We're spending the last couple days of 2021 by taking a look back at some of our creative directors' personal favorite releases of the year.
Read on to find out if any of your picks, or latest additions to your collection, made the list!
Mikey Bonanno, Creative Director (Toys & Collectibles):
1. Man-Thing Designer Vinyl Figure, by James Groman - I never thought I'd get to work with the legendary James Groman. Just the fact that he trusted us enough to let us make one of his gorgeous creations was an absolute honor. I hope everyone has gotten to see this beast that James designed, sculpted and painted. I've said it before, but his immense talent is truly matched by his kindness and generosity. This project was a pure joy to work on. Sometimes you should meet your heroes.
2. GODZILLA MUSEUM: Attack Peter - This piece was just so much fun to translate into 3D. Tufan Sezer's sculpt 100% nailed the look we wanted and Hilary Arce's paints brought it to life. What can I say about working with Attack Peter other than that he's an absolute blast to work with. It's great to meet people you now consider friends, while being in a work environment.
3. Wolverine 1/6 Scale Figure - Limited Edition SDCC Variant - This project was just so much fun to work on, and the reception it got from fans was really heartwarming. The packaging was really fun to design and Eric Anderson really nailed the look on the interior art of Wolverine's bedroom. I want to give a huge thanks to Jesse Falcon, Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald for helping make this project so special.
4. Godzilla and Hedorah Soft Vinyl Figures, by Hector Arce - These are all absolutely killer. Hector is such an insane talent and he really threw it all on display here. Between the design, the sculpt and the gorgeous paints, Hector was firing on all cylinders on these figures, this year. 
5. Halloween III: Season of the Witch - Stacking Tiki Mug Set - This is one of my favorite horror movies. Those masks are so iconic and unique. Tim Wolwebber did an absolute bang-up job translating them to tiki ... plus the fact that they are a stackable set will be so much fun to pull out during the holidays, when it's decorating time.
Hector Arce, Creative Director (Toys & Collectibles):
1. GODZILLA MUSEUM: Attack Peter - I cannot express how much we love Peter Santa-Maria. He has truly created such a unique and wonderful style, putting a giant stamp on the Godzilla world with his beautiful art. When we asked him to design a statue based on his art style, he instantly jumped at the opportunity and neither of us looked back. The end result of this awesome collaboration was one of the coolest and most unique projects that I've ever been a part of. We gave the wonderful Godzilla community something new and exciting to collect, and the response was amazing! I couldn't be happier for Peter and all that he has accomplished. He is truly the hardest working artist I know, so being able to put this statue out with him was the highlight of my year, and career. 
2. Wolverine 1/6 Scale Figure - Limited Edition SDCC Variant - The X-Men: The Animated Series is up there with my favorite animated shows of all time. When we got the opportunity to release the first ever (seems like we did a couple of these "first ever" releases this year!) Wolverine from X-Men: The Animated Series, we immediately went to work. This was a passion project for myself and Mike, and we spent a lot of time brainstorming what would make this the definitive Wolverine figure.
From concept to final execution, Mike and I really poured a lot of care into all the details and really wanted to give fans a true-to-show look for this figure. The choice to include the picture frame, and incorporate the famous scene (now meme) into the packaging, was a no brainer. The response to this figure was immense and truly shocking to us. I couldn't be more proud.
3. Godzilla 84 / Hedorah Soft Vinyl - Cherry Blossom GID Variants - These are a bit funny for me to talk about, since I worked on them so closely. But it really was a surreal moment for me. Getting the chance to work on stylized soft vinyl figures, based off two of my favorite designs in all of the Godzilla mythos, was an incredible experience. Being able to explore sofubi-inspired paint applications really made these some of the most fun I've had in my entire career. If you would have told five-year-old me watching Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, that I would be making things like this in my distant future, I probably would have fainted.
4. GODZILLA MUSEUM: Godzilla - The Animated Series (1970s) - This one has a special place in my heart, as well as being something special for Godzilla collectibles in general. It took us a while to finally get the chance to release this statue, but all the hard was worth it, in order to bring this iteration to collectors, after so many years of being overlooked. This was the first time this design was officially released by any company and that, in itself, is something to celebrate.
5. Scareglow 1/6 Scale - Classic Variant - I am really proud of how this figure turned out. Usually a reissue of a previous figure is a simple color change, but, with this one, we took it to another level and completely revamped it. With a brand new head, cape, and paint deco (that really brought out the glow-in-the-dark effect), this is one of my favorite, amongst all of our MOTU releases.
Honorable Mention: Man-Thing Designer Vinyl Figure, by James Groman - I just had to throw in how awesome and inspiring it was to work with James on this seriously killer figure. It is a work of art plain and simple.
It has definitely been a rough year. But we are just honored and glad that we were able to bring some happiness to you all, with these collectibles. Thank you so much for all your support and for being a part of this awesome community. We love you all and appreciate you.
Happy holidays and happy new year!
