Review of Fizzkids Figures

Introduction

Regular readers know I love small companies doing unique things, and I'm always looking for cool concepts to introduce to you. When I heard about the Fizzkids from Carbonation Toys, I had to check them out.

These are best described as urban or designer vinyl, although the figures are solid PVC. They're fairly large for PVC, coming in at 2 1/2" to 4 1/4", depending on the character. And they've incorporated a unique packaging design, creating an interesting package/display/figure combo.

The concept is simple, but odd, no doubt about that. You can get all the gritty details at the Carbonation website, but the skinny version is this: a truck hauling cans of soda, lots of different types (think Town Club!), crashed into a toy factory. Through some weird fluke, the toys and pop together created these new living characters, each exhibiting aspects of the two products.

Carbonation has produced their first 'six pack' (yes, that's what they call it), and have plans for a second six pack this summer. They also plan on working with well known artists in the field to produce designs, as well as provide DIY base bodies for the customizers out there.

These first six are available now through their online store for $15 each, or $81 ($13.50 each) for the full set.

Packaging - ****
One of the unique features with this line is the packaging. Each figure comes in a 'can' of the appropriate pop. For example, in the photo below you can see that the alley cat who's pretty much fried comes in the can of Cranked Cola. The can comes apart at the bottom, much like the Barbasol can in Jurassic Park, to reveal a plastic dome. Inside this dome, held in place with a small plastic insert, is the appropriate figure.

The packaging is very high quality, and the dome makes for a nifty display option with the outer can. Incorporating the mash-up concept into the packaging makes for a very interesting and creative design with lots of potential.

One potential downside is that you can't see the figure immediately on the shelf. As they ship, you can pull the can top off to reveal the figure inside the dome (the dome is taped shut), but would someone buying these at the store realize that?  This thought crossed my mind as I was pondering the potential something like this might have with a retailer like Walgreens.

Sculpting - ***
There are six designs in this first wave: Bonecrusher Root Beer (a baby doll gone bad); Alien Limeade (an alien somewhat similar to the Toy Story versions, but with a deadly martian blaster behind his back); Cranked Cola (a street cat hopped up on caffeine); Black Cherry Zombie Juice (a zombie, duh); Vicious Dog Sparkling Water (a cute pooch gone loco); and Rummy Cola (an alley rat now out for pirate booty).

The sculpts are all solid work, with enough consistency in style to make them appear a set, but enough uniqueness in each design to allow them to stand on their own merits. As I mentioned earlier, the size ranges from about 2 1/4" (the Alien, without his antenna), to 4 1/2" (the Bonecrusher baby). All of them stand nicely on their own as well, and the solid plastic gives them a nice heft.

There's some nice little details too, like the broken and exposed knee on the zombie, or the Looney Tunes style blaster behind the alien's back.

These aren't super expensive however, at least not when it comes to low run designer figures, and some of that shows in the final result. There's more mold lines than I'd like to see, particularly on the Pirate Rat and the Zombie.

Paint - ***
The paint work is fairly clean, particularly for the price point, but it's not exceptional. Cut lines are not always clean, and there's some bleed from color to color.

There's not a ton of small detail, and that fits with the overall design and style. What is here is generally clean, and the colors are also consistent in tone and finish. Perhaps most important, everyone's eyes look great!

Articulation - Bupkis
This is an information only category this time around, since I had no expectation that these would be articulated. However, it's important to pass that along on the off chance you were expecting a cut joint here or there.

Fun Factor - ***
You might not consider a solid, un-articulated figure a lot of fun, but I remember great times with characters just like these when I was a kid. With the right design and the right concept, kids can overlook a lack of articulation. And never underestimate the fun kids have collecting things as well - that was the whole point behind baseball cards, pogs, beanie babies, etc. etc. etc. Kids would love the packaging concept here, and find it a major draw to the line overall.

Value - **1/2
These will run you $13.50 each if you buy the set, or $15 individually. If they were a mass market release that you could pick up at Toys R Us, I'd say they were about $5 too expensive. However, they are a very low run designer style figure, and they are on the low end in price when it comes to that market.

If they can nudge the overall quality of the paint and sculpt up just a bit - clean up those mold lines, sharpen up the edges between colors a bit - they'd snag at least another half star in this category as well. As it stands, I'm giving them the average.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***
The concepts behind the various characters and soda pops reminds me of the old Garbage Pail Kids, or the Marx Nutty Mads (the earliest 'urban vinyl'), and there's a real nostalgia-meets-modern feel to them. The packaging is a fun concept, and I look forward to what they do with the theme, particularly when they start working with some of the other designer artists out there.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Your best bet is directly from the Carbonation online store, where they are $15 each, or $81 for the set of six.

Related Links -
Be sure to hit the Carbonation Toys website, where you'll find all kinds of info on the figures.

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