Shrek Plush

From the time I saw the first trailer for the movie Shrek I knew that I was going to be getting a piece or two from the inevitable action figure line - the character was so gosh-darned appealing, and he was green! Needless to say, when I heard that McFarlane had the license, I had mixed feelings. While his figures are usually dead on in the likeness department, the play value is usually nil, the figures usually being more in the way of slightly poseable statues  than actual "action figures." And, face it, they don't tend to be the best things for three-year-olds whose idea of "play" is to pound one figure with another until one goes to pieces.  

Well the McFarlane line turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, with the actual figures being rather traditional McFarlane (that is, excellent sculpts, so-so play value), while some of the other items in the line (the playsets, the beanies, the plush) were top notch. One of the first items I came across was what I considered to be the "Holy Grail" of the initial push, the large "plush" figure of the title character. So, how does he stack up, you ask?

Packaging - ***
A nice box, open on the front and top with attractive Shrek graphics and logo. You could leave him on display in the box and still touch him, or snip the five or six twisty ties holding him in, play with him a bit, then put him back in for display. Myself, I just recycled the thing, not being a collector of cardboard.

Sculpt - ****
Excellent! Of course, only the head and hands are truly sculpted, with the body being "soft-sculpted" (and minimally at that, but what there is has been terrifically done! Of particular note are the eyes, which are not merely sculpted and painted (like McFarlane's previous plush of Mini-Me) but are actually "doll eyes," giving the figure's face a life-like dimension unattainable without them. And that grin - a friend who had no idea of the movie's existence and not a clue as to who Shrek was fell in love with him immediately! Even my wife is a sucker for him. The head and hands are made out of a soft rubber as well, not a hard plastic, like the aforementioned Mini-Me.

Value - **1/2
Really more of a $15-$18 figure, he goes for $24 at Toys R Us, although he may be a few bucks less if and when he shows up at Target and Wal-Mart. These aren't shipping too heavily, though, so don't count on a markdown. Still, how can you truly put a price on such a great buddy?

Accessories - no stars 
No accessories, although why would you expect any, given the nature of a plush?

Outfit - ***1/2
Well, I suppose it's technically his body, but it's dead on to what you see in the movie, right down to the frayed cuffs (which are serged above the fraying to keep it from getting frayed out of hand). And, yes, the vest comes off. He woulda gotten five stars if his shirt came off as well.

Articulation - **1/2
The box says "fully articulated" but that's not completely true. Yes, this is a stuffed doll and, yes, he has a wire armature to help him move, but he doesn't really hold any positions (other than seated) very well. It would have been nice if Todd had spent the extra buck to give him one of those ball and socketed skeletons that Disney uses on some of their stuffed dolls - they're durable and work well for this sort of figure. As it stands, I may yet stick one in there myself.

Overall - ***1/2
I really, really like this guy, and I suspect he may hold a place of honor in our master bedroom figure/doll display for some time to come. If you only get one Shrek figure, this is the one!