I think this Wonder Twins set exemplifies the perfect type of convention exclusive toy. They are very cool and very original characters, but they won't appeal to a large portion of collectors. They weren't difficult for me to obtain, and that's probably because the demand wasn't super high across the collecting community. What drove people bonkers though was the exclusive polybagged Gleek figure that was only available in person at SDCC and still demands a super high price. Luckily I was always indifferent to him, so no skin off my back. Zan and Jayna were the second iteration of sidekicks in Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends cartoon series. In 1973, the non-powered human sidekicks Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog debuted alongside the traditional Justice League lineup. They only lasted one season and were replaced by the extraterrestrial shapeshifting Wonder Twins and their blue monkey, Gleek, when The All-New Super Friends Hour debuted in 1977. It was a major improvement! Let's check out Jayna below!
The packaging of this SDCC set was pretty intense. It came as two hinged bubbles positioned back-to-back. When you opened the hinged set (like a reverse book), the fists of the two characters would come into close proximity and a packaging gimmick meant to emulate their "Wonder Twins Activate" power would be triggered. There were flashing lights and a soundchip embedded in the cardboard that would blast their catchphrase. An interesting sidenote is that the electronics in the packaging meant that some countries would not allow these sets to me imported, much to the dismay of overseas collectors.
I loved the the Wonder Twins. Their costumes were great, their origins were mysterious, and they actually had powers to contribute to the storylines.
As typical with a lot of DCUC females, Jayna suffers from the "flat face" sculpt that looks very bizarre in profile. The attempt to mimic her elfish features makes her look a tad frightening as well.
Jayna has the shapeshifting power to turn into any animal.
Mattel smartly re-used their awesome falcon accessory repainted as a bald eagle to signify this power.
Whenever I show this falcon mold, I feel the need to show off the entire collection.
From Left to Right: DC Multiverse Vixen, MOTUC Temple of Darkness Sorceress, MOTUC Evil-Lyn, DCUC Jayna, MOTUC Star Sisters, MOTUC Teela, MOTUC Sorceress, and DCUC Beast Boy.
But of course her main accessory is her twin brother Zan. His shapeshifting power is to turn into water-themed things. His accessory was a bucket of water with his face molded into the surface. I couldn't locate it for this review unfortunately. A typical scenario would have Jayna (as an eagle) flying while carrying Zan (as a bucket of water) in her talons.
Aside from the cartoon, the Wonder Twins were also regular characters in the 1970's Super Friends comics and had a 2019 solo (duo?) series.
As a side-note: there is an awesome 2-volume collection of all the late-70s Super Friends comics being released this year. Volume 1 is (supposedly) being released in a few weeks. A 520 page Hardcover for only $31.49 (preorder price) is on Amazon right now.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here are the DCUC Twins, with their Imaginext and Lego figures. There are also Funko Pops, Mego-style vintage figures, and several Heroclix gamepieces (none of which I own). Forgive the repetitive groups poses, I was having fun taking the family portraits.
Cheers!
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