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When Todd Toys came out with the rock n' roll line, the big question for me was 'why?' If you think about it, like heroes, these folks are larger then life icons, basically folk-heroes. They are symbols of chaos, hope, love, anger, sexuality, freedom, just like the two-dimesional characters in our books and movies. That power can be translated very well into a figure. Maybe it's the heavy-metal power of Kiss, the psychedelic bliss of Janice Joplin, these figures can convey the same sense of power as any other super-hero. However, it does take something besides good sculpting and a blister pack for this to work. Let's be frank here, a well-sculpted Janice Joplin is, just another women. But, add a funky stand, a good pose, then you've got something special. This has been captured very well by Todd Toy's rock n' roll line. Here are a few more ideas, Mr. McFarlane. And to any rock n' roll elitists out there, I left out any Elvis pieces since there are a plethora of them out already.
1. The Beatles from the Sgt Pepper cover. Ideally, you would recreate the entire cover. This would also take a box the size of a 27" TV set. Let's settle for the Fab Four in their classic, colorful costumes, standing around the Sgt Pepper logo, each with their trade-mark instruments.
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band from the Born in the USA tour. All members of the E St. Band, from Clarence blowing his sax to Might Max pounding his drum kit. At centert, Bruce in raggedy t-shirt and bandana with his Telecaster, a darkened American flag in the background. Yes, I'm a die-hard 'Broooooose' fan, and I'm committing sacrilege by mentioning this tour before the Dardness on the Edge of Town tour. However, we're talking about icons here, and there are few more powerful then the Boss screaming 'Born in the USA' and reminding us of the tarnished American dream in 1984.
3. Michael Jackson in his out-fit from Billy Jean. Comes with a stand with floor tiles that duplicate the light-up effect from the video. This figure should have articulation that will allow Michael to be in all sorts of cool dance poses. Beat It and Thriller have more famous out-fits, but Billy Jean had the classier look, made music videos an art-form, and made Michael not simply a star, but a legend.
4. Jimmie Hendrix, from any album. All you need is the Man, his 'axe,' perhaps a burning guitar in front of him. 'Nuff said.