Groovie Goolies - BELLA LA GHOSTLY!

Filmation's Groovie Goolies - PVC Figurines - Bella La Ghostly - Chemtoy 1971

In 1970, Filmation aired an interesting cartoon called Groovie Goolies. This was an animated variety show that seemed like a mashup of The Addams Family and Laugh-In. There were quick "bad-dum-tss" joke vignettes, musical numbers, and wacky animated shorts. All the monsters lived together in Horrible Hall and had a beatnik vibe. My favorite is the building switchboard operator, the vampy Bella la Ghostly. Visually she looks like a typical cartoon vamp of the era, but with a bubbly Brooklyn-type accent a'la Janine Melnitz. There are several regular female characters in the show including Sabrina Spellman and Hagatha the Witch, but the tall Morticia-like characters are always my favorite. Despite the toyetic qualities of this series, the early 1970s weren't a time known for television merchandising. But luckily there was a line of PVC figurines by Chemtoy in 1971 (that now cost an absolute mint in collector's circles). I finally managed to nab Bella at a decent price. Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Retro - SPIDER-WOMAN!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Retro Series - Wave 8 - Spider-Woman - Hasbro 2023

I've been delaying making a post about this figure because I find it so depressing that this was the final release in the amazing Marvel Legends Retro line.  It was a short-lived line from 2021-2023 but managed to give up nine awesome female figures, all in a nostalgic "Secret-Wars-esque" style with costume and character choices specific to the late-70s-to-early-80s era. In my mind, Dazzler, She-Hulk, and Mystique would have been among the obvious next releases. But even if we would be destined to only get repaints, Julia Carpenter, White Elektra, and Mary Jane Watson (from Black Widow?) would have been welcome additions. I just saw so much potential in this line and was so sad to see it unceremoniously come to an early end (or "pause"). But luckily the final two figures, Firestar and this Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, were my most wanted figures, and they are pretty perfect. Few characters embody the Marvel gender revolution of this era like Spider-Woman. Let's check out Jessica below!

The New Adventures of Batman - BATGIRL!

Batman '66: The New Adventures of Batman (1977) - Batgirl - McFarlane 2024

I'm a huge fan of Filmation animation. I know everyone thinks Masters of the Universe (1983) is the epitome of Filmation's library (and maybe it is), but I personally love their earlier stuff even more: Teen Titans (1967), Space Sentinels (1977), Blackstar (1981), and Super7 (1978) are among my favorites. But there was always something special about their two contributions to Batman lore: The Adventures of Batman (1968) and The New Adventures of Batman (1977). The live-action Batman '66 show had ended in March of 1968 and Filmation picked up the torch and ran with it. By the '77 series they even got Adam West and Burt Ward to provide the voices. Melendy Britt (She-Ra) voiced Batgirl. This figure is a dream for me. It merges my love of Batgirl, action figures, and classic animation. At this stage in my toy collecting, my biggest joys come from filling in the very few obscure gaps I have left. So this figure has been high on my wishlist for a while. And she's perfect. Let's check out Batgirl below!

LooseCollector - VAMPIRELLA!

Vampirella -  1:12 Scale Action Figure - Executive Replicas LooseCollector 2023

I'm loving the character selection that LooseCollector has been producing. There are a lot of female comic and animation characters that are hypersexualized and not lumped into any large licensing group. Big toy companies won't bother with these ladies. Rather, they secure license deals that include hundreds of characters (not just one or two) and they have to stay pretty tame in order to market to big box stores and conservative audiences. This has left a whole genre of characters virtually unmerchandised for the collecting community. Vampirella is a prime example. Originally designed by Eisner-Award-Winning Trina Robbins in 1969, Vampirella has been oozing sexuality and dark vengeance for over five decades. But you would never see this costume in the Walmart toy aisles. But thankfully LooseCollector is on the case and is giving us great figures that blend in nicely with our 1:12 figures collections. (And I'll wish for it again, give us an Aeon Flux please!). Let's check out Vampirella below!

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - ILIA PROBE!

Star Trek - Warp Factor: Series 2 - Ilia Probe - Playmates 1997

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a landmark event for fandom.  I'm not talking about Star Trek fans specifically, but all geeks in general.  Star Trek: The Original Series ended in 1969, ten whole years before this motion picture came out.  This was largely to due to the show's popularity in syndication and an ever-growing fanbase.  I think we take it for granted that nostalgic properties are brought back to life easily today, but in the 1970s it was crazytalk.  Lieutenant Ilia was the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise who was killed by a probe of the alien entity V'Ger.  Soon after, V'Ger create another probe in the likeness of Ilia to return to the Enterprise and collect data (believing the enterprise was a living organism).  The probe was a complete duplication of Ilia down to a molecular level; even retaining her memories and personality.  Pure Sci-Fi genius if you ask me.  Ilia's important role and striking appearance made her a very memorable character.  Let's check her out below!