There were a ton of exciting new shows and movies debuting on this long Thanksgiving weekend. However, none were as highly anticipated as Wednesday. The series stars Scream’s Jenna Ortega as the popular Addams Family character and sees half its episodes directed by genre legend Tim Burton. Wednesday premiered its first season this past Wednesday to spooky praise from both critics and fans alike. Now if you’re done eating Thanksgiving leftovers and binging the series, Mezco Toyz has a new Wednesday action figure up for pre-order.
The figure, based on how Wednesday appears in the series, is a part of the company's popular LDD Presents line. It stands at 10” tall and has five points of articulation. Wednesday is wearing an updated version of her classic black dress complete with white polka-dots and collar. The character mainly wears this outfit when Wednesday kicks off the kooky series getting revenge on the water polo team who bullied her brother by putting a school of hungry piranhas in their pool. This leads to one of the water polo team members losing a very sensitive area of their body. This opening scene would lead Wednesday to be enrolled in Nevermore Academy with young people of “her own kind”. This figure also comes with Wednesday’s handy assistant Thing. Her relationship with her trusted hand was a highlight of the series, so it's great to see this pair of mystery solvers together in this frightening package.
Wednesday is how you update a classic property for the modern age. The series captures the dark bizarre spirit of the franchise while effectively using Wednesday as a way to connect with the youth of today. While on the surface the series looks like a gothic YA clone in the vain of something like Harry Potter, the core identity of Wednesday is much more than that. It has compelling murder, teenage angst, and the series' staple prejudice commentary, but it's done in a rich deconstruction of this hilariously morbid teen. This Netflix tale spins a web that allows the character of Wednesday to open up, becoming a bit human in the process, without losing the endlessly joyful darkness that lifelong fans love about this uniquely twisted hellspawn. It also just helps that Ortega is the perfect Wednesday. Horror fans had already fallen in love with the young actress because of Scream, You, American Carnage, and X, but Wednesday is a role that has solidified her entry into the scream queens ranks. Whether it’s her pitch-perfect line delivery, body language, or sense of control, Ortega has cemented herself as one of the best interpretations of the character.
Mezco’s Wednesday figure is now up for pre-order on their website for $50. The more cartoony LDD style is a perfect fit for this death-loving character as it makes her look like an even scarier version of the Annabelle doll. The figure is expected to ship between July and September 2023. The first season of Wednesday is streaming now on Netflix.