I had to rush my cat to the emergency room the other day; I’ve lost movement and function of my right shin; I STILL owe PayPal $500. But you know what is stressing me out the most? Deciding which figure to take to the office on Take Your Action Figure to Work Day on March 6. I want to go big – I mean at least ¼ big. And if I do bring a figure to work, where should I put it? Well, I was thinking:
40” Jakks Pacific Godzilla – I discovered this figure at Kmart almost one year ago, having no idea it was being released. It was only $40. A dollar an inch! It reminded me so much of the shooting fist, wheeled feet Shogun Warriors Godzilla of my youth. (I sold that figure to an old friend from the gym in my early twenties.) It’s definitely a toy, and not an “adult collectible.” And that’s fine with me! I imagine him near the front entrance of the office.
¼ Scale NECA Big Red Predator – Calling this Predator figure ¼ scale is an injustice to 7-feet-2-inch actor Kevin Peter Hall, who portrayed the creature in the first two movies. To be fair, I’m talking about Big Red, from the fan film Batman Dead End, and not the original Predator. I have no idea how tall the Dead End actor is, nor can I properly identify the man who portrayed him. But, true ¼ scale would have made the figure 21.5 inches. Regardless, this guy is one of my favorites. He’s beautiful. He’d have to be on my desk somewhere.
31” Wicked Cool Toys: The Rock – This is the figure you would use to drive in the carpool lane. It’s like a small child. And being a human, rather than a monster or masked hero, makes him all the more interesting. I joke that I didn’t collect this figure, but rather, adopted him. (I’m also happy to share that my sister and brother-in-law have a 31” John Cena waiting for me next time I visit them!) I thought I’d never get any figures this size. But it wouldn’t be the first time, or the last time, that I’ve broken a promise to myself regarding collecting. I could see The Rock standing near my boss' office door.
31” Hasbro Spider-Man - I think it was Spidey who opened the flood gates for me and 31” figures. He was on sale for $24.99 at Toys R Us, and I suppose that was the number I needed after passing on him at $34.99. As I brought him home I thought, “Where will I put him?!” The only place I could think of was a spot in my closet, under my belts and ties. Yes, Spider-Man is in the closet. And what he lacks in articulation he makes up for in fun. It’s pretty great having a 31” Spider-Man figure. For some reason I see him near a printer.
17” Mezco Frankenstein – I love, love, love this guy. Even before hearing about Take Your Action Figure To Work Day I literally wanted to take this action figure to work. And not only work, I wanted to take pictures of him all over town - sitting on the subway, standing on the sidewalk, laying on the beach! By chance, within just a couple of days of getting him, I stumbled across Boris Karloff’s star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. I thought, “How cool would it be to take a picture of this figure next to Boris’ star?! That would be so fantastic!” Unfortunately, any shred of OCD revealed itself with my refusing to let Frankenstein touch the filthy streets. So he never ended up leaving my apartment. I’d like to see him in the break room.
To save myself some anguish, I could just take ALL of them to work. Of course, they’d need to be on the payroll. After all, I work at a newspaper, and Peter Parker is a photographer.
To learn more about Randall Ham’s Take Your Action Figure to Work Day (#AFWD2015) visit www.actionfigureworkday.com
Sal Rodriguez pounds the pavement in Los Angeles as an actor, comedian, writer, and newspaper editor. He began collecting figures upon discovering UFC and WWE figures by Jakks Pacific. He lives with his two cats, Fluff Daddy and Little Mister, and over 2,000 action figures. Subscribe to his YouTube channel.