This year Funko ReAction proved it can create the ultimate mix of nostalgia and quality. The toy line famous for bringing to fanboys and fangirls action figures that were never made when these modern classics played in theaters has released images of its sculpts and packaging for The Dark Crystal. The first figures from the ultimate 1980s fantasy film reveal Funko’s ReAction division’s best work so far.
We first heard about the ReAction line working on a project to bring to the market a set of figures from The Dark Crystal here at borg.com way back in November 2013 when its first retro line-up hit the market, featuring characters from Alien. Funko has come a long way and proven to be a toy industry driver, particularly with its other toy lines like Pop! and Dorbz figures. The small yet surprisingly complete set from The Dark Crystal is reminiscent of the successful and similarly small set of Raiders of the Lost Ark figures from the early 1980s. Kudos are owed to Nena Ijiomah, aka Queen of Gates on Tumblr, the Funko 3D sculptor who simply nailed these designs. You really see the care that went into these figures from images of her original designs.
Jim Henson and Frank Oz, directing The Dark Crystal, along with Brian Froud’s Muppet creature creations, showed us a glimpse at what might have been had Henson lived out a longer life. Each of Froud’s unique beings–from the cute and toothy Fizzgig to the beautiful Landstrider, the creepy Skeksis, the haunting Garthim, the solemn mystic Ursol, and heroic Jen and Kira–all receive a loyal and respectable re-creation in this series. And each figure includes a piece of the purple crystal, so, as the Pokémon Go kids say “ya gotta catch ’em all.”
Two boxed sets are exclusives and not so easy to track down. The rest can be pre-ordered now from Entertainment Earth by clicking on the images above and below (after the break).
