LAUGHING PRINCE ADAM

Super7 released a novelty version of Prince Adam in 2018 called Laughing Prince Adam. The figure was released as a tribute to a spoof video which appeared in 2007 on YouTube, having been published elsewhere a couple of years earlier. The video uses clips from the Filmation cartoon and adds a dreadful cover of What's Up by 4 Non Blondes. It's possibly the most awful, shrieking pop music I've ever heard. You have been warned.

There's more to the backstory than one enthusiast's dodgy video though. He‑Man and Prince Adam have earned a place as gay icons, and there's definitely a pride thing going on here. Super7 have designed a rather impressive glittery version of the Filmation presentation box. It's as camp as it is entertaining. It's all rather fun and light-hearted. Does everyone need this figure? Absolutely not, but it's a quirky addition to a collection.

There's nothing new to the actual figure apart from the head. Somehow the Four Horsemen have managed to get quite a lot of expression into the design of the face. The rest of the figure is a recoloured version of Super7's Power‑Con Prince Adam, including the modified tunic with a slot for the sword. As such, there's not really much to review! This is a likeable, albeit non-essential, figure.

We know Super7 do a lot of novelty toys. A second 2018 novelty figure – Filmation He‑Man with a Santa hat – has also been sold. Having bought Laughing Prince Adam just out of curiosity, I have to say I'm not really inclined to buy any more expensive novelty figures. There's only so much mileage with this trend. It's a bit of fun, but let's not lose sight of the need to stay on track with the regular Classics figures.