We've been lucky to have a few Devo figures in recent years, with NECA and Funko and others slowly making - usually - one or two more or less generic band members. The Freedom of Choice Bob Mothersbaugh came out in 2024 - for those keeping track, the 50th anniversary of the band was last year and they're still doing live shows and recently did an NPR Tiny Desk Concert show. They're not making a lot of new music, but those original Warner Bros. (and Hardcore-era) albums made a big impact on a lot of kids who were born after Devo was kind of out of vogue. You know, the Enigma years.
Freedom of Choice is probably Devo's most famous album thanks to "Whip It" being included, and this figure matches the outfits worn on the album cover and photography from that era. The Mothersbaugh brothers and Alan Myer wore red shoes, and the Casale brothers had black shoes. Why? I don't know. But the suits looked futuristic and cool - but weren't nearly as iconic as the Energy Dome. The red flower pot-shaped pyramid hat defined the band's look despite their not being used all that much, thanks in part to being associated with this album. And I do hope you buy this record, it got reissued recently cut at 45 RPM and I hear it's supposed to sound good. Haven't picked it up, I don't have Rollins money to buy every variant.
One thing that's kind of funny with modern figures is the factory - or designers - will make choices for a better looking figure that were unlikely in the olden days. For example, Bob's hands are molded in flesh separately, and inset in the sleeves. His hat seems to be as well, which results in a much cleaner figure with nicer paint applications and fewer mold lines in places where seams may be unseemly. The dome is glossy all the way around and looks fantastic. His face is molded in his skin color, along with his hands, while the suit seems to be (but I am not 100% sure) molded in silver as well. It looks really good with a consistent color, with a painted black shirt underneath. It looks perfect. It's really amazing.
He stands holding the guitar, with his left hand on the neck and the right hand over the strings. The shoulders move cleanly, as do the hips, making this another figure that works really nicely as a toy. Heck, if it had a ball-jointed neck it might even work as a nod to Fisher-Price Adventure People, thanks to the hand poses.
The rubbery guitar strap hangs over his shoulders nicely, and the Ibanez Custom "Spud" Guitar looks great. They did a nice job painted at that size which, again, is above and beyond what you might have gotten from a Mego or a Kenner. You'd get a solid color accessory, or maybe a cardboard cut-out. This is actually pretty nice, and that's probably why it's $20.
If you're a Devo fan - and why shouldn't you be? - this is probably the figure for you. I assume the core audience for this one is in their 50s or maybe even 60s, but that generation of kids who go to punk shows in the 90s and 00s and presumably beyond who can sing along with any Devo track that comes on might want this too. They might be bewildered why it was packaged and articulated like a toy from the Carter administration, but it looks great and is the fourth figure in the collection. I hope there's an Alan Myer - and after him maybe Dave Kendrick or Jim Mothersbaugh - but Super7 did a great job spreading the love to more than just one band member and kept it interesting with multiple different looks for the band. Sure, this is the second from Freedom of Choice but can you blame them? Get this one if you can find it, and then let's start pressuring them for The Aquabats.
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