There’s been a renaissance—a reawakening if you want to say the same thing in a different language—of the classic ’80s and ’90s Disney Afternoon programming, and those in my generation are pretty happy about it. Disney XD’s DuckTales reboot means the first major flagship series is back on TV screens (and is super great, if you ask us), and merchandise tied to the original versions of the characters have been popping up all summer. Now, Funko, who already gave us Disney Afternoon characters in their iconic POP! and Mystery Minis lines, is adding some articulate action figuring to the lineup.
First up is the ol’ Scottish money-swimmer himself, Scrooge McDuck, sporting his trademark cane and, fittingly, a bag of money. Though the character has been around for quite a long time in the comics, DuckTales gave Scrooge McDuck a resurgence and made him, for a time, one of the A-list Disney characters. Well-deserved, we think.
To commemorate Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Funko is offering a Chip figure with his Indiana Jones hat and bomber jacket, and Dale with his Magnum, P.I. Hawaiian shirt. Perfect for when sometimes some crimes go slipping through the cracks. Dale also comes with Zipper, the Rangers’ little fly buddy, who has somehow lived 4 million times longer than a fly is supposed to.
TaleSpin was one of my very favorites as a kid, because it was just so nuts. Take the main animal characters from The Jungle Book, make Baloo the bear a cargo pilot, King Louie a bar owner, and Shere Khan a gangster. Bananas! Baloo was the best pilot in the world, though (sorry Launchpad), and was more than a match for those dreaded air pirates.
And finally, a couple of figures from your favorite caped crime fighter from St. Canard, Darkwing Duck, star of the cartoon series of the same name. The action figure version has his patented gas gun, and there’s a Chase variant which is his negative version, which eventually gave rise to his arch nemesis Negaduck. This was Disney’s attempt at a Batman-esque crime fighter, and Darkwing’s rogues gallery is nearly as robust.
All of these figures will be released in November, just in time to start stuffing stockings. Which Disney Afternoon show was your favorite? What figures do you hope Funko makes eventually? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Funko
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s written the animation retrospectives Batman: Reanimated, X-Men: Reanimated, Cowboy Rebop, and Samurai reJacked. Follow him on Twitter!
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