Looking at my outline for “The Wall” I realize that we’re at the point where the possibility of monotony becomes a real concern. The Salem Witch here signifies the beginning of the end of this project of mine and while I am thankful that I have been able to stay the course for my own personal growth in learning how to blog, I don’t want to bore you dear reader with repetition and redundancy. So with that said this figure along with the next three are plagued with the same problems that all of the other Classic TV Toys releases have. I would refer you to Chapter 7 where you can revisit the negatives there and keep this and the next three chapters focused on just the figure itself from it’s own aesthetic look on “The Wall”.
Point #1. What it is.
Point #2. Where it came from.
Point #3. The Good.
Talk about a face only a mother could love! The Salem Witch is a wonderfully wicked looking woman. There is no way I’d refer to her as a “lady”. The sculpt is actually really good especially for a Halloween deco junkie like me. Add to this the dress, shoes, hat and broom appear to be the same ones used from the original Mego Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch. Again reverse engineering seems to have come into play here.
Point #4. The Bad.
Again see Chapter 7 where I really rip the CTVT folks a new one in regards to their quality issues. The witch here does have one think that is unique to her over her male counterparts, you can almost bet that your going to have a busted ankle very quickly. Also to note that since she comes with an accessory such as the broom you would think that the designers would have worked the hands to where they could hold the thing. Nope. Actually he thumb broke off when I tried to make this happen.
Point #5. Why I like it.
The Salem Witch is for me a great monster for my collection. Again for the sake of Halloween decorations she’s excellent. Plus the really goofy look that the CTVT guys have sculpted lends to the imagination the ability to almost hear her “cackle”. Fun, fun, fun! Also here’s another silly video I put together that makes these toys look like a lot of fun for Halloween… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bw16io1GNI
Point #6. Why you should or shouldn’t get one.
Why you should:
She’s ugly but that’s what makes her fun and worth getting.
Why you shouldn’t:
Again it’s all about the quality issues. Never buy one of these for kids to play with and always hold out for the cheapest price possible.
In Conclusion
Again Classic TV Toys almost did good with this one. If not for the quality issues with the bodies the Mad Monsters Series 2 line up would have surely been a hit. So again if you can score a Dr. Mego female or an original Mego body to swap out with you could very easily have yourself a very good wacky witch for your monster collection. I know at the end of the day I still enjoy looking at this ugly witch hat’s hanging out on “The Wall”. Now, Go Play! Jim 4/13/11
Jim Bumgardner is a 20 year veteran of the broadcast industry and currently serves as the news director for television station TKO 8 in Harrison, Arkansas. Jim is the father of two the husband of one and firm believer in the power of toys for both the mind, body and soul. You can contact Jim via email at jimstoybox@gmail.com or visit his website at www.jimsmegos.com
All images and products are the sole copyrighted property of it’s respective owners. Specialty photographs and graphic work used for this article were done by Jim at the TKO 8 Studios located at 500 N. Main St in Harrison, Arkansas. “Little Jim” was created by Dawn O’Connell of Little Buddies Action Figures. Learn more about getting your own Little Buddy at www.littlebuddiesactionfigures.com
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