Pint Size Heroes (Horror) – Cthulhu

In the last couple of weeks I’ve taken a look at the Pint Size Heroes versions of Jason Voorhees and Pinhead. But today, we take a look at the biggest and baddest Pint Size Hero of them all – Cthulhu.

I’ve written about Cthulhu collectables a few times on here now, and every time I do the site tends to go a little nuts for a few days. I don’t have much additional material to contribute about H.P. Lovecraft’s as a person since the last article I wrote. So let’s just say the short version is that he was a very flawed man, but since his passing his figurative tentacles have permeated broader pop/geek culture in a way that he never could have anticipated in his lifetime.

Though the Pint Size Heroes aesthetic is quite different, the look is clearly based on his larger POP compatriot – outstretched tentacles, furry loincloth, speckled skin and dragon-style wings. To fake his obvious size advantage over his series companions, Cthulhu’s been made to appear larger by giving him a massive head. For the most part this works well. However, the backside seems to be tampoed with the same design as the front, giving us ample view of Cthulhu’s backside – and inadvertently giving the impression that he’s wearing a g-string. Cthulhu is THICC, apparently.

The only other downside is that his head doesn’t turn particularly well, as the wings kind of block the neck motion. But it’s a small price to pay, on the whole.   

Of the Pint Size Heroes I own, Cthulhu is far and away my favourite. Like virtually every other piece of cutesy piece of Cthulhu merchandise out there, it’s a total violation of H.P. Lovecraft’s original vision. But does he look kind of fun on the shelf? Well, yeah. It’d be better if he glowed in the dark, but he’s definitely a solid addition to my ever-expanding horror merchandise collection. 

Funko Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2: Cthulhu (Glow version)

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

Back in October last year, I posted an article about how I ended up with a Cthulhu Mystery Mini. That article ended up being one of my most popular articles last year, for whatever reason. You may or may not recall that I mentioned that Cthulhu was quite a rare figure in the series, being packed at a 1/24 ratio -- but there was an even rarer variant...a glow in the dark one! 

That article I've linked back to above covers the details about the sculpt; I don't really need to repeat them here. The primary difference with this guy is that he's been moulded in glow-in-the-dark plastic. The only paint apps included this time around are the white for his eyes, and the grey that surrounds them. All of the spots and splotches are gone, with the plastic left bare to glow. And glow he does, lighting up the room by night.  

This Cthulhu is a good example of a variant -- he's fun, but not essential, and acts a complementary piece to the original, rather than detracting from the fun. In the past the Mystery Minis have made some really unusual (and irritating) choices in their series ratios, but with the exception of Hellraiser's Pinhead being a 1/72 figure, I think Funko did a pretty good job with this one. An enjoyable, but not essential addition to the collection.

Funko Mystery Minis: Cthulhu (Horror Classics Series 2)

Company: Funko

Series: Mystery Minis Horror Classics Series 2

Year: 2015

I stumbled across Funko’s initial series of Horror Classics Mystery Minis sometime last year in a hobby store in Sydney, but they didn’t grab me for a few reasons. Firstly, they were blind-boxed, which is fine (if not ideal) when something costs $2-5, but these were about $15 each. Secondly –and I may court some controversy here – as much as I liked the style, I don’t really know that the world needs another Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers collectible.

But when series 2 got announced earlier this year, I was intrigued. While it was covering a lot of the classics like Gillman and Frankenstein’s Monster (yes, I know we have plenty of collectibles for these two as well) it moved into less-merched territory too; An American Werewolf in London, Hellraiser, The Fly and the one and only ALFRED HITCHCOCK – YEAAAAAAH!

So when I was in Melbourne last weekend, I spotted these in Minotaur and though I’d take a plunge. The box felt heavy; I suspected it might be the Werewolf, titular star of An American Werewolf in London. That would have been pretty awesome, but I think it actually went one better – this box contained the literary horror icon Cthulhu!

I’ve talked elsewhere about Cthulhu’s backstory before, so I won’t repeat myself here. What we’re looking for here is a point of differentiation – if you have the POPs, do you need this guy? Well, he’s not a miniaturised version of the POP, for one thing – he’s been rendered in a totally different style, with the most obvious difference being the dragon-like tail. I’m not particularly familiar with Mystery Minis, but I do know that most of the lines Funko has released share a very similar cutesy aesthetic to one another. I quite like it myself – it’s gives them a maquette-like appearance, as though they were preliminary designs for a kid’s cartoon or something. This is a nice bit of consistency across collections, but of course your own opinion of this particular style will vary.     

Paint is not perfect, but it’s of a slightly better standard than his POP counterpart. Green is obviously the predominant colour, but he’s also been speckled with brown dots. It’s a simple touch, but one that prevents him from looking like a boring block of single colour. As before though, his mouth tentacles are the weak point; they’re a slightly lighter shade of green and I think they would have been better to stick with the same colour as the main body.

Cthulhu is packed in a 1/24 ratio – there’s only 12 boxes in a case, so theoretically you’d find him once in every two cases. There’s also a glow version, which is 1/36. This is a little annoying given the character’s popularity – after-market buyers are likely to pay through the nose for him. But spare a thought for Pinhead fans – he’s packed at a staggeringly low 1/72 ratio!

Overall, as with the POP versions, Cthulhu is ideal for anyone who needs to add some cosmic terror to their display shelf – even if H.P. Lovecraft would have hated the cutesiness of it himself. As for Funko Mystery Minis, I could see myself picking up another one or two. I have my eye on that Gillman and that Werewolf!

 

Funko POP! Books – Cthulhu (Glow in the Dark variant)

Company: Funko

Year: 2015

Series: Funko POP! Books

About a month ago, I looked at the regular version of the Funko Cthulhu. The sculpt is identical, so if you want to read about that and a bit of background on Cthulhu himself, best to have a read there. I ordered this guy from Popcultcha.com.au, but it’s apparently an Entertainment Earth exclusive – at least in the States, anyway.

The only real difference is that mine had a slight chip in the nose area – the glow in the dark plastic is slightly softer than the regular plastic POPs use, so it’s entirely possible that this happened during the packing process, or even when it was pulled out of the mould. It’s not a major deal, as the different-coloured plastic mutes the details of sculptured details slightly, making it less obvious.    

Rather than the dozy expression seen on the original version, with half-closed eyes, this Cthulhu appears to have awoken from his long slumber and arisen from the deep to unleash his monstrous powers upon the earth. Presumably the glow is representative of his sinister powers, though the copy on the box doesn’t confirm or deny this. Speaking of the box, it’s identical to the original – no art changes – save for a sticker which reads “Glows in the Dark”.  Though I don’t normally keep the box, I think I will probably keep this guy boxed most of the time.  

The paint is a little on the sloppy side – especially on the mouth tentacles. The eyes are done reasonably neatly though. So overall, as with the original version of this sculpt, I have some reservations about the paint. Nonetheless, the piece is overall a fun addition to the collection. If you’re only going to get one, get the original, but I am a glow in the dark tragic and naturally had to purchase both. I'm happy with my decision.