Thursday, December 10, 2020

Geeks Go Shopping! Tiny Toy Takeover

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2
Welcome to GEEKS GO SHOPPING!!! From now on, whenever you see this heading, know that you are about to jump into a soft pile of awesome geek-centric items perfect for the dorks in your life this holiday gift giving season. We kick things off with this year's break out hit that has been a "thing" for many collectors I've known all throughout my life...TINY TOYS!! Toy companies latched onto this concept, no doubt while hunting for the next thing to put inside mystery packs, and what could be more perfect?

Zuru's 5 Surprise Mini Brands line launched last year, but seems to have really caught fire in this one, adding a series 2 and Toy Mini Brands to your piles of compact collectibles. Cracking open a 5 Surprise ball reveals 5 compartments, each holding a treat from the most fun place in the world...THE GROCERY STORE!!! Kids and adults alike will thrill as they uncover buckets of Cool Whip, jugs of Almond Milk, bricks of Philly Cream Cheese and bottles of Thousand Island Dressing. All kidding aside, kids are going nuts for these toys and their parents are having just as much fun tracking them down and cracking them open. 

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2

The oddest thing about Mini Brands is not the nature of the toys but the scale of each item that seems completely random. We sat down a 6 inch Deadpool figure alongside an 8 inch Diamond Select Hulk figure to see what we could pilfer for future photo shoots and found a lot of the food items were larger than Deadpool's head. If we're stocking Pool's basement to ride out the rest of this pandemic with one mighty trip to Costco, I suppose the massive packages would make sense. Thankfully, there was way more in scale within the Toy Mini Brands line, which allowed our figures to play with Spongebob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ang the Avatar and Stimpy, among others. If you are an action figure collector and you've not yet discovered the joy of giving your toys their own tiny toys, you are missing out! 

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini BrandsZuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini BrandsZuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Zuru 5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands

Super Impulse have known the value of hitting us in the retro toy feels for some time now, and set out to make the "World's Smallest" version of each doll, action figure, game and plush you loved as a kid. From Stretch Armstrong to Glow Worm, He-Man to Barbie's Dream House, Care Bears to MEGO Monsters, Super Impulse are doing their best to cover it all. Are they popular? Try finding even one World's Smallest action figure on a retail shelf anywhere! 

Super Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest Toys

Super Impulse World's Smallest ToysSuper Impulse World's Smallest Toys

We'll also note that SI have been making Tiny Arcade (small video game cabinets) and add new titles every year. Are they awesome looking? Hells yes. Can you play them too? HELLS YES!! It's 100% amazing and will floor anyone with a soft spot for the arcades where they pumped their allowance into metal slots every Saturday.

Super Impulse Tiny Arcade

Super Impulse Tiny ArcadeSuper Impulse Tiny ArcadeSuper Impulse Tiny Arcade

Super Impulse Tiny ArcadeSuper Impulse Tiny Arcade

Not to be outdone by Zuru, Super Impulse added Wacky Packages Minis to their tiny toy lineups. Each carton contains 5 mini products spoofing popular brands and 1 sticker. Just like the sticker packs from days gone by, each one is more ridiculous than the next. 

Super Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages MinisSuper Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages MinisSuper Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages MinisSuper Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages MinisSuper Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

Super Impulse Wacky Packages Minis

While both Super Impulse and Zuru's 5 Surprise Mini brands are in stores now, you may have an easier time hunting online at this point.

So...now you're saying to yourselves...gee Paul, if only I could watch THREE HOURS of someone opening Zuru Mini Brands 5 Surprise balls, it would make my holidays so much better. FEAR NOT!! I GOT YOU!! 

All the toy images you can handle! https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulnomad/albums


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