Holiday Gift Guide 2019: Best ideas for action-figure fans

By Joseph Szadkowski - The Washington Times - Thursday, December 12, 2019

Here’s a selection of top gift ideas for action-figure fans in the family.

Retro Wolverine (Hasbro, for ages 4 and older, $19.99) – Celebrating 80 years of Marvel Comics history, Hasbro under it Marvel Legends’ line offers a collection of 6-inch-tall Uncanny X-Men figures encased in blister-card packaging inspired from the days when Toy Biz ruled the toy aisles.

Owners daring to actually take the figure out of the slick package get a ferocious version of Wolverine in a black, sleeveless costume with a red belt and black gloved hands reminiscent of artist John Buscema’s character design from the late 1980s for the aptly named comic book series Wolverine.

Our feral friend with black muttonchops, ducktail-style hairdo, masked eyes and even painted arm hair (nice touch) has his mouth open in a screaming rage and his claws out and ready to attack.

The figure has roughly 20 points of articulation and comes with an extra set of gripping hands with the claws retracted that will be used to hold the included Muramasa sword.

Comic fans will also appreciate adding the large and impressive Retro Silver Samurai figure ($19.99) from the line for a gift so that Wolverine has somebody to immediately fight.

Other X-Men to this set also include Cyclops, Dazzler, Iceman and Storm.

SpongeGar Meme (Alpha Group, for ages 4 and older, $24.99) – Celebrate two decades of existence of everyone’s favorite talking porifera that lives under the sea with a 4-inch-tall, mildly articulated figure often seen as a meme in social platforms.

Before SpongeGar became a grumpy online icon, the caveman version of this SpongeBob SquarePants appeared in the Nickelodeon show’s episode “Ugh” way back in 2004.

The yellow fellow has a soft plastic body, fanged mouth (with a rounded and colored pink area like Fred Flintstone) and can twist his legs and lift his arms to vent his rage. Good luck getting him to stand up without something to lean on.

Other memes to the collection include Handsome Squidward, Mocking SpongeBob, Imaginaaation SpongeBob and Surprised Patrick.

Also worthy of gift ideas from Alpha Group are 4.5-inch vinyl collectible statues of Old-Timey SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward ($9.99 each) and 6-inch-tall Mini Plush versions of characters such as Patrick, SpongeBob and Plankton ($7.99 each).

80th Anniversary Iron Man (Hasbro, for ages 4 and older, $24.99) – While on the topic of celebrating Marvel Comics’ history, Hasbro also offers boxed sets of key characters in its Marvel Legends’ collection packed with nostalgia and accessories.

One of the best is a 6-inch-tall version of Tony’s Stark alter ego as he appeared in The Invincible Iron Man No. 126 back in 1979, inspired by the original artist of the comic book, John Romita Jr.

That translates into Iron Man in his classic deco metallic red- and-gold armor boasting more than 20 points of articulation.

The figure comes with two additional heads — one of an unmasked Stark and one more akin to artist Alex Ross’ work — two extra gloved hands (fisted and open palm) and four yellow blast effects that attach to the hands or feet (two bursts and two streams).

Omni-Kix Armor Heatblast (Playmates, for ages 4 and older, $8.99) — For those keeping track, the animated franchise “Ben 10” continues over 10 years strong on the Cartoon Network and so does the latest collection of action figures representing the transforming, Ben Tennyson’s alien doppelgangers.

Specifically, one of the newest stands almost 5 inches tall and taps into the new high-tech armor powers of the Omni-Kix key.

Dressed in a silver-and-burnt-red armor and with nine points of articulation, he heats up villains with a translucent orange flaming, removable helmet and arm laser cannon.

Heatblast also comes with a card containing a redeemable code for extra content for the online Ben Ten Heroes tile matching game from Cartoon Network, available from Google Play and the Apple Store.

Other figures to the Omni-Kix Armor line include Diamondhead, Shockrock and Cannonbolt.

Singing Elsa (Hasbro, 3 LR44 batteries included, for ages 3 and older, $24.99) – Some of the hottest toys for girls this year are anything associated with Disney’s “Frozen II.” For example, this 11-inch-tall representation of one of the lead characters features snippets of the hit song “Into the Unknown.”

Press the button on her chest to trigger the song while the bodice on Elsa’s gown sparkles with light. The doll has lush blond hair fashioned into a braid, and she is dressed in her classic blue, ankle-length gown.

Singing JoJo Siwa (Nickelodeon and Just Play, 3 LR44 batteries included, for ages 6 and older, $19.99) –Tween pop star JoJo Siwa is immortalized as a 10-inch-tall fashion doll complete with her trademark ponytail, purple hairbrush and blue microphone.

Press the figure’s midsection to hear a snippet of her hit song “D.R.E.A.M.” Dressed in a rainbow-colored outfit that mimics what she wore in the music video, the doll also includes a bow that can be worn in an owner’s hair.

Other available JoJo dolls feature her singing the songs “High Top Shoes” and “Boomerang.”

• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.