For the first time in the current lineup of WWE items, fans have finally gotten the chance to own the beloved Miss Elizabeth in action figure form. One of the most popular characters in WWE history ever, Miss Elizabeth has been a fan demanded choice for quite some time. Well Mattel listened and included her in a poll for fans to vote. You all remember this, over a year ago Mattel offered up a voting experience on Mattycollector.com for fans to vote for their ideal lineup for the exclusive online WWE Elite Collection Flashback Series. Miss Elizabeth clearly won many votes and cemented her iconic WWE status into the Flashback line.

Things of course did not go according to plan. This figure’s release became more convoluted than any rope-opera storyline the WWE could come up with. First fans were told she would be released in the fall of 2012. Then fans were told that Miss Elizabeth would not be sold online and would instead be released in stores in an upcoming Elite Collection line. Fans (myself included) were highly concerned with this news because all we wanted was just the chance to purchase a long demanded character like Miss Elizabeth instead of having to haggle with Scalpor.

So we thought that was it with Miss Elizabeth. Until last month when Mattel ended up putting Miss Elizabeth for sale during the Mattycollector sale day! She of course sold out during the Early Access period for subscribers, which was a surprise because fans were told that she would not be sold during Early Access. Whew! Through all the hoopla I did manage to find a Miss Elizabeth at my local Toysrus. Thank goodness. So let’s check out this really cool toy and be sure to keep reading, because there is a big surprise at the end!

The packaging is very nice for Miss Elizabeth. It is a big package for such a small figure, but I am cool with that. The art for Miss Elizabeth looks really nice and the “First Time in the Line” statement is emblazoned on the package to let collectors everywhere know that this is indeed a very important release.

A closer shot shows that this Miss Elizabeth is wearing a cloth peplum dress. I know she was shown in this dress from various images and promotional materials back in the day, but it was an iconic look she wore during Wrestlemania IV. The figure looks really good and definitely captures the look and spirit of Miss Elizabeth.

Flipping the package over we see a few things. First there is a bio and larger image of the First Lady of the WWE. Since Miss Elizabeth was moved to the 19th series of the Elite Collection, there is also a list of the other figures for purchase at the bottom. I could see myself also trying to collect the Kane and Shawn Michaels figures from this series, as they look really cool.

The bio for Miss Elizabeth is very nice. It touches upon her role as a manager and the work she did with her Macho Man. These bios can be tricky; because the real story of Miss Elizabeth was incredibly sad (she died in 2003 under tragic circumstances.) However I think that this bio was a fitting tribute to this woman. She was a big reason why I even found the WWE entertaining in the first place.

Miss Elizabeth has similar points of articulation to the other WWE Diva figures. Her dress is held together with Velcro in the back and can slide off when undone. However the dress has a tight fit so I did not want to mess with it. From what I have seen online though, Miss Elizabeth is simply wearing a painted-on white strapless bodysuit underneath the dress.

Her arms unfold, though I really wish Mattel had given her both open hands. I think it would have made the figure look more like the picture instead of her making a fist with her right hand. She also did not come with any accessories or stands, though I suppose the cloth dress could be counted as an extra piece.

One point of concern I have with this figure is her head. The face sculpt is gorgeous, however it wobbles very badly. I have purchased various WWE female figures from Mattel, and I have never experienced this problem before. This figure has almost a bobble head. I am not sure the reason for this, the only thing I can think of is that the body sculpt seems to be slightly smaller compared to other WWE female figures. I am not sure. If anyone else has come across this issue please let me know.

She stands just fine on her own for having heels on. Usually it is hit or miss with figures that are sculpted in heels, but Miss Elizabeth can stand well. The shoes also do not look bulky, which is nice. I am impressed though with the level of articulation placed into this figure. Usually female figures are either given a nice deal of articulation or they are hindered in that area. However Mattel did give Miss Elizabeth some points of articulation perfect for all kinds of posing capabilities.

I thought long and hard about whom I wanted to pose Miss Elizabeth with, and though I know that Randy “Macho Man” Savage or Hulk Hogan would have been perfect, I had to go with the Sensational Sherri. Sherri Martel went by a few aliases during her time on the WWE, but I really remember her being known as Scary Sherri. I remember getting so wrapped up in the rivalry between Miss Elizabeth and Sherri; it was more entertaining than Elizabeth’s dramas with the men. There was just something interesting about that dynamic, probably because I had been so used to other complicated female relationships like She-Ra and Catra or One Life to Live’s Viki and Dorian. It was just nice to see these different kinds of stories. What made it even more special was that in real life Elizabeth and Sherri were actually dear friends.

Through a complicated series of events, a Miss Elizabeth figure finally made it into my hands, and I couldn’t be happier. She is and will always be my favorite WWE character and one that helped me enjoy the wonderful world of wrestling entertainment for so many years.

Grade: A (I’m not happy with the wobbly head, but all in all, this is a very nice Miss Elizabeth figure and I hope that Mattel will release some other versions of this iconic woman. Her story and presence in the WWE history deserves to see more than just one release.)

Oh, you thought that was it? I told you to keep on reading! I have a grand mistake to make up for. Fellow writer Paladin was very kind to remind me that I completely forgot to post a Vintage Toy of the Month this past Monday. I truly am looking forward to the day when humans can find ways to enhance brains with cybernetic implants or something to make us unable to forget about things. Anyways, I really thank Paladin for reminding me and I hope I am able to make up for that by still providing a Vintage Toy of the Month! In honor of the recent release of the all new Miss Elizabeth, I think it best that we take a step back in time and check out the original vintage Miss Elizabeth toy from the LJN line: Wrestling Superstars!

Released in 1985 The Wrestling Superstars were giant rubbery figures based off of the favorites at the time. They came with posters and a few came with removable articles of clothing. Miss Elizabeth had a removable gold lame skirt. These figures were also pretty heavy, so the card was made with thick cardboard.

Here is a closer photo of the figure. She featured loud ’80s eye makeup and fancy gloves. For a brief moment in time I was obsessed with wearing gloves. I felt so classy. I also believe my penchant for gold lamé came from this toy. Or maybe it was Glitter ‘n Gold Jem, I can’t really recall which. But I loved this figure! These toys were billed as figures that could be twisted and turned into all kinds of wrestling positions. I don’t know about other folks, but these toys never moved that much. I guess if one was rough with the toy it could have moved in certain places, but I was more delicate in my play.

The back of the card featured a lineup of possible figures to collect as well as a cool Wrestling Superstar card. I believe Miss Elizabeth was the only female from this line; as such she was also incredibly rare. I would eventually have a Hulk Hogan, because I figured Miss Elizabeth would need a boyfriend. (Hey I tried for a Macho Man, but was not lucky.)

The lineup of figures to collect was impressive. I was not really interested in collecting a lot of the figures. However I was always curious to own the Jesse “The Body” Ventura Superstar figure because he wore pink pants. I always thought that was cute. But for the most part I just felt indifferent about owning these figures. I mean what was I going to do with giant male wrestling figures, essentially, in their underwear? I was a dorky little girl obsessed with She-Ra and My Little Pony. Though I will say this, Jimmy Hart reminded me of one of my uncles. For whatever that is worth…

I love cut and collect cards on the back of action figures. Little bios add so much to the overall product. Miss Elizabeth managed Randy “Macho Man” Savage. One of my favorite angles involved Macho Man and Hulk Hogan and who Miss Elizabeth would be standing for in the ring. Such good soapy drama! (She would stand by her Macho Man though, as they’d get married and divorced in real life.) Going back to the bio card though, Miss Elizabeth was portrayed as being gorgeous and mysterious. But things kind of turn into a “huh?” moment when, describing Macho Man, the card reports, “He treats her badly and doesn’t show her the respect most wrestlers show their managers, yet she takes it all in stride.” That just sounds so sad and unfortunate! I mean it was part of a fictional story, but it is kind of weird to read that; and a bit sad, because Miss Elizabeth died in 2003.

I was so devastated when I found out that she was no longer alive. It was Miss Elizabeth! How could she no longer be with us? Reports were that she had died from a drug and alcohol overdose. She was with Lex Luger at the time. This is just my personal opinion, but she deserved much better out of life. She was such an important part of my childhood and imagination. I wish she were still here. This is all the more reason why I really hope we see more Miss Elizabeth WWE Legend figures. The recent release is nice and all, but there just has to be more. The world has enough variants of the Rock and Triple H. I think it high time more is made to celebrate and honor “The First Lady of Wrestling.”

I hope this makes up for missing out on the Vintage Toy of the Month. I should have my senses by the 15th of May for next month’s Vintage Toy of the Month! For more information on my fandom for Miss Elizabeth head over here for an older post I had made on the lovely Miss Elizabeth for Diary of a Dorkette. Take care everyone!

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