Beetlejuice (Shish Kebab) (Beetlejuice (Kenner)) Review

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Beetlejuice (Shish Kebab) (Beetlejuice (Kenner)) Review

Beetlejuice (Shish Kebab)
Beetlejuice (Kenner) (Kenner)Let's see if I can get through this without saying it three times.
Beetlejuice was a huge part of my childhood. The movie, the cartoon, the toys. I adored all three aesthetics, each with their own charm.
The toyline (outside of role-playing toys) was the most simplified of the bunch. Shish Kebab Beetlejuice is one of several variations on the Ghost with the Most, most of which corresponded to the film somewhat. This particular outfit, with the cap and long coat, is his "tour guide" look, from the scene where he stabs Barbara with several spikes and then dances into a brothel. Y'know, for the kids to play with.
It's all been smoothed over, of course. No badge on the hat, a rather bland sculpt. The face is decently Keaton-ish for the era, smiling with his tongue waggling about. Looks real wholesome with the waggling fingers and slightly crouching stride. The colors are as crude as the sculpt- a midnight blue coat, matching hat, lime green pants, and a vibrant red shirt. The grey of the hands and head are rather nice, though. The hair is, oddly, plain yellow, and the eyeshadow is awfully heavy. Nice work on the teeth, though.
Articulation is the Big Five. The lower part of the coat moves with the leg, of course, and the wide-set arms don't have much to do in other poses. I guess he can wave from the car while holding the wheel.
It's the accessories where this BJ is worth your money. Ten skewers, to ram through the ten holes in this thing's torso. Said skewers are a few inches each, cast in soft silver plastic for safety, and every one has a unique "food" impaled on it, dipped in gaudy colors.
Orange: Burger, brat, drumstick, spider and snake (all foods somewhere).
Magenta: Bat (uh-oh), rat (eh, it's meat, I guess), skull (bone broth?), heart (apparently a delicacy somewhere), and an eyeball (same).
It's impossible to get all ten on one side, but it looks best with an even mix of colors on both sides. Bonus points if any of them match up to your existing tattoos in those locations.
And since the whole line had a gimmick of removable heads, this one.... is a bit of a stretch. They'd already used up all the tiny heads from the movie on other figures, so The Juice's noggin hides... A bloodshot blue eye, with a red pupil, an entire blue eyelid and a unibrow in place of eyelashes. That went from comedy to body horror right quick.
So, what do we have? Obviously it's a product of its time, but within those limits, SK Beets' only crime is being gaudy as all get-out, and maybe a little much to ask of the paint budget. Pre-posed, but good for a display anyway if the scale isn't a problem. Decent likeness, fun aesthetic. A good Halloween accent, if nothing else.
Or a year-round addition to the living room, in my case.
Addendum:the only thing the black-light works on is his shirt. I tried it so you don't have to bother.