Dragon Review Capsule

While the first Shrek Dragon from McFarlane Toys was a little hard to get, the Hasbro Dragon packs a large figure into a small, $8-$9 blister card. It has a small companion figure, flapping wings, an opening mouth, and a launching "fire" projectile. Snag it if can see it.

Introduction

Kids love dragons, right? Even girl ones? One would think so, but the Dragon from the previous Shrek film didn't seem widely shipped. Thankfully, Hasbro saw it fit to ship this one in big numbers, which is epecially nice because the toy itself is also big.

As it has a lot of articulation, some great gimmicks that work, and a neat companion figure, it's hard to fault.

Figure

Going from a computer-generated three-dimensional model isn't always easy when making a toy, but it's easier than dealing with a drawing or just a vague sketch. As such, this Dragon looks very much like she does on film.

She isn't the most jointed dragon in the world, but she's pretty mobile. She has a joint at each leg, flapping wings, an opening jaw, and a neck that raises and lowers. You won't be able to cull a great number of poses out of this, but the default pose is pretty slick.

The figure's texture is pretty great, with scales and paint bringing out the fantastic creature's look. Since the neck is tied to one of the limbs for the figure's lunging mechanism, you really can't do too much with it. But look at that face.

It's a pretty nice face. Looking at it head-on, it loses something, but from the side it's quite spectacular. And, as you can see below, it even opens up. There's a right way and a wrong way to translate a figure to plastic and have its jaw open, and this, thankfully, is the right way. It isn't overly striking, but there is a lot of makeup on the dragon which should help identify its gender.

Dragon does a lot more than just stand there, though, and that's what makes it one of the more interesting figures to be based on a recent movie.

Accessories & Gimmicks

This figure includes a Dronkey figure that stinks, as advertised, and a projectile.

The rocket, as seen above, is what it is. It's nothing too special and it fits completely within the Dragon. It doesn't launch by itself like some missles from other toy lines do (*cough* Snakemen *cough*) and as such, is a good accessory. It fits easily in the mouth, and most importantly, it's easy to spot on the carpet.

The Dronkey is a new character from the film, which one can only assume is the result of some unholy interspecies union between Donkey and Dragon which was alluded to in the first flick. After the initial creepiness wears off, the little guy is a nicely painted and well-sculpted toy that really did turn out cute as a button. That's the good news. The bad news is that it stinks... as advertised on the package. To paraphrase Ralph Wiggum of The Simpsons fame, "it smells like burning." It really does smell like some nondescript item being fried, and it isn't pleasant-- and it doesn't wear off quickly, either. I have no idea how long it will need to air out for, but collectors should be warned the odor is not a remotely pleasant one and this may be a dealbreaker for some collectors.

A switch on the back activates the flapping wings, which need to be assembled (along with the tail) when you remove the toy from the package. The wings move fairly freely and quickly, which is good as slow-moving and clumsy wings aren't exactly "fun." Take care when assembling the wings, though, as it is easy to accidentally create stress marks.

A switch on the back activates the flapping wings, which need to be assembled (along with the tail) when you remove the toy from the package. The wings move fairly freely and quickly, which is good as slow-moving and clumsy wings aren't exactly "fun." Take care when assembling the wings, though, as it is easy to accidentally create stress marks.

Packaging

Seeming to channel the line for Disney's malinged Dinosaur, this set has a lot of orange and green. And while we like orange and green, nothing about orange brings to mind Shrek, and the film logo is pretty insignificant on the face of the package.

The packaging for the first film wasn't exactly the best ever, but it did have a big logo and a big Shrek with a giant hand, which really brought the point home what Shrek was all about. At this point, it seems, Hasbro is confident enough that kids are going to recognize these based on the figure alone. Well, here's hoping, because those little Shrek ears don't work when the thing looks like a huge Easter egg.

The Dronkey is packed in a small sealed bag so that the smell doesn't get out. In hindsight, we wish we left it in the baggie-- it really does stink.

Fin

It's a big reddish pinkish Dragon and it's less than ten bucks. It's a fairly high quality piece, so really, what's not to like? Snag one, and you won't be sorry. It may not go down as a classic, and from the first movie it isn't exactly a classic character, but it's cool. And in today's toy market, there really aren't all that many dragons outside Yugioh. This one's a keeper, folks!

Reviewed and photographed by Adam Pawlus
Sample purchased from a Phoenix Wal-Mart on April 12, 2004
Reviewed on April 29, 2004.