Toy Review: Fresh Monkey Fiction Naughty or Nice, Wave 2: Barbarian Santa

Last year I looked at four figures from the first wave of Fresh Monkey Fiction's "Naughty or Nice" line of Christmas themed action figures. As a reminder, these are 6-inch collectable toys in a similar style to the Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black lines. As someone who's quite literally been waiting decades for a toy company to realize there was a market for this sort of thing, I was elated. While those reviews were running, I was waiting on three figures I'd preordered the year before from the second wave. These were originally expected before Christmas, but their arrival got pushed back a few months due to issues shipping them overseas.

Today, I'm going to be looking at "Barbarian Santa," the only Deluxe figure I picked up this year. In this line, "Deluxe" mainly means the figure comes with more or better accessories, though I'm not convinced that's really the case here, as I'll discuss in more depth when I get to that section.

First let's talk about the figure itself. Unlike the other figures I've picked up, I'm at a bit of a loss to identify any particular source of inspiration for the concept. Various incarnations of Santa have included elements of this, including the one in Violent Night, but I can't think of any that are all that close a match to this design. Perhaps this is a nod to Odin serving as a major influence on Santa's mythos. You could also see this as tongue-in-cheek attempt to produce a Santa fitting in with Masters of the Universe.

Alternatively, this may just be a wholly original concept - there are a decent number of toys in this line that don't seem based on any particular iteration of the character. As a rule, I tend to gravitate towards more recognizable concepts when it comes to these figures: the first ones I order tend to be those from folklore or that reference specific stories. But in this case I made an exception, because... well....

He's just so damn fun. There's nothing more complicated than that this time: the concept and design just feel absurdly inspired. Between the Christmas-themed tattoos, the polar bear cape and hood, the reindeer axe... I just love it. 

That more or less spoils any suspense over my feelings about the figure - I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Subjective appreciation aside, let's talk quality. Sculpt and paint are on par with the first wave: so far, this line has exceeded my expectations when it comes to producing toys as good or better than what the big companies are doing. Articulation is the same as before, so go read one of those reviews if you're interested. I will say the joints feel a little looser this time, making the figures slightly harder to pose, but we're talking incremental differences here.

When it comes to accessories, things get a bit complicated. On one hand, this features some of the best extras I've seen in this wave. The cape, enhanced with wire in the edges, is a huge improvement over the one that came with the Deluxe Krampus, the axe looks wonderful, and the polar bear hood is delightful (though it doesn't sit as neatly over the cape as you'd like. Technically, the figure's fur gauntlets are accessories - they look great, too, though I can't imagine displaying the figure without them. 

The problem is that there's really not much else. You get a couple sets of hands, a gift box, and a base. The hands are nice - these include both a closed fist and one tilting away from the wrist, permitting the figure to point his axe forward. The gift box is the same as those from wave 1, repainted to be thematically appropriate to the character (note the metallic ribbon). The base is as superfluous as it was in the last wave: it's not much to look at, but it's not necessary for getting the figure to stand, either.

Between the gauntlets, axe, cape, and hood, the figure really comes with everything it needs, but not much else. At a lower price point, that'd be perfect; as a "Deluxe" offering going for almost fifty bucks... I'm not so sure. Part of me thinks this is all a little light for the price, particularly compared against other figures from the same line. An alternate head would have gone a long way towards the sense you were getting a good value.

On the other hand, it's all a bit silly to dwell on what amounts to an academic issue. When I look at this as a reviewer it feels like the accessories are lacking, but as a collector... well... I really don't feel like it needs anything else. And while I do think this was maybe a stretch at $50, it's hard to get worked up over a $12 difference for a toy that's this delightful.