Retro Toy Week: Spider-Sense Peter Parker!

Sometimes, an action figure might end up in storage when the character it's based on loses popularity, or the relative scale of the displayed figures might change, or a better version of the character might come out. And sometimes because it's just not a great figure.

From Toy Biz in 1999, Spider-Sense Peter Parker tries for that iconic 'tingling spider-sense' look--I don't know how much it's used in the comics these days, but I'm pretty sure if you read the newspaper strip for a week you'll see it.

Historically, Peter is almost a missing link of action figures: sure, he's got a doofy action feature--squeeze his legs and his arms pump--but if you look closely, you can see the paint wash on the pants and the Spidey-side of his head, so the manufacturers were making some effort at something new there. And I know there was a J. Jonah Jameson figure around the same time (actually, the same wave) so Toy Biz maybe might have been testing the waters to see if civilian figures would sell. If Petey here had flown off the shelves, maybe we would've seen Spidey's supporting cast get figures before Marvel Legends. Vile speculation, that.

Then again, he comes with some garbage cans (to throw, since he can hold the handles) and a camera which he can't hold. It's more likely Pete was just thrown in to fill out the wave.

I'm almost positive I bought this figure for $3.33 at KB Toys, because I spent a long time slaving in a mall, and bought a lot of figures in lieu of food. It struck me to remember when figures used to go on something called 'clearance.' These days, a line like Star Trek or Terminator or even Avatar might be cleared out in the bigger stores, to make way for the next batch of movie toys; but...it feels like superhero toys aren't moved like that. How many of you action-figure hunters know exactly what stores near you aren't getting new figures because they've had pegs full of Captain Cold or Secret Wars Spider-Man/Thunderball for the last six months or more. (Is that Secret Wars pack a pegwarmer? Eh, not compared to Captain Cold, anyway...)

Ah, let's step down from the internet ranty box, and have some action feature fun!

Um...yay?