Mezco dives cannon ball style into the summer convention waters with a pile of plastics labeled "Summer Exclusives" rather than the concrete SDCC 2012 label, which should mean folks will have ample opportunity to get the goods they want! Here's their lineup...
This one just sneaked in, as we didn't even know Mezco had a license for Rise of the Guardians! Pre-orders are popping up all over the internet for a trio of 8 inch plush figures for the upcoming animated film including Jack Frost, North and Pitch. Not sure exactly what a "plush figure" is but I suppose we'll find out soon enough as San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner.
Mezco have it rough. They constantly have to come up with ways to make adorable little dolls as inhumanly creepy as they possibly can and just when you think they've run out of themes, they consistently surprise you! Some time back, we showed you the teaser for their latest doll series. Now, we get to show you the goods!
Fire. Earthquakes. The dead rising. Mezco kick start the apocalypse, sending forth their own Living Dead as riders of a biblical nature. Here's a sneak peek at a new series of evil, spooky little kids with a theme perfect for the end of days!
Living Dead Dolls Toy Soldier : As light fades away and the air grows colder, he silently stands guard, the Living Dead Dolls Toy Soldier. Standing proudly in his dress uniform, the Toy Solder comes complete with a faux bearskin hat and is packaged in a special holiday coffin. This one should drop around October 2012. 
When last we crept into the crypt of Mezco toys, we showed off mysterious, blackened figures purporting to be Living Dead Dolls series 24! Now, they step into the light, assuring us Damien and team Mez has not lost their touch. Meet Beelzebub, Andras, Xezbeth1, Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht and Yuki Onna, the newest additions to the ever growing creepy kid armada. Are these an instant win? I think yes. This wave of killer cuties is set to hit this September, so be on the lookout for pre-orders at your favorite e-tailers any day now.
Mezco continues their reign of the creepy cute doll planet with their mega popular Living Dead Dolls series! At Toy Fair, we saw their expansion into little cartoony figures which compliment the style while bringing a new format to the table. It's nice to see some evolution in the line and I'm sure new product is probably killer for the old school fans as well. This doesn't mean the original doll line that started it all has any signs of stopping. Today, we get a sneak preview of series 24 that is currently nameless. Mystereeeee...
We gave you a taste of Mezco's 2012 lineup in our Batman: The Dark Knight Rises rundown and a heaping dose of creepy in our Living Dead Dolls preview...and now...here's all the rest!! Dig it...
Domo : Collectible figures are on the way! We know Team Mezco are awesomely geeky so expect something new and fun in the future. Visuals show a punk rocker, Monty Python-ish British gentleman and a luciadore. Keep an eye out for a bobblehead and wind-ups as well!
Little Big Planet : Series 4 Sackboy collectible figures are coming with some nice artistic designs, new facial expressions and characters including a cowboy, bunny, kung fu girl, cardboard robot and SATAN!!
Living Dead Dolls : You've seen Series 23, Hansel & Gretel, Rotten Sam & Sandy, Snow White & the Evil Stepmother, Chucky and a Universal Monsters Dracula. Now we get word of a bloody Toy Soldier and a second Universal Monster...FRANKENSTEIN!! You'll also see new mini figurines this year with Grace of the Grave, Schitzo, Damien, Walpurgis and Frozen Charlotte.
MARS ATTACKS!!! : Oh man...I love Mezco so much right now. The Mez will kick things off with an action figure of a standard Martian Soldier and a plush of the adorable little would be world conqueror. If these do well, I'm sure we'll see more so show your love with those pre-orders when the time comes!!
South Park : Not much new happening on this front. The license is practically an ever green, so Mez feels confident with keeping the 4 boys on the shelves and not take many further risks. There's the mini figure boxed set, the boys box set a Deluxe Talking Cartman and the one surprise..a Deluxe Talking Mr. Hankey..which seems to have been out before.
Spongebob Squarepants : Mezco takes a dip into the popular children's property with collectible figures including Mr. Krabs, Spogebob and Patrick for series 1 and a new Spongebob, Sandy and Squidward for series 2. Each figure features 7 pts of articulation. SpongeBob- Comes with display base, Krusty Krab hat, Krabby Patty, and spatula.
Thundercats : The Classic Mega Deluxe Scale Action Figure line continues with Mumm-Ra dropping soon and Panthro up next! Featuring 7 points of articulation this mega Panthro figure is superbly detailed, perfectly capturing not only the iconic look of Panthro as he appeared in the classic television series, but the essence of Panthro as he proudly wields his nunchucks in defense of his comrades. He comes complete with an alternate open-pose left hand and his signature chained fighting sticks.
Zombie Creepy Cuddlers II : The cutest rotting squishables known to man are back with some new additions of a kitty, bunny and a dancing monkey!
Ready? We are about to show you every damn thing you can buy for The Dark Knight Rises... that we could get our hands on. Those paying attention have noticed the new Bat-suit with it's sleeker design and grey highlights (less biker..more scifi), but the merchandise seems to only feature this suit half the time. In the past, when a toy company gets a design wrong, it is usually because the licensor could not release the images requested in time for production, forcing the toy company to move ahead with their best approximation (which in this case is the Dark Knight Bat-suit.) We don't know if this is what happened, but take that bit of info into consideration as you peruse the goods below. For my money, if I want a Dark Knight Rises action figure, I'm looking for the new suit! Mattel has excellent sculptors and designers on call, so I'm not concerned about quality at all. Keep watch of our Toy Fair coverage after the show actually starts to see what else is on tap for their line. Just know that the Mattel images below are official...but someone could have made a mistake? Ya never know. LET'S BEGIN!!
And now what you've all seemingly been waiting for. THE DOLLS!!! OMG!! THOSE DAMNED DOLLS!!!! Mezco knows you love the spooky little bastards, so we took special care to get all the details on film. Here's the skinny...
The Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Set returns.
Adding to the ranks of the creepy, cute and cool (a category Mezco seems to excel in) comes Sadie, your favorite Living Dead Doll. She's all ready for a party, but I suspect it would look something like diner during Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Here's the press bits...
Back into our closer look at Mezco's Summer Exclusives with a pair of action figures who are creepy and cute all at once. He's SACKBOY!! ..and he doesn't do porn. Little Big Planet's star hits the big time in his own San Diego Comic Con t shirt. Here's the skinny...
Mezco continues its adventures in the universe of Little Big Planet as it reaches into the magical world of LittleBigPlanet and brings SackBoy to life with two new Summer Exclusives.
ONE MONTH!! In one month half of us will be wading through a sea of geek to score the most sought after toys of the year and the rest of us will be sitting at home ebaying our kidneys to buy those same prized items from the comfort of our well worn computer chairs. I love living in the future. This week we begin an "up close and personal" look at Mezco's summer exclusives. It is no exaggeration when I say Team Mez has put together a damn fine lineup this year with something for everyone. We kick things off with a piece that is sure to have folks lining up..you know..unless THUNDERCATS are suddenly out of fashion? Naaa..didn't think so.
Articulation includes a ball jointed head and shoulders, swivel waist (somewhat impaired by the belt), and swivels at the mid-forearm and boot tops. Balance is excellent within seconds of set up, so Lion-O is not likely to take a dive off your shelf.
Shamblers..Roamers..Sleepers..Crawlers..Twitchers These are all derogatory terms for the noble race called Undead Americans. In an effort to change the negative stigma a few bitey Zeds have cast on their brethren, the toy industry has joined forces to present lines of toys and action figures depicting these decaying unfortunates with honor and dignity. THIS is the year of the ZOMBIE TOY! (which is way different than that other year when NECA and Mezco had lines of zombie action figures. Totally different.)
out of the bus when Rick gets into the city.) Series one hits this September with series 2 following in November. When asked about future waves and multi packs, McFarlane reps smiled, as they know full well that zombies sell, but they need to test the waters with retailers on the 4 figure lineups to kick things off. Strong sales will justify releasing hordes of undead plastic upon an eager public.
Proving you don't need to have a major TV or movie license to sell awesome zombies, we present to you, EMCE Toys!! The masters of MEGO-esque figures bring a little rot to their lineups with an 8 inch line called War of the Dead, based on the FearWerx online live action series. The line of four include a “Commando” with ultra-detailed SWAT uniform and weapons, a “Cadaver Disposal Technician” with HAZMAT suit, gas mask and complex acid spraying apparatus, a female “Researcher Zombie” with rooted hair, decayed face and a terrible scalp wound, and a “Construction Worker” with weathered and gory clothing, construction boots, safety vest and toolbelt. Not happy with EMCE's own decaying village people? Then we suggest you make your own damn corpse with EMCE's "Make your own Zombie" kit! The pack includes three Mego base bodies, five heads in varying states of decay, plus interchangeable arms, legs, hands and feet, as well as two sets of clothing and a DVD with painting and assembly techniques. For those looking for something a bit more classic and iconic, EMCE complete their Night of the Living Dead series with Barbra (as in "they're coming to get youuuu..") and Zombie Karen (the little girl in the basement). Karen will also make an appearance as a bobble head for Drastic Plastic. All items should be available this fall.
of the spectrum, if you'd like to raise your children properly or just feel as if you are properly trained for the zombie apocalypse yourself, EMCE offers a small array of “Zombie Hunter” toy gun sets. Hit up Fourth Castle Micromedia for further info.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to mention our friends at Zombiezoo.com, whom I covered pre-toy fair at Dread Central.com but didn't ahve time to hit up at the big show. The ZOMBIEZOO family of fun loving animals includes Boo the black cat, the natural born leader of the group, and Stich, a pig obsessed with hygiene. Along with their friends, Muck (Monkey), Rob (Rabbit) and Toxic (Snake), original (large) Zombies stand at 12 to 15 inches high, are made of soft fleece and have a lovable “Frankenstein” quality of stitching adorning their bodies and over-sized heads. Zombie minis, replicas of their larger siblings, stand 4-5 inches tall and include a handy clip to attach to backpacks, clothing, etc. All ZOMBIEZOO characters are available online and at specialty retailers. Individual Zombie minis are available without the DVD for $7.00 and as a gift set with all of the minis plus the DVD for $34.99. Large Zombies include the DVD Story book and personality tag, which hang around the neck; suggested retail price is $20.99. The personality tags tell their compelling stories to anyone who is looking for a friend and cuddly character to bring home.