Kenner Batman: The Animated Series Clayface Kenner, 1994
Day #398: May 14, 2012
Clayface Big Brown Pile
Batman: The Animated Series Action Figure
Item No.: n/a Manufacturer:Kenner Includes:Projectile hand Action Feature:Squeeze figure, launch ball Retail:$5.99 Availability: ca. 1993 Other: Two points of articulation
One of the early figures I remember feeling like I really had to work to get it was Clayface. He was huge, hard-to-get, and quite distinctive in that he was released around the time where Kenner really seemed to believe (mostly accurately) that villains should be 1 or 2 in a box of 16 to 24 action figures. It was frustrating, to say the least, but there were some really nice figures churned out during what were essentially the earliest days of what would become the DC Animated Universe.
The sculpt, for the time, was really good. The hollow figure has jointed arms and not much else, making him effectively a nice toy that, somehow, quickly got turned into a collector's item. His right hand has a silver claw, and his left hand has a hole. In the hole fits a silver wrecking ball-type weapon which used to launch when you squeeze him really hard. Apparently time was not too kind to him, and mine won't launch as easily as it used to. It's still quite a creative feature.
While not a perfect rendition of the 2D character, it's really good in its own right. He head has yellow eyes and teeth with a black mouth, no body paint, and a little silver on his hands. I have to assume this was a cheap figure to make, just because he's hollow and not particularly complicated. Rolls of clay seem to roll off the figure, and little chunks of him look like they dried on his person. He really does look goopy, and his left hand is a fine example of this. It really looks like he's dripping all over a silver projectile made, disgustingly, of his own body's material.
While he used to sell for $20 or so back in the 1990s, time softens some prices as collectors get bored and newer, better and/or different incarnations are released. Today, he's about $6-$12, and the redeco of him in the Diamond Exclusive Rogue's Gallery set should be easily had at or under issue price. $60 or so will get you 8 villain figures in slightly-off colors, otherwise it would be a good deal. Finally, he was retooled with a fist for his left hand and sold in a swell four-pack with Batman, Robin, and Alfred. (This may be worth you while.) If you decide to collect the 1990s Kenner Batman animated line, and I would suggest you look into it, this is one of the few figures I would say is an absolute must-buy just because he's so ugly and neat to look at. There's a lot of personality carved into his ugly mug, so unless you're allergic to the 1990s Kenner house style, look him up!
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