To say I am a Wonder Woman fan is putting it lightly. Since the age of eight, the Amazing Amazon has been my favorite superhero. I tend to gravitate toward an interpretation of the character as a diplomat and peacemaker first, as opposed to the bloodthirsty, sword wielding warrior she is portrayed as of late (I'm very nervous about her appearance in BvS).
You can imagine my excitement when I heard DC Entertainment was launching a new line of superhero toys aimed at girls, and Wonder Woman was to be the flagship character. Now, I'm not a fan of gender specific toys (kids should be able to play with any toy they like), there's no denying that superheroes have been historically aimed at boys in character design, packaging, marketing, backstory, etc. So I'm willing to cut DC/Mattel a little slack in this area.
On the day it was released, I ran over to Target and picked up my Wonder Woman figure (just in time for Take Your Action Figure To Work Day).
Can I just stop for a moment and tell you how much I hate most packaging? I'm definitely in the Take-Your-Figure-Out-Of-The-Box And Play With It Camp. I sat in my office with a letter opener, scissors and a nail clipper to free Wonder Woman from her bonds. I mean, it LOOKED pretty, but seriously, there's got to be a better way to package this stuff without needing an engineering degree to open it.
Ok, so let's talk about the costume. Not surprisingly, I've got very strong opinions on how Wonder Woman should look. When this line was introduced, I was having fits about the redesign. I mean, Supergirl, Batgirl, and the rest of the heroes have costumes that are incredibly similar to their comic book counterparts. Why was Wonder Woman's costume altered so drastically? When I looked at the figure, however, the new costume just Works. Is it my favorite? No. But it does embody the spirit of the character. Bright colors, cool boots, and no sword. The face is also awesome: wide expressive eyes, a countenance that is friendly and hopeful, but most of all, confident.
There are multiple points of articulation, many more than are usually seen in a figure of this type. While I like that this offers many posable possibilities, it makes it difficult for the figure to stand on it's own, something I really like to have when I display the character. That would be ok if the figure came with a stand. It does not.
I also think the lasso is oddly constructed. Most of the time, a Wonder Woman figure comes with a piece of gold thread attached to the belt. This time, the lasso is created out of hard plastic and is not posable. You have two options: have the lasso in the hands of the figure, or attach it to the belt. When it's attached to the belt, it looks too awkward. There were better ways to use the lasso.
All in all, it's a pretty solid figure, and my criticisms are nothing compared to the joy of looking at her, and knowing that this figure will reach out and get Diana some new fans in school age girls, who might just realize that they are Wonder Women too.