While Fools Paradise has had many popular releases over the years, none quite match the success of its Super Professional (and later Sup Pro) figures. The 8-bit plumber meets French assassin mentor has outpaced the brand’s other characters with a large number of releases including a recent string of large-format Sup Pro XL (19.69″) drops. Now, Fools Paradise is going back to the beginning (nearly) with the new Sup Pro Essential vinyl art toy which is a 10.24″ version of the Sup Pro XL sculpt. The figure features the familiar load-out with the Bullet Bill-silenced pistol in one hand and a Piranha Plant in the other.
The Sup Pro Essential debuts in four open-edition colorways, something for nearly everyone. For traditionalists there’s the Classic edition in black. There are also three more colorful editions: GMT, Salmon and Sapphire—each of which feature spot chrome treatment. GMT (apparently inspired by Greenwich Mean Time) features a red/blue pairing, Salmon is a nice shade of pink, and Sapphire is a bright blue. If bling is your thing, Salmon has you covered with a chrome Bullet Bill silencer, chrome Piranha Plant stem and chrome shoes.
While the Essential edition design is quite similar to the original figure that came in the very first Super Professional two-figure set (2018) with Peach as Matilda, it is slightly smaller than that first figure (10.24″ vs. 11.81″) and also has the feet together pose rather than the original’s walking pose.
The four editions of the Sup Pro Essential vinyl art toys (10.24″) are available for pre-order from Fools Paradise’s new online shop for $145 each (with included global shipping) and are expected to ship in Q1 2023.
