What do you get when you cross an action figure with a minifigure? OK OK so there really isn't a definitive answer to that question, but if you've ever gotten your hands on a minimate before then I’m pretty sure you’d agree that this is as close as its gonna get to an action+mini figure offspring.
Minimates were created by a toy company called Art Asylum way back in 2002. Although measuring slightly taller, they sport the same blocky body design and cylindrical head as your typical minifigure. What sets them apart and nearer to the action figure department is their articulation. Each minimate sports 14 points of articulation, from ball joint heads, elbows and hips, to swivels at the elbows, wrist, knees and elbows..that’s quite a lot for such a little guy.
Aside from their little size and advanced articulation, the one thing that really made minimates stand out for me was the endless variations of minimates around. I don’t know how they managed to do it but google minimates and you will see minimate versions of almost every current and past pop culture property around. You like superheroes? They’ve got Marvel AND DC minimates. Movie franchises? How’s Ghostbusters, Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future etc etc etc. Video games? Street Fighter, TV shows? The Walking Dead….the list goes on and on and on.
And it’s not just key characters from each license. Take Marvel for example, sure you've got the Avengers, X-men and Spider-man. But it doesn't stop there. You want the original 1963 line up (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel & Beast)? They've got them, as well as that same line up in their 80-90’s X-Factor costumes. Age of Apocalypse? Age of X? They've got SO many variations it’s really mind boggling.
But at the end of the day, all these really did nothing to convince me to actually go get myself some minimates. To me they were like the awkward middle child between minifigures and actionfigures. They lacked the simplistic charm of minifigures and at the same time didn't have the realistic detail of action figures. So for the longest time, I didn't really “get it” and minimates remained nothing more than things to look at and admire online or in toyshops, but never really pick up…
to be continued...
