Jordan Knight: Who knew that New Kids on the Block member was immortalized in such a way. Well I did, but I totally forgot about it. Mattel put this on the market during the peak of New Kids mania. Jordan was not alone, his other NK brothers were also availible for a time. Like a lot of hastily made, similiar products; this looks nothing like the subject at hand. In fact it looks like a ton of other folks, just not Jordan.Gift To Trash Time Span: Probably a year, and that's charitable. As NKOTB were shook loose from the charts, this rendered this and the other figures completely superflous.
The Collateral Damage: Sadly there was some. The very idea of being immortalized in such a manner guaranteed the guys would become laughingstocks.
M.C. Hammer: That's not bad all things considered. Unlike the Knight fiasco, this actually does look like M.C. Hammer. And that's a problem. When this was issued Hammer was leaving the ranks of the musican and was easing over to the dreaded celebrity. During this era he lost the "M.C." did corny commercials and started to do unlistenable and barely danceable music. The fine folks at Mattel brought us this one, ABC gave us the Saturday morning cartoon, Hammerman. Hammer? Well he descended into parody by way of all that hooey. The doll? It's great. It looks like him. A bit of thought actually went into it. There's a spiffy outfit, a tad ornate, but it's his call. Accessories? Sure thing. Hammer has a microphone and glasses. A cassette was also included. Too bad for Hammer it didn't say "Please help me." We all could have staged an intervention then and there.The Value: Not a whole heck of a lot
The Downside: The very idea
An Idiot's Take: Thinking about it, Hammer did rebound artistically speaking for his 1994 CD for Giant. Sadly the glitter pants era seemed to define him.
2 comments:
I have a two comments on this exceptional entry:
1) While you are correct that Hammer's "The Funky Headhunter" album was an improvement musically over his godawful early '90s albums, I am afraid I must hang the sell-out label on him, as he went from genie-pantsed holy ghost boy to speedo-boner sprouting gangsta rapper with nary a wink. Just because you become less pop doesn't make you less of a sell-out.
2) Are there any other dolls on the market featuring former cast members of "The Surreal Life"? I would pick up the Brande Roderick one, that's for sure! And who hasn't capitalized on the Chyna Doll concept? C'mon people!
Thanks Bill. LOL I wish I had said some of that stuff. Yeah Hammer's methamorphisis was pronounced and swift. I can still see him poolside in the "Pumps and a Bump" video with that Speedo that was just embarrasing--and hilarious.
Yeah Brande Roderick was cute on that show. The only thing wrong? She wasn't a psycho. You know, I don't think there's any other dolls from "The Surreal Life" folks--well not yet. In fact a bunch of those people probably have been dolls before LOL.
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