{"id":17322,"date":"2012-03-03T23:59:50","date_gmt":"2012-03-04T05:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17322"},"modified":"2012-09-11T22:23:26","modified_gmt":"2012-09-12T03:23:26","slug":"mattel-ghostbusters-stay-puft-marshmallow-man-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17322","title":{"rendered":"Mattel Ghostbusters Stay
Puft Marshmallow Man Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>As I\u2019ve mentioned before, I\u2019ve got quite the review backlog going and some of the figures have been waiting for awhile. Rather than get further behind by trying to still fit them into the regular schedule, I\u2019m going to do some occasional weekend reviews. I\u2019m starting with Mattel\u2019s Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. <\/p>\n

I intend for these weekend spotlights to be briefer than the average IAT fare, but this one ran long and ended up at normal review length. Hopefully that won’t happen every time (and hopefully I’ll get these posted on Saturday mornings). The items featured here will mostly be from the last year, but stuff that never made it into the regular rotation for one reason or another. For Stay Puft, that was mostly due to his massive size. He’s bigger than I could photograph with my normal setup. So, in advance, let me apologize that the pics aren\u2019t as bright and sharp as I usually like to feature here at IAT. <\/p>\n

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Now I don’t have to give any background on Stay Puft, right? This guy’s somewhat iconic, right? Like Superman or Oprah? Okay, well… maybe not Oprah, but close. Anyway, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is one of my favorite things. Ever. Sitting at my desk, there are stickers and buttons of Stay Puft looking down at me from my wall. In my desk is a notepad \u2013 that\u2019s never going to get used \u2013 in the shape of Stay Puft. I didn\u2019t have time to go pull it out of the toy cellar, but there\u2019s a box in there with pencil sharpeners, erasers, mugs, etc. If you put Stay Puft on it, chances are that I\u2019m going to want it. So, when Mattel announced they were going to include Stay Puft in their Ghostbuster line, I had to have it. But like a lot of Mattel\u2019s Ghostbusters line, every silver lining seems to have a storm cloud. <\/p>\n

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There have been a handful of toy representations of Stay Puft over the years. I still have my old, scuffed-up, flood-surviving Kenner version. I snagged the NECA version before it became super rare. I’ve picked up or still intend to pick up most of the DST offerings, particularly the Minimates (I’m missing the first Stay Puft ‘mate. It completely slays me, but his second-hand prices are too crazy for me, even for a Stay Puft). Clocking in around 22″, Mattel\u2019s Stay Puft is by far the largest. Since bigger is better in his case, he should be my favorite, but the reason I stopped to point out all the prior versions just now is that Mattel’s Stay Puft is my least favorite. <\/p>\n

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While I was originally stoked to pick this guy up (and I can’t be completely cold, I still enjoy having him despite some issues), I can’t help but feel like Mattel really over-thought their version and pulled a defeat from the jaws of victory. I give Mattel the benefit of the doubt because I think the idea to make him squishy was interesting, but poorly executed. I also hope that the soft foam used to make Stay Puft was cheaper for Mattel (and for us) because if it cost more to make him this way… well, that’s just depressing. <\/p>\n

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First, the soft foam just ends up being too much of a drawback because it takes damage really, really easily. Mattel knew this too – an insert was included in the package that reminded buyers to be extra careful with him and there was a thin layer of cushion placed on the inside of the packaging to keep his belly from touching the outer box (which didn’t work in my case, the ribbing in the cardboard is visible in relief on his tummy). Even though he came a little roughed up, some creases in addition to the spot on his belly, I did my best to be extra careful like the insert (and common sense) advised. But my Stay Puft is still covered in dents and dings. It doesn’t take much pressure, from a thumb, another nearby figure, or even a wall. My Stay Puft ended up pushed back against the wall behind my shelf. The paint is textured and now that ‘pattern’ is permanently etched in a section on my Stay Puft’s backside. I’ve got some pics of the various damaged areas in the Page Two Gallery. Continue to Page Two…<\/a><\/p>\n

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There’s also the issue of discoloration. On the Fwoosh<\/a>, Mattycollector<\/A>, and various Ghostbusters forums, collectors are reporting that their Stay Pufts are yellowing. I haven’t had to deal with this too much yet, my Stay Puft looks mostly yellow-free in person, though it’s clear in the pics that the arms don’t quite match the body anymore. Toy Guru has posted that Mattel is aware of the problem and “hope to have an update soon<\/a>“. <\/p>\n

How crappy is this? Well, it’s pretty crappy, enough so that I haven’t sorted out my feelings on it yet. Mine’s not that yellow yet, but it’s inevitably going to get worse. And let’s face it, Mattel’s not really obligated to do anything about it other than ensuring that we can get our money refunded if we return Stay Puft. I’m not outraged, I don’t feel entitled to anything (other than my money back if I so choose), and I don’t really know what I’d do if Mattel were to make a big public “return your Stay Pufts” statement like they did with the Goddess (which I still need to return\u2026). Honestly, I bet I could call up Digital River (a couple times or more) and get a refund now if I wanted to, so I\u2019m not sure what I even need Mattel to do at this point other than to start making better decisions. <\/p>\n

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Putting the materials issue aside for a second, most of the rest would’ve been acceptable. The face is a little off, but I can’t quite put my finger on why (just compare it to the DST bank which nailed it in my opinion). There are five points of articulation which is pretty much the most you can ask for on Stay Puft. While the legs don’t do much, you can get him into some stable poses with one foot partially lifted for at least the illusion of walking. <\/p>\n

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I should also mention the packaging. The packaging is admittedly cool. It’s so massive that I don’t really have the room to assemble it for display (let alone photographing) and I may never use it, but it makes for a great diorama and protective backing for Stay Puft (can’t get wall-burn in there!) if you have the room. Unfortunately, the setup isn’t even close to being in-scale with the 6″ figures (though it might look great with Minimates). I’ve got a partially folded out pic in the Page 2 Gallery, but for proper pics check out VeeBee’s product sample pics of the front<\/a> and back<\/a> over at the Fwoosh. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I don’t regret picking up this Stay Puft. I love the Marshmallow Man and I think he’s a cool piece to own in this size. The problems come in waves after that though. First, is the understanding that this guy just wasn’t worth the $70 to begin with. Mattel tags most of what I buy from them as an adult collectible and I’m cool with that, but I think Stay Puft is taking the notion of an adult collectible a little too far. When they have to protect him from his own packaging and include a note telling buyers to be extra careful when handling him, then it starts to feel like we shouldn’t even be touching the figure. He does looks cool and, no, I’m not really going to play with him, so one might think that the arrangement could suit my needs, but it doesn’t. Not when the figures takes damage from the wall he’s standing next to. <\/p>\n

And then there’s the yellowing. Maybe I’ll feel differently when mine gets noticeably more yellow or have a stronger reaction to whatever Mattel’s CPI (“Can’t Prove It!”) Department discovers while they’re looking into it, but for right now… I’m just a bit dumbfounded. I wish there had been someone sensible in the planning stages to say “skip the gimmick and just use plastic” or “just use vinyl”. If Mattel wanted to go for something more authentic than standard materials, then this guy should’ve been made of evil and marshmallows, not some unproven soft foam. Less definitely would’ve been more in this case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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