NECA's Jareth and Hoggle

[The Narrator]

I recently purchased a dual-packed Jareth and Hoggle figure pack from NECA's Cult Classic line (based on the Henson movie Labyrinth) and I'm pretty impressed. I've not seen anything mentioned in this forum, so I thought I'd bring it up. The Cult Classics line is in the 7" range and works fairly well with other toy lines. ...Especially in this case, since the Goblin King (one would imagine) stands fairly tall.

Jareth comes with an additional right hand which can cup a crystal ball... sadly, that crystal ball accessory can be very quickly lost.

Pros:

• Excellent sculpting
• Really good paintwork
  • Those two pros combine in a way that even a non-toy and non-Henson enthusiast coworker commented that the Jareth figure really looked like David Bowie and they even recognized "Hogwart," to which I was able to indignantly reply, "Hoggle!"
• Scale
  • These two characters are made to stand together and the scale is darn near movie-level exact.

Cons/Nitpicks:

• Smelly paint
  • It's not tacky like some of the Palisades figures, it just smells a little petroleum rich.
• Not a lot of articulation
  • Jareth has simple twist joints at the head, elbow, wrist and boot and a limited shoulder ball-joint. Hoggle has twist joints at the neck, shoulder, wrist and ankle joints. All in all, they're still more in the "nerd Hummel" department than toys to play with.

I purchased the package via cmdstore.com while working on my DC Universe collection. There's a solo Jareth in a different costume that I'm also eying. But, sadly, there are no other plans for random goblins or for a young Jennifer Connelly (ne, Sarah) and companions. However, the next wave of Cult Classics should feature the Chamberlain in torn clothing from the other Henson 80's movie opus: The Dark Crystal.

If anyone wants, I can take some photos this weekend with the figures standing on their own and next to some other lines, for better reference.

 

[The Narrator]

Incidentally, shortly after writing this, I discovered that, though Jareth and Hoggle's feet regions can be manipulated, to do so drastically effects their ability to stand. So, really, it's articulation for the point of saying "it's articulation" but that does no actual good... unless you like your figures to fall over. Especially as these came with no stand(s), nor do they have foot-peg holes.

 

[The Count]

Question: About how tall does the Hoggle figure come to, comparing it against Muppet figures like Kermit, Fozzie, Sam, Uncle Deadly, etc.?

 

[Laszlo]

Yes, Im impressed too but what did they do with Hoggles neck?

 

[RedPiggy]

Question: About how tall does the Hoggle figure come to, comparing it against Muppet figures like Kermit, Fozzie, Sam, Uncle Deadly, etc.?

Well, the website linked to in the first post makes it sound like Jareth is 6 inches, and Hoggle is just barely half that ... so he must be a little over 3 inches.

 

[The Count]

Okay... I'll put him in my mind in the shorter than standard haunter height range, (standard haunter height = The Count or Uncle Deadly). Thanks.

 

[RedPiggy]

Well, I'm 4'10" and I am pretty sure he's way shorter than me.

 

[The Count]

Heh... BTW: What accessories if any did/does the Hoggle figure come with? What trinkets/treasures did Sara have in the labyrinthean version of her bedroom/in the junk land? It's been way too long since I've seen/viewed that movie.

 

[RedPiggy]

I think I saw a peach for the Hoggle figure. Sarah had a bunch of stuffed toys, both plush like teddy bears and finer dolls with ceramic faces. The junk lady goes through a list of much of it (examples: printing game, fuzzy shoes, stuffed animals, books, makeup, a tiara (I think). She also presents the music box, which triggers Sarah's "it's just junk" tirade. I was with the Junk Lady ... the thing looked like it cost a couple of hundred dollars. I was heartbroken to see Sarah smash it against the mirror.

 

[The Narrator]

Hoggle is shorter than most of the Muppet toys. He stands at almost 4.25 inches. Accessory-wise, he does come with a peach--which I'd advise against eating.

Edited to add: Jareth is closer to 7 inches than 6.