Thirty years is a long time to wait for a toy. It's even longer when you consider that those of us who've been waiting are far from being children anymore. Well, by number anyway. If you're reading this you're most likely a kid at heart just like yours truly. You were also probably just as mesmerized as I was by the spectacles that were the third and sixth WrestleManias. To be honest, there was a lot to be impressed by at those events. Something that stuck out at those two shows were the carts that carried the wrestlers to the ring. Over the years many have likened them to chariots bringing warriors into battle. They certainly were impressive and everyone seemed to love them. If you were like me, you wanted toy replicas for your figures. Mattel has answered your wish.
Gone are the days when so many of us fashioned our own ring carts out of cardboard, old ring corner posts, string, maybe even fragments from other toys. I remember using pieces from a Batman Batcave set for my little creations. Mattel has finally released the coveted accessories in a new WrestleMania series. There are two carts in the series, one including Andre the Giant and the other featuring Randy "Macho Man" Savage. The packaging is very visually impressive and brings me back to the "Slim Jim" Savage figure produced last year. I so liked these boxes that I was tempted to keep them "as is," but how could I not play with a toy that I've truly been waiting three decades for?
The carts themselves are nicely done. They very much resemble their on-screen counterparts, albeit a tad smaller. They're a light but sturdy plastic complete with wheels on the underside. You can fit two figures in each cart. On screen I don't recall more than three people in one at any given time, though I would imagine The Hart Foundation and Danny Davis all crammed into one during intermission. There are two omissions which don't bother me but need pointed out. Neither of the narrow ends "open" to allow wrestlers to enter and exit. The ropes are all one piece. Also, there are obviously no cart drivers. Although the excellent WWF camera work largely omitted them, the carts were driven to and from the ring by personnel. For toy and display purposes they weren't needed at all.
The figures included are the Mattel "Basic" style and I have no problem with that. Seeing as that these are mostly going to be displayed, does anyone really need the extra movement? Both heads are new designs and look very good. The photos make Savage's eyeballs look blank, but they're there. His attire is directly from WrestleMania III as some were unhappy with the "Defining Moments" release and the colors chosen. We've had better Andre figures (take the singlet from multiple releases and put it on the "Giant Machine" Andre for the perfect Boss) but this one is more than acceptable. I'd have preferred some better attention to his hands. If not the amazing "giant paw" hands used for both he and The Big Show, why not do one hand with his two fingers in the air? I can actually foresee some folks trying to sell the figures off. The carts are the draw here, make no mistake about it.
You'll have fun recreating those classic entrances. Going back between the two events you can even notice how the company took them from merely a way to avoid an extremely long entrance and turned them into a dramatic element all in itself. At III the carts virtually flew to the ring. The wrestlers whisked down that long Silverdome aisle while doing their best to ham it up. At VI each wrestler gets a nice bit of time to do their thing, we get to hear a large portion of their theme songs, and in the case of The Macho King and Sensational Queen, a true royal treatment is to be had.
The decades of waiting have paid off. You may very well be happy keeping them in the boxes as the visuals certainly lend themselves to it. Although there really wouldn't be the need for another series featuring these, I would personally like to see one released with a character who is alive thus bringing autograph potential to the line. My pick? How about post-match Hulk Hogan from III? Throw in the '87 belt accessory which has already been produced and give The Hulkster a pointing finger. And while no longer with us, how about a basic King Harley Race for the other? Like these, it doesn't have to have the accessories (buy Retrofest Duggan and the crown is right there) but would be a simple solution for those who didn't feel like shelling out a fortune for that Flashback set as I did.
Now, let's bring those carts back for one more Mania. I always figure a certain "big match" superstar famous for his WrestleMania entrances may do it one year. His match participation days seem to be ticking away. Why not go out in (cart) style?
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