Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The Ladies of SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE!

Smurfs: The Lost Village - Assorted Action Figures - Jakks Pacific 2017

The Smurfs are an extremely nostalgic property for me. When I was a toddler, I had big dark eyes and a mysterious blue hue to my skin. The Smurfs were a new trend at the time and the comparisons were inevitable. One of my first playthings was a stuffed Papa Smurf and I still have him to this day. Also, I've been an avid Pezhead for 26 years and my first dispenser was a blue-stemmed Smurf Boy I bought for 75 cents at a drug store. So, yeah, I've always loved my little blue buddies. But that fondness has always been at odds with the blatant lack of female smurfs. Hell, there's even a media trope, the Smurfette Principle, highlighting the inequalities. Sure there were a few late additions to the roster: Sassette, Granny, some random Smurflings. But the imbalance could never really be remedied. But now in 2017, we finally have a real significant effort to set things right. The upcoming Smurfs: The Lost Village is not a sequel to the Smurfs (2011) and Smurfs 2 (2013), but a true reboot and it looks fantastic.


***SPOILERS***

So I don't know all the details, but it's pretty obvious from the trailers that Smurfette is (justifiably) feeling alone and alienated in the Smurf village being the sole female. While in the forest one day, she encounters a Smurf in disguise who she feels a bizarre connection to. Smurfette gathers her friends on a journey to find where this mysterious newcomer came from. When they arrive, The Lost Village appears to be a village entirely composed of female smurfs.

I'm going to start with a group picture and then dive into the individual characters and how they are being released.


Look at that amazing lineup! I like how the Lost Village Smurfs have an off-white color to their outfits. My crafty self would call the color "goosefeather."



These figures are being released in multiple ways, we'll start with the

ACTION FIGURE 2-PACKS




The first set include Papa Smurf and Smurfwillow.





Smurfwillow
Voiced by Julia Roberts
This figure is only available in the 2-Packs (so far).










In general these figures are articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbow/wrist swivels, and with legs that rotate.












The next set includes Clumsy Smurf and Smurflily.





Smurflily
Voiced by Ariel Winter
This figure is also available in the TRU Multipack and the Blind Bags




















This set includes Hefty Smurf and Smurfstorm.





Smurfstorm
Voiced by Michelle Rodriguez
This figure is also available in the TRU Multipack and the Blind Bags




















This final set includes Smurfette and Smurfblossom.




Smurfette
Voiced by Demi Lovato
This figure is also available in the TRU Multipack and the Blind Bags










Smurfette is lacking the wrist/elbow swivel that the other characters have. 
Likely because she doesn't have sleeves to hide the joint.




Smurfblossom
Voiced by Ellie Kemper
This figure is also available in the TRU Multipack and the Blind Bags


















TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE 5-PACK






This set includes Clumsy Smurf, Smurfette, Smurfblossom, Lost Village Smurf (Pink Flat Flower), Lost Village Smurf (Pigtails).  The Lost Village Smurf with the Pink Flower is only available in this set and the blind bags, the Lost Village Smurf with the pigtails seems to be exclusive to this set.





Lost Village Smurf (Pigtails)
This figure is only available in the TRU Multipack (so far).













Lost Village Smurf (Pink Flat Flower)
This figure is only available in the Blind Bags and the TRU Multipack (so far).


















BLIND BAGS





There are Eight Smurfs released in this Blind Bag series. None of them are exclusive, but the Animal Friends seem to only be released in these sets. The Lost Village Smurf (pink flat flower in the top row) is also released in the Exclusive TRU boxset, but nowhere else (so far) - so she is the most exclusive figure in the blind bags. 

















Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!


Here are all the ladies from this series together. From Left to Right: Smurfette, Lost Village Smurf (Pigtails), Smurfstorm, Smurfwillow, Smurflily, Smurfblossom, Lost Village Smurf (Pink Flower).





Schliech PVC figures have been the gold standard for years. From Left to Right: Sassette, Smurfette, Jakks Smurfwillow, Nanny Smurf, Smurf Child with Doll.






Cheers!




No comments:

Post a Comment