TOY FAIR 2012: Dark Horse

Dark Horse Collectibles’ tiny booth at this year’s Toy Fair was packed with intense new items from some of the great new licenses they’re working with. From retro nostalgia to modern art pieces, Dark Horse is set to deliver some sweet collectibles in 2012– Find out about everything they’ve got planned for the new year…

Good Luck Trolls, one of the biggest toys of the 60’s, are seeing a revival thanks to Dark Horse, who has acquired the license from the original Danish copyright holder. Sporting the identical sculpt as the classic trolls you no doubt had at least one of as a child, it’s impossible not to feel a bit nostalgic when you see these in person. These little guys will be blind boxed, 15 to an assortment, and are decked out in a variety of wild colors including glow in the dark/blacklight sensitive, glittery/metallic, and flocked designs, which modern collectors will surely love. Counter displays can be pre-ordered now from tfaw.com.

Domo Qee Series 4 sees a similar run of surface treatments, including a pineapple paint job to compliment last year’s watermelon and strawberry-styled Domos. Even Snoopy will see a new run of adorable-looking 5.5” figures in a variety of colors and flocking. The general design of Peanuts characters lends itself well to figures like this and hopefully we’ll see more from this franchise in the future. Also on display were two new Marvel Classic statues. Continuing their line of detailed miniatures, Thor and Sub-Mariner are represented in their classic costumes and look fantastic.

Showing off products from two BioWare licenses, Mass Effect and Dragon Age will have some sweet collectibles coming our way. First, with Mass Effect 3 hitting shelves in less than a month, what better way to show off your inner Shepard than to iron a quality, embroidered N7 patch onto every jacket you own? You can also grab an Alliance patch or one with Paragon/Renegade logos. You may have already seen the ship model replica of the SR2 Normandy, now painted in both Cerberus & Alliance colors, but Dark Horse will also be rolling out a limited edition version that’s entirely silver. All versions look incredible and as if they were pulled straight out of Shepard’s display case in the last game. What’s even more impressive, however, is the Reaper model that will be rolled out soon. Ready to bring about “salvation through destruction,” this ominous little guy is impossibly detailed and I want one right now. Dragon Age will also have some neat things like glassware and patches on the horizon, but on display at Toy Fair was a really nicely done Flemeth statue. Perched menacingly upon a rocky formation, it’s a great looking piece for any collector or fan of the franchise. Also, if you want to spice up your next poker game, both licenses have traditional card decks for sale at a very reasonable price and adorned with artwork from the series.

Another hot license, Game of Thrones, has a number of cool items rolling out this year. Dark Horse has been working closely with HBO to capture the latest designs for characters in the series and will be releasing a stellar Daenerys bust in the near future. Although photography of this item was prohibited at Toy Fair, Dark Horse did just post an official image with accompanying announcement on their site. Complete with a dragon hatchling standing on her shoulder, the bust stands 7” tall and looks really great up close– an easy purchase for big fans of the show. Future busts featuring characters from seasons one and two are also in the works along with a throne statue (although they have not decided on the scale yet). In addition to some of the greatest coasters I’ve ever seen in my life, there was also a beautiful & heavy-duty, gold-colored “Hand of the King” pin on display that is just begging to be worn on your favorite coat.

On the top shelf of Dark Horse’s central glass display was their much-anticipated “No Ordinary Love” statue. Designed by Canadian painter/graphic novel artist Camilla d’Errico and taken straight from the pages of her art book (also published by Dark Horse), it’s actually a really striking piece that you can find yourself studying for a while to take in all the subtle detail and components. Packaged in a slick, full-color box with a certificate of authenticity and strictly limited to 950 pieces, this one will most certainly sell out quick when it’s released in June– so make sure you get your pre-orders in ASAP at tfaw.com.

Wrapping up this year’s collection are the newly available Drinky Crow party lights– a perfect follow up to the popular Domo lights from 2011. For under $15, you can get a twelve foot line of ten lights that alternate between Drinky Crow (with two different sets of eyes) and his booze bottles. It’s a really fun and unexpected license to pop up and it’s great to see Dark Horse doing something fun with it. Overall, their showing was limited but filled with some great pieces, making excellent use of both old & new properties– I can see all Dark Horse Collectible’s items catering to both to the hardcore collector and casual fan alike.