Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,155: Grogu (Epic Hero Series)

GROGU New Kids Line
Epic Hero Series Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G0100
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pram, stand
Action Feature: Articulated opening lid
Retail: $9.99
Availability: January 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian Season 3   

Bio: Grogu has chosen to follow the path of his protector, the Mandalorian, and continues to share adventures at his side. (Taken from the packaging)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

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Commentary: This is a weird one - it's a season 3-specific version of Grogu, one of surprisingly few Hasbro toys made based on designs from the show's season which ended last year thus far. There's a The Vintage Collection figure based on this pram on the way for $17, which has swappable "open" and "closed" pram lids, slightly more pram paint, and - it seems - less articulation on the figure itself. (And the shirt, the TVC one has the shirt.) It is unlikely that fans will see these side by side on the pegs, but any customer who sees this figure for $10 and that one for $17 who isn't a specific kind of collector might just go the cheaper route. But should they?

Grogu himself is a weird figure - not bad, but there are some curious design choices. He's the same size as The Child from The Retro Collection [FOTD #2,819], which puts him a little taller than The Vintage Collection mini-minifigure. He has jointed arms - Vintage ones don't always have those. Epic Hero Grogu has a jointed head as well, plus unpainted feet, and has a sculpt that seems to be derived from the same source material as the Retro "Kenner" figure. A lot of the folds line up, so they very much seem to be cut from a similar cloth, but with different levels of texture. Retro has no pink in the ears, and Epic adds very tiny (and probably unnecessary) whites around his eyes. The fuzzy cloth around his neck and wrists are painted, although I do not think it works to the benefit of the figure. Hasbro could probably just change up the texture a tiny bit, and call it a day, but at least it matches nicely.

The pram is good - it plugs in the display stand, and the lid rolls back quite smoothly. Form fit issues are a problem with a lot of current toys, but whoever engineered this one made sure the lid snaps in cleanly and rolls back without a hitch. There aren't any foot pegs to secure the figure inside, but he does have one hole in one foot for some future use. Presumably. Maybe not. The deco on the pram is light, and the little elements painted on the Vintage version weren't decorated here - but it's no worse off. And basically half the price.

There are no "Epic Hero" connection points on the figure - no backpack hole, no wrist holes. Nor should there be. He's too tiny for any of those to be very useful, although a clear stand that could plug in his back so he could "leap" could be cute if they do a version 2.0.

I don't know if parents or kids will see the tiny guy who is the size of an accessory as worth the price of a full human figure at $10, but a popular character tends to sell regardless. I think he's as good or charming as the retro figure, with a slightly more realistic sculpt, but is still a little cutesy. I hope this line gets built out, because the eight figures we have so far don't make much of a splash - but as part of a hypothetical bigger thing? I really like this figure.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,155: July 18, 2024