Todd McFarlane is bringing the original Spawn action figure back to life on Kickstarter

I don’t think people realise just how much we owe to Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, especially when it comes to toys. It’s not just the fact that the longest-running creator-owned comic book in history paved the way for the comic book market to establish itself outside of the gaze of the Big Two, but the level of quality that McFarlane brought to the merchandising side of this medium.

Think of it this way: Comic book action figures were plentiful long before Spawn rocked up with a first wave of figures, but it was McFarlane who sat back and thought to himself: “What if we made action figures…that weren’t crap?”

The end result was a massive shift in not only how these figures were produced, but the level of quality that each one brought to the table. Spawn’s first toys were highly detailed collectibles that were designed to be shown off. They weren’t meant to be tucked away in an old lunchbox once you’d had your fun. They were supposed to be prominently displayed, works of art in one-twelve scale that put everything else on the market to shame.

That very first Spawn action figure is still a fantastic item to look at, even if it happens to be 25 years old by now. A piece of history, that Todd McFarlane wants to give a new lease of life on. Over on Kickstarter, McFarlane Toys detailed how they’ll be updating this legendary toy:

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This figure will be 7 inches tall and come with a huge folding cape and weapon. The articulation in this version will be more than double what the original toy had, and the included comic cover will be re-drawn by the international award-winning artist and creator of the Spawn character, Todd McFarlane.  

As well, this new remastered version will come in its own box with slipcover to help preserve the condition of the figure, comic and packaging. And speaking of the actual blister packaging, it will mimic the original design from the classic toy of 1995, though upgrades will be all across the final product. A new re-sealable clamshell  package will be used so you may take out your figure and comic for display, but also be able to return them both into their packaging like you have never opened it in the first place!

There’ll be four versions of the figure available, the first three starting at a $40 pledge on Kickstarter:

• Classic – The original design, updated for today
• Modern – Includes a new head
• Artist’s Proof – An unpainted version
• 3-Pack – A combination of all three tiers

Looks good! The highest tier available is the $160 package for the 3-Pack, that also includes McFarlane’s autograph. The Kickstarter has already been funded and then some, as the original $100 000 pitch now sits on a combined pot of over $686 000 at the time of writing this post. Y’all REALLY want a kickass action figure, don’t you?

Last Updated: April 9, 2020