I definitely loved these figures whenever I was a kid. I would be playing with Cobra and Joe's and then I would have the manimals just come periodically to ruin the whole battle. Good stuff.
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but "Iguanus" is also the name of a Transformers Pretender action figure, also by Hasbro. He had a purple reptilian shell over a robot endoskeleton. It sort of reminds me of the Shockwave name crossover...
In and of themselves, they don't seem too bad. They just don't belong in G.I. Joe. They look like they would be good foes for the outer space version of He-Man (remember that?).
Great video, I was glad to donate these toys and help with any research, and I guess you used somewhat my idea to create a mini hcc788, don't forget to say I shall call him mini me, lol.
I love the amount of research put into this video. As someone who only really got into G.I. Joe about 4 years ago, I'm glad I can constantly learn something new and fascinating about the G.I. Joe franchise. I run a Transformers-and-Transformers-adjacent based lore series here on TH-cam and I've been looking for ways to incorporate more G.I. Joe stuff into my content since I think a lot of people are sleeping on what the franchise has to offer. Videos like these are both tremendously entertaining as well as educational for people in my position. Thank you very much!
Truly dark times if HCC788 has succumbed to reviewing a non-arah era figure! Mini HCC was so cute! Good to see she has a mask ready for going outside. Great video, and good to see you guys are keeping things fun!
I just spit beer through my nose. When you were reading Warwolf's file card and you got to the "he coughed up the back half of a Cobra helicop... ok"... the funniest moment in a review since you threw the Cobra la guard across the table "and he looked like that"...ha!
I can't believe I predicted that you would do manimals for April fool's day but got it a week and a half later that I thought but still in April that's good enough for me.
I remember finding out about these as unproduced Joe toys and then maybe a year or so later is when I heard they were getting released through Kay Bee Toys, so I was super excited. They fit within the wacky Lunartix Empire Star Brigade world pretty well despite having really poorly written File Cards. I liked Slythor and Warwolf more then Iguanus, so I picked them up first back when the line debuted. I'd have preferred something similair to Warwolf's original color scheme as his red pupil-less eyes and green alien skin looked cooler to me then the pale skin with almost cartoonish eyes. Zig Zag, Spasma & Vortex all had really interesting transformation gimmicks so it kinda sucks they didn't put in Zig Zag or Vortex in Series 1 in exchange for Iguanus or Warwolf (since those two have very similair gimmicks). Well done review as usual sir!
I think Mini Hcc788 is awesome and should appear more offen. I hope Mini788 appearances in your videos doesn't run afoul of COPPA and gets your videos labeled kid friendly.
I've always been very fond of the Manimals and kind of bummed that we never got the other three. But I like GI Joe's science fiction elements and the contrast of a more or less realistic military force like the Joes battling robots and monsters. And despite the somewhat limited articulation, they're still a lot better then the Mega Marines monsters IMHO. Though I admit, that's not saying much. But I always got plenty of use out of them.
Interesting, this was a much more forgiving review than the one you did for the Cobra-la figures, despite these Manimals being even more bizarre and divorced from vintage GIJoe. Man, that '87 movie must have really messed you up as a kid!
Just putting this out there - any living thing that consumes and digests food for energy is an animal, regardless of its planet of origin. That includes humans and vaguely humanoid aliens.
I actually own 8 of the Animorphs figures, but I got into these only cause in 1997 I discovered the book series by K.A. Applegate. My figures are still mint on card/ in box, I want to still complete the collection someday, and own every book in the series. Was a solid series, but the end was a bit dark I thought. The whole thing was HOT with books, giveaways from Scholastic, toys, board games, merchandise, even a tv series on Nickelodeon.
I was loving Beast Wars at the time, somehow learned about this new "Transformers" show called Animorphs, watched the first episode, and quickly realized it wasn't for me.
I remember picking up all three of these figures at KB Toys in the early 2000s. Iguanus was my favorite mainly for the reptilian, Egyptian, Chariots of the Gods appearence. I was a huge fan of all that during the late 90s early 2000s. I didn't use the mutating feature either, Iguanus was similar to Predator and he wore a skull chest piece like one of the Preds in the Alien vs Predator Dark Horse Comics. In my Joeverse. Warwolf was my second favorite he reminded me of a Space Jockey from Alien so that was what he was a interstellar humanoid pilot. I also had no use for the mutating feature on him either he did not need it. As for Slythor I never knew he came with glasses...
Also, I suspect the "Manimal" TV show was ripped-off from a comic book that came out a few years earlier called Animal Man, by Michael Gilbert I believe.
A few years after these, we got POTF2 yeah!? 90s were not the best for toys. I am pretty sure Larry Hama didn't write those file cards, cool video though!
Warwolf thar wolf, thar castle. Actually the Warwolf figure looks more like a Dollartree version of Marvel's Thanos. Just when you thought the line couldn't get any stranger. Great review though.
Do you coordinate your t shirts with the year of the toy you review? That kmfdm album came out same year as manimals and I think you had a skinny puppy jacket or t shirt from an 80’s review before, very cleverly coordinated;)
I still don't understand why they can't have turning heads while still making the transformation work. Come on these were made by Hasbro the creators of Transformers.
Hello HCC788, from Mexico , i hope you and your relatives are ok, i have been a follower of your channel for more than 3 years and i am very pleased with your videos and reviews they are awesome¡¡¡, but im sorry, i must tell you that this review is not Ok because is not from the original line from 1982-1994 , i know this figures were supposted to sale in 95 but due they were released in 2001 i cannot agreed with this video , i hope you understand mi complain , and i wish you well, and i always remember, only Gi joe is Gi Joe but in Mexico was Comandos Heroicos Gi Joe¡¡¡
It doesn't make sense to me that Hasbro, the company that thought selling these for $10 in 2002 (that's a lot of money in those days, It's $17.35 adjusted to 2023 inflation) was a good idea and ok'd it, is still in business today while all the companies of the time like Kenner, Trendmasters, and Galoob, that made some of the best toys of my life and were very successful, are not around anymore. That doesn't sound right to me, how the hell does that happen? Like really? The company that put aliens in GI Joe and made Manimals is the company that survived the 90's and 2000's? Is Hasbro the ultimate money laundering scheme or something?! I will reiterate. The company, that decided to sell GI Joe manimals at KB Toys for what is the equivalent of $17.35 today, in an era that had Pokemon, Digimon, Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, etc, the same people who had Phantom Menace figures lingering in Vendors Malls for 2 decades, the people who flubbed Jurassic Park III, and then flubbed Jurassic World so hard that Mattel got the license instead, that company is still around, but the people making Godzilla, Micromachines, and responsible for the 80's Star Wars toy line are not. There is no justice in the world I see. Seriously, how is Hasbro still around? Their history since the 90s has been a joke of failures, from killing GI Joe and having it fail over and over, to freaking Manimals, to letting Jurassic World slip through their incompetent fingers, to devaluing Magic the Gathering Cards and alienating Dungeons & Dragons fans, how the hell do they still make money?!?!? How does a company fail upwards like this?!
I definitely loved these figures whenever I was a kid. I would be playing with Cobra and Joe's and then I would have the manimals just come periodically to ruin the whole battle. Good stuff.
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but "Iguanus" is also the name of a Transformers Pretender action figure, also by Hasbro. He had a purple reptilian shell over a robot endoskeleton.
It sort of reminds me of the Shockwave name crossover...
In and of themselves, they don't seem too bad. They just don't belong in G.I. Joe. They look like they would be good foes for the outer space version of He-Man (remember that?).
Great video, I was glad to donate these toys and help with any research, and I guess you used somewhat my idea to create a mini hcc788, don't forget to say I shall call him mini me, lol.
The name Iguanus was first used with the Transformers, as a 1988 Decepticon Pretender was named that.
I love the amount of research put into this video. As someone who only really got into G.I. Joe about 4 years ago, I'm glad I can constantly learn something new and fascinating about the G.I. Joe franchise. I run a Transformers-and-Transformers-adjacent based lore series here on TH-cam and I've been looking for ways to incorporate more G.I. Joe stuff into my content since I think a lot of people are sleeping on what the franchise has to offer. Videos like these are both tremendously entertaining as well as educational for people in my position. Thank you very much!
Gotta say, I was extremely worried when I saw the title card. That intro with Mini-HCC sold it. Hope you're all safe and (relatively) sane.
I'm glad you make Family episode. It really warms my heart.
I think it's a really good thing what you're doing with mini HCC.
Agree
When self quarantine and cheap bourbon goes horribly wrong! Definitely one of the more funky reviews I've seen, keep them coming HCC!
Truly dark times if HCC788 has succumbed to reviewing a non-arah era figure! Mini HCC was so cute! Good to see she has a mask ready for going outside. Great video, and good to see you guys are keeping things fun!
Happy Easter and Glad to Have HCC788 back! Thanks
This is another example of the review being worth more than the figures. Thanks Hoodie for taking one for the team and reviewing these clowns!
Love it! Awesome to see mini HCC788 in action!!! Rock on!!!
Good job Audrey and AK, and as always, HCC.
"Wherever there is trouble, G.I. Joe is there" and that includes deep space.
I just spit beer through my nose. When you were reading Warwolf's file card and you got to the "he coughed up the back half of a Cobra helicop... ok"... the funniest moment in a review since you threw the Cobra la guard across the table "and he looked like that"...ha!
Manimal was my favorite live-action series when a was a kid.
I can't believe I predicted that you would do manimals for April fool's day but got it a week and a half later that I thought but still in April that's good enough for me.
This is probably my favorite intro to date! Who ever would’ve thought a little Hooded Cobra Commander would be so cute!😂
Super cool review of the Manimals, you put a lot of effort in your reviews and make the most out of your videos. Thumbs up HCC788.
This quarantine is making all of us do weird things. Last week I grew a mustache because I wanted to look like Vincent Price.
This reminds me of the episode Iceberg Goes South. Those were manimals in that episode.
Everyone, stay at home and keep safe. Also, keep watching HCC 788 reviews!
Great to see the intro skits back
Adding a kid this far into the series? Ballsy move, but it paid off! Also, that went far more pleasantly than I would have ever expected.
Brilliant intro I just laughed my, um, tail off. Thanks Hoodie I needed that 😆
I remember finding out about these as unproduced Joe toys and then maybe a year or so later is when I heard they were getting released through Kay Bee Toys, so I was super excited.
They fit within the wacky Lunartix Empire Star Brigade world pretty well despite having really poorly written File Cards. I liked Slythor and Warwolf more then Iguanus, so I picked them up first back when the line debuted. I'd have preferred something similair to Warwolf's original color scheme as his red pupil-less eyes and green alien skin looked cooler to me then the pale skin with almost cartoonish eyes.
Zig Zag, Spasma & Vortex all had really interesting transformation gimmicks so it kinda sucks they didn't put in Zig Zag or Vortex in Series 1 in exchange for Iguanus or Warwolf (since those two have very similair gimmicks).
Well done review as usual sir!
I'm in love with my new Manimal profile picture! Thank your daughter for me!
I think Mini Hcc788 is awesome and should appear more offen. I hope Mini788 appearances in your videos doesn't run afoul of COPPA and gets your videos labeled kid friendly.
KMFDM woooo!!!!!
Awesome I love the Manimals I find it a real shame that Vortex wasn't released. 💚🐺🐍🐊
I've always been very fond of the Manimals and kind of bummed that we never got the other three. But I like GI Joe's science fiction elements and the contrast of a more or less realistic military force like the Joes battling robots and monsters. And despite the somewhat limited articulation, they're still a lot better then the Mega Marines monsters IMHO. Though I admit, that's not saying much. But I always got plenty of use out of them.
I am honestly suprised Cobra Commander wasn't in this line..."I was once a man!"
AK did really well. So proud of him.
Great review. Thanks for saving me money so I don't need to buy these to check them out. Great job on removing the bubble without wrecking the card!
So glad you're back! Love your review vids! Gives me hope and takes my mind off the current crisis. Thank you!
KMFDM shirt, HCC rocks man.
I noticed that Slythor's filecard stated it hunted 'villains' but that his serpent head was 'evil'. Does that make it a good guy until it changes..?
The best thing I can say about the Manimals......hey nice shirt!
Huge kudos for the KMFDM shirt.
I love these figures. To bad I cannot afford them. Great review buddy.
15:37. Think I found the ideal pilot for the Buzz Boar.
Dude you are the best! I love your videos! So fun!
Wait a minute! You've regenerated in the past and now you are carrying around celery. You've even ridden in a TARDIS. You are a Timelord!
I saw these all on the pegs at KBToys when I was in my 20s and just walked away. Still not entirely sure if I regret that or not.
Man, I have that same KMFDM t shirt too - stronger than ever before - lols
I need these! Awesome review
There was a Manimal comic book series as well.
Interesting, this was a much more forgiving review than the one you did for the Cobra-la figures, despite these Manimals being even more bizarre and divorced from vintage GIJoe. Man, that '87 movie must have really messed you up as a kid!
Got to be honest that moustache and beard combo looks stylish.
The Manimals less so.
So this is what happened if Street Shark crossover with G.I. Joe.
Miniature version of me telling me to review weird GI Joe figures....I dunno about you, but that statement makes perfect sense to me.
Just putting this out there - any living thing that consumes and digests food for energy is an animal, regardless of its planet of origin. That includes humans and vaguely humanoid aliens.
Excellent review! I am just missing a size comparisson with normal gijoe figures.
I sometimes find myself talking into a celery microphone these days too
Great review and happy Easter
Very glad to see a review on these weirdos, I have them but didn't know much about them
Yeah,HCC, review the 1983 Television show "Manimal" . Ha ha ha . LLol!
I'm absolutely disturbed by the celery
In the late 90's a similar concept called Animorphs came about, and when licensed out as toys they were branded under.... Transformers. Huh.
I actually own 8 of the Animorphs figures, but I got into these only cause in 1997 I discovered the book series by K.A. Applegate. My figures are still mint on card/ in box, I want to still complete the collection someday, and own every book in the series. Was a solid series, but the end was a bit dark I thought. The whole thing was HOT with books, giveaways from Scholastic, toys, board games, merchandise, even a tv series on Nickelodeon.
They sold so badly, the later waves were resculpted so they could be regular Transformers, the Beast Wars Mutants!
I was loving Beast Wars at the time, somehow learned about this new "Transformers" show called Animorphs, watched the first episode, and quickly realized it wasn't for me.
@@lo1bo2 yeah the novels were the way to get into the series.
Strangely enough the first episode of Animorphs featured the Beast Wars videogame.
Someone I listen to also listens to KMFDM! Sweet sister salvation! seen them 6 times in concert :)
the snake one is the true cobra commander
Love the KMFDM shirt
Hi From El Paso Texas 👍👌
Greetings from Portland Oregon!
The maninals go well with the funskool gijoe superhero (shortfuse head on a torpedo body Zander waist)
I remember picking up all three of these figures at KB Toys in the early 2000s. Iguanus was my favorite mainly for the reptilian, Egyptian, Chariots of the Gods appearence. I was a huge fan of all that during the late 90s early 2000s. I didn't use the mutating feature either, Iguanus was similar to Predator and he wore a skull chest piece like one of the Preds in the Alien vs Predator Dark Horse Comics. In my Joeverse. Warwolf was my second favorite he reminded me of a Space Jockey from Alien so that was what he was a interstellar humanoid pilot. I also had no use for the mutating feature on him either he did not need it. As for Slythor I never knew he came with glasses...
Totally forgot about these guys!
Also, I suspect the "Manimal" TV show was ripped-off from a comic book that came out a few years earlier called Animal Man, by Michael Gilbert I believe.
A few years after these, we got POTF2 yeah!? 90s were not the best for toys. I am pretty sure Larry Hama didn't write those file cards, cool video though!
nice KMFDM shirt!
Warwolf thar wolf, thar castle. Actually the Warwolf figure looks more like a Dollartree version of Marvel's Thanos. Just when you thought the line couldn't get any stranger. Great review though.
Wow warwolf could easily be repainted into thanos
Do you coordinate your t shirts with the year of the toy you review? That kmfdm album came out same year as manimals and I think you had a skinny puppy jacket or t shirt from an 80’s review before, very cleverly coordinated;)
Would love to see a video of Predacon.
Slytherin is a bad snake creature
I remember seeing these on the pegs at the local KB Toys, just before they went out of business.
Coincidence? Methinks not.
I bought a set when they came out . Not really gijoe though
Shouldn't your mini-me be HCC394? Since he's like half size...
I still don't understand why they can't have turning heads while still making the transformation work. Come on these were made by Hasbro the creators of Transformers.
they look like they would fit better with TMNT toys
I saw these in KB toy store at the time and thought "What?! GI Joe is really going there?!" They were one off's so... whatever.
One of these custom figure guys online should take Slythor and rework him as “mutated cobra commander”
KMFDM! Nice!
Cheap bourbon got me through high school and college
I guess they have meaner bounty hunters on the other side of the milky way ;) @7:03
Is that a storm shadow tat?
If so please show it or review it thanks.
COBRA 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
you really wanted that gun to fit
Hello HCC788, from Mexico , i hope you and your relatives are ok, i have been a follower of your channel for more than 3 years and i am very pleased with your videos and reviews they are awesome¡¡¡, but im sorry, i must tell you that this review is not Ok because is not from the original line from 1982-1994 , i know this figures were supposted to sale in 95 but due they were released in 2001 i cannot agreed with this video , i hope you understand mi complain , and i wish you well,
and i always remember, only Gi joe is Gi Joe but in Mexico was Comandos Heroicos Gi Joe¡¡¡
I find myself talking to mini a version of myself as well I call him Da Little Grot
These look like crappy power ranger villains . Great review thou. The intro is killer
Well, like Admiral Piett stated in Empire Strikes Back, " Bounty hunters, we don't need that scum".
It doesn't make sense to me that Hasbro, the company that thought selling these for $10 in 2002 (that's a lot of money in those days, It's $17.35 adjusted to 2023 inflation) was a good idea and ok'd it, is still in business today while all the companies of the time like Kenner, Trendmasters, and Galoob, that made some of the best toys of my life and were very successful, are not around anymore. That doesn't sound right to me, how the hell does that happen? Like really? The company that put aliens in GI Joe and made Manimals is the company that survived the 90's and 2000's? Is Hasbro the ultimate money laundering scheme or something?!
I will reiterate. The company, that decided to sell GI Joe manimals at KB Toys for what is the equivalent of $17.35 today, in an era that had Pokemon, Digimon, Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, etc, the same people who had Phantom Menace figures lingering in Vendors Malls for 2 decades, the people who flubbed Jurassic Park III, and then flubbed Jurassic World so hard that Mattel got the license instead, that company is still around, but the people making Godzilla, Micromachines, and responsible for the 80's Star Wars toy line are not. There is no justice in the world I see.
Seriously, how is Hasbro still around? Their history since the 90s has been a joke of failures, from killing GI Joe and having it fail over and over, to freaking Manimals, to letting Jurassic World slip through their incompetent fingers, to devaluing Magic the Gathering Cards and alienating Dungeons & Dragons fans, how the hell do they still make money?!?!? How does a company fail upwards like this?!
What is the 788 about?
Poochie has landed!
nice KMFDM!
It's the missing link between G.I. Joe and Beast Wars.
The figures are crap, but the card art is fantastic... 😊
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
KMFDM!
Omg..it sucks,nice video