Sonic Prime - BATTEN ROUGE!

Sonic Prime – 5” Action Figures Wave 4 - Batten Rouge - Jakks Pacific 2024

Sonic Prime, the CGI-animated show on Netflix, concluded earlier this year after three seasons and tons of toys. In total, there were sixteen 5" figures released and thirteen 2.5" figures. And that was all in a short 9-month period between July 2023 and March 2024. The theatrical movies only get a fraction of those numbers, so Prime had quite a big push in the merchandising department. There were seven female figures total, and this final figure, the 5" Batten Rouge is one I photographed way back in March but never got around to posting. This cartoon had a multiverse gimmick (the Shatterverse) that presented the main characters in a variety of thematic alternate realities. The "No Place" world featured a lot of pirate-deco'd characters, including one of my favorite Sonic ladies, Rouge the Bat. This figure is nearly identical to her 2.5" version released in 2023, so I don't have a lot to say about her (one of the reasons I postponed this review), but this truly is a cool toy on her own merits. Let's check out Rouge below!

Sonic Prime - ROUGE TROOPER (THE GRIM)!

Sonic Prime - The Grim (2.5" 3-Pack) - Rouge Trooper - Jakks Pacific 2024

Sonic Prime is the most recent animated incarnation of the Sonic Universe. It airs on Netflix and has the unique gimmick of having a multiverse (the Shatterverse) that contains alternate thematic variations of all the characters we know and love. It's basically made for toy merchandising. The darkest and creepiest alternate universe (imo) is The Grim. The Grim is devoid of life and features dark robot inhabitants. This 3-Pack features the generic clones of Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic. This is essentially a troop builder set. Each character also has a single unique (Alpha) Grim version as well featuring a slightly different design than these troopers. Alpha Grim Rouge is this singular version of Rouge (easily distinguishable by her red eyes). As far as I know, we will only be getting toys of the troopers (I saw the 5" Sonic Trooper in Target today). I would love to display an Alpha Grim Rouge flanked by two Rouge Troopers, but alas, it's just not meant to be. Let's check out Rouge Trooper below!

Sonic Prime - BATTEN ROUGE!

Sonic Prime - No Place (2.5" 3-Pack) - Batten Rouge - Jakks Pacific 2023

It's funny to think that a few short years ago, Rouge that Bat seemed to be one of the most fan-demanded Sonic characters for inclusion in a toy line. The Jazwares line from 10 years ago often had rumors of a Rouge, but nothing ever materialized. So instead it was the elusive 2005 Toy Island figure that became a grail for collectors and fueled the demand for an updated version. But since last year, Jakks Pacific has been answering our prayers and has given us two classic Rouge figures (in both 4" and 2.5" scale) as well as this 2.5" pirate-themed Batten Rouge from Sonic: Prime. Plus there is at least one more coming soon (a 5" version of this design). I'm personally hoping for a Prim Rouge figure with her cool leafy design from the Boscage Maze portion of the Shatterverse. But I'm thrilled with anything. It's a shame that these 2.5" figures from Sonic: Prime only seem to be coming in multipacks. But so far my excitement over the characters has overtaken my frugal nature. Let's check out Batten Rouge below!

Sonic - ROUGE THE BAT!

Sonic the Hedgehog - 2.5" Series Wave 10 -  Rouge the Bat - Jakks Pacific 2022

In my experience, Rouge the Bat has always been one of the more obscure Sonic characters. As a non-gamer who instead monitors merchandise like a superfan, I've been aware of her since shortly after her first toy in 2005 (she debuted in Sonic Adventure 2, 2001). As the second Sonic female to be immortalized in plastic, and as one of my favorite animals, I have often proclaimed her as my favorite. But casual fans (and even some frequent players) of the Sonic franchise have looked at me blankly when I speak of her. But I just saw images of new product for the 2022 Sonic Prime show on Netflix and it looks like Rouge is a core character. Granted, her initial toys have her in a black bodysuit with a beret (and perhaps going by the name Rebel Rouge), it still looks like she will be decently featured in the toy aisles for the next year or so. This 2.5" classic Rouge essentially seems like a scaled-down version of her 2022 version (with new hands), but I think she's great. Let's check her out below!

MOTU Revelation - EVIL-LYN!

Masterverse Series 7 - Masters of the Universe Revelation - Evil-Lyn - Mattel 2023

My favorite part about Masters of the Universe: Revelation was the character development. In the vintage show, most characters ended the series the exact same way they started. But Revelation took us on a journey - and not just and internal one. My two favorite characters in the series (Teela and Evil-Lyn) each had several significant design changes as the series progressed. And my absolute favorite was when Evil-Lyn temporarily became the Sorceress of Grayskull and (as opposed to Teela-Na being adorned in a wholesome falcon motif) she was suddenly wearing this diabolical bat outfit. It looks awesome. Of course, it also raises the question of whether or not she had a "Zoar" form. I don't remember a bat from the cartoon or comics, but I'm intrigued enough to investigate later tonight. When I watch the series on Netflix, this was instantly my most wanted design for the Masterverse line. I'm glad we got her so quickly and that she is so well executed. Let's check her out Sorceress Evil-Lyn below!

Sonic - ROUGE THE BAT!

Sonic the Hedgehog - 4" Series Wave 8 - Rouge the Bat - Jakks Pacific 2022

Almost exactly a year ago I was groaning about the disappointing gender diversity in the Jakks Pacific Sonic the Hedgehog line. At that point, the line had been constantly putting out product for two years without a single female character. There were two things about this that particularly bugged me: One, there are a ton of great females in the Sonic universe (most of which has never been made into toys), and Two, the product on the shelves seemed to be the same four (male) characters released over and over again. In short, I saw it as lame wasted effort for a potentially dynamic toyline. But then news came of a 4" Amy Rose for the Fall of 2021 quickly followed by this 4" Rouge the Bat in Spring of 2022. (Plus a Classic Amy in the 2.5" line and an upcoming 2.5" Rouge). It seems like they're making up for lost time. It's not just females either, the male lineup is finally adding some b-listers: Mighty, Espio, Vector and Ray. This Rouge is terrific. I've always loved her design and this figure captures her perfectly.

The Ladies of TOP WING!

Nick Jr's Top Wing - Penny, Betty, and Shirley Squirrely - Hasbro/Playskool 2019

I have a real fondness for modern preschool toys. I don't normally get over-sentimental about these cute blobs of plastic, but when I walk down those toy aisles, I can't help but imagine my younger self seeing these selections and going wild. I may be exaggerating, but I feel like kid toys in the 80s were inundated by trucks, farm animals, and plushies. So seeing adorable articulated anthropomorphic action figures hanging on the pegs stirs up all kinds of (hypothetical) nostalgia. My current obsession is the Nick Jr property, Top Wing, which features a paradoxical group of bird pilots. I first noticed the puffin and penguin characters and I excitedly thought they would all be flightless birds ironically flying planes, but the Blue Jay throws that fun theme askew unfortunately. The character designs remind me of a throwback to 80's staples like Shirt-tales and the Getalong Gang, too. I especially got hooked when I started seeing non-bird characters like Betty Bat and Shirley Squirrely. Love some animal diversity! Let's check them out.

Sonic the Hedgehog's ROUGE THE BAT!

Sonic the Hedgehog: SonicX - Rouge the Bat - Toy Island 2005

Sonic the Hedgehog was a major obsession for me as a teenager.  I only had the game on a Sega Game Gear but it still made a lasting impression.  When Jazwares got the toy licence several years ago, my interest was renewed and I started buying all the highly-articulated tiny figures without hesitation.  In the process of collecting these new figures, I discovered a previous line produced by Toy Island.  This earlier line is especially notable to me because they produced two females which Jazwares never got around to: Cream the Rabbit and Rouge the Bat.  These figures are super hard to come by so hopefully Tomy (who now has the license) will get to them eventually.  Their rarity on the secondary market makes direct comparison with the more modern versions hard to come by.  I was personally shocked at the large size of Rouge when I finally got her.  She towers over the Jakks figures, but she's still an awesome addition to my tiny Sonic collection.  Let's check out Rouge below!