Friday, January 18, 2013

If It Were Possible, Sir Alec Guinness Might Die A Little More Upon Seeing The Obi-Wan Kenobi Mighty Muggs Figure!


The Good: Costume looks more or less right.
The Bad: Dumb animated look, Giant head, Heavy.
The Basics: The Obi-Wan Kenobi Mighty Muggs figure looks less like Sir Alec Guiness and more like Anthony Zerbe.


Poor Sir Alec Guinness to die so young into the Star Wars phenomenon. Then again, he avoided seeing all sorts of crap merchandise that used his likeness. In the case of the Mighty Muggs Obi-Wan Kenobi figure, Guinness did not avoid much embarrassment. The toy looks so very much more like Anthony Zerbe’s character in The Matrix Reloaded that only Star Wars fans and those who recognize the outfit the character is wearing will know this is actually Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Mighty Muggs toys look like they might be plush as they feature animated versions of recognizable Star Wars characters. However, the cartoon-like heads atop disproportionately smaller bodies simply revealed that the heads and toys were solid, like ceramic (they are, in fact, made of a super-hard, heavy plastic). This is as true of the Obi-Wan Kenobi as it is of other Mighty Muggs figures.

For those unfamiliar with Obi-Wan Kenobi as he initially appeared, throughout most of A New Hope (reviewed here!) on both Tatooine and the Death Star, he wore a brown and tan cloak. The robe, which later became one of the standard outfits of the Jedi, is distinctive and is painted onto the standard Mighty Muggs body for the figures that have a “dress” bottom, as opposed to two legs below the waist.

The Mighty Muggs Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is poor and anyone who has seen how Obi-Wan Kenobi actually looked will recognize this bears little resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi. This looks like a cartoon version of the Jedi Master, though the costume is distinctive to the character . . . at least until the prequel films came along!

Basics

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a human Jedi, seen on Tatooine and the Death Star as he appeared at the beginning of A New Hope. The figure stands 7" tall. Obi-Wan Kenobi is dressed in a brown and tan outfit that is painted solidly onto the puffy body of the toy. There are no additional costume detailings on the toy, though the obi and belt beneath the dark brown cloak are detailed enough to give the figure a layered look.

This toy is a poor sculpt which looks like an oversized, fattened up LEGO figure and the Mighty Muggs has gray hair painted on its head. He also has the belt painted on the waist of the figure. The hands are open slightly and this allows Obi-Wan to hold his ridiculous plastic lightsaber. Obi-Wan’s facial expression is a neutral one, with his mouth mostly obscured by the painted-on beard and mustache.

Accessories

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master as he is, comes with one accessory, his lightsaber. The three inch long choking hazard fits in Obi-Wan Kenobi's right hand. This is a monolithically molded silver and translucent blue cylinder which looks vaguely like a lightsaber.

Playability

The Mighty Muggs toy line was designed for no good reason I can find, perhaps just because someone realized Star Wars fans would buy almost anything (which, given how many waves of Star Wars Mighty Muggs figures there were, seemed to be a good assumption!). This heavy toy can be harmful to children and is more intended as a display statue. Sure, it’s a ridiculous display statue, but that’s about it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with only three points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. He has joints at the shoulders and neck. The elbows do not extend, so all arm posing is straight-armed. To be fair, the figure does stand up.

Collectibility

The Obi-Wan Kenobi is part of the Mighty Muggs Star Wars collection, which no one I know would ever spend money on. The value of these is already declining because it’s a ridiculous concept executed poorly.

Overview

I like The Matrix, but I’ve never collected merchandise from it. And while the character of . . . oh, yeah, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi from A New Hope. My mistake. It would be a mistake for serious collectors of Obi-Wan Kenobi merchandise to add this ridiculous toy to their collections!

For other Star Wars Mighty Muggs toys, please check out my reviews of:
Luke Skywalker
Hoth Han Solo
Hoth Luke Skywalker
Grand Moff Tarkin
Bespin Luke Skywalker

2/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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