Review of Monsters Inc. mini-cosbaby figures

Introduction

There are a ton of terrific movies coming out this summer - at least if previews are to be believed. I've already mentioned that I'm really looking forward to Despicable Me 2, but that's not the only great looking animated feature hitting screens in the next few months.

There's one more that has tremendous potential - Monsters University. Everything I've seen so far has me ready to buy my ticket, and it only helps that the original is one of my all time favorite Pixar movies.

Hot Toys has been running through the Pixar licenses with their cute little Cosbaby figures, so it's no surprise that we are getting a set based on the first film. Slightly surprising is that these aren't only individually packed like most of the previous Cosbaby releases. Instead, they come as a six pack of Boo, Sully, Mike, Monster Outfit Boo, Randall, and Diving Gear Mike. They also come single packed, for a slightly higher total cost.

This boxed set is just now shipping, and  run around $70, while the single pack figures will cost $12 or so, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
This set comes in a very nice collector friendly box, with terrific graphics and colors. There's a nifty insert as well that can be used as a background on the shelf.

Sculpting - Monster Boo, Both Mikes ***;  Boo, Sully **1/2; Randall **
These are definitely cute - that's their wheelhouse. Of course, the actual designs of these characters were pretty cute to begin with, so it's sort of like putting sugar on top of your Cinnabon. And that extra sweetening can be too much sometimes.

That's not the situation with either of the two Mike's or with the Boo dressed up in her Monster costume. All three of these look great, and I particularly like the plastic lens covered eyes on either Mike. I also like the dive suit in general - it's fairly unique, and is pretty accurate right down to the oven mitts. They're still not perfect (there's burrs from the molds, for example), but these three stand out for me.

The regular Boo and Sully aren't quite as good. Sully always suffers when he is smooth. The furry look is so critical to his overall style. There's something off about his jaw as well - it's awfully Leno-esque.

Boo is cute, but very basic. Without the hair, you'd have a tough time recognizing her, which can be problematic for this style overall.

And finally, there's Randall. He was the bad guy, the evil doer, the scary dude that even Mike and Sully feared. Here, not so much. In fact, I think he was an extra in another Pixar film...A Bug's Life. Poor Randall.

These figures run 2 -  3 1/2" or so, depending on the character.

Paint - Both Mikes, Sully, Monster Boo ***; Randall, Boo **1/2
On both Mikes, the Monster Outfit Boo, and Sully, the paint work is fairly clean and sharp. It's not perfect, and there's a lack of detailing, but you won't be sorely disappointed. You'll see slop around the tentacles on Boo's head, and the edges of Randall's eyes, but it's all minor issues.

My biggest issue is with the painted 'O' mouth expression on the regular Boo. It takes her out of character, and goes from cute to goofy manga.

Articulation - Both Mikes, Boo ***; Sully **1/2; Randall **; Monster Boo Bupkis
Most of these do not have the usual Cosbaby articulation.

The exception is really the standard Boo, who has the ball jointed neck, hips, and shoulders, as well as cut wrists. There's no cut waist, but she's at least close to the standard.

Both Mike's do the best they can. He is a big beach ball more or less, making the amount of articulation the body can have pretty limited.

He does have the ball shoulders and hips though, with cut wrists as well. That applies to both versions.

Sully and Randall are much less articulated. Sully has a cut neck and shoulders, while Randall has a cut neck and tail. That's way below average, even for a Cosbaby.

Then there's the Monster Outfit version of Boo. She's just a big PVC, with no articulation at all.

Accessories - *1/2
The only extra here is the hard hat for Mike. It fits over one horn, and looks good, but that's pretty light overall. A stuffed monster for Boo seems a no brainer.

Fun Factor - ***
While these aren't super articulated, they are very cute and kids will love them. Play is probably a bit of a stretch, since there's not a ton of conflict potential (Randall is just too damn cute to smack around), but that won't stop kids from liking them.

Value - **
With less articulation on these than most Cosbaby figures, the over $10 price tag is a bit harder to swallow. Several are just big PVC's, and even with the import costs the price tag seems excessive.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***
While I'd rank Randall at **1/2 and Monster Outfit Boo ***, I'm going to average it out over the boxed set and give them all a three as a group.

They certainly aren't cheap, and if I were buying the singles I'd be skipping Randall for sure. He looks way too cute for the character, a problem with the style for any of the bad guys.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - Monster Boo, Both Mikes ***;  Boo, Sully **1/2; Randall **
Paint - Both Mikes, Sully, Monster Boo ***; Randall, Boo **1/2
Articulation - Both Mikes, Boo ***; Sully **1/2; Randall **; Monster Boo Bupkis
Accessories - *1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Cosbaby reviews include the Avengers, the super cute POTC4 set and one of their early sets, Batman.

Jeff Parker has helped out with guest reviews of the Toy Story versions, Disney versions, Iron Man 2, Up, Mars Attacks, Iron Man, and Edward Scissorhands.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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