Ren Hoek

Palisades' preview Fire Dogs set showed that their Ren & Stimpy figures had the potential to be pretty good. Now that the regular figures are starting to show up, we're not being let down. Ren Hoek is a tiny asthmahound Chihuahua, and definitely more the Type A personality in the pair. His small size conceals a righteous fury, though you wouldn't know it to look at this figure. While Firedog Ren had a sad face, the regular version is sporting a much happier head sculpt. His ears are up, his eyes are open wide and he's got a big toothy grin on his face. Unfortunately, that allowed for a bit of paint error: the dark brown that defined the inside of his lip is very uneven, spilling all over the teeth and mouth. It's kind of disappointing, and not a common error for Palisades. Ren's strutting around, naked as the day he was whelped. The sculpt is very good, perfectly capturing his little pot belly and the exposed lumps of his spine. The only thing missing is a tail - sometimes Ren had one and sometimes he didn't so Palisades had a choice to make with the figure. They went for the smooth-bottomed version. It's a shame, since this face really makes it look like Ren would be wagging his tail. There's a bit of trouble balancing Ren, but once you find a pose that works for him, he'll be fine. He moves at the big five, and his shoulders have to be two of the smallest balljoints I've ever seen. Ren's left arm is cocked in a strange presentational pose (imagine him doing Vanna White's job) that really limits what you can do with him. These are expensive figures, but in true Palisades style, they come with loads of accessories. When it's time to relax, Ren's got a fez and a wingback chair. To keep his smile its shiniest, he's got a toothbrush. He's also got a few accessories that really belong to his partner, Stimpy: a bag of Gritty Kitty Kitty Litter, a sack containing $47 million and a remote control. What's the remote control? Why, it's the remote control to the Happy Helmet from "Stimpy's Invention." How can we get the Happy Helmet Remote and NOT get the Happy Helmet with either figure? It's blasphemy! Pah! Knowing Palisades, I'm sure they have one in the works, but still. Included with each figure in this series is an individually blister packed Log. Yes, Log; all kids love Log! Ren's got Adventure Log, a stump with real facial moss mimicking the old flocked GIJoes. The texture of the cracked bark and the spongy moss is great, and the fact that Log's not in a clamshell is already a huge plus in its favor. Clamshells = lame. Out of this first series of figures, Ren is probably the weakest, but only because his scrawny little body didn't give Palisades a lot of room to work with. What's your favorite Ren & Stimpy episode? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.

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