Dorothy (McFarlane's Monsters) by McFarlane Toys

It sounds like a neat idea.  Take a classic film and warp it beyond almost recognition then make some action figures.  This is what McFarlane has done with The Wizard of Oz -- or in this case, The Twisted Land of Oz, a retelling of Dorothy’s Technicolor adventure on the yellow brick road.

In McFarlane’s version, Dorothy is the innocent school girl with a not-so-innocent Victorian bondage fetish.  In a cool addition, McFarlane has included a six-part story on the card back of each figure.  It’s not until the last “Chapter” -- included with the Wizard -- that any of the figures make sense.  The first part of the story gives a quick snippet into Dorothy’s persona as it might exist in 2003, and not the Dustbowl of 1930’s Kansas.  I really like the fact this cardback has been put to better use than just an ad for upcoming and current figure collections.  The story itself is not particularly well-written, but neither are Bazooka Joe comics so I can forgive the almost Penthouse Letters-like descriptions.  

The actual figure is just plain disturbing.  Dorothy, hooded and looking like a lost member of the Spice Girls, comes packed with a pair of Munchkins.  The Munchkins are shrivelled bags of skin and the fact one is riding the other (with crop in hand) make them an eerie pair, but the detail is very good (no matter how gross).  The detail of Dorothy is equally good with her breasts squished realistically and corset more than snug.  The coloring is excellent and I especially like the sparkle of her mammoth-heeled boots.  But overall she’s a disturbing figure to look at.

Poseability is almost nil.  Including the Munchkins, she has exactly one point of articulation.  If you missed it, it’s at the neck.  And because the neck is slightly angled the only “normal” position is the default position, begging the question as to why it was even included.  She’s a display figure, although when and where you would display her is anyone’s guess.

She’s not very stable, which is surprising because she is so statuesque.  Fortunately, like all the other Oz figure (except Toto) she comes packed with a section of yellow brick road to keep her completely solid.

If you haven’t guessed, Dorothy and the Munchkins are less playable than a harmonica in the mouth of a squid.  The package recommends these figures for people 17 years and older, which seems pretty low to me.  They’re just too gruesome to be played with.  But if you do, watch out for Dorothy’s ponytail which is easily separated from her head.

Dorothy (and the entire series) is not for squeamish or easily offended, but it measures up well to McFarlane’s penchant for high detail and creativity (particularly with the serialized story).

- Omni

(September 26, 2003)