Question: How would you respond if you found a secret out this year: that you were once a pharaoh when Egyptians ruled the world? And then some sorcerer named "Scarab" tried to get you day and night?
Answer: You'd wish you had four guardians to protect your very life!
If that doesn't mean anything to you, you're probably scratching your head right now. But if you found yourself humming an all-too-familiar theme, you'll be delighted (or appalled) by what you'll find in...
I couldn't believe it when I found out these existed, but the proof is in the pictures: Mummies Alive bootlegs! I was a huge fan of this show during the late 90s. I'd wake up early every morning to watch it before school, and then I picked up a couple of figures from the action figure line when I worked at KB Toys during the summer of 2000. I only grabbed my favorite characters -- Ja-Kal and Rath -- but I've long regretted not completing the set (I probably would have if Nefertina had gotten a wider release, but alas), especially since they were on clearance on top of my employee discount. Having missed that opportunity so long ago, I was very glad for the opportunity to own these bootlegs.
Here we see Armon in package. The packaging, although faded, is directly copied from that of the original figures -- though it's missing the copyright and company information in keeping with bootleg protocol -- and the bootlegs themselves actually look fairly decent. Sure, the original figures put them to shame with their crazy-detailed paint applications, and the construction of the bootlegs leaves much to be desired (I don't have a back shot, but there are visible screw holes and the torso feels cheap and hollow), but the mummies themselves compare more favorably to the originals than 88.3% of the bootleg toys out there.
It's only when you armor the mummies up and compare them to the originals that it really becomes clear what you're dealing with. Compared to the original figures, the armor is ill-fitting, has exceedingly dull colors and abysmal paint, and has lost much of the detail of the original pieces. Heck, somehow Rath's snake tail even shrank during the bootlegging process. Also, note the missing gauntlet -- the bootleg Rath only came with one, probably because the original tray only had space for one (the original figure was already wearing one gauntlet in the package). The lone bootleg gauntlet looks more like a moss-green wad of used chewing gum than the glossy, vibrant green of the original piece, though, so perhaps it's better that only one was included.
Anyway, that's all I've got to say about these fellows -- but for more bootleg madness, be sure to check out The Undiscovered Playthings bootleg action figure blog!
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Want to see even more bootleg toys? Find past and future editions of Bootleg Tuesday right here.
