Background
Applehead Factory, primarily known for producing the Teddy Scares line of plush bears, released their Tofu the Vegan Zombie PVC figure based on an animated short named Zombie Dearest. Sideshow Collectibles is currently distributing the figure.
"Tofu" is a friendly zombie, created from a botched experiment in
Professor Vost's laboratory. Monkey # 5, one of Vost's lab animals,
stuffed a block of tofu into the zombie boy's open skull after
accidentally losing the brain. As a result, "Tofu" eats only vegetables
and grains and has no taste for human meat. However, if "Tofu" ever
loses his "tofu-brain", he turns into a dangerous zombie creature,
craving human flesh.
Packaging
The figure is packaged in a window front box that’s designed like a wooden box. The sides feature fruit and vegetable stickers, while the rear of the packaging has the story of Tofu. Inside, the figure is held in a single plastic tray using twist ties.
The Figure
Tofu the Vegan Zombie stands approximately 7 ¾” tall and has 5 points of articulation (neck, arms, legs). The PVC collectible has a removable base that features various boxes of produce. The figure has two holes in its right foot, which joins up with the two pegs on the base.
The slab of tofu, which has replaced his brain, is removable. And the figure has a mouth that’s been wired shut (although it’s tubing, rather than actual wire).
Tofu the Vegan is limited to a run of 5,000 pieces.
Our Opinion
Before watching the Zombie Dearest animated short, I thought that a vegan zombie was a funny idea and that Tofu had a decent background story. But actually watching the animation makes me appreciate the character a little more.
When it comes to the figure…I would have liked a figure that doesn’t need a base to stand. It would have been easy enough to make his feet flat, but they went for the base approach.
One thing I’ll warn about is the neck articulation. Even though they say it’s articulated at the neck, and it looks like there’s a ball joint there, I broke this little guy’s neck trying to turn it. I was able to superglue it back in place, but I’m too scared to try to move his head again.
The sculpting work is fairly well done (especially on the head) for a company that has primarily been known for producing plush toys. The inset eyes are both sculpted and painted to give him that undead look. The outfit is nondescript, but it matches what Tofu wears in the animated short.
You can pick one up at the following:
Sideshow: $24.99
Tofu the Vegan Zombie Grades:
Quality: 7/10
Paint: 8/10
Packaging: 7/10
Durability: 6/10
Hype: 7/10
Fun Factor: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 7.8/10
Have this figure? What do you rate it?
