Season: 4
Episode: 6
Original Airdate: November 1, 2014
Director: Ken Friss
Writer(s): Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott
So
back in 1996, Mattel released a variant of Cabbage Patch Kid dolls
called Snacktime Kid. Their gimmick involved being able to eat plastic
food. When a child placed the plastic food near the doll's lips, it
would start "eating" the food. It was able to do this thanks to a built
in battery powered motor that was really powerful. The food would then
go to a hollow spot in the doll's stomach that opened, allowing the
child to reuse the food. However, the doll had a tiny problem. It would
eat anything you put near its mouth, which meant that it could eat human
hair and even fingers if someone wasn't careful with it. Eventually,
complaints started pouring in about this defect and as a result, Mattel
had to recall about two hundred thousand remaining Snacktime Kids from
toy stores. If this isn't the inspiration for today's episode, then I'll
be very surprised!
Ted,
an online auction addict and vintage toy-collecting geek, blows his
new-car money on Mangler, a rare cybernetic teddy bear from a 1980s
cartoon that was recalled for allegedly killing and maiming its owners.
When Mangler goes after his brother and his friend, Ted must come to
terms with his problem and destroy the bear.
One
of the things I liked about the episode was the Mangler commercial. In
the beginning of the episode, Ted shows a commercial for Mangler to his
brother and his friend. Without giving too much away, from the song that
plays to the way it's shot, the commercial is so cheesy, it's hard not
to enjoy it.
The other
thing I liked about this episode was Mangler, especially his design. To
me, Mangler looks like it could've been made in the 1980's and he seems
to share some similarities with another toy from that era called My Pet Monster. For example, like My Pet Monster, Mangler has soft yet cheap
looking fur and his armor looks like it's made out of plastic.
Unfortunately,
one of the biggest gripes I have with the episode is the story. When it
comes to the whole "Creepy Psychotic Doll" story, this episode has all
the clichés that come with it. Now this wouldn't be too much of a
problem if they did something with them but unfortunately, this episode
plays them straight. Because of this, it's quite easy to predict where
the story is going to go and what's going to happen to the characters.
As a result, it's next to impossible to feel any tension or suspense
when watching the episode. Oh and to add insult to injury, this show has
done this sort of plot twice already. Once with Really You and once
with The Return of Lilly D.
Overall,
Near Mint Condition wasn't all that great. While I did enjoy it a bit
more than Return of The Pumpkinheads, it's not an episode I intend to
watch again.
Overall Grade: D+
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