Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Electric Tiki "Tooned Up" Dukes of Hazzard Maquettes


I haven't received anything new in the mail lately, but that doesn't mean I don't have Dukes things to show off.  Some of the most unique Dukes of Hazzard items to come out in the last decade have to be "Tooned Up" Marquettes released by Electric Tiki.  The Bo and Luke resin statues came out in 2002 while Daisy had a little trouble getting produced and didn't get released until 2003.  I got them all when they came out.


They are part of Eletric Tiki's "Tooned Up" Television line.  They are "an animated look to classic television."  Other shows in the line include I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Sanford & Son, Married With Children, and Greatest American Hero.  The creators really payed attention to detail with them.  Bo has lighter blue jeans and the blue t-shirt under his yellow shirt that rarely makes it onto products.  I would say he looks slightly more like John Schneider than the Luke looks like Tom Wopat.


Each piece is numbered.  My Bo is number 31 of 1500.  Pretty low number.  The 5 represents the number in the product line.  I like that they used the classic Dukes font.  It also has the designer's and sculptor's names on it.  Tracy Mark Lee designed it and James Lopez sculpted it.  Good job guys.


Luke has darker jeans and has a solid blue shirt.  Most commercialized versions of Luke have the standard blue plaid shirt.  He wore this one early in the series run.  My favorite part of all of the statues is Luke's belt buckle.  It is a nicely done rendition of the "bear claw" buckle that Luke wore throughout the entire series.  Tom Wopat still owns the buckle today.  I would love to find a similar one. 


This one is number 93 of 1500.  I scored two under 100!  Tracy and James created this one too.  It is number 7 in the line. 


After doing a quick search of Electric Tiki, I found that they are known for "sexy" statues.  They have some Disney princesses and other characters done this way.  They went the same direction with Daisy.  Bo and Luke's legs are thin, but Daisy's waist is THIN.  It appears the top of her body should fall off.  Really doesn't capture Catherine Bach's beauty, just kind of a generic face.  But it has those shorts.  Is that the Dukes' biggest contribution to pop culture?  Daisy Dukes?  Daisy didn't have a standard "costume" like Bo and Luke did on the show, but she never wore a tank top with a Daisy on it.  Maybe a nod to the Boars Nest would have worked better.  


They planned on releasing all three together, but Daisy got delayed and then cancelled.  It was later released as a Previews Exclusive limited to 500 pieces in 2003.  Previews is a comic book catalog by Diamond Comic Distributors that's had a...let's say interesting...relationship with our friends.  I didn't get as low a number with Daisy as I did the Duke  Boys.  I got number 402.  She was designed by Tracy Mark Lee and sculpted by Schu. It doesn't have a product line number.



The boxes are as displayable as the statues.  They have vibrant colors and nice artwork.  I'm not too sure if anyone would actually cut out the art on the back to display, but it's a nice addition.  According to the box, Tracy, James, and Schu are professional animators. 

There are not too many Dukes of Hazzard items produced these days that aren't the standard diecasts, models, and t-shirts.  I love the standards, but I really enjoy seeing out of the box items like these marquettes.  Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and even Knight Rider are feeling the love right now with all kinds of products such as MiniMates, plush toys, statues, and even replica Hover Boards.  I would love to see some new Dukes items that are out of the ordinary like these statues.  Give me some new action figures, busts, prop replicas, or bobble heads.  I'm talking to you,  Diamond Select Toys.  You too, Warner Bros.  Let's make this happen!

3 comments:

  1. Man, those are pretty sweet. I remember seeing these when they came out, just never had the $$ to get them.
    Awesome.

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