Simpsons Talking Golf Head Covers

One of the many new products out are a set of three talking golf head covers.  There's Homer of course, Bart as always, and Krusty, who is becoming much more of a staple in most Simpsons marketing schemes.  Two things are obvious - the fit on your golf clubs, and they talk.  Although it's an interesting idea, these could easily be great...or terrible.

I first saw these at Spencer Gifts.  There, and at their on-line store, these retail for a whopping $39.99.  At that price, I wouldn't even be reviewing them.  Not only that, but it seemed as though the selection was poor.  I visited four or five different stores during the holiday shopping period, and never saw Krusty.

But I noticed on the boxes that the company, Gazelle, has their own web site, and I decided to check it out.  They are at www.golfinstuff.com, and sure enough they have the Simpsons covers, along with a variety of other golf paraphernalia, available for consumer purchase.  Here's the best part - the single covers are only $29.99 each, and they have a three pack available of the complete set for only $69.99!  And there's no shipping!  As Homer would say - Woo Hoo!

Packaging - ***1/2
For those of us that don't play golf, the packaging is great.  The box is nice and sturdy, and there is no cellophane or bubble over the heads.  Having the front open means you can play all the sound clips, and appreciate the covers without taking them out of the box. There are some terrific graphics on the back as well, showing these three playing while a crowd of Springfield's finest look on.

The characters arms are hard plastic as well.  All three are wearing white gloves too - Krusty has his normal two gloves on, Bart has one glove on his left and Homer has one on his right.

Outfits (cloth bodies) - ***
Bart wears a simple red shirt, and Krusty his traditional blue with bow tie.  Homer has the most interesting outfit, wearing a white shirt and a pull over sweater that screams 'golf'.  It looks like these would fit on your clubs well if you so choose, and the voice boxes are easy to get to for replacing batteries.  My only concern is that the diamond pattern on Homer's sweater feels like an iron on appliqué, and I suspect it may damage easily.

Voice Boxes - ***1/2
Ah, the most crucial piece - and they did a great job.  The voices are loud and clear, there are plenty of sayings, and best of all, they are all appropriate to golf.  Some of my favorites:

Krusty - "That putt is longer than my first marriage!"  "Last time I saw a slice like that, it had anchovies on it!" and two more...

Homer - "Mmmm, an open faced club sandwich."  "You tried your best and failed miserably.  The lesson is, never try." and three more...

Bart - "Aye Carumba.  Give it up homeboy, there's a six stoke limit!"  "Play it were it lays, home boy" and two more...

The only way it could have been better is to give us two or three more sayings each - but I'm getting picky.

Overall - ***1/2
At Spencer's painful $40 each, I'd recommend only getting the Krusty.  He has the best lines, as is usual for a clown.  But if you go the direct route, and get these on-line straight from the company, I highly recommend going with the three pack.  And if you actually play golf, put these babies on your clubs!  I can't think of a better way to annoy the other golfers.