Background

Slander Snake, he slithers around. Sometimes in the house, sometimes on the ground. Be careful much, if you're a mouse. Or inside his tummy might soon be your house!

Joe Ledbetter and Play Imaginative have teamed up to release Slander – a snake with quite an appetite. While the figure is available in four different colorways, we’ll be taking a look at the green version for purposes of this review.

The Facts



Slander
Manufacturer: Play Imaginative
Artist: Joe Ledbetter
Material: PVC plastic
Dimensions: 4” tall by 3” wide (ball – 1” round)
Points of Articulation: Zero
Designs: Ice Version; Green Version; Purple Version; Lava Version
Accessories: Victim ball inside Slander’s stomach
Edition Size: Ice (500 pieces); Green (1,000 pieces); Purple (300 pieces); Lava (200 pieces)

Packaging

The Slander snake comes in the packaging style that has become synonymous with Joe Ledbetter toys. There’s a plastic window cutout (in a bubble shape) on the front and plenty of Joe’s artwork around the rest of the box.

Our Opinion

When Wheaty Wheat released Joe Ledbetter’s Mr. Bunny, it was possibly the most sought after vinyl toy ever. Still is. Since then, Ledbetter has teamed up with several other companies (including Kidrobot, Toy2R, STRANGEco and Play Imaginative) to release figures produced in his unique style. And they’ve all been able to replicate that sleek look.

So how did Play Imaginative do? Pretty well. Slander will definitely be able to be displayed alongside your other Ledbetter figures. There are some slightly visible seams on the body and the paint has a few spotty places. The black on the tongue isn’t on the edge of the sculpt; the paint on the body isn’t as tight as the face; there’s some smearing on one of the teeth.

There’s a small separation on the bottom of Slander’s belly. This allows you to separate the two pieces. Then, you can pop out the snake’s lunch, which fits in there rather snuggly. It’s a fun, little addition to a toy that probably could have gotten away without it.

The price on the Green colorway ($19.99) is much more reasonable than $39.99 for the Lava version. I can see paying $20 for a 4” tall figure…$40…not so much.

You can pick one up at the following:

Dragatomi: $19.99 - $39.99

Slander Grades

Figure Quality: 8/10
   Sculpt: 8/10
   Paint: 7/10
Accessories/Outfit: N/A
Packaging: 9/10
Durability: 8/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 9/10

Overall: 8.8/10