Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular roundup of the coolest toys and merch we’ve seen on the internet lately. This week the Black Widow movie slinks its way into the world of Lego, plus there’s Batmen aplenty, and a very adorable excuse to let those meddling kids get away with solving crime. Check it out!
Playmobil Scooby-Doo
For 2020 Playmobil is once again venturing into the world of licensed properties—following the success it had with toys based on the Ghostbusters films—starting with TV’s favourite crime-solving Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. The first sets will be available this month (exclusively at Walmart in the U.S. until June — Australian release currently unconfirmed) and include a $US13 ($19) figure pack with Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and a ghost, as well as a $US45 ($65) Mystery Machine set featuring the gang’s psychedelic van and Fred, Daphne, and Velma Playmobil figures. Both sets also include lots of mystery-solving accessories like flashlights, magnifying glasses, and Scooby Snacks. Also available will be a collection of 12 blind-bagged collectible mystery figures based on famous villains from the Scooby-Doo animated series.
Hot Toys Batman: Arkham Knight Batman Beyond Sixth-Scale Figure
Perhaps it is asking too much of Hot Toys to transform Terry McGinnis’ iconic look from Batman Beyond into one of its insanely detailed sixth-scale toys. After all, part of Beyond’s design brilliance is its smooth, futuristic simplicity—how it completely encompasses Terry’s face and form as this singular mass of black future-Spandex. So we guess going for the version unlockable as a suit variant in Batman: Arkham Knight, which re-imagines Beyond as black-and-red-and-gunmetal tactical suit, is understandable, if a little disappointing, because, well…it’s creepy as all hell and not really the Beyond suit.
Still, Hot Toy’s latest Batman is still as impressive as he is nightmarish—coming with the appropriate oodles of alternate hands to pose him with, batarangs, and a series of bat-accessories from the game, including a grapnel gun, pistol, disruptor gun, explosive gel, and more. In an extremely not-schway move though, you’ll be waiting until 2021 to put this on your bat-shelf. [Hot Toys]
Super Mario Vicious Vegetation Piranha Plant Posable Lamp
You can now make your desk as dangerous as the Mushroom Kingdom with this $US55 ($80) Piranha Plant LED lamp available for pre-order from Merchoid. Mercifully, the plant won’t aggressively chomp in your direction when you sit down to work. Instead, its adjustable neck allows you to aim an LED hidden in the plant’s gaping maw to illuminate your work space, computer, or the screen of the original GBA handheld. (It was nearly unplayable.) The lamp’s USB-powered, however, so don’t expect it to light up an entire room. You’ll need a fire flower for that.
Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective Batman 1989 Edition Figure
It’s a year late for the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton’s original Batman film, which showed the world that comic book movies could be wonderful—but we’ll still gladly take Mezco Toyz new One:12 Collective 1989 Edition Batman figure based on Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the Dark Knight.
Standing just shy of seven inches tall, the figure still includes loads of articulation, endless accessories like batarangs and a grappling gun, swappable hands, three head portraits including one with movable eyes, and two magnetically attached capes including one with a wire structure that can be posed along with the $US110 ($160) figure. It won’t ship until sometime this spring, but you can pre-order it over on the Mezco Toyz website right now.
Super Mario Coaster and Super Mario Blocks Toddler Toys
With Super Nintendo World slated to open at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka this winter, 2020 is going to be another big year for Mario. Traditionally the cutoff for Mario fandom has been an age when kids can handle a gamepad, but soon even toddlers will know the joys of squashing Goombas and leaping over piranha plants with these new kids toys from Japan’s Kawada. Both the Super Mario coaster and building blocks (around $50 and $45, respectively) are already available, and despite the recommended age range, each of these seem like pretty fantastic desk distractions for adults stuck at work all day.
Lego Black Widow Black Widow’s Helicopter Chase
A new Marvel movie cometh, and that means Marvel movie merch to go with it. Announced as part of a new wave of items, from apparel to Funko Pops, to coincide with the Black Widow movie in a few months, Lego’s contribution to the marketing hysteria is this 271 piece set. Inspired by action sequences glimpsed in the trailer, the set features minifigures of Black Widow (it’d be pretty sucky if it didn’t!), Taskmaster, and Yelena, as the two Widows bike their way into a helicopter chase. Will Nat’s… glowsticks be able to save the day? Probably! It’s Lego, so you’re only limited by your imagination. The set launches in March ahead of the movie, and will set you back around $45. [Marvel]
UNO Pokémon Sword & Shield
Monopoly has repeatedly shown the world that an old game can feel new again with a novelty facelift, and Mattel is hoping that the pocket monsters from Pokémon Sword & Shield can do the same for UNO: the classic card game that teaches you how to remember when you’ve only got one card left in your hand. When available starting in February in Japan, the $20 deck will play exactly like UNO always has, but with the addition of a couple of extra special rule cards giving players a couple of extra tricks as they battle each other.