Review – PopSoda Finger Puppet
As you can probably tell, this is the week for reviewing Japanese vinyl toys. After all, this makes the third Japanese vinyl toy review this week — Chaos Q Bean and PopSoda Baron Finger Puppet came earlier in the week — and to be honest there’s one more waiting to hit the site. But let’s not think about the past or the future at the moment. No, let’s live in the now and stare at this Finger Puppet from Japanese toymaker PopSoda . . . and let’s try to figure out what’s going on.
PopSoda Face
The most recognizable feature of this (approximately) 2.5-inch tall toy has to be the word “PopSoda” written vertically down his face. It’s a weird approach to branding, and it’s not immediately noticeable if you try/ to find a face on the head, but it’s something I hadn’t seen done before and that makes it neat and interesting. And it’s a very clean design, with every letter smooth and rounded and a part of the toy and not just painted on. In fact, I strongly suspect that if the letters hadn’t been highlighted with silver paint they would have blended in and almost vanished. Unusual, but I’d rather not see this become a trend since that would take away from the uniqueness of this piece.
A Monster Arm and a Clothed Arm Walk Into a Bar . . .
Take a look at the side views, above. The toy’s left arm is clothed with a fairly normal hand, while the right is monstrous and slimy, with the hand some bizarre monstrosity unlike anything I’ve seen in my dreams. The thing is, the paint actually hides the sculpt and doesn’t make either arm or hand immediately obvious. Which, other than the “PopSoda” face, is the one major problem I have with the toy; the paint does nothing to bring out any of the sculpt’s details and, in fact, obscures the design. This is one time where I’d like to have seen the toy painted with less airspray effects and more attention to details.
Closing Thoughts
I like the toy’s face, but in general I’m not a fan of this design. The PopSoda Baron Finger Puppet (review here) is way cooler and a better design. This little guy feels more like “I want people to see my name!” than anything else, and I think the paint harms what would have otherwise been an okay art toy.
I paid $10 for the toy at SDCC. That’s not a terrible price for a shortrun Japanese vinyl toy, but any more than that and I would probably be ranting now instead of just closing with: It’s just okay. If there’s any fan out there who is just dying to get this toy then feel free to contact me; I’m sure we can work something out. Especially if you’ve got a Baron you just can’t find room for.
Philip Reed knows that he had damned well better review some action figures soon or else there will be a revolt. He knows that many of you are trying to figure out why these weird toys keep popping up on the site.