The Eighteenth Annual, Random Happenstance, Year in Toys!

Eighteen years of this, and it still surprises me every time! Not just "wow, I bought a ton of crap" but a lot of "that was this year?" March 2023 might as well be the Eisenhower administration. But, the toys remain, so here we are! 

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 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.

1-3 Jada Universal Monsters Wolfman arrives from EntertainmentEarth.

1-7 Marvel Legends Ned Leeds/Peter Parker, $15.89; Star Wars Black Lando Calrissian (skiff), C-3PO, $6.89 each; total $32.13, Target.

1-14 WWE Wrekkin' Slam 'n Stack Forklift, $21.99; ML M'Baku, $7.49; ML Speedball, $6.89; Fortnite Chaos Double Agent, $7.49; Zaru Foodie Mini Brands mini food court, $10.49; total $55.22, Target.

1-28 ML baby Nightcrawler, $14.16 shipped, eBay.

2-4 ML Disney+ She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, $11.49 each; $22.99, Target; ML Kate Bishop, $16.99; Fortnite Skye (Ghost), $11.49; total $27.58, another Target.

2 Super Powers Darkseid's, $3.00 each, total $6.00, Wal-Mart.

2-10 ML Disney+ Hawkeye (Clint), $24.61, Target. 

Masters of the Universe Stridor, $17.43, Amazon.

2-11 Fortnite Renegade Shadow, $24.99, Wal-Mart.

2-18 2 Power Ranger Phantom Rangers, $9.99 each, total $22.00, Ross.

3-7 Jurassic World Pteranodon, $4.43; G.I. Joe Akiko, $7.81; SWB Cobb Vanth, $20.39; total $32.63, (Also ordered: ML Wonder Man, Yelena Belova Black Widow, Baron von Strucker, Molecule Man, Chamber, Corsair, Monet St. Croix, Fang, Emma Frost, Orb, Ultimate Captain America, $24.99 each; ML Blob, $55.99; Street Fighter Ryu, $24.99; Total order $446.11, Entertainment Earth.)

Fortnite Punk, $26.44, Amazon.

3-13 ML Guardsman, $7.50; ML Black Panther, Namor, Everett Ross, Hatut Zeraze, Okoye, Nakia, Spider-Armor, $12.50 each; total $103.55, Best Buy.

3-19 G.I. Joe Recondo, $11.49; Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master and Venger, $24.99; Power Rangers Turbo Blue Senturion, $23.79; total $63.63, Target.

3-20 ML Dark Phoenix, Spiral arrive from EntertainmentEarth.

3-25 McFarlane Black Adam Sabbac, $24.83; SWB Rocket-launcher Stormtrooper, $15.84, total $40.67, GameStop.

Fortnite Vendetta, Seeker, $11.99 each, total $26.14, Ross.

4-8 Indiana Jones arrives. ML Bucky, Nighthawk, $3.56 each, total $7.13, EntertainMart.

4-10 G.I. Joe Cover Girl arrives, Entertainment Earth.

4-20 SWB Moff Gideon, $12.99, Best Buy.

4-22 ML Spider-Punk, $24.99, Wal-Mart.

4-25 ML Baron Strucker, Wonder Man, Ultimate Captain America, Orb, and Molecule Man arrive, Entertainment Earth. 

4-26 Fortnite Metal Mouth, Raptor (yellow, with chicken); $12.99 each, total $28.16, Best Buy.

4-28 SWB Dr. Evazan, $7.07; Ponda Baba, $10.89; New Republic Security Droid, $10.89; Figrin D'an, $10.80; total $39.65, Best Buy.

4-29 McFarlane Blackest Night wave: Green Lantern/Kyle Rayner, Black Lantern Superman and Batman, Deathstorm, $24.99 each; ML Hyperion/Doctor Spectrum, $49.99, total shipped $130.76, GameStop.

5-5 ML Blob arrives.

5-12 Super 7 Silverhawks Ultimates Mon*Star Transformation Chamber Throne, $4.21 with points, Amazon. 

G.I. Joe Tiger Force Outback, $10.00, Target. 

Fortnite Duo Mode 2-pack (Double Agent Wildcard and Wildcard Shadow) $13.99, Ross.

5-19 Part of Entertainment Earth order: ML Tarantula, Daredevil (Elektra), Chasm, $24.99 each; DC Multiverse Static Shock, $13.04; G.I. Joe Classified Sgt. Stalker, $13.04; Super 7 2001: A Space Odyssey Moon Watcher, $28.21; total $146.92.

5-20 Fortnite Duo Mode Wildcards, $18.99, Black Knight, $11.99, Brutus, $9.99; total $44.37, Ross.

5-27 McFarlane Lobo, $7.99, Big Lots.

ML Ant-Man, 2 Tracksuit Mafia, $24.99 each, total $55.49, Target.

6-3 Spider-verse the Spot, $13.63, Target.

6-6 Robo Force Maxx 89,  $9.99; Wrecker, $8.99, total $33.98 shipped, Forbidden Planet.

6-7 Farscape Rygel, $16.12 shipped, eBay.

6-23 ML Hatut Zeraze, $7.49, Groot, $24.99; Rocket, Drax, Star-Lord, Mantis, Adam Warlock, $12.49 each; total $94.93, Target.

6-26 ML Kraglin, $20.97, GameStop.

6-28 ML Nebula, $11.00, GameStop.

7-6 ML Star-Lord (classic) $24.99, Wal-Mart.

Batman '66 King Tut, $10.80, Target.

7-7 Indiana Jones (Club Obi-Wan) $17.49, Target.

ML Yondu, Cyclops, Chamber, Tracksuit Mafia, $12.49 each, total $49.96, Target.

7-15 Batman '66 Two-Face, $6.98, Target.

SWB Imperial Senate Guard, Nightbrother Archer, $10.80 total, GameStop.

7-21 Indiana Jones Kazim, $12.49; Batman '66 Egghead, $9.99; total $22.48, Target.

2 X-Men '97 Sentinels, $39.09, Amazon.

7-24 ML Black Widow, $27.99, Target.

7-27 ML DD-Elektra, $27.24, Target.

8-5 ML Ultron, $20.13, GameStop.

G.I. Joe Shipwreck, $26.49, Target.

8-30 ML Tarantula arrives, Entertainment Earth.

8-31 SWB Rocket Launcher Trooper, ($21.82), KX Security Droid, $13.27, total $13.43, GameStop.

ML Spider-verse Jessica Drew, $5.00, Wal-Mart.

9-1 Fortnite Victory Royale Motorboat, McFarlane Batman '66 Robot Batman, $31.00 total, Amazon.

9-7 SWB Tusken Raider, $10.97, Jedi Survivor B1 Battle Droid, $15.97, Riot Scout Trooper, $13.97; total $25.25, GameStop. 

9-16 ML Into the Spider-Verse Cyborg Spider-Woman, $17.09; McFarlane Batman '66 Batgirl, $19.99; total $41.07, Target.

9-20 Clearance Target day! Ant-Man, Kang, $12.49 each, SW Micro Squadron, $4.99, total $32.67.

ML Photon, $16.09, Iron Man Mk.1, $13.99, Skrull Queen/Super Skrull, $27.99, Captain Marvel/Doctor Doom, $24.99, Thor/Destroyer, $29.99; total $123.22. 

G.I. Joe Craig "Rock 'n Roll" McConnel, $12.49. Target total today: $168.38. 

9-30 Batman '66 Batman (gasmask, Batzooka) $5.99, Target.

ML Iron Man Model 70, $5.99; Apex Legends Octane, $5.99, total $11.98, Ross.

10-1 ML Agatha Harkness, $20.70, Target.

10-3 ML Nighthawk and Blur arrive, Entertainment Earth.

10-4 SWB Holiday Mandalorian Scout, $23.12, Amazon.

10-5 ML DD-Elektra arrives from Entertainment Earth.

10-6 SW Boba Fett (vintage comic) $6.29; Indiana Jones w/horse (World of Adventure) $2.99; total $9.28, Target.

10-10 SW Holiday Jawa and Salacious B. Crumb, $27.99, Hasbro.

10-11 ML Chasm arrives, Entertainment Earth.

10-15 ML 3 Zombie Iron Man, $7.49 each; Masters of the Universe Masterverse He-Man, $12.24, Skeletor, $7.34; total $45.63, Target.

10-17 Batman '66 Robot Batman arrives from Amazon.

From Entertainment Earth: Super 7 Pre-Code Horror Ghostly Weird Stories Commander Ben Woodruff, $20.00; SWB Greef Karga, $5.51; Jada Street Fighter II  Chun-Li, $24.99; Jada General Mills GITD Boo Berry, $19.99. 

SWB Holiday Ewok, $27.99, Hasbro Toy Shop.

10-21 Indiana Jones Grail Knight, $24.99, Hasbro Toy Shop.

Apex Legends Crypto, $5.33, Ross.

Toony Terrors Svengoolie, $16.20, Target.

10-19 MOTU Masterverse Sorceress, Shadow Weaver, Man-E-Faces, Pig Man, $3.99 each; Transformers BotBots 8-pack, $4.99, Cosmos, $7.99; ML Maria Hill, $5.99; total $42.43, Ross.

10-23 Super 7 Pre-Code Horror Reaction Black Cat Mystery Radium Man GITD, $32.58 shipped, Super 7.

10-24 2 SWB Dark Troopers, $5.99 each; ML Quake, $5.99, total $19.97, Ross.

10-27 SWB Holiday Purge Trooper, $27.99, Hasbro Toy Store.

11-1 SWB Holiday Snowtrooper, $26.52, Target.

11-4 Batman '66 Lord Death Man, pre-order ML Hallow's Eve, $8.53, Amazon.

Toy Show! ML Deathlok, $5; ML Madame Masque, $5; Ghostbusters (Diamond) Walter Peck, $5; SWB Jaina Solo, Sabine Wren, R2-Q5, $60; Happy Meal Spider-Man, $1; Turtle van, $10; green Spider-Man, $3, Toy Biz Zzaxx, $1.

Fortnite Aerial Assault Trooper, $6.99, BotBots Ruckus Rally, $4.99, total $11.98, Ross.

SWB Holiday KX Security Droid, $24.99, Wal-Mart.

11-22 Indiana Jones Renaldo, Dr. Elsa Schneider, Henry Jones Sr. $24.99 each, total $46.38, GameStop.

12-5 X-Men '97 Bishop, Magneto, $7.49 each; ML MJ, $24.99; 2 SW Micro Fleet escape pods, $4.99 each, total $54.10, Target.

G.I. Joe Marauders Barbeque, ML Quake, SWB Grogu, $5.99 each, total $19.46, Ross.

12-9 McFarlane Captain Carrot, $37.63.

ML Morbius/6-Armed Spider-Man, $24.97; ML Star-Lord $12.47; total $40.81, Wal-Mart.

12-12 Chester Cheetah arrives.

NECA Street Fighter Guile, $25.48, Temu.

12-16 ML Multiple Man, $5.99; ML (3 3/4) Moon Knight, $3.23; total $8.22, Ross. 

12-17 ML Talos, Goliath, Yelena Belova, $6.99 each; Nick Fury, $9.99; Warrior Gamora, $11.49; G.I. Joe Tunnel Rat, $9.49; total $47.51, Target.

12-24 ML Multiple Man, $5.99; Jada Universal Creature from the Black Lagoon, $5.99; Dungeons & Dragons Forge, $3.99; total $15.98, Ross.

12-27 ML Namor, Namorita, Justice, Crystar, Vision, Power Princess, $24.99 each, total $149.94, EntertainmentEarth. 

12-30 ML Matt Murdock, $24.99, Wal-Mart.

Catch-up, missed: Power Rangers Pudgy Pig, $5.99, Pirantishead, $5.99; total $11.98, Ross. I'm pretty sure I bought a full-price ML Yondu at Target for $24.99, and should probably include the HasLabs Giant-Man here, that's $235.42 shipped, whenever it turns up.  Helena Shaw from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny wasn't in my Target purchase history; so must've been from GameStop? Say, $18.74. And I missed the Rose! We had him mid-November, for say $19.99. 

Total: $3565.82. 2022: $3604.09.  2021: $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.

And what have we learned this year? That my meticulous and unimpeachable record-keeping has slipped a bit; partly because of pre-orders: if I pre-order something in September and it shows up in April, where did I log it? Split the difference and log it nowhere! That's not helpful, but we'll keep working on that; although I'm already worried I'm going to find an extra couple hundred I somehow missed after I post this. 

Also, a lot of figures were either $25.99, or six bucks; depending when they were purchased. Sure, personally six bucks is better, but is that sustainable? There are seemingly less and less places to get figures every year, even if it seems like I buy from a bunch of stores; and I don't want that number to go down. And of course some figures, you kinda know you can maybe hold out on, but you can't rely on that for every character. Or, a lot of figures probably wouldn't have gotten bought at all at regular price.

For this year's Build-a-Figures, Puff Adder, Ch'od, What If? Ultron, movie Attuma, the Hydra Stomper, and the Void; and from McFarlane we have Atrocitus. We also have a passable chunk of the Indiana Jones Grail Table, with assorted grails false and true. Puff is part of Hasbro's incredibly slow rollout of the Serpent Society. Ultron and Attuma were clearance miracles; as was the Hydra Stomper, but after his episode I'm glad that happened. Atrocitus isn't bad for a McFarlane figure; but even as a 'Collect-n-Connect' or whatever he should've come with a lantern, or Dex-Starr, or both.  Ch'od (and Cr'reee!) is a rock star; so great. And the Void is a different direction than I thought we'd get for him; a good sized and horrible monster. 

What does the new year hold? As usual, no idea! I maybe have two or three pre-ordered figures pending and one in the mail right now. I was also kind of mad at Hasbro, for general corporate shenanigans; then of course they announced a new Nightcrawler figure, and I'll probably buy three. (And a Goblin Queen!)