Background
Play Imaginative teamed up with the amazingly talented Japanese artist – Touma – to release their first plush figure. The man who is most notably recognized as the creator of Knuckle Bear has created a line of 4 Baby Hellhound plush figures (varying in color).
Play Imaginative is known for their Trexi line of mini figures, but they have expanded to rotocast vinyl and plush. The Baby Hellhounds are the first line of plush toys from PI, with Touma’s Grabbit figures to follow in 2007.
Packaging
The line is plush, which means that there is not much going on in the means of packaging. They might have the protective bag removed by the retailer. The collar is wrapped in plastic which helps protect the vinyl face from any of the paint rubbing off.
The Figure
The Baby Hellhound is currently available in the original blue colorway. The black, brown and pink versions are scheduled to be released in the next month or so.
Each Baby Hellhound is approximately 10” in height. The figure is made of plush material with a squishy vinyl face. The collar is cast of a stiffer plastic than the rotocast face. The cardboard located in the soles of the figure’s feet allow collectors to balance the Baby Hellhound plush.
Our Opinion
It’s been a while since I got excited about a new line of plush
figures. As soon as I saw the final product, I knew I needed to get my
hands on a Baby Hellhound. I wasn’t a huge fan of Touma’s original
Hellhound vinyl figures from Toy2R…but Play Imaginative turned the
character into something cute and cuddly.
The most common complaint about plush is that they are difficult to
display. With cardboard in the soles of the figure’s feet, it makes it
easier to display your toy in a natural position. I will let you know
that it won’t stand perfectly 100% of the time, but it’s still a step
in the right direction.
The combination of vinyl with plush allows designers more flexibility
to bring their characters to life. Think about how difficult it would
be to create the mouth and nose of this figure by using plush
material. You wouldn’t get anywhere near the same look. It’s nice
seeing more companies using a combo of the two materials.
You can pick up this figure at the following:
Panik's Toy Box - $34.99
Baby Hellhound Grades:
Quality: 9/10
Paint: 8/10
Durability: 10/10
Hype: 9/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 9.3/10
