Retro Review - How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Action Figures by Playmates

I'm back, with one last review right before Christmas! I've had an extremely busy and difficult couple of months but I haven't stopped buying toys, action figures, and collectibles. I apologize for the lack of review, but I hope to get back to updating this blog more regularly. While I have a few things put aside for future reviews and retrospectives, these guys simply could not wait.

A few weeks ago I ended up seeing the new Illumination take on The Grinch and boy was it awful. I could not believe how absolutely cheap, un-creative, and lazy it was. So I did what any sensible adult would do... I went on eBay and spent way too much money on Grinch toys from the 2000 movie! That's right these guys are almost 20 years old and I thought it would be fun to take a look at them right in time for the holidays.

While nothing can compare to the classic 1966 animated version, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas from 2000 is still one of my holiday favorites. Ron Howard did a fantastic job translating classic Dr. Seuss imagery into 3D in a way that the new Illumination Grinch can't even compare. I missed these figures upon their initial release but was able to pick most of the up on eBay. They're kind of hard to track down, but you can put the set together with some patience. There's a total of 5 sets I'll be looking at today; The Grinch & Martha May Whovier, Lederhosen Grinch & Max the Dog, Whobilation Grinch & Mayor May Who, Santa Grinch & Cindy Lou Who, and the deluxe Who Car with Sneaky Grinch & Max. That's a lot of Grinches.

These guys come PACKAGED on classic blister cards, with the deluxe Who Car coming in a nice window box. The 4 standard figures look pretty good, fitting in nicely with the look of the movie. Lots of Seussian shapes and colors while the window box looks a little more standard. The back of each card is unique to each set, but also show off the rest of the figures quite nicely. There's a bit of excess plastic on the front of the blister packs, making the film's logo stand out in 3D. These toys are also pre-twist ties, so everything pops out with no fuss.

Whobilation Grinch, Sneaky Grinch, The Grinch, Santa Grinch, Lederhosen Grinch

The SCULPTING and PAINT are pretty sold across the whole line. I miss the days where a big budget Hollywood movie was guaranteed an extensive toy line. The likenesses of the Who characters is actually pretty solid, but their paint is pretty drab (except for Cindy). The different Grinch figures all look good too, but I think his nose is turned up a bit too much. I think they hit a nice middle ground where the sculpts aren't too soft, but also not over the top realistic like a NECA figure which would feel odd on a Christmas themed kids line. All the Grinch figures also have the same expression which is kind of weird. There's lots of reused parts between figures, but I'll let it slide because I'm shocked they did so many different costumes.

All the figures are in this weird 4 inch scale, so they don't really fit in with any other toy lines. I think they're just a little big for your standard 3 3/4" figures. The paint is a little spotty in places, but solid overall. Cindy Lou Who's costume is probably the most complicated and it looks great. I almost forgot Max! Max the Dog looks great, but he looks almost too realistic to fit in with the rest of the line. His paint is probably the most disappointing, but it gets the job done. The black/dark brown is a little too harsh and I wish it was blended in a bit more.

The ARTICULATION varies wildly between the figures, with Max being a solid piece of plastic to the green Grinch having a full 14 points of articulation. The articulation scheme is actually pretty reminiscent of Playmates' Star Trek figures from the 90's. The Grinch has a cut neck, swivel shoulders, but bicep, pin elbows, cut wrists, T crotch, and pin knees. A couple of them even have a cut waist. The only outlier is the Sneaky Grinch who has ball jointed shoulders and no knee or elbow articulation. Martha May and Mayor May Who get the short end of the stick, They're basically glorified accessories with their torso and legs being a solid, hollow piece of plastic. They only have 3 pints of articulation, being neck and shoulders. Cindy Lou Who has about the same articulation, but it's easy to look past due to her size and great paint.

These figures are loaded with ACCESSORIES, but half of them are completely useless and impossible to use. Lederhosen Grinch & Max is probably the best set because the bike is actually useable and they come with a couple movie specific accessories. The Grinch's telescope and Max's monster Grinch megaphone both look fantastic and were a great surprise because they aren't shown on the backs of any of the toys. On the other hand, Santa Grinch can't actually sit on his Drum Bike, and the Snowball Launcher and Flocking Gun are impossible to actually get onto the Grinch and Whobilation Grinch figures and have them held correctly.

The Who Car is great though, and can sit any Grinch figure easily. The canopy has a hinge so you don't have to try and awkwardly maneuver the figures into place. The smaller accessories like the Whobilation invitation and Christmas present are great pieces and the Whobilation Grinch also comes with an electric Who razor and crown making the smaller hand held accessories the stand outs of the line.

OVERALL, this is a surprisingly solid toy line for a Christmas movie. I wouldn't have minded getting a couple more Who characters and a Bath Robe Grinch would have completed the set. Sure some of the accessories are a waste, but the figures are the important part and I think they're great. But that could just be the Christmas spirit and nostalgia talking. Thanks for reading, and have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.