I was rushed to the hospital as a child because I swallowed an accessory from a Dick Tracy. They told my mom it would pass naturally. I like to think I take part of this toy with me everywhere I go...
wow they actually sculpted the Madonna face under the Blank! So cool, I had no idea this even existed, not to mention that surprise. For the 90s, that's not a bad sculpt at all for a woman's face...
"But it doesn't matter, because Dick Tracy takes no prisoners. When you hear his siren, that's the sound of the Devil coming to get his due." I about died laughing. It's so true!
Coming off of "The Summer of Batman" the previous year, I was all in on Dick Tracy during the Summer of '90. I was a bit too old (16) for the toys, but I had the novelization, collected the Topps card series, played the soundtrack on a loop and grabbed the merch from McDonalds. Then I saw the movie and was underwhelmed. It would be years before I would revisit it, and when I did I gained a new appreciation for it. It's not a top-tier movie for me, but one I enjoy and re-watch bi-annually. The figure line is on my "Want" list, but buried well below other lines.
I used them in tandem with my TMNT figures. Casey Jones upgraded from a baseball bat to a tommy-gun and the Turtles could take on gangsters instead of just evil mutants and the Foot Clan. Tracy not having his trench coat always irked me though.
I actually went back to watch this film after seeing this review. It has been YEARS since I saw it and going back to it was a trip. That shooting scene though near the end. Holy CRAP, that was nearly 3 minuets of non-stop bullets and explosions and I LOVED it! The bit where Flatop shoots at Tracy just as the car explodes behind him is just iconic.
I love watching these videos, not just for the nostalgia, but for what ever smart, sarcastic, funny observance Michael will always put in them. "Tracy takes no prisoners. When the gangsters hear his siren, that's the devil coming to get his due." You sir never disappoint.
I too am fascinated with the 1930s. I wasn't allowed to watch Dick Tracy because Madonna was in it. My parents were strict and didn't let me watch alot of the newer movies but I did get to watch alot of the movies from the 30s and 40s and I LOVED THEM! I DID get to buy the figures though! I also bought the Gladstone reprints.
I think as children’s toys they were really fun. However, it’s a line that could go for a proper collectors release with realistic film like proportions.
Great video! Worth the wait! And I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one hugely obsessed with this at the time. Their cartoonish look oddly never bothered me as a kid but I too was surprised and a little annoyed Tracy didn't have his coat (I assumed they would've wanted to make it plastic like The Blank and that would've made it impossible for him to sit in his car) But that didn't stop me from wanting it! Despite being so huge into this though, I only had five of the figures. Tracy, Sam, Big Boy, Itchy, and Flattop. I guess my parents didn't see a need for the rest since aside from Mumbles, the rest of the line is made up of characters who spend most of the movie dead XD And I don't rcall pushing my parents to buy me them so maybe I felt the same way I mean, who wants The Rodent when Flatttop is an option? :P
Ironically, I moved to the UK from the US in the summer of 89, and I was still there in 1990 when this came out. On the air force base where I lived the only Dick Tracy toy I could find was that soft doll you are with at the end of this video.
Great Video! I too have a fondness for the line despite some strange choices. I wish they had made a Pat Patton, Chief Brandon, Littleface Finney, and Stooge Viller to round out the set. One bone of contention (due to being a big fan of the comic strip) was that they renamed Itchy Oliver Jake "Itchy" Rossi. I actually wrote to Playmates in an attempt to get a Blank figure. Got a canned response. It is still the only Dick Tracy Figure I do not have and due to the exorbitant price tags on ebay, I probably never will. I didn't get the cars (not for lack of trying), but at least they are cheaper to nab.
Oh, my goodness, you have an awesome mom! How sweet of her to make those little trench coats for your action figures! They do vastly improve the look of the Tracy and Sam figures. Thanks for the video. Your work is fascinating.
As a kid I thought the same thing, that all the figures needed a trenchcoat to go with. I loved the guns they came with, the tommy guns were good for smaller guys as they look more proportional. I always had all my figures in the same games as a kid, so some TMNT figures could dual-wield the pistols. :P Could've used Tess, Chief Brandon, kid, Pat, Littleface, Stooge, 88 Keys, Numbers.
Playmates are the masters of toy design. That Dick Tracy is perfect! Guess they learned from the school of Yellow lightsabers and sticker-faces (though to be fair Ironhide's toy came before the toon). Great vid man, these figures are oddly appealing. If I see a Steve the Tramp at a flea market, used, beaten, abandoned, and forgotten, I'll buy it. #FindHomesForSteveTheTramps
Awesome video. I was ambivalent about the movie and the toys. I loved the idea of the movie and the stylised 1930s aesthetic, but the actual film was a little disappointing because of the static way it was shot. In the UK, the toys ended up on discount very quickly and I was able to pick a few up. I loved the range of characters and the fact that they made so many villains, when most toy lines consisted of loads of good guys and one villain if you were lucky. The accessories were awesome and very inventive, like the cement shoes and the moneybags. But the body shape of the figures was awful and most of the details were unrelated to what appeared in the movie. I wish Playmates could have made them in the same style as their Star Trek: TNG figures instead, a little more anatomically correct and less cartoonish. I think the cars were never sold in the UK (?), and I never knew they existed until a few years ago. I picked them up very cheaply and they look beautiful with the 1930s streamlined style.
Wow, that was fascinating. I didn't buy any of these toys, but I would always stop by their section in the stores just so I could look at every figure. I only saw Itchy once, for some reason, but I never saw The Blank. And now I finally know why.
they look like they would fit well with ninja turtles. I could imagine having a ninja turtles meet Dick Tracy or just using the villains as generic mobsters in a ninja turtle world.
Great video as always; educational and amusing in one. Keep up the good work, Michael and Melinda! I was wondering if you ever will cover the Defenders of the Earth show and toys?
When I was a kid in 1990, I was walking around sea world with my parents when I found a $100 bill on the ground. I was so shocked and happy. My parents said I could buy anything I want since I found it and in Disney, when we’re selling these incredible rubber Halloween masks for Dick Tracy. I wound up buying Big Boy, Pruneface, and Flattop and me and my friends went crazy that year playing Dick Tracy and even dressed up as the bad guy trio for Halloween. I have always wondered if other masks were available to buy other than the 3 I got at $25 a pop in the overpriced Disney store in Tomorrowland, but never did see them sold again.
I totally loved this line and had most of them. The certainly needed a Pat Patton and a Breathless. The shape took some getting used to, but I loved Dick Tracy, so I got used to it quick. I totally feel the loss of the film killing off all those amazing characters so quickly. I felt the pain of not getting to see more of them every time I watched it.
Toy Polloi has just uploaded a video on replacement lightsabers for the 12 inch Vader! C'mon Michael! Your Vader still doesn't have arms! Nooooooo! That was me channelling my inner Darth Vader.
Your mom did an excellent job on the custom trenchcoats, and they match the colors as well! Also, what a great story Michael, I think for me the last toys I ever bought as a kid to play with were the Matchbox Roadblasters and Robin from the Kenner BTAS line. After that it were a few Gundams and Japanese collectibles here and there. I think the one that got me started into collecting again was the Transformers Classics line, and the first Transformers movie line.
I had Tracy and the wristwatch. Even as a kid I didn't like how disproportionate and cartoonish the figures looked. Always wondered about the blank, that was a cool character. Loved the movie and had a blast with the watch though. Great video
I still love this movie as well. It remains one of the few comic strip films that looks like a comic strip. You could do a more gritty version today but.....what's the point? Dick Tracy should be set in a completely stylized world. Otherwise, it would just feel like Road to Perdition. The movie is a lot of fun and just a pleasure to watch, the art direction and cinematography are so amazing.
Saludos from Santiago de Chile. That was an awesome video!! Thank you RetroBlasting for bringing back to life one of the best superhero movies of all time. Now, what do you think about the possibility that Netflix or HBO make an animation series with this character following the steps of "Batman T.A.S"? We could have new action figures with better designs and maybe... vehicles. I know it could sound like a nerd's dream but, were are living in the golden age of comics and production companies are looking for new opportunities and maybe the Dick Tracy universe could be the one. Thanks again for another classic video in your glorious catalogue. Adiós,
I remember seeing these figures in my local toy store and being tempted to get some but the fact that DT wasn't wearing his signature coat was a deal breaker for 9 year old me
My brother & I enjoyed the movie at the time, but neither of us could get into the toys. They were too childish, in my opinion & looked too cartoony. We did, however, really enjoy the SEGA Genesis game SEGA developed. It felt really unique & arcadey at the time. We also had the Dick Tracey Applause doll. In fact, I think I still do.
it is too bad they didn't make a tess figure,i liked her character more than breathless,or maybe they should have done a breathless figure to throw ppl off track when the blank had the reveal.
As a kid, this is the only collection of toys that I never completed the full set of thanks to the infamous Blank never being sold in any store that I'd check. I honestly believed that the toy was a false advertisement and never really existed until I discovered the truth of its elusive nature years later. One day when I have the funds to spare and as silly as it'll seem since I don't collect figures or any of that stuff like a dedicated hobbyist, I'm going to get this damn toy just to hold it and feel justified in badgering my poor parents to drive to almost every Toys R Us and department store around town.
After the movie's popularity died down and the toys went on clearance. I bought some of those goons and used them as bad guys to fight my ninja turtles figures.
I just rewatched this movie today and while I wasn't a big fan of it as a kid damn it aged well. And watching the had version I now recognize Dustin Hoffman playing as Mumbles. 😂😂😂😂 Honestly I can't believe this was a Disney version given how Madonna dresses in it. Therers full nipple in the beginning of the movie when tracey is interviewing here in her dressing room. One could argue its "hidden" behind the shear fabric but come on! Holy cow, 😂 😊😊😮😮
Is there going to be a second part for the Star Trek video, that's the video that got me into watching your videos and I'd love to see more Trek stuff. Funny I was just thinking today about your channel and boom a new video :D
A friend of mine game me a Dick Tracy figure along with his other toys when he left to live in another country for good. I didn't know it was Dick Tracy. I sold him back in the day I was not planning to be a collector during mg sophomore year in high School. Whatta waste. :3
I bought a few of these from a thrift store along with the figure carrying case. The case a neat piece to have, especially since I keep those figures away.
Hey, I saw this film in Tennessee in summer of 1990 too! Knoxville to be exact - well technically, the Halls Cinema 7. My buddy and I even had the "Admit One - I Was There First" T-shirts. I also bought the Dick Tracy, and Big Boy figures at the local Walmart in South Knoxville. What a disappointment.
Michael said that they'll only cover up to Jurassic Park in terms of the era they'll do videos on. Kenner Aliens was in '92, so I suppose it's not off the table.
Oooooh, that's a DICK TRACY action figure. I had one of those guys, and I thought it was a really butch CURIOUS GEORGE Man-In-The-Yellow-Hat action figure. I thought, "Damn. He's really pissed that George ate that puzzle piece.", with all the guns and knives and stuff.
A girl I went to church with had a realistic DT watch, I think she got it at Kmart. I wanted one so bad but my mom wasn't going to buy me an expensive watch. Lol I don't blame her since I don't even know where any of my childhood stuff is. 😭
I was obsessed with the movie and marketing. I bought everything I could Dick Tracy. Except for the Playmate toys. They were too weird for my 26 year old collector mentality.
lol I remember the summer of Dick Tracy. I also remember being obsessed with finding The Blank too and now I'm glad to know that it wasn't just me who never found her. Other figures I remember wanting like that were Mr. Sleaze from Police Academy and the Wednesday, Cousin Itt and Thing figures promised as part of The Addams Family toy line. I eventually got Mr. Sleaze, but have never known what the deal was with the Addams ones. Any chance we might get a video on that line?
Dick Tracy was the type of figure I got as a kid when I wanted a toy and my mum would buy me a piece of shit on clearance to shut me up. See also: Pudface from Robocop and anything from Last Action Hero