NBC's Hannibal Hears My Prayers!

Yes. YES. YES. The toy gods have heard my prayers and are answering in abundance!

That's right! Two of my favourite things are coming together - NBC's amazingly dark, disturbing, complicated, addictive, and all around fantastic show Hannibal and Funko Pop!

Showrunner Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me) announced last week via Twitter that Funko will be releasing a line of Hannibal Pop! figures, and I couldn't be happier. This Fannibal (Fan + Hannibal = Fannibal) will be wearing her flower crown (Flower + crown...you know what, let's just leave that for now...) and counting down the days until she can shell out some cash and get her mitts on these. 

For those of you not watching (and you should be) Hannibal is a prequel to the Thomas Harris book series. It follows special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) as he tries to solve some of the most interesting, graphic, and somehow beautiful murders ever put to screen. Psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen is brought in to help. (Spoilers: He's a cannibal.) It's dense, dreamlike and not for the squeamish. The show is crafted so well it's hard to believe this is network television. Critics love it. 

As of March 31, 2014

Still, the ratings are low and it dances close to the cancellation bubble. Let's hope merch money can keep it afloat until people realize what they're missing. This Hannibal Pop! series focuses on three of the show's main characters. 

Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter, & Jack Crawford

Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) is the man in charge (or so he thinks) and this Funko is a pretty good representation. As head of the FBI's Behavioral Science department, he enlists the help of Will Graham to catch the worst of the worst. By the beginning of season 2, Jack may be in over his head.

I love the suit design on this promo-picture. The grey suit works well with the colours of the shirt and tie. Having his hands in his pockets is a great detail. Jack could be a pretty dull figure, especially compared to Will and Hannibal, but the details could make him worth the price. I hope the actual figure keeps them.

I hate buying duplicates, especially when characters I like haven't been made available yet, but I will probably have to buy both Will Grahams. They're just so much fun. The first one depicts Will as he was in Season 1. He's wearing his trademark sweater/jacket and paid button up shirt. He holds a gun, which he fires multiple times throughout the series.

The second figure is based on incarcerated Season 2 Will and plays with the iconic image of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. I want to get him side-by-side Funko's version of Hopkins for a comparison. My favourite details are the bags under Will's eyes. Perfect characterization. There is no one more broken than Will Graham.

Hannibal is dressed in one of his trademark suits. He's all class. Perfect hair and a perfectly tailored outfit. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't use one of his patterned suits for inspiration, but that's just a nitpick. Besides, that amount of pattern could overpower a toy like this. Hannibal isn't Don Cherry. The knife is a good character marker and the "Blood Spatter" SDCC Exclusive is a lot of fun. Unlike Brienne, I might actually scheme to get one of those.

I'm not usually excited about the "other" figures (pets, monsters, etc) but I really like the Stagman (or Wendigo or swiggity swag stag...). This hallucination (or what-have-you) sets the tone of the series. The sculpt looks unique and the antlers will look really interesting on a shelf. Let's hope the black paint job doesn't hide the details too much.

So there you have it. Hannibal is once again going to take my money. I can't wait. If I can write this much on just the promotional pictures, what am I going to do when I actually get to play with these?!

Me with an actual flower crown

Lammily: Barbie, Beauty & Body Image

Today we're taking a little break from tiny toys and talking about a brand new doll that has taken the internet by storm. Lammily is toted as the realistic Barbie. Her proportions are taken from the average 19 year old girl, her make-up is minimal, and she's available for pre-order through their crowd funding campaign. But is Lammily really the next step in fashion dolls? Read more HERE and don't forget to comment!

The Future of Heroes (Future Hiro)

Yes folks, it's true. The television gods have heard our prayers and are bringing back a show from the depths of cancellation. Fans rejoice as we count down the days until the the 2015 release of...

Wait...what?

It's hard to believe that out of all the beloved shows that were unceremoniously cancelled over the last few decades, Heroes in the one to defy the odds. Heroes: Reborn will be coming to our screens in 2015. It isn't known yet how it will be connected to the original, but insiders are speculating a brand new cast with brand new adventures. It's probably the best choice since...I have absolutely no idea how that series ended. I was as excited as the next person when we finally got an unabashed superhero program on network television (Smallville excluded). I enjoyed season one and survived the time travel madness of season 2 but, like many others, I finally gave up. It became a chore. It actually made m angry to watch. I was relieved when it was cancelled. Surprise! Now, it's back.

It was also surprising to find this under a few boxes in my closet.