The Sixteenth Annual, Random Happenstance, Year in Toys!

The last couple of these I've done, the start of the year always seems so far away from the end. As I go back through the list, I think "This figure couldn't have been from this year, that was forever ago..." Well, things move pretty quickly now. This last year had some surprises for me, but even some of the troubling ones turned out pretty good, and I hope they did for all of you as well.

For new readers: For years now, I have been keeping a running total of every action figure or toy I buy. Hopefully, each entry has the figure's name, the line, the price, and where I bought it; and possibly a link to a cartoon or strip that toy was used in. (Unless that figure's unloved or unphotogenic, I guess. Or I'm lazy...) Totals will usually include postage and tax. Usually. Any prices or totals listed in parentheses were purchased with store credit or points instead of paying money, and aren't counted towards the actual total spent. This is by no means a "Best of" list or anything, just what I bought. For reference, here's links for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.

1-2 Marvel Legends Venomized Captain America, $21.61, Mystique, $11.00, total $32.61, Wal-Mart.

1-15 ML Luke Cage and Claire Temple, ($16.20); Figures Toy Store two Breakable Window/Wall sets, ($18.00); Amazon.

ML Domino, $6.45; Apex Legends Bloodhound, $14.20; total $20.65, Wal-Mart.

1-16 Two Alien Queens, $8.45 each, total $16.90, Wal-Mart.

1-18 Batgirl, $6.50, Star Wars Black Maz Kanata, $6.89; total $13.39, EntertainMart; ML Storm and Thunderbird, $16.49, Target.

2-3 Fortnite Slushy Soldier, $17.88; ML Falcon, $19.99; total $41.01, Wal-Mart.

2-6 Alien, $9.99, Wal-Mart.

2-11 ML Firestar, ($20.99) Entertainment Earth.

2-10ish? Somewhere in here, ML Gamerverse Iron Man, Stealth Captain America, and Hand Ninja. I'm going to say $19.99 each at Wal-Mart, total $64.94. 2-17 ML Silver Surfer (with Mjolnir), $21.77, Walgreens; Fortnite 8-Ball, $19.99, Target.

3-12 ML Toxin, $29.99, Spider-Gwen with Spider-Ham, $22.99; total $57.37, GameStop.

3-14 ML Moira MacTaggert, $21.61, Target.

4-1 GameStop order: SWB Jar-Jar Binks, $29.88, Jaxxon, $24.99; My Pet Monster (flocked) $23.99; ML Gamerverse Hulk, $19.97, She-Hulk, $24.99, MODOK, $49.99,  Xemnu bundle (Dr. Doom, Red Skull, Dormammu, Hood, AIM Supreme Scientist, Arcade, Lady Deathstrike) $149.99; total $364.73.

4-2 ML Crossbones, $21.17, Frog-Man, $17.24; Apex Legends Pathfinder (crash test), Wraith (voidwalker) $14.99 each; total $76.51; GameStop.

4-7 ML Black Widow Belova, $17.00, GameStop.

4-25 ML Shang-Chi, Wenwu, A.I. Tony Stark, Civil Warrior, $19.99 each; Katy, $22.99; NECA Defenders of the Earth Phantom, $29.99; total $144.77, Target.

5-1 Jurassic Park John Raymond Arnold, $21.61, Target.

5-3 ML Death Dealer, Xialing, $19.99 each, total $43.22, Amazon; Fwoosh purple ninja, $17.80 shipped.

5-10 Bandai Gashapon Fitness Equipment, $28.00 shipped, eBay.

5-12 ML Stilt-Man pieces, $26.14 shipped, Mercari. ML Hellfire Club set, $87.17, Hasbro Toy Shop.

5-14 ML Stilt-Man piece, $17.04 shipped, Mercari.

5-15 2 Fortnite Dark Voyagers, $19.99; pre-ordered ML Web-Man, $22.99; total $75.19 shipped, GameStop.  FigmaPlus Sega Console set, $54.99; pre-order Marvel Select Watcher, $24.99; total $79.98, Big Bad Toy Store. ML Rogue, Build-a-Figure pieces, $25.00, toy show.

5-16 (ML MODOK arrived.)

5-24 (ML She-Hulk arrived.)

5-30 Marvel Select Thor (loose, incomplete) $2.67, EntertainMart; ML Crimson Dynamo Red Guardian, $15.12, GameStop. (I know that's the joke, but I did accidentally log him as the Dynamo!)

6-4 ML Black Widow, ($23.63), Amazon.

6-16 (ML Xemnu wave arrives) Technics Gashapon set, $57.48 shipped; ML Demogoblin legs, $28.19 shipped; eBay.

6-23 ML Xavier, Peter Parker, $14.99 each, (total $29.98) Amazon.

7-2 SWB Holiday Snowtrooper, $16.20, Wal-Mart.

7-7 ML Loki, ($19.99), Amazon.

7-8 ML Captain America, Scarlet Witch, $13.99 each, total $30.30, Target.

7-15 SWB Bo-Katan Kryce, $19.85, Wal-Mart.

7-17 ML Katy, $6.89, Target; ML Black Cat, Iron Man Titanium Man, $35 shipped, @camzilla51.

7-27 to 8-8 Post-vacation catch-up! ML Jean Grey, Cyclops, Omega Sentinel, $12 each; ML Magneto, $19.99; Mandarin Spawn (for Toys for Tots!) $7.00; total $62.99, Wal-Mart. Super 7 Godzilla ReAction Shogun, $29.20 shipped, Super 7. SWB Chopper, $9.99, EntertainMart; ML Hologram Iron Man, Modular Iron Man, Stealth Iron Man; $19.99 each, total $63.57, Target. ML Vault Guardsman, Ironheart, $19.99 each, 2 Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin King Sphinx, $8.99 each, total $63.17, another Target.

8-17 ML Squirrel Girl, $19.99, Hasbro Toy Shop/eBay.

8-20 ML Vision, pre-order Composite Hulk, total $39.00, Wal-Mart.

8-21 ML Darkstar, (pending) Ultron, $22.99 each; Winter Soldier, $19.99; total $75.17, GameStop. Godzilla Jet Jaguar, $12.99, Target.

8-26 ML Nova, $21.61, Walgreens. Re-Ment Miniature Petit Sample Series Playback Youth Day No.8 (bar phone, juice, beeper) $11.66 shipped, eBay.

8-31 ML Legion, $22.99, Target.

9-2 X-Men Evolution picnic table, garbage can, $13.90 shipped, eBay.

9-8 (ML Ultron arrives)

9-18 Fortnite Blackheart, $21.61, Wal-Mart.

9-23 Marvel Select Titanium Man, ($29.99) Amazon.

9-28 ML Captain Carter, Tigra, $17.99 each, total $39.22, GameStop.

10-1 ML Zombie Cap, T'Challa Star-Lord, Zombie Hunter Spidey,  $22.99 each; total $69.73, GameStop.

10-2 Lilac City Comicon: ML (?) Vision, $10; four ML Sentry Build-a-Figure pieces, $10; Sabretooth Danger Room dummy, $2; total $22.00.

10-3 ML Mobius, $22.99, Target.

10-5 ML Doctor Strange Supreme, $22.99, GameStop.

10-16 ML Shriek, $22.64, Wal-Mart.

10-22 ML Ajax, $22.69, Wal-Mart.

10-23 G.I. Joe Lady Jaye, $12.49, Fred Meyers.

10-27 SWB Q9-0, ($19.99) Fortnite arcade machine, $11.99; total $14.42, Amazon; ML Sylvie, $22.99; G.I. Joe Flint, $19.99; DC Multiverse Demon, $19.99; total $68.64; GameStop.

10-30 ML Sentinel (1 of 2) $349.99 each, total $762.28, Hasbro Pulse.

11-1 ML Kingo, $10.00, Wal-Mart.

11-5 (Second ML Sentinel arrives)

11-6 (ML Composite Hulk arrives)

11-20 ML Heist Nebula, $19.99, GameStop; ML Sprite, Druig, Phastos, Sersi, Ikaris, $10.00 each, total $54.15, Wal-Mart.

11-26 ML Psycho-Man, ($22.99) Morlun, $18.79, Amazon.

11-28 SWB Knight of Ren, $8.99, Ross.

11-29 Clan of the Midnight Whisper ninja, $18.10 shipped, Fwoosh.

12-5 ML High Evolutionary, ($20.99) Amazon. Fortnite orange arcade machine, $11.89, Wal-Mart.

12-9 ML Spider-Man Miles Morales, Dr. Strange, $22.99 each, (pending) J.Jonah Jameson, $19.99; total $59.02, Target.

12-10 ML Excalibur set (Captain Britain, Meggan, and Shadowcat), $62.99; pre-ordered two Skrull Troopers, $15.99 each; total $103.51, Hasbro Pulse.

12-16 (J.Jonah Jameson arrives.)

12-20 ML Hand Ninja, ($20.99); Fortnite arcade machine, $11.59; Fortnite Upgrade Shark, $17.99; total $44.27, Amazon.

12-21 ML Black and gold Spider-Man, $18.79, Amazon.

ML John Walker Captain America, $9.44; Odin, $7.68, Surtur, $19.83, total $17.12, Wal-Mart. (Chiselers cancelled my Surtur from that order: they didn't wanna give me a sixty-dollar figure for twenty bucks! Surely they concede I deserve it...)

Total: $3449.00. 2020: $2345.67. 2019: $2472.30. 2018: $1752.31. 2017: $1968.71. 2016: $1753.72. 2015: $1895.35. 2014: $1523.25. 2013: $1101.93. 2012: $706.32. 2011: $564.71. 2010: $966.10. 2009: $558.16. 2008: $555.16. 2007: $426.00. 2006: $620.00.

This has been happening more often in recent years, but my record-keeping has been slipping. Possibly because I'm buying too much? Or because I order something and then it doesn't show up until months later? Let's blame the latter...For example, I've pre-ordered the Doctor Strange Rintrah wave, but they won't be here for a month or three; same with Galactus, that'll probably be October 2022 maybe. And I picked up two Sentinels, but one was specifically for resale later. We'll recoup some of that total! Then again, my total is doubtless higher than that: that's a cash number, discounting figures bought with gift cards, points, and the like. Should I count everything? When I add it up, it already feels like a crackhead trying to take a cold hard look at what their crack budget looks like...

And here is usually where I mention the Build-a-Figures I managed to finish over the course of the year: a spare Sentry and Demogoblin from past years, then Stilt-Man, Tri-Sentinel, Xemnu, Mr. Hyde, Ursa Major, the Watcher--and I got additional leg pieces for Stilt-Man and completed Armadillo after I'd already taken the picture! Not a lot of spare BaF parts left in the drawer this year, although as I type this, I'm only missing Makkari to complete the Gilgamesh figure from Eternals. (I'm really sure I can get Makkari cheap here soon enough.) 

I was going to take a moment, because there were a few figures that were Build-a-Figure sized, but sold separately; like MODOK and Toxin. Titanium Man was Marvel Select, and good sized!  Still waiting on that Watcher reissue from them, though: I preordered it before the Legends BaF was even announced, yet the Legends arrived first! The Hulks there were both cheaper than the average, normal-sized Legend; but I freely admit neither was 100% must-have necessities, either. MODOK, I did see him for under $20 late in the year, long after I had bought him, but I don't know if I would've counted on a discount for him.

This year was (without doing any math...) more than 95% Marvel Legends, though, wasn't it? No Mezco, not quite as many Fortnite, no oddballs like Sam & Max or anything. That's mildly disappointing: I like a bit of variety; but I suppose at this point I shouldn't be "oh darn, I didn't get to buy pricier figures." 

I had that hologram Iron Man out for a few pictures, but it was one of the few figures I had any sort of quality control problems with: one of his feet popped off, and I may have to dip the leg in hot water later to try and squeeze it back on. He was also one of...probably too many figures purchased primarily for the Build-a-Figure piece; but sometimes we end up liking the actual figure too.

What does the next year hold? I never know! There were some figures I sprung full price for, that I probably could've held out on: offhand, I feel like I could've got the Xemnu wave on the cheap later. But, there's others like that most recent Miles Morales figure, where if you missed the boat you're probably going to pay through the nose later; even if you just want the Build-a-Figure piece. It's a crapshoot. (Just for example, I would've bet on Legion being a pegwarmer, but Target New Year's Eve was clogged with AoA Magneto and Cyclops.)

Anyway, I hope you get all the figures you want in the year to come!