REVIEW: SLUG Zombies Series 2 - Teddy Terror

Produced by JAKKS Pacific | Released August 2012

Previous Job: Hooligan

Likes: Seltzer Water

Dislikes: Bright Lights

Favorite Food: ''All You Can Eat'' Dungeness Abs

SLUG Zombies Series 2 - Teddy Terror

Today we're presenting a double-whammy of SLUG Zombie goodness. Earlier we posted our first Review of one of the line's newly-introduced survivors, Captain Payback, and now - just in case you thought things were a little too safe - hot on his heels comes the undead nightmare that is Teddy Terror.

Sculpt and Design

OK, cards on the table time: if there's a parody or gag here with Teddy Terror, I'm missing it. I'm usually pretty clued-up on pop culture and referential stuff but I've struggled for a while to figure out just who - or what - Teddy Terror is supposed to be. If anybody has any ideas, please put me out of my misery and let me know!

Thankfully I don't have to get the gag to appreciate this figure's sculpting and design work, both of which are superb. Teddy Terror is a superbly chunky bit of plastic, with some excellent minor detailing and a great look overall. From the lines of his blazer to the bent-in knees, fingernails, bow tie (because bow ties are cool), belt, buttons and bite-marks along with his hair and slack-jawed, dead expression, there's a ton of detail to be enjoyed here and it's a testament to JAKKS Pacific's designers and their production facilities that they can cram so much into figures of such a scale.

I just wish I knew what he was supposed to be...!

Paint

I think it's safe to say that by now most of you will have realized the SLUG Zombies don't come with any kind of paint app. I'll drop this section for the next SLUG Review but for now I'll just say that Teddy Terror comes in the same sickly green as the other Zombies.

Final Thoughts

I'm really loving the new SLUG Zombies line-up and Teddy Terror is typical of what you'll find here: well-sculpted, sharply-produced, solid, fun figures. I could imagine some younger, more sensitive kids actually finding him pretty scary. I think it's the juxtaposition of the happy fat man image with that of the undead monster that works so well. Whatever the reason, I like it.

The design is cool, with some nice finishing touches on the figure's clothing but his head sculpt is the real stand-out for me. His swept-forward hair, hollow eyes and twisted scowl - complete with tombstone teeth - is excellent and so detailed that I actually wonder if this holds some clue as to who the figure is a parody of/homage to. Part of me honestly wants to say it's Mickey Rooney but that's just my 10c.

If I had to pick a fault with Teddy Terror it's that I don't get the gag. It's a little frustrating, as I know it's intended to be a celebrity/pop culture spoof but I'm just not seeing it. Still, that's less the fault of the figure and more a gap in my knowledge, but if anybody does see the parody, please let me know!

A great, fun figure with superb detail - and even a slightly scary edge to it.

Final Score: A-

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