Poll counter crashed, but keep supporting Mungo!

For some reason the poll counter reset at zero today. I don't know why, but please keep supporting the cause! With all the excitement generated by the announcement of new movies, I would say that the chances of getting more Expanded Universe figures, including Mungo, has now improved by quite a bit!

Ideas for a Mungo figure

So if Hasbro does decide to make a Mungo Baobab figure, what's the best way to distribute it? Lets look at some of the options.
1. Basic carded figure. - This is the main Star Wars action figure line. A Mungo figure potentially could end up here, but I personally don't believe this is the most likely option, unless he wins a future fan's choice poll. Spots in the basic line for EU figures these days are rare and for 1980's EU characters are practically non-existent.

Original Mungo Baobab figure card

2. Exclusive single carded figure - What we're talking about here is a figure exclusive to one department store, online store or convention. Not a terrible idea, it's happening with Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu, but for some reason I don't think we will get Mungo this way.
3. Exclusive 2 figure pack - Here we have what I think are the best options. First is the idea of two figures with a DVD containing a Droids episode. Hasbro has admitted that they had been thinking of this very thing in the past. They tried this recently with The Clone Wars, but since they came only with repacked figures that probably most people had anyway, I'm not sure how successful they were.
Another 2 pack idea is something similar to the comic pack format that Hasbro ran for several years. These sets were popular with a lot of collectors, but the problem for Droids fans is that very few of the TV series characters actually appeared in the Droids comic series. So a comic pack for Mungo is out of the question. But... what about a book pack? For those old enough to remember, back in the 1980's Star Wars movies, comics and TV episodes were often adapted into children's books, some with records or cassette tapes, some without. These books usually were around 30-some pages and featured nice new art and a concise version of the story that they were based on. Here's a few examples:

These books, without the records, could work very much like the comic packs, and could be a great way to get figures of some of the earliest Expanded Universe characters out there that many of the older fans still crave.

But what about Droids? The good news is that there are lots of Droids book adaptations that would work in a series like this. Here's a look at a few of them:

These are just a few of the options. There are several more from Droids, Ewoks, the movies and other Expanded Universe adventures. Most of the books are around the same size and the ones that are a little larger could be adapted into the same format with a little tweaking. Overall, this seems to me like a good way to bring out classic Expanded Universe figures, help this beautiful artwork again see the light of day and bring us that coveted Mungo Baobab figure. Is there a possibility this will happen? I don't know, but until Hasbro or Lucasfilm says no, anything's possible!

The ultimate Mungo figure wishlist

If Mungo Baobab does someday get made into a modern figure, I think it's safe to say that it will only happen once. There will be no redo's or updates on this one, so Hasbro should do a bang up job the first time around. That being said, here's my recommendations for what a potential figure of Mungo Baobab should look like.

BASIC APPEARANCE

The figure should be wearing Mungo's merchant fleet uniform. The alternate costume's that he wore would be nice, but like I said, if there is a figure of Mungo, there will only be one. This is the obvious choice. 

The figure should also come with the bag seen above. Mungo was often seen carrying this slung over his shoulder.

ACCESSORIES

1. Mungo's Seed Blaster

This blaster fires out seeds that immediately grow into an entangling vine on impact. 

2. Droid head

Mungo wore a droid disguise in The Great Heep, so while there may never be a figure of a disguised Mungo,  it would be nice to at least include an alternate head so we can pretend that he is just starting to put on his disguise.

3. Green Cloak

Mungo and C-3PO stole these cloaks in The Frozen Citadel to use as disguises. The addition of a cloak would give a Mungo figure an instant alternate outfit.

And there you have it! Now hopefully fans and Hasbro will get on board so we can finally get our Mungo Baobab figure!

Alternate outfit 2

Mungo Baobab's costume changes were brief, but there was surprisingly more than one. Here he is with C-3PO in robes that they swiped from alien merchants in The Frozen Citadel.

Droids characters: alternate outfits

Just like Han Solo in the Star Wars movies, the characters in Droids were depicted as either rarely changing their clothes or having multiple copies of the exact same outfit. Costume changes were rare, but once in a while, they did indeed happen. Here's example number 1: Mungo Baobab's droid disguise.

Mungo briefly wore this cobbled together droid disguise to fool Admiral Screed and his Stormtroopers in The Great Heep. 

A new Ewok

There is a new action figure from the Ewoks cartoon out now. If you are a fan of the Ewoks cartoon, make sure you find Princess Kneesaa before she's gone! Kneesaa is available only in a 5 ewok set sold exclusively at Toys R Us. Now who's next for the Droids and Ewoks collection? Maybe Mungo Baobab would be a good one!

My new wooden figures

I haven't posted any pictures of my wooden figures on this blog in years, so here's a look at some of my more recent creations. More pictures can be seen on my business site: theoldbrooklynwoodshop.com