And thankfully, somebody is listening!!
Ok, I grew up watching that campy god-awful BBC program Doctor Who. Every cheap prop and cardboard hallway made sense and fueled the imagination. I loved it. The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) that the Doctor used to traverse the galaxy and timeline was home to many a childhood fantasy...even though admittedly as a side effect it gave me massive nightmares filled with Daleks and Cybermen.
Problem is, there were never any toys to play with. At no time could my mini Tom Baker (4th incarnation of the doctor) and I fly a plastic TARDIS around my bedroom to visit the many Lego planets nor rocky driveway worlds that were home to a myriad of other childhood playthings.
Then, in the mid 80's the television doctor regenerated (as he is known to do) into another actor, Peter Davison. Peter was a younger Timelord, blonde with thick bowl shaped hair. I'm certain the actors youth and haircut resembling my own at the time had nothing to do with my instant love of the character
. At any rate, after adapting I found I liked this doctor as much as Tom. Later I would fall off with Doctor Who. He would regenerate a few more times (Each time succinctly worse character than the last) and before you knew it, the BBC stopped production. Mind you, the series started in 1963 and ran to 1989. Then in 1996 the Fox network tried to revive it with an American TV movie version. Sure I watched, but it seemed like they weren't trying hard enough in some areas and working a bit too hard to recapture the Tom Baker years...complete with curly hair and the like. This never made it past the movie, and again no toys.
Finally in 2005. Doctor who was fleshed out (as it were) again with a new timelord, and a fantastic energy. This time with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. This became an all new sensation and soon, the current Doctor David Tennant took over. Thus far he has been the Doctor for three seasons and (although taking a break next year to do theater) he looks to be the namesake for a while to come. My childhood and adulthood came smashing together one marvelous Christmas with the "Time Crash" short where Tennant's Doctor meets Davison's Doctor for a fundraiser.
"Two minutes to Belgium"
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I think I love this new series more than the old. Its certainly a BIT less campy but still retains that flavor, and the stories (while over the decades have been great) are much more well rounded and emotional. That said, one huge surprise this go round is there are finally TOYS released!!
I had not bought any of these, because quite frankly, I hadn't the need for them. Yet It was good to know they were there for someone.
Thats until a friend of mind did the the fantastic favor of picking me up the Comicon exclusive Peter Davidson /David tennant "Time Crash" toy set *complete with celery stalk I might add!
This was like a dream come true. When I found out there would be more of the former Doctors released this year, I immediately picked up a TARDIS for display.
First the character toys...
The attention to detail is crazy.. The hair has depth, the clothes have texture and they look a lot like their human counterparts. They chose to go with the classic Davison Doctor, which is all the better.
They did Tennant with as much care. Even down to his Chuck Taylors and posture...
Of course the real surprise is the TARDIS. This is the toy I wanted my whole childhood. The windows and Police sign illuminate, it has the slow pulsating blue light on top, it makes the classic sounds during "take off" and "landings", but what makes it truly unique is the sound effects and interior lighting when the doors are opened... not to mention the spinning action and sounds that accompany it. To top it off, if you shake it the toy makes an all new sound and as an added bonus, you can open the phone door to reveal a police telephone. Brilliant.
So, I am on a mission to get the rest of the Doctors when they come out. These make a terrificly whimsical display tucked in the corner of my place and will no doubt be hours of fun for any kids who are a fan. Not that I play with them myself, every night, in the dark corners of my place, where no one can see me...
Bottom line, I would highly recommend this to any Who fan. You wont be disappointed.
