Horror Classics Mystery Minis - The Shining reviews

Hey, topical!

Funko Friday

Although it's impossible, now, to conceive of anyone other than Jack Nicholson playing The Shining's Jack Torrance, he wasn't Kubrick's only choice: the director also considered Robert De Niro and Robin Williams for the role. De Niro, who had by that point been in Taxi Driver, was "not psychotic enough"; Williams, who had only been in Mork & Mindy, was "too psychotic." Okay then.

All work and no play would make Jack a dull boy, but this is a toy, so therefore it must be thrilling! He's sculpted in his iconic look, with his plaid shirt, red rum coat, and axe. In real life, Jack Nicholson had been a volunteer fire marshal, so the first time he chopped down the bathroom door, he was too good at it and it gave way almost instantly - the crew had to build stronger versions to give him any actual trouble. (They also had to explain the "here's Johnny" reference to Stanley Kubrick, who had been living outside the US since before Johnny Carson took over The Tonight Show.)

The sculpt is surprisingly detailed, considering the stylization of Mystery Minis. The puckered material along the lower hem of his jacket would have been super easy to overlook or forget, and he's even got pockets on the back of his pants. His eyes and mouth are molded elements - the mouth showing teeth in a creepy grin, and the eyes set deep enough to allow for some bags to be painted beneath them. Plus, he's got those crooked Nicholson eyebrows tampographed on his forehead, and the hair is sculpted to look as perfectly disheveled as it did when he poked his head through the door.

Part of Series 3, Jack was available in a 1:12 ratio - in every case, in other words. And since that was before Funko started screwing us on the case layouts, you knew you could go to the front left corner on the bottom layer and get one. Then, last Halloween, Walgreens carried the series (a year after everyone else), and had a few exclusive variants: one of which was a 1:36 "frozen" Jack. It's the same mold as the regular release, just painted in tones of blue. Still a dang cool idea, though they could have speckled him with some snow or something to go with it.

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4 Responses to Horror Classics Mystery Minis - The Shining reviews

  1. Tom G. Wolf says:

    The paint on the Jack Mystery Mini is more detailed than on the full-size POP!

  2. Pink Parademon says:

    What's really fun about Ready Player One is that like, honestly? Every toy you already own can technically be part of it.

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