February 18, 2008
MADBALLS 2008 Series 2!!!

The 2008 Series 2 Madballs!!!

Some of you may remember our review of the 2007 Series 1 Madballs back in December. I mentioned that we were looking forward to reviewing Series 2 — and I was! — but I had no idea that I’d have the opportunity to review them early. Thanks to the good folks at Basic Fun, however, I’ve been able to do just that: for the first time ever, a toy company has seen fit to send new products to Scary-Crayon before they hit the street. (Actually, this is the first time a toy company has sent us anything. Woo!) The Series 2 Madballs will be appearing at Toy Fair 2008 this week, but you can also see them in all of their 12^2 glory right here on Scary-Crayon! (12^2 = 144 = gross, remember? 😉 ) As noted, they’re not out yet in stores, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for them and will let you know when I find them. Given how much I enjoyed working with Grodd (even though he tortured the crap out of me), I’m eager to try customizing a normal 2008 Dust Brain into the female “Dusty” that I knew and loved from her animated appearances.

Poor Bruise Brother. :(

Some additional info on Bruise Brother — or rather my history with the character and original toy — in case you’re curious. I actually did and do have an original Bruise Brother, but I have no idea where he is. See, he was one of the toys that I decided to take with me to college junior year to better decorate and personalize my room, but I had the misfortune of placing him in the same bag with several other toys, including the original Playmates TMNT Triceraton, when I packed him up. I opened the bag upon arriving in New Haven to find the toys inside dusted with yellow foam — apparently, at some point during the six-hour trip, Triceraton had seen fit to gore the heck out of poor Bruise Brother. Even more upsetting than the fact that this toy, which had been in near mint condition despite spending over a decade under my bed, had been given to me by my long-dead paternal grandmother. In fact, I can’t really remember anything about her except that she bought me that toy one year. Anyway, I wrapped what remained of Bruise Brother in paper towels, placed them in a plastic bag, and — upon finally bringing them back to the house — put them somewhere where I was certain he would be safe from further injury and apparently forgot where the safe spot was. I hope he’s happy there. 😐

So while Bruise Brother wasn’t as prominent a character as Aargh in the Madballs universes — and as such I’m not too upset that he was replaced by Blechbeard — it does make me a bit sad that he didn’t get the official revival treatment. My criticisms of Blechbeard would probably have been just as sharp had Bruise Brother survived the journey completely intact, but it is a bit disappointing that they’d make a “new” character that is so reminiscent of Bruise Brother, especially when the concept — a pirate Madball! — could have inspired a truly unique and significantly different design. As said, I’m really looking forward to seeing what the artists come up with once they’ve exhausted the original cast.

Thanks to the folks at Basic Fun for making this early review possible — and for keeping the Madballs going strong into 2008! I sincerely wish you guys the best of luck in this competitive toy market. :mrgreen:

-posted by Wes | 3:11 am | Comments (13)
13 Comments »
  • Albert says:

    Poor Bruise Brother got bruised. (I’m starting to get too punny, like the Mad Balls.)

    How’d licensed Madballs go? Like Transformers or Star Wars Madballs? I wouldn’t say that’s beneath the toy industry…

  • Albert says:

    What I meant was, how do you think licensed Madballs would go?

  • billie says:

    This was another cool article =D
    Too bad your granny’s gift has to end up this way though.
    it really is a shame.
    Stories of broken toys makes me sad =<

  • Albert says:

    I once stepped on an Etch-a-SKetch, and for some reason, it was one of the saddest things I had ever seen. Its dusty innards on top of broken plastic…:(

  • Wes says:

    I don’t think licensed Madballs would work all that well — I mean, they might look neat on collectors’ shelves, but I don’t see the benefit of owning a spherical Optimus Prime head versus a transforming deluxe figure. Granted, I don’t really see the point of those cutesy non-transforming Robot Heroes either, but they’re doing quite well. I dunno.

    Madball parodies of licensed characters, however, could be pretty cool — I’d definitely be down with a Barf Vader or an Optimus Slime. 😉

    And yes, broken toys are depressing as hell. 🙁

  • Albert says:

    Well, then again, they already made Optimus/Vader/Spider-Man Potato Heads…

    Then, we must consider that Mr. Potato Head isn’t grotesque and slimy.

  • Tetsu Deinonychus says:

    There once was a time, when I thought I was the only one who remembered Madballs.

    This was long before I had internet access, however.

    Anyway, I’m still hoping for Touchdown Terror to make his return. I have seen photos that reassure me he’s coming!

  • Wes says:

    Albert: Yeah, somehow I doubt that a rotting Mr. Potato Head covered with eyes would go over too well… and that would be totally in keeping with what really happens with potatoes that go uneaten. It would be even less desirable with characters like Batman and Wolverine. 😉

    Tetsu: Yes, Madballs are fondly remembered by many. 🙂 And I too have seen those Touchdown Terror pics, so I’m very much looking forward to his return as well! I still have my original TT here. He still looks pretty good, too, despite having been the Madball that I played with the most. That built-in tee meant that he got kicked an awful lot — I never had to worry about Lucy pulling him out from under me when I took my running start.

  • Albert says:

    Dang, now I want a rotten potato Batman.

  • Well, you could always get an actual rotten potato, some shellac, and some black construction paper and make one from scratch.

  • Boogie Bot says:

    That new Wolf Breath looks like it wasn’t completely painted. I’m sure that when they reach the shelves they will have more paint details added. Actually, you’ve got a cool little collectible there.
    I can’t wait to get this new series. I think they all look great!

  • Wes says:

    I read that these were shipping back in February, yet I still haven’t seen any on the shelves. Where oh where could they be?!

    And yeah, I hope Wolf Breath does get a better paint job for his official release — he could really use it! If he doesn’t, though, I may pick one up just to try painting him myself. 🙂

  • Boogie Bot says:

    Hey…I’m back, and I finally got the entire Madballs Series 2 set. I had to order them on eBay because I just cannot find them in the stores anywhere. Why are these things so hard to find?! Anyway, I really like them, for the most part. My Wolf Breath looks pretty much like yours does, except my Wolf Breath’s lips are painted a pinkish skin tone color, but he looks unfinished. I think they forgot to paint the dark brown fur color on him. Needs better quality control. My only other gripe is with Blech Beard. He does not have the skull and bones tampo on his eye patch like the display photos and Madballs brochures I’ve seen here and there show. Otherwise Series 2 is another great set. Madballs, Madballs, gross for one, gross for all!

Reply to Albert!

Back to Scary-Crayon!
Copyright © 2003-2024 Scary-Crayon. All rights reserved.