Get your cape on! Well, I don't know about you but Batman vs. Superman left me with an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. Thankfully there's DC Super Hero Girls, an initiative by Mattel to show that girls can be anything they want. They even got a cool site and a show which you can watch at dcsuperherogirls.com. They got games and an app which I have yet to check out. Old Batman fans might find this weird since in the Super Hero High, some of the pupils are villainous femme fatales, such as Poison Ivy, who we will look at today! Gotta say though, the idea isn't so far-fetched because Ivy sometimes does...er...good things...as does Harley Quinn, being a member of the Suicide Squad and all... This might be our closest cartoon iteration for Layla Williams from Sky High, played by Danielle Panabaker (Who right now plays Killer Fr...er...Dr. Caitlin Snow on The Flash), where she was essentially a "good" Poison Ivy, and as such, she is represented in the same manner on the DC Super Hero Girls clips, except with plant based "pets". That's a cool bit of trivia for ya. I will not be looking at the whole line, only at Ivy, Harley and Batgirl. Maybe I'll get the others down the line, but I'm not exactly the target audience. However, these figures are definitely a refresher in an era of absolute darkness.
I like the packaging. In every packaging they all have their life story, which reads:
"Saving the world from the plans of Super-Villains isn't easy, especially when you have to rush home right afterward to study for a big test in Heronomics, but that's just a day in the life of a student at Super Hero High. A school where you not only learn how to control and master your awesome powers, but also have the value of teamwork and the importance of being comfortable in your own super skin. Fortunately, your classmates know exactly what you're going through as every student here is trying to figure out how to be a superhero, and a superfriend".
Ah, I like the nod to Superfriends!
Poison Ivy, AKA "Ivy", is a genius when it comes to the biology of plants. Being shy and far more comfortable with plants than people, Ivy spends most of her time in the Super Hero Greenhouse. While she has the power to control plants, they can sometimes get out of hand. Super Powers: Genius Level Intellect, Summons and Controls Plants.
Now for a 9.99 figure, this is superior to the BvS stiffaroos we've been looking at in the last couple of posts. Ivy here embodies her cartoon form perfectly. She has this humble treehugginflowachild look to her, which is...nice for an Ivy. Her being nice and kind while beautiful and strong isn't a facet we have seen from this super villainess, a femme fatale who gets her will done by controlling men via chemistry. Hell, she even broke Superman using pure science. No kryptonite, no magic, nothing, just using the power of Earth's flora to use him. Dangerous plant girl to kind and humble plant girl...who is still dangerous, just not evil...Got it. My sister mentioned that she loves her outfit since she rarely wears green (but is a redhead).
She is super articulated, but she does feel kind of fragile...and at the same time tough. Girls should be nicer to their action figures than boys, right? Her leg articulation is limited due to her dress. The details are really well done. She is a mini-doll and I actually appreciate that.
She comes with a removable vine that attaches to either hand, which is nicely sculpted. It falls off easily so be careful! I just love her look. Quire a departure from Batman & Robin's dying Kenner toyline, right? I think I might have a new favorite Poison Ivy!
Many fans are complaining about how Mattel charges $20 for bigger "Multiverse figures" and just $9.99 for these figures which are clearly superior to the smaller, stiffer BvS gang. Quite honestly, I have no idea, and these girls, being Target Exclusives are an A MA ZING VALUE for 9.99. Question is, can you find them in time? They are rather hard to find. Took me like 3 weeks to find Batgirl, but these are excellent action figures, welcome in any Batman figure collection. They bring this sort of strong yet sweet feminine touch in a world that is just so inherently dark. It's fun to see Batman characters get caught up in genuinely cute situations, and that is what this line aims to do. Someone at Mattel noticed that everyone wants to be a superhero. Superpowers should not be gender or culturally exclusive. Anyone can be what they want to be, and everyone should use their talents. That's what strangely nice girl Ivy has done, in this perfect world.
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