December 14, 2021 by Mark Redfern Photography: Wendy Lynch Redfern and Mark Redfern

These have been tough years, so why not make it fun when giving and receiving gifts during this holiday season? No one needs boring socks and gift certificates. If it is a sweater, why not an "ugly" sweater with their favorite movie and TV characters? If it is a TV, then why not a small TV that only shows clips of Batman shows from the 1960s? If it's a bookend, then why not Andy Warhol's bookend inspired by the iconic Velvet Underground album cover art? In Part 5 of our 2021 holiday gift guide, we showcased some interesting collectibles, toys, and other gifts to brighten up the holiday of kids or those who are still in touch with them. Gifts that make the holidays fun (and aptly, some from fun.com).

Also check out the other parts of our 2021 holiday gift guide: part 1 on tabletop and board games, part 2 on drinking, part 3 on Blu-ray and DVD, and part 4 on video games.

This may be the greatest Marvel Lego set we have ever seen. Catch that. It may be one of the best Lego sets, regardless of the fictional world associated with it, we have all witnessed it. It is more than two and a half feet high (32.25 inches to be precise), contains up to 3,772 parts, and is equipped with 25 minifigures. This is the office building of the "Clarion Daily", which is the iconic newspaper in Spider-Man comic books and movies. Although the publisher J. Jonah Jameson has punished friendly neighbor wall climbers, often calling him a threat and playing JK Simmons perfectly on the big screen, in his secret identity as Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, he used photography The teacher’s identity is a clarion call for making ends meet, selling photos of him in action.

This LEGO set contains four detailed floors inside the building, as well as the roof and exterior walls. Minifigures include Spider-Man, Peter Parker, J. Jonah Jameson, Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy, Doctor Octopus, Mystery, Daredevil, Sandman, Aunt May, Venom, Massacre, Punisher, Ghost Spider, Black Cat, Mars, Blade, Miles Morales, Spider-Ham, Betty Brant, Robbie Robertson, Ben Urich, Bennie the Cab Driver, Amber Grant and Ron Barney. Five of them are unique to this set: Blade, J. Jonah Jameson, Punisher, Black Cat and Daredevil.

It's expensive, but it will be the main gift for any Lego fan, young and old. Due to the complexity of its construction, it is recommended to use it over 18 years old, but elementary and middle school students can definitely build it with the help of their parents. Once erected, it will definitely become the core of any Lego display. (Buy here or here.)

It is hard to imagine that the first Harry Potter movie is now 20 years old! When Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were cast at such a young age (approximately 10 or 11 years old), the filmmakers were of course seizing the opportunity. Can actors grow into their roles? Will they succeed through eight films produced in ten years? The actors basically spent their entire young adult and teenage years producing and promoting Harry Potter movies. However, it all became wonderful, the actors continued to become outstanding adult actors, and all films were generally well received (and earned a total of $7.7 billion worldwide).

Another impressive scene from Lego this year is the Harry Potter Hogwarts Chamber, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Warner Bros. movie series. It features the famous school of magic and the theme of the second Harry Potter movie in 2002. It has 1,176 works and 10 main minifigures, including Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Tom Riddle, Colin Crevey, Justin Finch-Fletschley, Luna Lovegood, Guidro Lockhart, Albus Dumbledore, Professor Sinistra, and Nick, who is almost headless (this is a figure who shines in the dark). The suit also comes with an exclusive golden Voldemort figure. Inside is the school hall, equipped with a sorting cap, and a hidden corridor where the basilisk monsters can slip out of it. It is recommended for over nine years old. (Buy here and here.)

Also notable this year is Peter Jackson's first Lord of the Rings movie. Diamond Select Toys has a series of wonderful movies and series of luxury action dolls, including Mr. Frodo Baggins, who is the only one who can become a ring holder. The character is similar to the actor Elijah Wood. He is about four inches tall and has 16 joint points. (Buy here.)

Diamond Select's Lord of the Rings series also includes this impressive faceless creature Nazgûl's action figure. It was seven inches high, towering above Frodo. Yuri Tming and Eamon O'Donoghue designed the Lord of the Rings character, sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios. Collect the first six dolls in the series to have all the parts to assemble the 13-inch Sauron doll. (Buy here.)

Fun.com has a series of amazing and ugly Christmas sweaters specially produced for the site. They are mainly based on classic movies and TV shows, including The Matrix, Batman, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Christmas Holidays, etc. One of their latest products is the Lord of the Rings sweater with Mordor as the theme. The Eye of Sauron looks down on everyone. It is 55% acrylic and 45% cotton. Be the weirdest and happiest person in office holiday parties or ugly Christmas sweater shindig. (Buy here.)

Fun.com is not the only product on the nerd Christmas sweater market. Numskull also has some pullovers to choose from, including this official Shaun of the Dead sweater. Director Edgar Wright (Edgar Wright) has been more than a year, not one but two popular movies, the Spark Brothers music documentary and psychological horror film in Soho last night. But it all started in 2004 with his first official feature film "Sean of the Dead", which is a zombie comedy and one of the best zombie movies of all time. It also started the film career of star Simon Peggy, who co-wrote the film with Wright (both previously worked on the sitcom Spaced). This deceptive sweater features Sean’s e-salesman shirt, tie and name tag, but other images in the movie also quietly appear, such as a zombie hand rising from the bottom. It is 100% knitted and has no printing. (Buy here and here.)

Numskull also has this official Knight Rider sweater with Michael Knight himself (aka David Hasselhoff) on it. Surprisingly, although Hasselhoff is mainly known for the two TV shows "Knight Rider" and "Beach Ambulance" that premiered in the 1980s, it is still a cultural icon. Even his greatest musical moment, singing at the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve two months after the East German government opened the Berlin Wall, was in 1989. Nevertheless, for Gen X who loves knights and knights, he is still a keynote, so much he appeared in the 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 As himself, because as a child, the protagonist Peter Quill (aka Star Lord) imagined that Hoff might be his estranged father. Hasselhoff also sang the ending song and appeared in his wonderful video, which included other actors. So all of this can be traced back to the show about talking cars. Although the title of this sweater is Hasselhoff, KITT is a cameo. It is also 100% knitted instead of printed. (Buy here and here.)

Can't get enough Hasselhoff? Kidrobot has this cute plush doll, featuring Michael Knight patterns, leather jackets and more. Or as the Kidrobot website puts it: "A big eight-inch man will take you from one person to David Hasselhoff in a few seconds." Remember, you won't bother Hoff. (Buy here.)

Want to live on the land in Taco every Tuesday? Kidrobot’s delicacies have added a new member to their Yummy World plush product line: Victorio the Veggie Taco. This cute plush toy has a mustache, if you untie it, you will find some equally cute friends. Kidrobot describes them as a band with Victorio as the lead singer. “Backing singers Celia, Sylvia and Sam Cilantro, Alejandro and Abigail Avocado on the strings, Tambourine Tomato Twins, the hottest drummer in Yummy World, Larry the Hot sauce bag, and of course. There is the infamous carob brother." The pillow-sized Victorio is not crunchy. (Buy here.)

I'm not even a skateboarder, but I still hope that the hoverboard is real, just like every kid who has watched the second part of Back to the Future in 1989. There was an urban legend at that time that the hoverboard was really invented, but it was turned away for safety reasons. Alas, this is not the case. After many years, we finally launched a product called Hoverboard, which neither hovered nor looked like a board. Oh, back to the future fans can get a little hint of childhood dreams through Kidrobot's hoverboard plush toy. It is 28 inches long and is a full-size replica, although it is softer and less floating. (Buy here.)

In 2019, Hasbro launched a fun mashup game of Transformers and Ghostbusters, in which the Ecto-1 car from Ghostbusters was turned into a robot named Ecotron. Now, another iconic 1980s car has been dealt with, from the Back to the Future Doc Brown’s Delori time machine into a gigawatt with a flux capacitor on the breastplate (making time travel possible thing). There is also the "Back to the Future" and "Transformers" mashup comic series from IDW, including Gigawatt (and Doc and Marty McFly, etc.). Fun.com sent us pictures. (Buy here.)

For several years, we have been introducing Kidrobot's HugMe vibrating plush series in the gift guide, including Slimer in Ghostbusters, aliens in Alien and Deadpool riding a unicorn. They are medium-sized plush dolls, and they will be full of energy when you embrace them (or when you clap or make loud noises). Kidrobot also made one for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. At the end of the Ghostbusters in 1984, as Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stanz envisioned, he was a huge apocalypse of the Sumerian god Gotzel. Physical performance. This character was brought back interestingly in this year's Ghostbusters: The Afterlife, and a group of miniature cotton candy men terrorized Paul Luther at Wal-Mart. (Buy here.)

Kidrobot's HugMe Vibrating Plush series also has this King Kong series. The giant ape who recently fought Godzilla in the big screen Smashing Godzilla vs. King Kong, is 16 inches tall. He even has a small crown to commemorate his royal status as a monster ruler. (Buy here.)

King Kong's opponent Godzilla received the treatment of the Tiki Mug, provided by Mundo. Designed and carved by Hector Arce, each cup is handmade. We received a matte black version, but there is also a heat ray blue version. There are also two versions featuring King Kong. (Buy here.)

Speaking of geek drinks, Fun.com is selling this Baby Yoda mug. Yes, we know his official name is Grogu, as my 8-year-old daughter likes to point out, but Baby Yoda has a better ring. The four-and-a-half inches high ceramic cup can hold 20 ounces. And it is microwave and dishwasher safe. It is officially authorized and manufactured by Silver Buffalo. Both sides have the same lovely drawings of Grogu. Sip tea and coffee and wait anxiously for the end of the new season of Mandalorians (although it won’t be an exception until sometime next year, so the amount of coffee is huge). (Buy here.)

Rumor has it that Charlie Cox might return to the role of Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Homecoming this month, or at least the secret identity of his lawyer Matt Murdoch, even though he did not appear in any official In a trailer or photo. In an interview with CinemaBlend, Marvel arranger Kevin Fitch at least confirmed that if Daredevil appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he will be played by Cox, who will be played by Cox in 2015 In 2018, he played Daredevil in the popular Netflix series of the same name (at that time all Marvel Netflix series were cancelled). The Netflix show is rude and violent. This seven-inch tall statue from the Animated Statue series from Gentle Giant and Diamond Select Toys uses a more humorous tone, portraying a fear-free person as a child who may be a little scared, looking like him I'm about to fall. (Buy here.)

Daredevil’s love and sparring partner, Elektra, has not really been fairly affected on the big screen. Jennifer Garner played the assassin in the 2005 film with poor response, and a derivative work of Daredevil, which was also unpopular in 2003, played by Ben Affleck as the blind. Superhero, a few years before he became Batman. This is also all the content before the MCU. It is easy to forget how bad Marvel's efforts on the big screen were before Robert Downey Jr. put on the Iron Man armor. French actress Élodie Yung takes over the role of Elektra in the Netflix critically acclaimed TV series Daredevil, which debuted in season 2 and appeared in the Defenders miniseries. Rong's version is closer in spirit to Frank Miller's comic creation. Recently in the comics, Erica has been playing Daredevil, and his other self, Matt Murdoch, went to jail for manslaughter. The Elektra Animated Statue of Gentle Giant and Diamond Select Toys is more playful. The protagonist has a bright smile on his face and happily holds her double sai weapons. Paul Harding carved this six-inch tall statue. (Buy here.)

Diamond Select Toys also sells an alternative version of the Elektra Animated Statue, which was originally an exclusive product at the 2020 San Diego Comic-Con (due to the pandemic, this year is fully virtual). It is characterized by Erica wearing a white costume with a ninja paper doll at the end of the weapon. Only 250 of them were produced. (Buy here.)

Thor: The Dark World is nobody's favorite MCU movie. New Zealand director Taika Waititi saved the series with his 2017 sequel "Thor: Ragnarok", which brings a unique sense of humor and style to superhero movies. We can imagine that it is the favorite MCU work of many fans. Waititi returns to star in the fourth film starring Asgardian Avenger, Thor: Love and Thunder, and hope that the series can stay on track. Natalie Portman (Natalie Portman) after retiring from Ragnarok, returns as lover Jane Foster (Jane Foster) and gained the power of Thor in "Love and Thunder." The sequel also features Guardians of the Galaxy. We must wait until July 8, 2022 to see how all this changes. At the same time, there are animated statues of Thor by Gentle Giant and Diamond Select Toys. This rude interpretation of the god of thunder has a more childlike version, and comes with a beanie propeller helmet. It is six inches high. (Buy here.)

Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, the animated statue series also showcased the award-winning statue of the team leader, the half-man / half-alien Star Lord (real name Peter Quill). It features an irreverent hero in a dynamic pose: running and ready to fire at anyone or anything chasing him. It is only nine inches tall. (Buy here.)

WandaVision started the Disney+ MCU show in a true style. Each of the first episodes drew inspiration from classic sitcoms of different decades, and then slowly revealed what really happened. Overall, it has been nominated for 84 different awards, including 8 Primetime Emmy Awards, and won a total of 21 awards. WandaVision has also appeared in multiple best TV show lists in 2021. When Paul Bettany played the voice role of Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence Jarvis in the first Iron Man movie for the first time, he knew it might evolve into his most well-known character Vision (this It was the first thing he mentioned on the Wikipedia page)). Whether Bettany's vision will return remains to be seen. Currently, fans can choose between Gentle Giant and Diamond Select Toys' Vision Animated Statue. The five-inch tall statue features robots in classic green, red and yellow costumes. He was mounted like a float. (Buy here.)

Vision's wife Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch) received the Marvel Select action figure treatment from Diamond Select Toys. It is 7 inches tall and has 16 joint points. This doll has a second head with a cloak on the head, and additional hands (wearing gloves). It is based on the image of Elizabeth Olsen and features the costume of the Scarlet Witch in the later episode of "Wanda Fantasy". The show won an Emmy nomination for her as an outstanding actress in a limited series or anthology series or film. Fun.com sent us pictures. (Buy here.)

Anarchy in MCU? As witnessed in the animated modern classic "Spider-Man: Into the Parallel Universe", many versions of Spider-Man have appeared over the years. How about the punk rock version? Hobart Brown is spider punk. Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel created this character, and he first appeared in 2015 as part of the storyline of the comic book Spider-Man. Although Spiderpunk hasn't appeared on the big screen yet, he has appeared in Marvel's Spider-Man video games on PS4 and PS5. This is the source of the Spider-Punk gallery diorama of Diamond Selected Toys, as part of Marvel's player poems series. Caesar designed this statue and it was carved by Cortez's studio. It is 7 inches tall and the electric guitar is detachable. (Buy here.)

My heart is still broken, and the 1991 Rocketer is not enough for box office success and not enough to guarantee a sequel. The ending is very good as the pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), the mechanic A. "Pevy" Peabody (Alan Arkin) and the actress Jenny Black (Jennifer Kahn) Nali)’s further adventures are ready, but the audiences of "Shadow", "Phantom" and "Dick Tracy" also occurred in other early 90s movies, indicating that they are not very familiar with the superhero movies of the era. interested. "Rocketer" may be the best of the four movies, but it has neither launched a franchise nor has Campbell's career as a protagonist. An animated TV series about Disney teenagers was launched in 2019, featuring Cliff’s 7-year-old granddaughter Kit as the new Rocket player, but it is too naive to attract adult fans, and young audiences may not be familiar with this character. So it was cancelled after one season. However, there is still hope that Disney+ is making a new Rocket Player movie, and David Oyero may play the former Tuskegee pilot who inherited the jetpack.

Diamond Select Toys’ The Rocketeer Premiere Collection Resin Statue features a Cliff Secord version of Rocketeer, imitating his appearance in the 1991 movie instead of Dave Stevens’ original comic book (not because of the difference in appearance). Caesar designed this statue, which was carved by Rocco Tartamella. It was 10 inches tall, Cliff was about to take off, and his rocket pack was launched in the wind. (Buy here.)

If you are looking for a more economical Rocketeer collection gift, there is also a vinyl model in Diamond Select Toys' Vinimates product line. It is 4.7 inches tall and has a movable head. (Buy here.)

There is also a variant of the Rocketeer Vinimates doll. It has a yellow helmet and his clothing looks more weathered. It was originally an exclusive product of the 2020 San Diego Comic-Con. (Buy here.)

For the 2020 New York Comic Con, there is another exclusive version of the Rocketer Vinimates puppet, which is a black and white version to match the way the hero appeared in newspapers and news clips from the 1930s. (Buy here.)

The classic arcade game 1942 can finally become your game in a cooler and smaller form. Originally released in 1984, in the vertical shooting game, you are the ace flying ace of World War II fighting in the naval battle of Midway. Your goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the Japanese fleet. It’s a bit strange for a Japanese company to design a game that took place in the Pacific Theater of World War II, where the Americans are heroes and the Japanese are bad guys, but in 1942 it became popular in Japanese arcades in the 1980s.

The Replicade version of New Wave has a smaller original arcade game, and you can also choose to play its sequel 1943. The game cabinet lights up, and the sound is impressive in terms of its size. More importantly, it comes with an external joystick and an HDMI port, allowing you to play games on a large flat-screen TV.

My eight-year-old daughter Rose said: "I like 1942 because you look cool in the air, but you not only have to fly a plane, but also a boat with a cannon. I also like the way the power is boosted." Author: Mark Redfern (Buy here.)

We are watching an episode of "Teenage Titan Go"! A few days ago, my 8-year-old daughter Rose’s favorite cartoon was also a show with another retro element, which would make parents happy. The title of this episode is aptly named "Video Game Reference". It made fun of video games in the 1980s. Soon there was a spoof of spy hunters, in which a villain named Pie Hunter hunted down steel on the road to computerization. bone. After receiving the reference materials, Rose's face lit up with excitement, because we have been playing "Spy Hunter" through Basic Fun's Arcade Classics series of retro mini arcade games for several weeks.

The game first appeared on the arcade in 1983. It is inspired by James Bond and will initially be bound to 007 and feature James Bond as the theme, but licensing issues prevent this. Maybe better, because the spy hunter is always associated with the theme of Henry Mancini's 1950s TV show Peter Gunn. The gameplay is quite simple. You are in a spy vehicle with a machine gun and you must kill your enemies without being forced to leave the road. The mini version is as fun as the full-size arcade version, and in our family, we have been trying to beat each other's high scores. Rose ranked first, I ranked second, and my wife Wendy ranked third.

Ross said: "I like spy hunters because I still have high scores, and it’s also fun when you don’t have them and trying to get high scores. I like its old-school style, I like you driving around and then at a certain moment You enter the water or arrive on an icy road. When you are knocked down on the road, the truck will bring you back, and when you are knocked into the water, a boat will pick you up." Author: Mark Redfern (here Buy at.)

Holy little TV Batman! Basic Fun’s Tiny TV Classics series are miniature TVs (1.57 x 2.36 x 2.76 inches), each with a different movie or TV show from a different era as the theme. They are actually working TVs with a fully functional remote control to change channels or volume.

We received the Batman version. It contains various clips of the classic Batman show starring Adam West and Burt Ward in the 1960s. All clips will play, or you can switch between them. Watch Batman use his cloak against a group of bulls rushing towards Robin. Witness the Wonder Boy survived by being pushed from the building by the riddler with his teeth bitten by the bat dart. "Holy molars, I am glad I can take care of my teeth," Robin said. "Yes, you owe your life to dental hygiene," Batman replied. This would be great for a dollhouse, but it is just an interesting item for your desk or mantel. There are also micro-TVs containing clips of "South Park", "Friends" and "Back to the Future". Each TV is designed to look like South Park and "Friends" when it first aired (and "Back to the Future" "Looks like TV in 1955, when most movies were happening). (Buy here.)

McFarlane Toys has been making action dolls based on DC Comics characters in the past few years. They have done a great job, including dolls modeled on iconic comic books and current movies (such as their fixed-point features featuring characters from this year’s Suicide Squad). doll). But their DC Retro series can be traced back to more distant times, back to the Batman series of the 1960s. It may be bumpy, but as a child, I don't care. Before I go home from school, the replay will be broadcast early in the afternoon on weekdays. But on those rare days when it snows or is sick, I will definitely look at it with excitement. The only problem is that episodes often end in suspense. If I go back to school the next day, I won’t be able to tune in to "same bat time, same bat channel" to understand how this energetic duo got out of trouble. The tricky situation usually amounts to them being tied up or otherwise trapped by a colorful villain.

McFarlane’s Batman statue is 6 inches tall, has 12 joint points, is draped in a cloth cloak, and has "Pow!" and "Capo!!!" You can stick sound bubbles on their arms. You can pair this Batman figure with Tiny TV Classics Batman, and let your movable figure watch itself on TV. McFarlane Toys also offers Robin and Clown dolls, as well as Batmobile and Batcave toy sets. (Buy here.)

One of the highlights of Kidrobot's 2021 product is the Andy Warhol resin banana bookend produced in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation. Even if you are not a big fan of the legendary pop artist, this is the photo you are most likely to see. After all, it appeared on the cover of one of the greatest albums of all time, the 1967 The Velvet Underground & Nico, which will turn 55 in March next year. These bookends are heavy and 9.5 inches high. To pay homage to the original album cover, the bookend has a magnetic front that can be removed (or peeled) to reveal the inside of the banana. We are currently using bookends to save all 68 volumes of Under the Radar's back issues! (Buy here.)

This is a summary, but stay tuned for more gift guides featuring music reissues, sets, books, and graphic novels.

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Issue 68, April 21, 2021-Japanese Breakfast and HAIM (Protest Issues)