The Good: Cute, Well-made, Exceptionally good rendering, Collectible value
The Bad: Leans forward, Somewhat expensive, Not in scale
The Basics: A very neat of The Worm from Labyrinth, the 12" plush The Worm stuffed animal is fun for fans and collectors!
My wife’s favorite movie is Labyrinth (reviewed here!) and in an effort to not dominate our forthcoming home with my Star Trek, Star Wars and DC Comics décor, I have begun getting my wife more and more collectibles of her own. I am discovering that many of the things she truly loves do not have a lot of merchandise for them. Labyrinth is especially sparse in the toy department. So, short of getting her a date with David Bowie (well outside my price range), I have gotten her things like The Worm from Labyrinth!
The 12" plush The Worm toy is made and sold through Toy Vault. I have only found this collectible plush online, so I know that they were not massively produced and remain a highly sought-after toy for those fans who actually know they exist!
Basics
Toy Vault makes plush toys based on various characters from various media and The Worm is actually the first product by them I have bought. These stuffed toys are designed to look cute and resemble the character of the Worm from Labyrinth and it lives up quite well, despite being much, much larger than the character seen in the film. The Worm from Labyrinth is a cream colored giant inchworm with blue feelers sticking out of its sides and head. The Worm has giant round plastic marble-like eyes that are glossy and expressive for a plush otherwise so manufactured.
The stuffed toy rests on its belly, which is something of a necessary evil for the plush. The 2 1/4" curled “feet” of The Worm are hardly enough to lift this large plush off any surface. As a result, the twelve inch long by 8 7/8” tall by five and a half inch wide stuffed worm toy rests on its belly and leans forward at a slight pitch. The toy has flexible feeler bunches for legs or feet all along its sides and has similar flossy croppings for the outlandish hair of The Worm. It is worth noting that the hair does not come fanned out as the character in the movie has his hair. The 1 1/4” eyes are wide, but recessed slightly under exceptionally-detailed eyelids! This level of detail sets The Worm apart from many other plushes.
Fans of Labyrinth are bound to be exceptionally impressed by this plush, just as my wife was.
The Worm from Toy Works is composed primarily of polyester fibers and polyethylene pellets.
Accessories
The Worm, given that he is based upon a cute little puppet from an early 1980’s fantasy movie, does not have much that he could be accessorized with. He comes with just his tag that tells those unfamiliar with the toy what he is.
Playability
The Worm is not much for play, especially considering he does not stand up on his own. Outside the giant eyes, this is a kid-safe toy. Small children will not be able to get their mouth around the eyes and older fans will not want to try. Ideally, this works just fine as a display piece, prop or something to hug from the Labyrinth (whatwith David Bowie not being readily available)!
Collectibility
Tow Works toys are much more limited than plush toys from major manufacturers. The Worm frequently sells out from the manufacturer and those the manufacturer supplies. While the plush is called a Limited Edition plush, just how limited it is is unclear. I was unable to find any official numbers on its production, but most sites seem to estimate only about ten thousand of these exist. For the size, the price tag in the low $20 to high $30 range seems appropriate. I suspect as these age, the ones kept mint in their factory bag will appreciate quite a bit. The rest will simply be enjoyed by wonderfully zealous fans!
Overview
The Worm is very cute and makes for a good display piece. As well, because it is more affordable (now) than things like the Puppet Spike (reviewed here!), there is less risk to fans and collectors who want to take it out and play with it, cuddle it or simply stick it on a shelf where it could get dusty. My wife is happy with hers and while I think a 1:1 version of The Worm would be cool, the Toy Works The Worm plush will do quite nicely until someone makes the more accurate one!
For other plush toys, please check out my reviews of:
10” Lady from Lady And The Tramp
Platte River Trading Mexican Free-tail Bat
Giant Microbes Bad Breath
8/10
For other toy reviews, please check out my index page on the subject for an organized listing!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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