Nintendo is Mini 10-Doh

When I was a kid, I had a Nintendo.  Or a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) if you want to get technical.  The 8 bit graphics were cutting edge at the time.  And what other gaming system made you perform rituals (blowing with all your breath into the cartridge) before you could play?  Millions of kids had different techniques to get their NES games working.  It was worth the hassle because it was fun.

Speaking of fun, I was cruising the mean streets of Ebay when I found these mini NES cartridge-like figurines.  They are called Mini 10-Doh (sounds like Nintendo) and they look an awful lot like the old NES games.  Of course, my old games didn't have hands or feet.  (The feet would have made the ritual of air blowing a little awkward.)

They are sold in blind boxes (much like Funko's Mystery Minis) so you can roll the dice and take a chance.  Or go on Ebay, pay a little extra and get the figure you want from an already opened box.

Unlike what I usually do, I decided to roll the dice and get a blind box.  I'm glad I did.  From my blind box, I got Wood & Vinyl Rage (pictured at the top of this post) which is a take on the original Wood & Water Rage (Town & Country Surf Designs) game.  I never understood why T&C Surf Designs had a video game but I didn't question it.  Being a Hawaii boy, I took pride in a cultural staple being featured on a mighty Nintendo game (even if the surfing part with Thrilla Gorilla sucked).  Anyway, I was hoping for the T&C knockoff and got it!

I would have been okay with the Super Panda 3 (Super Mario Bros 3) and the Mousy Link (Zelda) or the Bossy Bear (???).  Hell, I'd be okay with half of them.  Zonbey Kong looks pretty cool too.  Anyway, Mini 10-Doh figures are fun.  And you don't have to blow on them to make them work.  That's a plus, right?        

Happy Labor Day! (A No Duh Special)

Happy Labor Day!  Sit back, relax, and enjoy the performance!  (As always, please save the rotten tomatoes for the end.)

Show continues after the jump.  Enjoy!

That's All, Folks

Funko Mini Week is coming to an end.  An average, run-of-the-mill week only lasts seven measly days.  But a Funko Mini Week lasted a lot longer than that!  At least that's my excuse for running with it as long as I did.  The real reason?  Mini figures are fun.  With that in mind, I'll still post about new mini figures from time-to-time.  (I've got two on the way now that I can't wait to blog about.)  It just won't be minis, 24/7.  That's all.  No need to panic, Mini-Fanatics!

Anyway, I recently got a Tyco Dixie's Diner playset and decided to put it to good use.  I stuffed it with all the mini figures that I've recently acquired and had a little fun.  (Shipwreck was included because none of the minis were tall enough to cook.)  Anyway, order up!

Mal shoots first

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto (Kidrobot)

Don't worry, Music Aficionados.  I don't really like that Mister Roboto song.  No music links will be posted here.  Your ears are safe!  But this IS a post about Kidrobot's mini figures.  And that's why I used the title.  Anyway, let's get on with it. 

With all the blathering I've been doing about Funko, Kidrobot fans had to wonder when I was going to mention their favorite mini figures.  Well, let the wonderment begin end!

picture @vinyltap_11

I was blindly wandering the streets of ebay when I found this!  It's Ryu from Street Fighter as a Kidrobot mini figure.  That's when I realized that I had stumbled onto something cool and different.  (The Michelle Trachtenberg autographed trading cards would just have to wait.)  Street Fighter had blind box mini figures.  Street Fighter was back! 

As a kid growing up in the age of NES/SNES, I played the hell out of Street Fighter.  Many of my dad's hard earned quarters got lost in arcades to fuel another turn as my favorite player, Ryu.  Memories, man.  Sweet memories.  I suppose Street Fighter was never gone in the first place.  But it was for me.  Until I realized they were making cute mini figures of them.

picture @vinyltap_11

      
Like Ryu, Dhalsim looks pretty cool too.  And so does Zangief (not pictured).  But I feel a lot of the other figures aren't as cute as they could be, particularly the girl figures (Cammy and Chun Li).  I didn't take a screenshot of them, but trust me, they look clunky.

That's my one complaint about Kidrobot.  Their figures don't look as cute as the competition.

Left: Funko Bebop.  Right: Kidrobot Bebop

Will it stop me from buying their stuff?  No.  In addition to Street Fighter, I've already added some Kidrobot Futurama mini figures to my watch list.  But if Funko started making Street Fighter or Futurama figures, that would be a game changer. 

What do you think?  Funko or Kidrobot?  Who's your favorite?