The 2010 Toy Fair laid out their wares in NYC this week,causing retailers to start taking orders and fanboys and girls to count their pennies(not to mention make extra space in their home displays)for some of the upcoming movie/TV tie-in merchandise that will be on sale later this year.
While this is a tough time for many to even consider the luxury of owning a few of these items, you can't completely cut yourself off from the joy that comes from having a special object or two that makes you happy. Just be prudent in your purchases,folks,beside it never hurts to look. Here are a handful of collectible items that might be worth spending that spare cash for:
TRUE BLOOD: A set of busts featuring Bill,Sookie and Eric are due to be released by DC Direct in July. Also in the works is a Tru Blood bar sign,along with a Fangtasia and a Merlotte's which might be available by the fall.
Some of this stuff will probably be available at the HBO Tru Blood store. I've never gotten anything from there but am curious about what the Tru Blood drink that they do sell is like(they use blood oranges as the basic ingredient). It may not taste great,but then again,even the vamps on the show aren't exactly crazy about the flavor either:
IRON MAN 2: No surprise that a massive truckload of action figures and accessories for the eagerly awaited sequel are ready to hit a chain store near you. Hasbro has an interesting variety pack of IM2 toys,including a radio controlled Iron Man figure that walks and shoots weapons,IM helmets,a Mr. Potato Head version of "Tony Starch" and a special IM2 edition of the classic game,Operation.
To me,the action figures are going to be the real hot ticket items,especially the villains. I already have a couple of Mickey Rourke Sin City figures and it would be cool to have one of him as Whiplash,too:
JONAH HEX: The cold blooded cowboy hero is getting the big screen treatment this summer,with the likes of Josh Brolin,Megan Fox and John Malkovich as the film's stars and NECA Toys have the rights to put out the official dolls and prop replicas along with it.
While there's no doubt that the market for a large size Megan Fox doll will be there,regardless of the movie's success,it may be best to wait and see before grabbing up the tie-in products for this one.
Jonah Hex deserves to have a wider introduction to mainstream mass audiences but the jury's still out on whether or not this movie will make a good first impression for that to happen(casting Megan Fox is not a strong sign of quality,in my opinion). He's a cult comic book legend whose fans will not be shy about their disappointments with the final product:
THE LAST AIRBENDER: The much touted manga series has been turned into a live action film due out in June and Nickelodeon Consumer Products have an entire army of dolls of various sizes and other fun trinkets for fans to play with.
To be honest,I'm not very familiar with TLAB or it's mythos,but since the movie is both written and directed by M. Knight Shyamalan,it might be something worth checking at the theaters. Should be interesting to see what M. Knight does with an all-out fantasy piece not originally conceived by him like this:
There are many more toy delights out there waiting to be discovered and some that ought never see the light of day. With the horrifying news that Twilight's Taylor Lauter is set to star in a big budget flick based on the old school toy Stretch Armstrong,I fear the worst for future pop culture toy tie-ins.
Stretch Armstrong,really,Hollywood,really? Is this the best you can come up? If that's the case,the entertainment brain trust at the studios is worse off than we thought:
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