Review – PopSoda Baron Finger Puppet
The Onell Design booth at SDCC this year was packed with toys, with artists and manufacturers from all over the world in and out of the booth the entire show. I picked up a few toys over the course of the show but I pretty much haven’t shared them yet (well, except for two of the toys from the show — Future Nibbler and the Glyos System Rig — which got reviewed while I was at the show). What toys did I get? Well, toys like this Baron Finger Puppet from Japanese toymaker, PopSoda, and it’s time I show you how he looks.
Finger Puppet?
He’s actually a bit too big to be a finger puppet. A little over 3-inches tall, the Baron Finger Puppet’s base is wide enough that he doesn’t sit neatly on a finger but instead flops around. But that doesn’t really matter, since this toy is more about the design than it is its effectiveness as a puppet. And the design is great, a compact version of PopSoda’s Four Eyed Baron Menime vinyl toy (see this post at toybot studios) that looks like a monstrous top-hatted freak. I don’t own a Four Eyed Baron Menime, but after getting this tiny Baron I could totally see myself buying one if the price is right.
Like a Weird Cartoon Character from My Childhood
I can’t explain why, but something about the Baron’s design makes me think I’ve seen him before. Arms behind his back, massive tongue hanging down, top hat leaning dangerously forward, everything comes together to spark memory-like feelings that make me think this was inspired by some obscure character design from the distant past. The only thing that would make the sculpt perfect would be the addition of a massive hammer hidden behind the back. He’s holding something behind his back (see the photo, above), but it’s not a hammer. And I don’t know why I think he needs a hammer, but he does.
Simple Paint
A glossy, shimmery purple with blasts of green, a little blue, goldish teeth, silver eyes, and a bit of white for the tongue all come together to give the Baron the look that caught my attention when I saw him at SDCC. It’s not an elaborate paint job — the eyes are just globs of silver on the front of his face — but it’s attractive and typical of the smaller Japanese vinyl toys I’ve seen. And it looks good.
A Welcome Addition to My Collection
The Baron Finger Puppet was only $10 at SDCC (the same price I paid for the much smaller Chaos Q Bean) and for $10 this was a fantastic buy. The design is great, the paint attractive, and $10 for a vinyl toy of this size is much lower than I usually encounter when running across kaiju and Japanese vinyl toys.
I went searching for other reviews of the PopSoda Baron Finger Puppet to get an idea for what others think of it, but as with most designer toys I couldn’t find a single review online. For the prices and fanatical following these toys demand/inspire I am constantly amazed that it’s so tough to find reviews. Why is that? Does anyone know why these toys are rarely reviewed, or am I just missing some super-secret website online?
If you like the look of this guy and can find him for less than $15 or so than grab him. He’s one of the better Japanese vinyl mini-toys I’ve bought and now I want to find the bigger version of the character.
Philip Reed wonders how tough it is to find Four Eyed Baron Menime toys at a low price. Anyone have suggestions on where he should look for one?
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