Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds (MUSCLE! Toxic Crusaders! Glo Friends! Mighty Max!)

Post by Ken »

Skavenger wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:46 am I still find it hilarious, though, that they never gave her a full name. Even Norman once had to greet her as "Hi, Mrs....Ms.... Mom."
Did Max have a full name?

Apparently there was a British line of Mighty Max toys that inspired this programme.

A show I had never even heard of until today.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (MUSCLE! Toxic Crusaders! Glo Friends! Mighty Max!)

Post by Ares »

Mighty Max was interesting to me because it was a case where the toyline actually had a bit of lore to it, which the show basically ignored, but both wind up being pretty excellent in their own way.

Mighty Max the toyline would have made for a great video game, as it was about a young boy being left a magical cap by his dad who was lost, and Max has to hop around various "Doom Zones" trying to find his dad. Each Doom Zone was represented by one of the toys, which folded out into mini-playsets.

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Cheesy 90's dialogue aside, it made for a fun premise and the actual toysets had a lot of creativity.

The TV series interestingly went in a very different direction. Max and the Magic Cap remained, but now Max was "The Mighty One" destined to deal with all manner of weird threats to humanity. Like Jab and Skavenger said, the show was VERY dark at times, and it was a nice subversion where Max was mighty not so much in physical strength, but in being clever and having a solid grasp of occam's razor. Virgil was always there to guide Max, but Max would often surprise Virgil with his own cleverness. Basically, Virgil was "wise" where Max was "clever", and it was Virgil's job to give Max the info he needed to make the right decisions.

Norman likewise was there to be the muscle, but more often than not the problems were not something that could be simply punched away. I think if anything, Jab might have low-balled Norman's strength, because the guy was a BEAST. The episode where he had to fight for his immortality was darned impressive, and you usually needed something ludicrously strong to give Norman trouble. Though I facepalmed after he tossed away Thor's hammer once he was done with it. I'm like, dude, that might have been useful in other adventures.

But yeah, we're left with a situation where both versions of the franchise were really fun.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (MUSCLE! Toxic Crusaders! Glo Friends! Mighty Max!)

Post by Skavenger »

Ares wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 4:28 pm Mighty Max the toyline would have made for a great video game, as it was about a young boy being left a magical cap by his dad who was lost, and Max has to hop around various "Doom Zones" trying to find his dad. Each Doom Zone was represented by one of the toys, which folded out into mini-playsets.
It would have, but it didn't. The SNES video game was notoriously abysmal.
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Super Naturals

Post by Jabroniville »

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SUPER NATURALS:
Created By: Tonka
Era: 1987

-Better known as "that one with the holograms inside of the toys", Super Naturals was released by Tonka in 1987, and had pretty large figures with fronts and helmets that you could take off, revealing nifty holograms on the inside that changed form based on the angle you viewed them from. This was an expensive, fancy technology at the time, making the toys pricey and probably served their death-knell. Each also came with a glow in the dark weapon and a shield that also had a hologram on it. I saw one or two at the YMCA's toychest, but didn't see more than the snake guy to be honest. I didn't even realize the line had central lore until now!

Tonka just didn't seem to have it's shit in gear- the line was released with no massive commercial campaign, TV cartoon, comic book line, coloring books nor storybooks. It was just kinda "Hey look! These are cool!" and that was it. So kids had a good reason to love the toys but not enough reason to REALLY love them, you know? No emotional connection or cool TV episode devoted to how much you should want to buy the thing.

The lore is simple: heroes and villains were all trapped in a "Tomb of Doom", released hundreds of years later. Now ghosts, they do battle once more.

The line also featured two riding beasts- Lion Wings (a brown lion with mechanical wings) & Dark Dragon (a black dragon). Vehicles that look like Filmation Ghostbusters repaints were a "Bat Bopper" (a purple dune buggy) and the Ghost Finder (a red SUV/jeep). The Tomb of Doom was the big playset, and is just the... front of a castle, really.

The Cast:
THE HEROIC WARRIORS:
LIONHEART: A knightly-looking fellow with a lance and a lion hologram within.
EAGLE EYE: A Native American warrior with a spear and an eagle hologram.
THUNDER BOLT: A Viking warrior with a giant hammer and a lightning-warrior hologram.

THE HEROIC WARRIORS:
SKULL: A guy covered in skulls with skull holograms within.
SNAKEBITE: The one I remember- a snake-covered guy with snake holograms within.
BURNHEART: A dark knight with a "fire spirit" hologram.

THE GHOSTLINGS:
* There were also an octet of "Ghostlings"- legless ghostly fellows who revealed holograms underneath as well. These were cheaper toys for those on a budget. They were... unimaginative. Each had an identical broadsword and was the same toy but a different color.

SPOOKS: Changes from court jester to a ghost.
HOOTER: Changes from a wizard into an owl.
SEE-THRU: Changes from a scientist into the invisible man.
MR. LUCKY: Changes from a magician into a giant rabbit.

SCARY CAT: Changes from wicked witch to a hissing cat.
WEIRD WOLF: Changes from a weird punk to a teenage wolf.
VAMP-PA: Changes from vampire to swooping bat.
RAGS: Changes from Egyptian Pharaoh to a mummy.
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Dinosaucers

Post by Jabroniville »

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DINOSAUCERS:
Created By: DiC
Era: 1987

-So if you're anything like me, you looked up old '80s cartoons on the internet one day and were like "What the f*ck is Dinosaucers?" because seriously, what in Satan's burning red crap is THIS? Apparently it was a 65-episode series that came out in 1987 and then disappeared forever because Galoob's plan on releasing a toyline fell apart because viewers were like "What the shit is this?" and never took to the show. This cancellation of the toyline caused many markets to just dump the show before it was even finished. Brazil received the show in 1989 and actually used some of the unproduced toys' molds, releasing 5 of the 8 figures- naturally turning those into collectors' items.

The show follows the heroic "Dinosaucers" and the evil "Tyrannos", each group comprised of space-faring intelligent anthropomorphic dinosaurs from Reptilon, a planet in counter-Earth orbit- the Dinosaucers of course made some Human Buddies in the four "Secret Scouts". The "Saucers" in the name comes from the fact that each of them has some kind of flying spaceship. These ships typically look like the same species as the dino flying them. Each Dinosaucer has a button on the front of their uniforms that will "Dinovolve" them- transforming them into an authentic dinosaur- this is larger and more powerful, and can still speak. The Tyrannos couldn't do this, and some episodes featured them trying to steal the secret. Wikipedia uses classic "Wiki Wording" to mention:
This special ability is called Dinovolving and initially appeared to be a significant element of the series, as both Allo and Bronto Thunder Dinovolved in the first episode. Despite the apparent technological advantage, most of the later episodes did not feature any Dinovolving. Teryx was the only Dinosaucer who would never Dinovolve throughout the series, while Allo, Tricero, Bonehead and Bronto Thunder would use the ability in more than one episode.
Translation: "So the writers came up with this for toy-selling purposes but then the writers, who were half-assing it and made this series for a quick buck, soon forgot about it".

Tyrannos, by contrast, use rayguns called "Devolvers", which ALSO devolve the target, but also reduce their intelligence. If humans are struck by this, they will become prehistoric cavemen. Naturally, these weapons are often used against them. They also use "Fossilizers" which turn the victim into stone, as well as reversing the condition.

Michael Uslan, who created it as a self-admitted "half-baked idea", actually made a comic in 2019, but it was discontinued after a single trade paperback by Lion Forge Comics. Fans have been trying to make a new toyline, but it hasn't really worked- the project languishes in obscurity to this day.

The Dinosaucers:
ALLO (Brown Allosaurus): The leader of the Dinosaucers, and son of the Dinosorcerer & Dinosorceress of Reptilon- the planet's rulers (a Megalosaurus & Plateosaurus). He is calm, collected a serious- a very "Typical '80s Cartoon Leader". He has a wife named Vera and a daughter named Alloetta.
DIMETRO (Green Dimetrodon): Scottish Scientist/Mechanic, a la Scottie.
BRONTO THUNDER (Light Blue Brontosaurus): The Powerhouse and seemed to be the overall Second-In-Command (most shows at this point had a designated chain of command). Had a girlfriend on Reptilon named "Apatty".
STEGO (Light Blue Stegosaurus): A powerful, but dim-witted fighter who was prone to fits of cowardice, often forced to be brave and rescue his allies.
TRICERO (Brown Triceratops): A "Triceracop" from Reptilon who acts as a voice of reason and investigative officer. Could shoot Sonic Beams from his horns. Rivals with Styraco.
BONEHEAD (Tan Pachcephalosaurus): A complete idiot, and Allo's nephew. Looks very much like Minilla/Minya from Godzilla.
ICHY (Blue/White Ichthyosaurus): A mid-tier Dinosaucer who had feelings for Teryx, and she for him, but both were afraid to voice these feelings, unaware the other shared them. Could talk to sea animals. Rivals with Plesio.
TERYX (White/Blue/Salmon Archaeopteryx): The only female Dinosaucer. Shared feelings with Ichy (but was afraid to voice her feelings, as she was aerial and he aquatic), but was sought after by Genghis Rex. Can talk to birds.

The Secret Scouts:
RYAN SPENCER: Blonde male who is the smartest AND most athletic, and the leader of the Scouts.
SARA SPENCER: Ryan's blonde sister. Athletic and helpful to the Dinosaucers, teaching them Earth things. She has a Scout Ring that can temporarily enhance her physical abilities beyond those of an Olympic athlete.
PAUL: Genius black kid. His dog Charlie causes trouble for the Dinosaucers sometimes. His Scout Ring lets him run at great speeds over long distances. Spends most of his time with Dimetro.
DAVID: Black-haired male who gets into trouble due to his impulsive nature, but he is creative and a quick-thinker. Strong & athletic, with a Scout Ring that lets him have super-strength.

The Tyrannos:
GENGHIS REX (Red T-Rex): A brutal, tyrannical general. In love with Teryx, and often ruins missions because he cannot bring himself to hurt her. Most of his minions have abandoned him at least once, usually because he's so incredibly evil and verbally-abusive (like most '80s Villains), calling them "idiot-tops" and such.
ANKYLO (Red Ankylosaurus): Dim-witted, sycophantic assistant of Rex, acting very pig-like and snorting.
QUACKPOT (Red Hadrosaur): Practical joker, much to the ire of the others.
BRACHIO (Purple Brachiosaurus): Brutish thug and by far the strongest, and the obvious counterpart to Bronto Thunder.
STYRACO (Orange Styracosaurus): A former dentist, and counterpart to Tricero. Intelligent and technically-minded, but prone to going berserk when pushed.
PLESIO (Pink Plesiosaur): A shifty, cunning aquatic Tyranno, counterpart to Ichy. Looks like a pink dragon and can talk to sea animals. A former lawyer who has dated the Loch Ness Monster.
TERRIBLE DACTYL (Orange Pteranodon): Inexplicably British dino with the world's most awesome name. Acts as a scout, reporting back to Rex after spying.
PRINCESS DEI (Yellow/Green Deinonychus): Introduced later as a female Tyranno to counter Teryx. Rex's older sister, almost as strong and more intelligent and agile.

-Not having seen the series, stats are too hard to come by- every character seems to have very different physically traits, given the massive size differences between characters. The Dinosaucers have Devices that enable Shapeshifting into a single dinosaur form. At first, the Tyrannos had a "Transformed" Affliction weapon that pretty well worked every time it hit (presumably a massive rank)- turning enemies into dumb dinosaurs. Most guys had flying vehicles of some kind, but Teryx & Terrible Dactyl could fly on their own wings instead.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Jan 08, 2022 6:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
Shock
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Re: Jab’s Builds (MUSCLE! Toxic Crusaders! Glo Friends! Mighty Max!)

Post by Shock »

Those images look familiar to me but I don't remember anything about the show
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Re: Dinosaucers

Post by Skavenger »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:14 am -So if you're anything like me, you looked up old '80s cartoons on the internet one day and were like "What the f*ck is Dinosaucers?" because seriously, what in Satan's burning red crap is THIS? Apparently it was a 65-episode series that came out in 1987 and then disappeared forever because Galoob's plan on releasing a toyline fell apart because viewers were like "What the shit is this?" and never took to the show. This cancellation of the toyline caused many markets to just dump the show before it was even finished. Brazil received the show in 1989 and actually used some of the unproduced toys' molds, releasing 5 of the 8 figures- naturally turning those into collectors' items.
...well, I had fun watching it.
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Golden Girl & The Guardians of the Gemstones

Post by Jabroniville »

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GOLDEN GIRL AND THE GUARDIANS OF THE GEMSTONES:
Created By: Galoob
Era: 1984-85

-Wow, another one I've literally never heard of before I randomly saw some at a local antique store. This was an el-cheapo She-Ra-like creation from Galoob in 1984-85, featuring a lot of six-inch figures with five points of articulation (unlike She-Ra, who debuted around the same time, the legs bend!) and rooted hair (for "hairplay" as it's called in doll parlance). It was a group of five heroines up against four female villains, plus one male on each side. Each figure had a cape, headpiece, weapon, comb, and a diecast shield with a shiny "gemstone" embedded in it.

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Three waves of the toys were released, alternating costumes for the girls- there was "Evening Enchantment" for evening gowns, "Festival Spirit" for shiny outfits, and "Forest Fantasy" for "rustic" outfits. A castle playset called "The Palace of Gems" was also released, as well as Golden Girl's unicorn Olympia, and Dragon Queen's dark steed Shadow. The horses could be purchased alone or as part of chariot playsets. There were also four "Dream Tents" (like... fancy tents) and a collector's case. A series of activity books, storybooks, calendars, puzzles and more were released, but the line remains super-obscure- there was no cartoon nor video game.

The lore is that the Guardians guard... well, Gemstones. The stones give them powers to protect the Kingdom of Argonia from the villains- Dragon Queen leads an army of evil women.

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GUARDIANS OF THE GEMSTONES
Role:
She-Ra Lite
Group Affiliations: The Guardians of the Gemstones
PL 7 (96)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit 3 (Princesses & Stuff), Equipment 2 (Sword/Spear +2), Ranged Attack 4, Set-Up, Teamwork

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sword +10 (+4 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (+11 Shield, DC 20-21), Parry +10 (+11 Shield, DC 20-21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (Dragon Queen)
Responsibility (Guarding the Gems)

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (96)

-The Guardians are all charismatic, likeable swordfighters, more or less.

GOLDEN GIRL- PL 8 (103): FIGHTING +2, Dodge +2, Leadership [7]
-Classic "gentle and strong" leader. Golden hair and golden armor (I mean, duh- it's in her name).

SAPHIRE- PL 7 (98): Comprehend 2 (Animals) (Flaws: Limited to Aerial & Aquatic Creatures) [2]
-Yes, that's how they spelled it. "Poweress of the Sea & Sky" whose home is with the Sea Folk. She can communicate with creatues of both sea & sky. She typically wore blue.

RUBEE- PL 7 (104): "Bow & Arrow" Blast 6 [8]
-"Fiery Champion on the Lightning Bow". A red-headed archer from Fire Isle.

ONYX- PL 7 (97): Equipment +1 ("Throwing Stones" Blast 4- Ricochet, Homing), Improved Critical (Sword) [2]
-"Challenger of the Sabered Sword". A black swordfighter from the Isle of Dunes. Also used throwing stones that returned to her.

JADE- PL 7 (95): (Sword Does +3) FIGHTING -1, Parry +1, Precognition (Limited) [1]
-"Mystic of the Secret Jewels" from Ermaline Island. Used a broadsword and had "Mystical Insights"- a common trope in '80s cartoons that gave heroes instant exposition.

PRINCE KROMA- PL 7 (97): ST +1, STA +1, FIGHTING -1, Dodge -1 [1]
-"Brave & Daring Hero of Battle". Probably set up as the "Ken" of the line. He looks HILARIOUS- long, brushable hair, womanly hips and a silver S&M outfit.

DRAGON QUEEN'S FORCES
Role:
Evil Ladies
Group Affiliations: Dragon Queen's Forces
PL 7 (88)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 3 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 2 (Sword/Spear +2), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sword +10 (+4 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (+11 Shield, DC 20-21), Parry +10 (+11 Shield, DC 20-21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Dragon Queen)
Motivation (Getting the Gems)

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (88)

-Villains in these kinds of things are often on a similar tier to the heroes, but are more aggressive and selfish. No teamwork skills and focus more on threats than being agreeable.

DRAGON QUEEN- PL 8 (113): FIGHTING +1, INT +2, PRE +1, Dodge +1, Magic +8, "Magic Powers" Blast 6 [25]
-Dark Magic powers and wielded a katana. Lived on Storm Isle after being banished from Argonia.

VULTURA- PL 7 (108): INT +2, Magic +8, "Magic Powers" Blast 6 [20]
-Evil witch with long claws, a spear, and black hair with white streaks.

MOTH LADY- PL 7 (93): Flight 5 (Winged) [5]
-Winged trident-wielder wearing purple.

WILD ONE- PL 7 (88): Ax-wielding painted girl- looks like one of the Misfits.

OGRA- PL 7 (74): ST +2, STA +2, AGI -1, FIGHTING -2, INT -1, AWA -2, PRE -3 [-14]
-Burly bearded dude. Like a barbarian Sean Connery. Has a rivalry with Prince Kroma. Uses a shark-toothed spear.

-An extra group of figures appeared as a "Series 2" of sorts, released only in Europe. Dymondia seems to be a repaint of Rubee, which Wikipedia indicates might mean they were prototypes that Galoob gave up on, but released anyways. None of the other figures were produced. The group consisted of Dymondia (white with pink), Coral (white with gold), Turquoise( white with blue) & Pearl (white with gold & pink). Villains included Spidra (black web-shapes covering her gear) and Centaura (a red male centaur with black hair and a beard).
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Re: Golden Girl & The Guardians of the Gemstones

Post by Shock »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 9:04 am
GOLDEN GIRL AND THE GUARDIANS OF THE GEMSTONES:
Created By: Galoob
Era: 1984-85
Anyone else really hoping there's a fanfic where this crosses over with the sitcom?
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Popples

Post by Jabroniville »

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POPPLES:
Created By: Those Characters From Cleveland/American Greetings & Mattel
Era: 1986-1988 (a few other remakes)

-I watched a lot of cartoons as a very young boy, but the one thing and toyline I loved above all was undoubtedly the Popples. As they didn't last all that long, I was probably one of the few, but I was obsessed. I had papers upon papers stacked with drawings of the popples, as I carefully meted out who had what colors.

The central conceit of Popples was that they were cartoony plus figures with pouches on their backs that were flexible enough to be folded backwards, turning the figure into a round puffball in bright colors. Each of the nine main Popples had a main color, two differently-colored years, a unique hair color, and long string tails with big puffballs on the end. They came in three different sizes, each category with one male and two females. The large size were P.C. (blue), Party (pink) & Pancake (purple), the medium size were Puzzle (orange), Prize (magenta) & Puffball (white), and the small size were Putter (green), Potato Chip (yellow) and Pretty Bit (lavender).

These plush dolls were supplemented with tiny plush figures with hard plastic limbs & faces, puzzles, coloring books, storybooks, the works. I had one storybook where each Popple proved inadequate at being circus performers... and because I was a small boy, I drew "angry eyebrows" on all of them, then a weird drawing of a lady in a red dress because that was what I thought was mega-attractive back then, but the drawing was so off-putting (I drew red lips in a WIDE OPEN display, almost monstrous) I was creeped out by it.

A cartoon series was created, which I was obsessed with, but now remember very little of (I was like 5-6 during that span)- 44 episodes in total. In it, P.C. was the overall leader, able to "snap" objects into existence, though all Popples seemed to have the ability to draw things out of the hammerspace within their pouches. Prize was a fancy one, Puzzle was the "token lunatic" (with googly eyes and weird voice), Pretty Bit was the delicate one, and Putter was PC's sidekick and an exciteable kid. The small ones were typically seen as less mature. In the show, Popples were seen as accident-prone and unhelpful- most stories consisted of them attempting to help the kids they'd befriended, but accidentally causing mayhem by bouncing around, not understanding things, etc. Naturally, the Popples had to be kept from the kids' parents and other people, because shows back then were big on random secrets.

Looking it up, PC was the most responsible one. Party was constantly pulling out streamers and party supplies. Pancake was the sweet-natured, affectionate one. Puzzle was a bookworm and intelligence (okay I got that one wrong?), Prize was vain (yup), Puffball threw her voice and imitated others and was a neat freak. Puter was hyperactive and palyful, and invented things. Potato Chip was a big eater. Pretty Bit was well-mannered and spoke in rhyme. PC & Party showed up in 40 episodes and were the main ones- the medium ones appeared in 15 each, Pretty Bit in 11, Potato Chip in 18 & Putter in 25. Pancake only appeared in 10. Apparently the majority of them were more or less dumped by the arrival of the "Season 2" bunch like the Sports Popples.

Watching an episode was... unpleasant. The voice actors for the humans are clearly bored, and the Popples are sheer mania- giggling non-stop throughout the episode even when things are serious.

What's funny is I remember our family owning eight of the nine... but Pancake, who naturally was my FAVORITE, was missing. I have a feeling she was the hardest one to find (being a big one who was easily the least-important character, practically being written out of the series and given no character bits), because I tended to have every OTHER kind of toy, and she is usually by far the most expensive one on eBay- the small ones run north of $30, the medium ones $50, and PC & Prize about $60. Pancake is usually around $80 and up.

A second line was created as well, but naturally accidional gimmicks were added since they were running out of colors- we had the Rock Star Popples: Punkity (magenta) & Punkster (blue), Baby Popples: Bibsy (white) & Cribsy (pink); Sports Popples: Big Kick (soccer ball), Dunker (basketball), Touchdown (football!), PC Pitcher (baseball), Cuester (8-ball) & Net Set (tennis ball). Cuester & PC Pitcher were not included in the toys, but appeared in the show (PC was dressed as a pitcher). There were also six kinds of Pufflings, which were tiny balls of fluff. Later versions included Pillow Popples (pajama-wearing ones that became sleeping bags), Flower Popples (became flowers), and some Special Editions like a European set that became a parrot, dog or rabbit. Costume Popples wore different kinds of outfits (like a ballerina Popple who became a handbag).

The line, as you can see, kind of descended into weirder and weirder gimmicks and eventually they just gave up- there was really nowhere else to go. Maurice LaMarche, famed voice actor, says he wanted to kill himself working on the show, so that's something!

In 2001, Toymax revived the line for a few characters (including Popples named after female celebrities), in 2007 Playmates released four characters and a variety of gimmicky small ones, and in 2015 a Netflix-produced series came out, featuring them as random animals that lived in their own little world.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Toxic Crusaders! Mighty Max! Dinosaucers! Golden Girl!)

Post by Gamebook »

I feel like I'm going down the rabbit hole here. This stuff just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Golden Girl looks like something an Italian movie director would cast, all legs and skimpy costume. The Popples are the even creepier version of the Carebears. In the '80's I wasn't that into anything that wasn't the Transformers and I think now that was for the best.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Toxic Crusaders! Mighty Max! Dinosaucers! Golden Girl!)

Post by Davies »

Gamebook wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 10:57 pm The Popples are the even creepier version of the Carebears.
I suspect that they were indeed what the creators were aiming for, just as Disney's Wuzzles and Gummi Bears were.
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Sky Commanders

Post by Jabroniville »

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This week, in “They’ll Try ANY Stupid Gimmick to Sell Toys”…

SKY COMMANDERS:
Created By: Kenner
Era: 1987

-Another one I've never heard of, I think I've only seen one of the "Mook" designs before. Kenner's 1987 Sky Commanders line featured a bunch of mountaineers who faced the evil General Plague, who wanted to rule the world. Much of the story is based off of a new continent that rose in the South Pacific after a radioactive element called "Phata 7" was discovered. This continent, called "The High Frontier", is besieged by crazy weather, and the only reliable methods of traversing it are flight and through various cables drawn across it. This plays into the gimmick of the toys, which were meant to slide across strings via vehicles that were the centerpieces of the line- the smaller, colorful figures were just pilots.

Twelve episodes of a cartoon were created, but it's super-obscure, to the point where I first learned of it a week before I did this set.

SKY COMMANDER
Role:
Zipline Warrior
Group Affiliations: The Sky Commanders/Plague's Army
PL 6 (76)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+12)
Expertise (Mountaineer) 8 (+9)
Investigation 3 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 4 (+5)
Vehicles 7 (+9)

Advantages:
Equipment 5 (Small Vehicles, Mountaineering Gear), Ranged Attack 4, Ultimate Mountaineering Skill

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Guns +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (The Other Side)

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 10 (89)

-I never watched the show, but here's a generic "Mountaineer Guy", lol.
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Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Sky Commanders

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 1:26 am]Much of the story is based off of a new continent that rose in the South Pacific after a radioactive element called "Phata 7" was discovered. This continent, called "The High Frontier", is besieged by crazy weather, and the only reliable methods of traversing it are flight and through various cables drawn across it.
... and now I'm coming up with a bizarre fusion of this, the Cthulhu mythos (a continent rising in the South Pacific?) and Attack on Titan. I officially have too much time on my hands.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Super Naturals

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 12:19 am Image

SUPER NATURALS:
Created By: Tonka
Era: 1987
Super Naturals is kind of interesting for me because my family didn't own any of those toys, but one of my cousins did. It was kind of freaky, but I'd never found them in toy stores as a kid myself. Though between this and Visionaires, its clear that folks were desperate to make use of hologram technology somehow.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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