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JERRY BECK
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KidRobot does Underdog
by jerry
August 11, 2007 10:44 am


pollyriffraffkidrobot2.jpgunderdogkidrobot.jpgJust in time to clear the stench of that current Underdog movie debacle from my memory cells, come these delightful KidRobot figures that restore the fun designs of the original characters.

Click here to see close-ups of (and get ordering information for) these cool vinyl figures of Underdog, Polly, Riff Raff, and Simon Bar Sinister. Like a breath of fresh air - these characters look great in three dimensions!

08/11/07  11:11am
uncle wayne says:

Golly & Gosh! Thank you, indeed, for clearing that “stench!” They are to die for!! Beautiful!

But, I am curious, did any of “us” go SEE the damn film! I can’t wait to get feedback….are people enjoying the film!? (That is over 4?)

08/11/07  11:45am

While KidRobot are selling the toys, they are actually being produced by Mezco, who make the awesome line of South Park figures.

08/11/07  11:54am

You know, I wouldn’t have objected if they’d done the movie as CG characters that kept the look of the original characters like these figures… but that movie… no &%^ing way am I ever going to see that… it’s not even Netflix worthy.

I don’t know a single person who has seen it. Some people on IMDB seem to like it…

08/11/07  12:31pm
Will Finn says:

all i wanna know is what the pun is in the name “Simon Bar Sinister”… I used to know, but have long forgotten.

08/11/07  1:28pm
Jenny says:

Will–I knew “The Bar Sinister” as a movie(US title “It’s a Dog’s Life” adapted from a popular novel of the turn of the century)about a pit bull or bull terrrier; I don’t know what the words mean, exactly, but since this is Underdog we’re talking about I’d guess the bad guy’s name is a play on the pitbull/bar sinister connection? Even though the bad guy isn’t a dog? Maybe?

08/11/07  2:24pm
David C says:

Will, Wikipedia to the rescue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bar_Sinister

The “Bar Sinister” in his name was a macaronic reference to a mark from heraldry, in English called a bend sinister; on a shield it was denoted by a line (to those facing the shield) from the top right to the bottom left. (The French equivalent is barre, and is pronounced the same way.) His name could be translated as “Simon, the Bastard”.[citation needed] Additionally, his name could be a mock or pun on Simon Bar Jonas or Simon bar Kokhba. In this sense, his name would mean “Simon, the son of Sinister”.

(And yes, nice models!)

08/11/07  2:41pm
Jesse says:

“…these characters look great in three dimensions!”

What a potential-ridden world this is.

08/11/07  3:13pm
Zach says:

These figures make me happy. I don’t know if anyone has said this yet, but there is a “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” movie said to come out 2008. I really hope they get it right this time.

08/11/07  3:28pm
fishmorgjp says:

After the putrid concept of the Underdog movie, these figures are balm to the eyes!

Brett McCoy: no matter how terrible, how lame a new release may be, there are always some positive comments by puppets on the IMDB.

08/11/07  3:42pm
:: smo :: says:

wow these are fantastic!

now how can i make these look like real animals and suck the life from them? oops back to the butcher shop!

hah! if only someone had made a traditionally animated underdog movie. why hasn’t hollywood realized…3D ≠ Better?

in my head it’s “mr. big” from rocky and bullwinkle coming up with all these 3d adaptations and live action cartoon debacles. or maybe dick cheney…

08/11/07  3:45pm
Christopher Cook says:

Jim Sjveda (KNX radio, Los Angeles) actually gave the movie a good review. I digress–I saw these these figures at San Diego’s Comic-Con International and they do look terrific. They had a couple of set-ups from “The Phony Booths” storyline with Simon and a hypnotized Underdog (he had a dome on his head which was causing his hypnosis after entering one of Simon’s booths).

08/11/07  5:24pm

I did go see the UNDERDOG movie last Sunday. In all fairness, even though it’s not the Underdog I love and grew up with, it’s still a cute and entertaining movie, and infinitely superior to the Garfield movies.

I saw pics of these figures some time ago (just the Underdog and Polly figures), and I’m glad to hear they’re finally out! Thanks for the heads up!

08/11/07  6:52pm
Will Finn says:

Thanks Jenny and David C for your research. These things keep me up at night.

This cartoon always kinda bored me (which didn’t stop me from watching it of course), but these are surprisingly appealing figures, I have to admit. Well done!

08/11/07  9:38pm
joe s says:

what is jason lee thinking about? underdog and alvin and the chipmunks.

08/12/07  1:24am
Hasdrubal says:

About a year ago I was screwing around with my modeling program and made an Underdog figure for fun. I textured him and rigged his body so his articulated joints can change poses. Here’s link to a gallery site with the picture of him.

http://www.comics2film.com/index.php?a=gallery_item&l=20066

08/12/07  6:08am
Brian Kidd says:

“what is jason lee thinking about? underdog and alvin and the chipmunks.”

Scientology auditing costs a lot of money! ;)

Back on topic, these figures look great!

08/12/07  9:34am
David C says:

If you want more “classic” Underdog, DarkHorse had previously released a vinyl sculpt:

http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=13-892

So had ElectricTiki:

http://www.electrictiki.com/classic%20toons/underdog.html

Funko had also release Underdog, Riff Raff and Simon as “Wacky Wobblers” some time back. (No direct link, sorry):

http://www.funko.com/

08/12/07  11:22am
KLIM says:

these are Mezco figures

08/12/07  7:04pm
PCUnfunny says:

I have always loved Simon-The Bar Sinister’s voice.

08/13/07  7:14am
John A says:

A little trivia pcunfun–Simon-Bar Sinister’s voice was based on Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life.)

I hope it’s true that his name translates into “Simon the Bastard”, that would just make my day.

08/13/07  2:30pm
tom says:

Even a CG movie using the 2d designs shown in 3 dimensions- the way these toys look- would have been interesting.

Who cares? The prevailing tone on CB and elsewhere seems to be “it’s just for kids so it can be lousy!”

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