Where’s Black Widow: Asian Edition

 

This is tame by comparison.

 
I haven’t had an article on Gabbing Geek for a while not because I’ve been to lazy or busy, although both are certainly true the rest of the year, but because I’ve been in China and Hong Kong. And while I’m still overseas I did find a couple of things for sale showing the Asian version of excluding female characters from toy sets. While U.S. fans still ask Where’s Rey in Star Wars sets it was only a brief few months we were asking the same about Black Widow in Age of Ultron sets. If you thought replacing Widow with Ultron was bad, check out what they do in China and Hong Kong after the break. 

Tom’s Geek Year In Review

2015 is over in a few more hours, so how was the year we just had?  You know, from a Geek Perspective?

Some good, some bad.  Like every year.

Short Film: Summer ’78

True story:  in 1977, Kenner toys didn’t have the Star Wars stuff ready for Christmas, so they sold some empty boxes with some IOUs inside.  The toys wouldn’t actually get into kids’ hands until the following year.

The short film behind the cut shows one such fictional kid playing with his toys in the summer of 1978.  Yeah, there is a somewhat predictable ending when the kid’s name is revealed, especially with all the clues laced through the video, but it’s mostly a fun little film.  Enjoy.

The Geekie Awards Are Here!

Calling all geeks! CALLING ALL GEEKS! It’s time for The Geekie Awards®. Yes – that’s right, I said The Geekie Awards®. Never heard of The Geekie Awards®? No problem: The Geekie Awards® is an award show by geeks for geeks™, aimed at putting the true geek culture in the spotlight as a collection of valid, respected, award-winning genres for storytelling and creation. And guess what – you get to choose who wins. Find out how after the break:

These Are The Pixar-Star Wars Crossovers You’re Looking For

While the true pinnacle of geekiness–an actual Pixar-Star Wars crossover–has yet to take place, for now we will have to satisfy ourselves with these baby steps in the form of Cars action figures dressed up like Star Wars characters.  Spotted in a Disneyland store (did you know they sell things at Disneyland?) by contributing writer Greg, these crossover toys will just have to do until we get the real thing.  See these toys in the wild after the break and let us know your favorite in the comments!

18 New Geek Monthly Mystery Box Subscriptions To Check Out

Welcome back to our Geek Monthly Mystery Box subscription round up! For anyone new to this concept, mystery subscription boxes are mail order boxes filled with “stuff” that you pay for on a monthly basis. The catch is that you have no idea what is going to be in the box month-to-month. You have to go on faith that what is being delivered, will match the value of the monthly subscription fee.

And if you’ve been following Gabbing Geek for a while, then you’ll know we did a 22 box review: Mystery Geek Box Monthly Subscriptions: The Good, The Bad, and The Geeky not too long ago. But since that post, the Geek Mystery Box market has added a few more contenders to the race!

Want to know how the new additions stack up agains the old trusties? Read on!

Wacky Wednesday: Go Home Toy Industry, You’re Drunk!

There is a serious injustice happening right now in the Toy industry. I’m not talking about how we’ve strayed from making toys indestructible (have you ever tried to break a Lincoln Log?), or how craftsmanship is a thing of the past. Nor am I talking about how most toys now-a-days have some kind of mechanical battery operated mechanism which leaves nothing left for imagination. No – the injustice I speak of is something that’s always been there, yet I’m so damn fed up with it – and that’s gederfication and blatant sexism in the toy industry.

This IS The Droid You Are Looking For: TOY BB-8

This is super top secret – yes – TOP SECRET! Shhhhh – don’t tell anyone that we may have saw the first rendition of a BB-8 toy, which was quickly removed from the internet. We can’t tell you anything more until after the break:

Four-Foot Tall Animated Hulkbuster Is More Than Just A Toy

What the what!? An animatronic toy Hulkbuster that actually moves and lights up? I WANT ONE NOW! Thanks to  Comicave Studios’ we can all revel in this quarter-scale Iron Man Hulkbuster figure. Not only does the highly-detailed four-foot tall suit light up, it also features extensive articulation and animatronic armor that automatically opens to reveal the Iron Man Mark 43 armor protected inside. Check out video of this toy in action after the break:

Weird Al Usually Doesn’t Come With a Parental Warning Label!

Al gets an action figure based on his Simpsons appearance and goes to his Facebook page to show it off in a way only Al can. BRAIN FREEZE!