The poor man’s bobblehead

I usually explain Mighty Muggs as bobbleheads without the bobble. They’re vinyl desktop statues portraying some of your favorite franchises like GI Joe, Transformers and Star Wars, complete with accessories. They don’t do much, frankly, except maybe hold your pencil in a most threatening manner, but they’re a little more classy than just having some straight up action figures on your desk. Mighty Muggs are just fun, plus, according to the box, they’re made from “100% recycled awesome.”

I don't think Storm Shadow has ever looked happy

Mighty Muggs are owned by Hasbro and as such come in a very limited range of flavors, namely all the top franchises Hasbro has licenses with. Yes, you can get your hands on Cobra Commander, Optimus Prime, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, and even Lando, but since Mighty Muggs are squarely aimed at the nostalgia crowd, why not keep going into the depths of pop culture?

Mighty Muggs are probably a bit past their prime (you can now find them on clearance at Target) but here’s a short list of Mighty Muggs I’d pay top dollar for.

The Mighty Muggs wish list

Masters of the Universe. He-Man and his friends seems like a no-brainer, if you ask me. In particular I’d want Man-E-Faces as he was one of my favorite characters. I’m not a big He-Man fan but anyone born prior to 1987 can certainly appreciate Teela standing next to your mousepad.

Metal Gear. With more than 10 titles spanning 20 years, there are plenty of characters in the Metal Gear game world that would lend themselves to these bobble-less statues. Solid Snake is easy but how about Otacon or Revolver Ocelot? Even one of the nameless soldiers would be pretty cool…just make sure he has a giant exclamation point above his head.

Pro wrestling superstars. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a pro wrestling fan. What kid in 1985 wasn’t saying their prayers and eating their vitamins along with Hulk Hogan? And if only for that reason alone, the classic stars of the WWF deserve some Mighty Muggs. I’d shell out more than a few bucks to have a Macho Man Randy Savage Mighty Mugg or Bam Bam Bigelow.

Arnold and Stallone. Between these two actors there are plenty of memorable characters to turn into these tiny plastic figures. Rocky, Terminator, Total Recall, Rambo…the list can go on. Heck, in Rocky alone you have a few great characters. You’re telling me you wouldn’t want Apollo Creed or Clubber Lang? Just don’t ask for a Kindergarten Cop figure.

Tron. Since the new movie came out last year, Tron is cool again and that’s fine by me. A few Mighty Mugg Tron figures of both classic and new characters would look pretty sweet. Plus they could have some glow-in-the-dark paint on them for the ultimate Tron experience.

How can you say no to that smile?

The possibilities are endless

Those are just a few of the top picks from my wish list. Mighty Muggs doesn’t cover DC Comics, so there’s a whole universe of characters that I’d like to see standing next to my Marvel favorites. Robocop and Star Trek comes to mind too as good candidates, and I think you could get away with some top name rock band Mighty Muggs too. Think about a set of U2, KISS or Guns N Roses Mighty Muggs and tell me that wouldn’t get you some serious cred when your co-workers notice them on your desk at work. Of course, before we start inventing new franchises to tap into, there are a few characters missing from the existing line…like where’s my Lobot?!

We’ll probably never see any of these wonderful characters as Mighty Muggs in the toy aisle any time soon, but thankfully Hasbro has helped us out a bit because if you look in the right places you’ll find they sell blank Mighty Muggs. They come in black or white and are ready for you to paint and create your own Mighty Muggs figure. So in the end I guess there’s really nothing stopping you (or me) from filling in the gaping holes that Hasbro will never be able to fill themselves.

What characters do you think would make good Mighty Muggs figures?

There's something for everyone

Check out more Mighty Muggs photos over on Flickr along with other toys and games.

Brian is a freelance writer that blogs and tweets about toys, video games and other retro fun.

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– Ripstik—The Ripstik is a totally new wheeled vehicle, that combines the carving motion of surfing or snowboarding with the wheels and deck of a skateboard. The deck is split in the middle and pivots, so that the rider can handle better and accelerate without pushing off the ground.

- Hannah Montana—Hannah Montana is a Disney character who is an ordinary schoolgirl by day and pop superstar by night. Her show and movie have been extremely popular, leading to the release of dolls and accessories, tooy guitars, lunch boxes, bags, and even her own version of UNO.

- Indiana Jones—This summer’s release of the latest Indiana Jones movie has spawned a whole new generation of toys. Most popular are Indiana Jones LEGO sets, ranging from the River Chase set to the Jungle Duel set. Hasbro’s Electronic Sound FX Whip is also popular.

– U Command Wall-e—Based on the animated movie, this 8” x 13.8” x 11” robot has realistic expressions, light-up eyes, and convincing sound effects. The programmable remote control can execute over 1000 action combinations, and the robot has real tread motion.

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