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Write a Review link for that item. Simpsons (Playmates) (Playmates)Halloween may have just been yesterday, but I'm still in a bit of a spooky mood. The World of Springfield Cemetery set by Playmates is my favorite release they've done as it pertains to Simpsons. It must have done very well back in 2000, as it got followed by three more Toys "R" Us-exclusive Treehouse of Horror sets. We would've gotten a fifth, but its cancellation wasn't due to the end of the line, but rather because Fox wanted an "Island of Dr. Hibbert" set when Playmates and everyone else wanted the Bad Dream House, and PM decided to do neither (I'd be happy with either, though). The third THOH set is similar to the first with four characters from different episodes on one location, but now a more specific one in the "Ironic Punishment Division." Coming from THOH IV's "The Devil and Homer Simpson," the set, despite the name, is actually outside the Ironic Punishment Division, made evident by the door on the wall. Like the Cemetery, the wall is only the back; nothing on the sides. It's not cardboard, though, but it is a separate piece that clicks onto the base easily, as well as some of the stalagmites. The set scales 9" long, 7" tall, and 6" wide, and the set is a great recreation of a specific scene from the episode, where as soon as Homer falls into Hell, he lands on a conveyor belt and is chopped up into bits, with some of his parts being scooped into a tub of "hot dog meat." The conveyor is on the front, being big enough to lay a figure onto it, and one of the little demons is sculpted onto the wall, alongside the lever he pulls and some metal stuff. The painted details on the wall have a consistent finish, but suffer from a lot of bleed. All of the stalagmites are made of rubber and have rounded tips, as to keep kids from stabbing themselves on them. There's some big stickers used on the set that look nice, though the backdrop doesn't line up exactly with the stalactites, leaving some gaps. And yes, the set is big enough for everyone and everything included. Befitting the source of the set, the Homer included here has had his head turned into a giant donut, with a bite taken out of it. The head is solid, heavy plastic, and brings his height up to about 5 7/8" tall. The expression for him is great, and the rest of the figure is newly sculpted, with his work shirt, tie, and watch. The legs are a new piece as well, having a slight bend rather than being straight like the standard Homer. The paint's alright, but like the set, he suffers from uneven edges and bleed. Homer has a yellow donut to hold, but they should've gone with a strawberry frosted donut to be accurate to the episode. Next up, from THOH VI's "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace," is Evil Willie. Burned to death by Homer's stupidity and everyone else's apathy, the late groundskeeper targets all the kids via their dreams. He's supposed to be a Freddy Kruger expy, with the sweater, grey pants, and fedora, but the figure lacks the stripes present in the source episode, probably because Playmates was afraid of interfering on some copyright. That aside, the sculpt is great, standing about 4 1/2" tall without the hat, and the expression is very fitting. The arms are designed to hold the rake, but they can take on some good poses without it, partially thanks to the deep stance. He also has some of the best paint in the set, with less bleed and slop than Homer. The next figure isn't a variant, but rather a unique character. It's Hugo Simpson, Bart's isolated presumed-evil-but-actually-good twin ("Oh, don't look so shocked.") from THOH VII's "The Thing and I." He's the smallest of the set at 3 1/2" tall, though still a bit too tall, as he should go up to Homer's chest, not his neck. That nitpick aside, he has another great sculpt, with an appearance appropriate to someone who has spent most of their life in an attic, with messy hair, some tearing on the edges of his clothes, crooked teeth, and a shackle on his leg. He also benefits from the best paint out of everyone here, with very minor issues. The pose of the arms is a little odd, alongside being a bit longer than they should, but they look great in certain poses. He has no accessories of his own, not even a pigeon-rat or a plate of fish heads, but there is a tub of "hot dog meat" from the episode, a nice little extra. Lastly, there's Marge in her witch form from THOH VIII's "Easy-Bake Coven." Thanks to the hair, she's the tallest of the four at 6 3/8", though the expression is pretty bland, being just a standard smiling face. A cackling expression would suit this variant much better, or at least adjust the eyes for a more devious look. The outfit and hair match the episode great, and they made the cloak out of rubber to keep it from interfering with articulation. The paint is a mixed bag as while a bold shade of green is used for the skin, she suffers from uneven edges on the eyes and ears. Everyone here has the standard four swivel joints - neck, shoulders, and waist - but it works the least for Marge since her arms are solely designed to hold the broom, and she won't look as good without it. Then we have the talking feature. Like usual, there's three pegs on the set: two on the base, and one on the conveyor, since that's the only spot they had room for the third peg. Pressing the buttons without anyone on the corresponding peg produces an anguished scream, possibly a Playmates employee who found out he wasn't getting the bonus he wanted. Placing a figure on them will give you a line from the episode. Homer: "If I don't finish this last bite, you don't get my soul, do you?"; "Mmmmm… forbidden donut…"; "Oh, but I'm so sweet and tasty!" Willie: "You'll pay for this… with your children's BLOOD!"; "I'll strike where ye cannot protect them, in their dreams!"; "When I'm done with ye, they'll have to do a compost mortem!" Hugo: "I went mad after they cut us apart, but I'll be sane once I put us back together."; "Do you know what it's like to be locked in an attic for ten years where your only friend is a baby food jar full of screws?!"; "*napkin eating sounds*" Marge: "*cackling*"; "That's right, I'm a witch!"; "We're here to eat your kids." Yeah, each character only has three lines each, which isn't a lot, but I assume they didn't have much to work with. As with the Cemetery, the set and figures are supposed to go only with each other, sort of. The King Homer and Fly-headed Bart from the Cemetery work with this set, albeit they'll spout Donut-head Homer and Hugo's lines, and vice versa if you put them on the Cemetery. Any other version of Willie works with the set, and this Willie works on any set they do. My guess is that Playmates pre-programmed the chips for the prior figures in advance, so they could easily reuse them here. Marge seems to be the only one with a unique chip, as the box notes she's not compatible with any other set. I wish Playmates made more figures beyond the four here and about five others work with it; Devil Flanders would work great with it. Sure, it's not quite as high on my list of favorite World of Springfield releases as the Cemetery (which, again, is number one), this set deserves some recognition for a unique location and great selection of characters, and will fit well with a Treehouse of Horror display. It's too bad the Ironic Punishment set McFarlane did a few years later is rare and expensive now, because these two will go side-by-side perfectly on the shelf. - 11/1/24    by RMaster007 |
| Don as Dracula |  | Submission Order |  | Radioactive Man |
| Treehouse of Horror 1 (Springfield Cemetery) | | Simpsons (Playmates) Series | | None |
| Don as Dracula | | Written by RMaster007 | | Radioactive Man |
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