When it comes to collecting action figures, the word ‘juvenile’ is the equivalent of a Dane Cook routine: cheap, predictable, and likely to be quoted by guys wearing college football jerseys. It’s also a word that’s been uttered by guests more than once in relation to my wall of Minimates action figures.
Likely, this is because the 2-inch, block-styled action figures, produced by Art Asylum, bear more than a passing resemblance to Lego figurines, particularly their cylindrical heads and flipper-baby hands. And it’s quite understandable, considering the entire hobby is built around paying upwards of $20 to play Barbies with superheroes.
But appearances can be deceiving, and Minimates are far from being exclusively for kids. (Unless your child has been begging for a figure of the shirtless transvestite serial killer from
Silence of the Lambs, that is, in which case you should probably be spending your money on medication rather than toys.) If, like me, you’re often called to defend your Minimates collection, keep the following points when formulating your rebuttal.
1) The subject matter is mature.
Platoon series
Since its inception in 2002, the Minimates line has focused on a number of licenses geared specifically towards the geek chic contingent, particularly its older, nostalgic sub-demographic. Bruce Lee, the members of KISS, and the cast of the original
Star Trek series were among the first Minimates released. And while a partnership with Diamond Select Toys has resulted in 26 Marvel Comics-related toys and several runs of DC Direct action figures, I’m not sure how many 11-year-olds will appreciate a Sgt Elias Grodin toy from the Platoon series (above).
2) They’re aimed at collectors.
Desperately Seeking Susan
Pandering towards the collector mentality, Minimates has released hundreds of figures, including numerous variants, chase figures, and convention exclusives. They’re often deliberately obscure, as well. Recent lines have included characters from
Battlestar Galactica,
Back to the Future, Sergio Leoni’s Western trilogy and, strangely, Madonna vehicle
Desperately Seeking Susan, presumably on the assumption that a large proportion of collectors are either aerobics instructors or dating drag queens.
3) They’re incredibly detailed.
Invaders series
Despite their cute size, each figure has 14 points of articulation (‘joints’, for the layman), which is more than most figures of comparable size, and even many larger toys. This may seem like overkill, but it does allow visiting friends to spend the better part of an evening turning the Invaders set into a remarkably acrobatic orgy scene centred around the severed Wasp head from the Marvel Zombies line. Not only that, but the extra joints help the figures stand up, which is more than can be said for some other action figure producers (I’m looking at you, Todd McFarland).
Secret Invasion series
And then, of course, there are the accessories. For example, let’s examine one of the most recent Minimates releases, inspired by Marvel Comics’ recent Secret Invasion mini-series, in which superheroes are replaced by alien shapeshifters. Including Wolverine, Jewel, Phoenix, and Beast figures, the set comes with four extra alien heads and a spare haircut for Wolverine.
And upcoming lines of Minimates seem no less collector-oriented. A
Terminator 2 set will feature a rare variant General John Connor toy, and the Marvel Series 26 will include a Blob figure complete with, for some reason, boxing gloves and what appears to be a Slush Puppie. Okay, you can go ahead and call that last one juvenile.
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