Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: Finger Lickin' Pistol Whippin' Captain Spaulding from House of 1000 Corpses by Trick or Treat Studios

 

   Today's review just might help set the tone for a lot of the reviews to come this October as it actually centers on two ways that the main theme for 2026's 31 Days of Toy Terror is applied: It's both from a piece of media that is set on or around Halloween (House of 1000 Corpses) and it's an action figure from Trick or Treat Studios, a company who has been putting out some incredibly delightful retro styled action figures that feel like they're based on action feature driven toylines from the late 1980s and 1990s, so it has Trick or Treat in the name. Is that a stretch? Ahh, who cares, right? I've admired these from afar for a year or two and with this year seeing toys from some of my favorites like Day of the Dead, Army of Darkness, and Trick 'R Treat, I thought these might be well worth a look as they're some of the coolest horror toys being produced today. I started working on these reviews back in June and I was expecting the Army of Darkness and Trick 'R Treat figures to be released in August but that doesn't seem to be the case now. That made it a bit tougher for this year, especially with having so many reviews already done prior to October, but I've tried to make it work (though this year does have some more random figures put in just for fun). Now, let's talk about Finger Lickin' Pistol Whippin' Captain Spaulding...

   Played by the late Sid Haig, Captain Spaulding is the most recognizable character from Rob Zombie's 2003 horror film House of 1000 Corpses. For years I basically avoided the film as it just didn't seem like something that would appeal to me. I do like some of Rob Zombie's music but outside of his two Halloween films, I had never seen seen any of his other films until the last year or two when I caught House of 1000 Corpses on a streaming service. It's a wild movie for sure. Not great and not terrible, but certainly very unlike anything else I can recall. Sure, it definitely draws inspiration from so many horror classics, but it really is a very unique and strange film. It's gross, yes, but it's kind of fun with a really impressive cast of oddballs. Trick or Treat Studios released this series of action figures in 2022 and they included five action figures and a carrying case with a build-a-figure spread across every release except for Captain Spaulding. I guess they decided that he would be so popular that they wouldn't need to do anything extra to push him. Let's check out Captain Spaulding, the patriarch of the Firefly family and the proprietor of a gas station and fried chicken joint that also houses Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen, after the break...

Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: Hooded Vampire/ Dracula from Flexy Halloween Creeps

 

   I'm really excited to show off today's installment of Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: The Hooded Vampire/ Dracula from the vintage Flexy Halloween Creeps toys. Have you ever seen or heard of this guy before? I've had this vampire for as long as I can remember, and I think I have a few more of these floating around somewhere in my haunted house. What's the deal here? Well, the "Flexy Halloween Creeps" were sold out of big cardboard box that was set right on the shelf of a drugstore or novelty shop.  The assortment included the vampire, a witch, a skeleton, a scarecrow, and a mummy. At some point they were re-released by a company called Tony USA in 2-packs under the title "Halloween Bendy Monsters Scary Friends" and a Frankenstein's Monster figure was included, too. These were purchased in bulk boxes and were imported from China to the USA and UK for dirt-cheap between the 1970s and early 1990s with the figures receiving different color updates every so often. These figures don't have any official names so I'm using the names I found on Dinosaur Dracula when Matt gave these out as part of the 2018 Halloween Funpack (Tall Skeleton, Hooded Vampire, Green Scarecrow, Rainbow Mummy, and Ugly Witch) as those seem like as good of names as any. Ready to check out the spooky Hooded Vampire who is clearly based on Dracula? Then join me after the break...

Trick or Treat for 31 Days of Toy Terror! Ghost Bob from John Carpenter's Halloween by Plastic Meatball

 

  

  Since the theme of this year's festivities, Trick or Treat with 31 Days of Toy Terror, is looking at toys that are really tied in with Halloween in some way, you can bet your black licorice that figures based on the Halloween series are going to show up on this list more than once. Today I'm checking out a release from earlier this year: Ghost Bob from Plastic Meatball's retro inspired John Carpenter's Halloween. I've reviewed a couple of these in the past but it's been a few years since Plastic Meatball has released anything new. This year they've had a few exclusive releases through Fright Rags: Ghost Bob, Young Michael Myers, and a Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers 2-pack. Ghost Bob isn't really Laurie's friend Bob Simms; instead, it's Michael Myers wearing a sheet with eyeholes and Bob's eyeglasses overtop. It's one of the only times that Michael Myers wears a unique outfit or disguise in one of the films and it definitely captures a weird part of his character that some of the later films are missing: Michael is somewhat of a practical jokester who will do weird, theatrical things for effect. Why? Who knows, but he does put some effort into his menace. Let's take a look at "Ghost Bob" after the break and see if this guy is worth adding to your collection...

Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: Jack-O'-Lantern Pickup Truck by LEGO

 

   Happy Halloween 2026! Welcome to this year's installment of 31 Days of Toy Terror which is titled: Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror! I love horror themed toys but not all of them are really themed around Halloween, are they? No, of course not! This year, my focus is on toys that are directly connected to the holiday in some way. Pumpkins and Jack-O'-Lanterns? Absolutely! Toys that are based on media connected to the holiday like Trick 'r Treat and Halloween? Bring 'em on! Toys designed to be little Halloween tie-ins and impulse purchases? Sure, load them in the cart. Toys from the aptly named Trick Or Treat Studios, a company who produces lots of horror themed action figures? Hey, I gotta fill this list somehow, so I'm sometimes playing fast and loose with the rules. This year, I'm starting things off by delivering you a giant Jack-O'-Lantern. LEGO always puts out some fun and spooky stuff each Halloween and I really like this Jack-O'-Lantern Pickup Truck set that was released last year. It's not a huge set but it is pretty cool, featuring a farmer delivering a giant Jack-O'-Lantern in a pickup truck that has been decorated for some autumn fun. Maybe the farmer is taking this guy to a competition, parking him outside of a haunted hayride or a haunted corn maze, or perhaps taking part in a Halloween parade? Let's get the spooky season rolling after the break...

Action Figure Review: Zanya & Dreadnok Chameleon (Swamp Skier) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   It's Fall now and I'm getting overwhelmed again with new G.I. Joe: Classified Series releases! My Snow C.A.T. was just delivered, I recently received Sgt. Slaughter and the Triple T, Grand Slam and the H.A.L,. and the Fatal Fluffies, I found the latest series of figures (Mistress Armada, Iceberg, Synapse, Duke, & Toxo-Viper) at retail, and it seems like the retro carded Flash and Falcon, hooded Cobra Commander, and the Legacy collection avalanche rescue skier are on their way, too. And guess what? I'm still looking at a huge shelf of stuff to review from May through August! Crazy! Anyways, let's take a look at Zanya and the Dreadnok Chameleon (Swamp Skier), one of the multiple figure and vehicle combos from this year. The Classified Series has done an excellent job with the Dreadnoks so far and it's pretty exciting to get Zanya, Zartan's daughter, in the line. It's especially nice that we got her with the Chameleon instead of another variant of Zartan's classic costume. Zanya first appeared in 2001 in issue #2 of the Devil's Due Publishing/ Image comics G.I. Joe Volume 2 series, so calling her a "new" character definitely isn't accurate. She has an action figure in the 2011 Dreadnoks Battle Set that was part of the 30th Anniversary line so it's about time that we got her again. Ready to check out Zanya, the heir apparent of the Dreadnoks? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Jester from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   Wow! It's been over a year (not since April of 2025) since I reviewed anything from Valaverse. I don't think they've released too much since then that got my attention but over the summer they did drop some new figures from both Action Force and their new modern pirates line, The Black. I'm going to be looking a couple figures from both lines in the coming weeks but I'll start with Jester as he's a pretty interesting figure. Using Action Force figures and a Mattel WWE Mr. T, I've worked on a pretty basic Action Force version of the A-Team. I've had B.A. Baracus, Faceman, and Hannibal covered but I haven't had a Murdock yet. When I first saw this guy advertised, I thought he'd make a pretty good Action Force version of "Howling Mad" Murdock as he has a crazk grin, a pilot's cap, and he looks a bit slighter than the rest of the team. I might still use him for that purpose, but it turns out that Jester has far more in common with the Joker than he does with the A-Team's resident expert pilot: He's a sadistic interrogator for Pandora's The Devil's Grin crime syndicate. This guy just loves cutting people up. Yikes! He's a weird, creepy dude that seems less physically imposing than many of the other Action Force characters, but he's far more unhinged and unpredictable. Ready for a new villain for Action Force or any other 1/12th scaled military lines? Thank join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Professor Rottclaw & Cobra Deinonychus from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

   Wow! It has been over a month since I last wrote a review. That's kind of a record for me. What's the reason? Well, one, I've been insanely busy with work and have had some new opportunities along with some new challenges. August and the first week of September were wild and I didn't have the extra time to devote to current reviews. I did write some reviews, though, but you just haven't read them yet; I've been working to stay ahead of schedule for the 2026 installment of 31 Days of Toy Terror and I'm close to half way complete there. I've got so many G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures sitting on my desk waiting to be reviewed, so it's time to jump back in and check out another release that I've had since early May: Professor Rottclaw & Cobra Deinonychus. While we have had dinosaurs in G.I. Joe before, Professor Rottclaw is a new character who is obsessed with having a pet dinosaur. Professor Rottclaw (real name Crispin Kilgore) grew up in a wealthy family in Johannesburg, South Africa. While he had everything money could buy as a child, he never got what he really wanted: A pet dinosaur. After studying genetic engineering and paleontology, Dr. Rottclaw has thrown his talents in with Cobra, allowing him access to the tools to make his childhood dream come true. Now armed with a pet Deinonychus, Professor Rottclaw leads the Paleo-Vipers. Pretty wild, right? New concepts are great in G.I. Joe and this one makes a dinosaur work quite well. I thought this guy would be a huge hit but he seems to be sitting on shelves at a lot of retailers. Maybe he was overshipped? Let's check out Professor Rottclaw & his Cobra Deinonychus after the break...