The licensing train rolls on Fresh off their Domo Qee collabo, Toy2R has teamed up with Dark Horse to release everyone’s favorite beagle as a new series of mini-figs due in October. Licensed toys from designer toy companies seems to bring out the stakes and holy water these days.
Licensing of pop culture properties is the way forward for the larger companies who need to continue to grow. The key is in how the license is handled, executed and interpreted. The design looks pretty solid here with a very cool head sculpt. While many collectors expect artist crossovers, the use of varying patterns and motifs does bring a more general art vibe to this project. Though a few character-based designs would have been nice, the chosen approach seems distinct enough to separate this from your run-of-the-mill Snoopy fig. That said, a single character / sculpt blind box (especially for a licensed product) feels a little dated. It is after all ‘Peanuts’, what about Charlie, Linus, Pig Pen, Lucy, Woodstock and crew?
