“Daddy, who you wanna be?”
That’s pretty much a daily question in my house. And it’s either referring to some Mario video game on the Wii, or more likely, a number of action figures lined up and ready to fight. You see, my kids (roughly 4 and 6 years old) are addicted to those Marvel Superhero Squad action figures put out by Hasbro. And while I wasn’t too keen on them at first (the action figures I mean, not the kids…), they’ve most definitely grown on me over time.
These little semi-articulated PVC figures are, well, just darn cute. It’s pretty hard to resist liking a super-cutified Green Goblin. Heck, even the “giant” Galactus figure looks like he’d be your bestest friend ever. Great sculpting and a real diversity of characters are what make this line so amazing. I’m most certainly a proud GeekDad knowing that both my kids can easily recognize some pretty obscure Marvel characters. Wolverine, Hulk, Spider-Man? Please. That’s so two years ago. My little guys can point out Hawkeye, Archangel, Apocalypse and even a Hand Ninja. Last week, my youngest son brought a Superhero Squad Elektra figure to preschool for “Show and Tell.” I can just picture his teacher’s face at that one…
It’s true, there is strength in numbers. While having just a few of these figures is fun, their appeal really shines when you’re staring down at a huge tub filled with dozens upon dozens of brightly colored, smiling faces. Set up a monstrous battle between the Avengers and the Sinister Six. Play a pretend baseball game with Spider-Man (there are like 97 different versions of Web-Head after all) and the X-Men. Or just line up every single hero versus all the villains in a Secret Wars brawl to end ’em all. They’re even small enough that you can play Hide & Seek with them by tucking them in every nook and cranny of your house and then letting the kids run wild trying to find the most figures they can.
The other nice thing Hasbro’s done with this line is to offer up the figures in either two-packs or four-figure editions. Your superheroes will never be lonely, since there’s always someone to pal around with or to take on in battle. Which means you’re left with just one pressing question: “Who you wanna be?”
