Darth Tater & Spud Trooper

Originally posted at http://slangards.multiply.com/ on Mar 23, '09


There are various niche markets out there that cater specifically to the odd eccentric. There are products out there for girls and boys, geeks and hipsters, people who write furrie fan fiction, or auto-erotic asphyxia practitioners. It's sort of a variation on the Internet's rule 34.

So it should come as no surprise that Playskool makes Mr. Potato Heads that appeal to the huge fan base that Star Wars enjoys.

They already treated us to single packs of R2-Pootatoo (beep beep boop!), Darth Tater, and the Spud Trooper, but they also gave us this Walmart Exclusive set, Darth Tater & Spud Trooper in a Collector Tin!



Both the Darth Tater and the Spud Trooper are the same as when they were packed as single toys in 2005, but with the addition of an extra chest plate for Tater that hangs off his mouth hole. While it's not much, it does add a nice finished look to the figure and you have to admit it's hard not to smile at the Dark Lord of the Sith reduced to this... starchy vegetable. His loyal bodyguard, unfortunately, doesn't get any upgrade, but again, it's the same great toy that was released the first time. If it ain't broke...

They two figures are exactly what you'd expect from a Mr. Potato Head toy. There is a reason this brand has been around as long as it has. Like Lego, it engages imaginations and helps kids learn. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. They're all here. You can store all the parts (except the big face mask pieces) in his butt. Just like with any toy in this line, you can mix and match pieces from other Potheads to customize your own. It's like Stikfas, only without the pretension. Or like Lego without the unbelievable prices. Or you can forget about the comparisons and just have a Optimash Prime vs. Darth Tater duke it out.

The addition of the tin rather than than the paper and plastic boxes that Potatoes are normally packed in is a great added value. The graphics on it are irresistibly shiny and unabashedly cute. How can you not want to buy it when you see it on the shelf? How can kids?
Inside the tin, the figures are both packed in formed plastic trays, and it's a chore getting them out. Still, if you take care, you can get both characters out of the plastic without damaging it, meaning you can put them back for display anytime. So you can open the package and display, or close it and store. If you want to display Darth and Spud free of their shackles, you can use the tin to store other stuff. Your extra Potato parts, maybe. Or whatever "paraphernalia" you don't want people to know you have. No one will ever guess you hid it in here.

The set is an exclusive, so it's not as readily available as some. Then again, Potheads aren't that plentiful to begin with. Optimash disappeared unbelievably quick, and the Taters of the Lost Ark did the same. They only reason this one's still on shelves is because it's P1,500.00 compared to the P600 or P700 of the singles. I was hoping it'd go on sale, but seeing that they were also disappearing, I decided to get one before they were gone.

They're just too good to miss out on.