Violet Parr

The Incredibles toys you'll find at your local Kmart are much more childish than the movie that spawned them - lots of variants, silly action features, little articulation - but there is a better product out there. Available exclusively at the Disney Store is a line that eschews all that and just gives us good toys and even dares to include - *gasp!* - girls! Violet Parr is painfully shy, literally hiding behind her hair. Of course, being the daughter of two superheroes probably hasn't done much to help her confront this problem, since she's got powers of her own: she can, at will, turn completely invisible. Because she's a girl, and toy companies continue to labor under the false false false 1950s mindset that boys don't play with female toys, there's no Violet in the mass-market line. But that's okay, because this version more than makes up for it. Standing 6 1/2" tall, Violet moves at the neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles. She's wearing the red and black Incredible costume designed by little Edna Mode, and her skinny teenage body looks unsteady under her giant head. But don't worry, the figure's plenty stable. The paint apps are good, for the most part: her pupils were put on a little bit high, so this particular example looks like it has a lazy eye rather than a confident expression. Her hair is painted a nice matte black, just as it should be. Instead of any accessories, Violet is packaged with a clear version of herself, to simulate her invisibility. It only moves at the neck, but Clear Violet is sculpted in a more dynamic pose, so it still looks good. Really, the choice to pack two full-sized figures in one card is the best means of dealing with an invisible character, rather than something silly like color-change paint or, even worse, a variant. Pay attention, ToyBiz. Also included in the package are a translucent purple ring and two Incredibles cards - nothing terribly special, but they do help add a little more value to the figure. Since this line is a Disney Store exclusive, they're free to charge whatever they want: therefore, these Incredibles figures retail for approximately $9. But really, that's not too bad - the film was great, and the characters deserve some good representation. Sure, the price would be better if it was a dollar or two cheaper, but considering what the non-exclusive alternatives are, I can deal. Violet needs a superhero name: what should it be? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.

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