exclusion from the Palisades line made this purchase a necessity. His smaller size and lack of articulation are fine, as Bean will likely be relegated to a background character in my Muppet adventures as well. Also, just a heads up that you may need to apply some heat to the figure when you open him, as I immediately broke off the neck peg, which was stuck inside the head of this now hard-to-find figure.😣

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheMuppets70
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Evil Horde

Recommended music: Breaking Benjamin – So Cold

On this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’ve got a Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. This week’s theme is “Evil Horde.”

This image was my first contribution to the “Eternian Epic Imagery” group on Instagram. If you search for it, you’ll find all kinds of cool pictures with this week’s Evil Horde theme. For my picture, I chose to share my Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man.

While I swapped out the MOTUC head for a custom one to get a little more expression, I still used one of my favorite MOTU figures to be at the center of the action. He-Man is surrounded by the Evil Horde in a nod to issue six of the 2013 He-Man DC comic, “Blood Ties”. He-Man certainly looks outnumbered, and I don’t think Mekaneck will be much help. Also, I’ll leave it up to the viewer to decide if that is falling snow or the ashes of war.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EternianEpicImagery
#He-Man
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

Favorite Episode

Recommended music: Dr. Dre – The Next Episode (Instrumental)

On this #SomethingElseSunday, we’ve got another Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. This week’s theme is “Favorite Episode.”

Our goal this week was to recreate a scene or tribute to an animated episode from the Masters of the Universe franchise. With nearly 400 episodes to choose from across the various series, including Filmation’s He-Man and She-Ra series, The New Adventures of He-Man, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and the 2002 and 2021 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, there were many great options.

I decided to go with episode 10 of the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, “A Friend in Need.” This is one where Teela’s friend Ileena is swayed to use an addictive potion and steal a device called a transmutator, basically the “Say no to drugs” episode of the series. I made a custom figure of Ileena some time ago, and have a ton of original artwork from the episode as well. I’m planning to share all that at some point, but in the meantime, here is a quick homage.

…

Favorite Episode Collab

One of the most well-known cartoon series of the 1980s, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ran for two seasons and is still watched by droves. It was followed by The New Adventures of He-Man in the 1990s and then by the Mike Young Productions series in 2002.

Because this franchise is so popular, it has had even more recent iterations and films. Eternian Epic imagery selected a scene from their favorite episode and brought it to life!

Check out the photos from the following artists, and see their own pages for full images:

@the_thanoscopter
@b.a.dtoyphotos
@backyardeternia
@cob_web_collector
@raw_photoygraphy
@kidult_1983
@takemoretoyphotos
@raoof7136
@dalestoys
@81_eternal
@opt975

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EternianEpicImagery
#He-Man
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Culinary Catastrophe Swedish Chef

Recommended music: Eitan Epstein Music – Chef’s Choice

On this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’ve got something a bit messy. From the Palisades Toys Muppets line, it’s Culinary Catastrophe Swedish Chef!

This repaint of the Swedish Chef was a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive in 2003. This version comes with red stripes on the shirt instead of blue, and it includes a dirty apron. It also includes the armed Lobster Banditos as seen on episode 209 of The Muppet Show. The lobsters were originally supposed to come with the Kitchen Playset released earlier that year, but were costed out and moved to this release. Mine stayed in the kitchen today and didn’t bother the Swedish Chef while undertaking a new recipe: craft beer.


MGA’s Miniverse toyline is normally something my youngest daughter is interested in, but last year, they also released a more “21+” line called “Make It Mini Happy Hour.” While normally a “blind box” line, my wife was able to find the beer version, and today, I attempted to make the mini mugs of beer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t patient enough when setting the resin with UV lighting, so this project is still underway. 😛 [Update: the resin eventually cured more, but I surely made a mess]

#ActionFigurePhotography
#Muppets
#TheMuppets70
#ToyPhotography

Sweetums

Recommended music: Cher – That Old Black Magic (featuring Sweetums)

Sweet! This #SomethingElseSunday, we’re still celebrating 70 years of the Muppets! Here’s a character you’ve likely seen a few times, but depending on your age, will have an entirely different frame of reference for. From the Palisades Toys Muppets line, it’s Sweetums!

The big, hairy ogre made his debut in the 1971 Tales from Muppetland TV special “The Frog Prince.” Performed by Richard Hunt, Sweetums’ next appearance came with other Muppet characters during a 1975 episode of the Cher variety show. Though not a main member of The Muppet Show cast, Sweetums had many memorable duets with guest stars during his 23 episodes of the series. He also appeared at the beginning of each show during The Muppet Show Theme for seasons 2-5.

Sweetums went on to play a larger part in The Muppet Movie and dozens of other Muppet productions over the years, but his most memorable appearance for millions of theme park guests was showing up in the 1991 Muppet*Vision 3D film attraction. The show ran for 14 years at Disney California Adventure and for 34 years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Sweetums’ role in the show was unique, as all the other Muppet characters were limited to either the 3D film or a select number of audio-animatronics around the theater. Sweetums was played by a live park Cast Member in a full-sized costume holding a flashlight, accompanied by a voice recording from Richard Hunt, in his final performance in the role.

In the Palisades Toys line, Sweetums made his action figure debut in the fall of 2004 as an exclusive to the (now defunct) OMGCNFO.com website. The largest figure in the Palisades line, standing at over 10″ tall, Sweetums came with no accessories, but some collectors did receive a figure with two left feet. 😄 The figure does come with a great paint job and sculpt, as well as 19 points of articulation, including adjustable eyebrows.

A new version of Sweetums was planned for the Diamond Select Toys Muppets toy line. However, Diamond Comics filed for bankruptcy in January 2025. The subsequent shutdowns of Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant Ltd. in May mean that those DST products on pre-order are unlikely to ship. Though the assets were acquired by Ad Populum, the parent company of NECA Toys, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a DST Sweetums.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheMuppets70
#ToyPhotography

R3-A2 on California Vacation Part 3

Recommended music for this post: Van Morrison – Snow in San Anselmo

This #SomethingElseSunday, we’re spending a little more time looking at pictures from last month’s trip to California, where I was joined by this Legacy Collection R3-A2!

After a full morning and afternoon at the Presidio and around San Francisco, the party shifted north to San Anselmo. Our next stop was Imagination Park, found right in the middle of downtown San Anselmo. The park commemorates being the birthplace of two masterpieces from George Lucas’s mind – Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Marked, not just with small plaques, but with two life-size statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones found on top of a fountain at the far end of the park.

Following the success of American Graffiti in 1973, Lucas soon developed the initial outline for Star Wars from his home in San Anselmo. A few years later, the town was also the location where he screened the first unedited footage of Star Wars to his peers. The next decade saw Lucas return to San Anselmo to begin work on that other well-known franchise, Indiana Jones.

To commemorate the importance of San Anselmo to these franchises, Lucas donated Imagination Park and two statues to the community in 2013, with the goal of creating a place where children and adults alike could stop for a moment of peace and inspiration.

Like the Yoda Fountain at Lucasfilm, the Yoda and Indiana Jones statues themselves were sculpted by Lawrence Noble, who was a part of the Lucasfilm team during The Empire Strikes Back.

The base of the Indy statue also features some great details that fit with the franchise.

A couple more individual pictures were taken amongst the group shots with Star Wars friends.

Yes, I was there too.

Before long, it was time to get back on the road and head further north. We unfortunately didn’t stick around town long enough to check out a local bar with the Blues Brothers on the roof.

That evening, we reached our destination of Petaluma, California. With a population of just under 60,000, Petaluma has a great little downtown area. Besides the many memorable scenes in American Graffiti, which were filmed here in 1972, this area is also home to McNear’s Saloon & Dining House. A Petaluma staple for more than 100 years, it was also our home for late-night libations.

The next morning, there was some downtime to watch college football and to visit Crooked Goat Brewing.

After a decade in business at their Petaluma location, Crooked Goat offers a wide variety of drinks. With a restaurant next door that delivers right to the tap room, it’s a great set-up.

This was our last big stop before the main event for the weekend. R3 and I will be back soon to share more pictures from the trip.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#Disney
#StarWars
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Devil

Recommended music: Pentatonix – Making Christmas

For this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re continuing with figures perfect for the Halloween season through the Christmas season. From the Funko ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Devil!

I don’t believe this is supposed to be the actual devil, but rather he’s a devil lookalike who does show up in a handful of scenes and gets multiple lines in the film. He enjoys singing with the other residents of Halloween and also “Making Christmas,” including assisting Corpse Dad and Wolfman in making the Scary Teddy.

Funko actually included Scary Teddy, pictured here with the Barrel figure, when The Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line debuted in 2016, but they did give the devil his signature pitchfork. Super7 did not rerelease the Devil figure for the eventual relaunch of the line.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography

Castles and Mountains

Recommended music: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (Autumn)

Coming at you this #SomethingElseSunday, we’ve got another Masters of the Universe collaboration with Eternian Epic Imagery. This week’s theme is “Castles and Mountains.”

Our theme this week focuses on iconic castles and mountains, as these elements are ever-present as the setting in the Masters of the Universe franchise. My picture idea came to me as I was driving around for work. A perk of my current role is being able to travel around Colorado, and while tourists will visit the Rocky Mountains to check out the fall colors, I simply get to see them during my commute. The shades of yellow really stood out to me from recent photos, and I felt like adding in Heroic Warriors that also may be flying around with yellow in their color scheme. I also added in the redesigned Point Dread as it appears in the Masters of the Universe: Revelation series, and is not actually found in the mountains on the road to Aspen. 😄

…

Masters of the Universe – Castles and Mountains Collab

From the mighty walls of Castle Grayskull and the menacing peaks of Snake Mountain to the Whisper-Towers of Etheria, the Masters of the Universe saga is defined by its colossal fortresses and forbidding mountain ranges.

Castles are the ultimate seats of power and ancient secrets. Mountains are the silent, protective witnesses to legend.

This is a tribute to the epic scale and enduring prominence of these fortresses and summits in the MOTU and She-Ra Mythos.

Join the crew of Eternian Epic Imagery as we climb the cliffs and unlock the gates. We have the power!

Check out the photos from the following artists:

@cris.hobby_photography_toys
@the_thanoscopter
@cob_web_collector
@backyardeternia
@phoenix_of_grayskull
@shindanrod
@b.a.dtoyphotos
@dalestoys
@glare_foe
@takemoretoyphotos
@raw_photoygraphy
@81_eternal
@shadowfigurephotography
@opt975
@eternianroyalty
@oldmanwithalawn
@raoof7136
@kidult_1983

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EternianEpicImagery
#He-Man
#MastersOfTheUniverse
#MOTU
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Behemoth

Recommended music: Behemoth – Ov Fire and the Void

For this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re continuing with figures perfect for the Halloween season through the Christmas season. From the Funko ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Behemoth!

In the film, Behemoth is a large man wearing overalls with an axe sticking out of his head. The axe must have caused some damage (like striking a zombie in the head), as Behemoth rarely speaks outside of his exclamation of “BUNNY!” when he is near the accidental hostage Easter Bunny. When Jack is handing out jobs for Christmas (Behemoth’s role is producing nutcrackers), his list says “Farmhand” as Jack doesn’t even appear to know his name.

When The Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line debuted in 2016, this version of Behemoth included the well-placed axe in the head and included a small nutcracker that fits in his hand (and could really use some more hits of paint). The sculpt is solid, right down to the detailed chest hair. 😄 Super7 did not release the figure again for the eventual relaunch of the line.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Mayor

Recommended music: Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face

For this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re continuing with figures perfect for the Halloween season through the Christmas season. From the Funko ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Mayor!

In the film, the Mayor of Halloween Town briefly enjoys celebrating another “successful” Halloween (whatever that means), but quickly turns his focus to planning for the following year’s holiday and briefly freaks out when Jack Skellington doesn’t answer his door the morning after Halloween. The mayor is literally a “two-faced” politician who can rotate his head around 180 degrees to reveal either a happy or a sad face.

When the ReAction line first made The Nightmare Before Christmas in 2016, this first version of Mayor came with his megaphone cast in purple plastic and his sculpted paper “plans” for next Halloween. The Super7 version released four years later would not retain the plans and changed the megaphone to black. The biggest upgrade for that version is that the “sad” face received a significant paint upgrade with additional detail, resulting in a more screen-accurate white face instead of the blue appearance in this version.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Sally

Recommended music: Catherine O’Hara – Sally’s Song

For this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re continuing with figures perfect for the Halloween season through the Christmas season. From the Funko ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Sally!

In the film, Sally is a rag doll from Halloween Town who longs for her independence from Dr. Finklestein, while also being enamored with Jack Skellington. She is voiced by Catherine O’Hara, who previously worked with the film’s writer/producer, Tim Burton, on Beetlejuice in 1988 and later on the 2012 remake of Frankenweenie.

When the Reaction line first covered The Nightmare Before Christmas in 2016, this initial version of Sally came with her basket and hole-filled spoon. The Super7 versions released four years later would replace those accessories and upgrade the paint job, but I think this figure is just fine on its own for this simplified 4” toyline.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography

R3-A2 on California Vacation Part 2

Recommended music for this post: John Denver – Sunshine on My Shoulders

Well, this #SomethingElseSunday, we’re spending a little more time looking at pictures from my recent trip to California, where I was joined by this Legacy Collection R3-A2!

Following the visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum (and a quick stop at a conveniently placed beer tent), the group headed across the Presidio to visit Lucasfilm LTD. The home office for all ongoing Star Wars and Indiana Jones productions has a courtyard and lobby accessible to the public.

The Yoda Fountain in the courtyard in front of Lucasfilm headquarters is definitely the most recognizable icon here for photo opportunities .

Of course, this life-size R2-D2 in the lobby is pretty great as well.

Even if R3 could magically be full-size, the droid would still have to look on while I recreated this shot from A New Hope with the original Artoo.

R3 is checking out some books and smaller statues while Lord Vader guards this section of the lobby.

A very large K-2SO Security Droid also kept things in line from behind his velvet rope.

Some other smaller statues and props are among the bookshelves, not all Star Wars related.

To me, this King Kong statue symbolizes advancements in filmmaking that happened decades before Lucasfilm existed.

Some French film posters for classic monster films. I’m sure this is just a sample of what will be shown when this building’s landlord, George Lucas, has his own museum opening next year.

One more shot of the Yoda Fountain with a well-placed C-3PO and Grogu in the window above.

R3 posed with this giant ranger hat in the Presidio Visitor Center and kept all the focus on himself. You can upload your own picture with the hat and receive 10% off your purchase of park merchandise at their store. 😄

Heading north… R3 and I will be back soon to share more pictures from the trip.

#ActionFigurePhotography
#Disney
#StarWars
#ToyPhotography

From the Archives: Jack Skellington and Zero

Recommended music: Danny Elfman – Doctor Finkelstein / In The Forest

For this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re continuing with figures perfect for the Halloween season through the Christmas season. From the Super7 ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line, it’s Jack Skellington and Zero!

When the Reaction line first covered The Nightmare Before Christmas in 2016, Funko was still producing it. They released several carded versions of Jack, each with a different facial expression. However, none of the regular retail releases included Jack’s ghost-dog Zero. There was a limited-run early-bird release of Jack and Zero for San Diego Comic-Con in 2014. Still, Zero was otherwise unavailable until Super7 rebooted the line without Funko in 2020, which included these two in the first wave.

I like the look of this Jack figure with his lanky limbs, and the Zero figure is a cute addition. This scene in the film shows Jack taking Zero for a walk and passing the door to Thanksgiving Town, while the door to Christmas Town is much more appealing and quickly pulls him in with a snowy gust of air. This is becoming increasingly common among people who decorate early for Christmas, often looking past Thanksgiving. [I also love how this picture turned out, as I think it was the first time I discovered how to make a layer transparent like Zero – DM]

#ActionFigurePhotography
#TheNightmareBeforeChristmas
#ToyPhotography