COMMENTARY: Ease Your Walking Dead #zombiebrain with Licensed Products

Along with more than 8 million other Americans, I’ve taken to spending my Sunday nights biting my nails watching Rick, Carl, Daryl, and Michonne slice through zombie skulls on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Needless to say, thoughts of the zombie apocalypse have now pretty much overrun my life. I’m dubbing this obsession #zombiebrain. If, like me, you or someone you love suffers from #zombiebrain, here are some awesome toys and games to feed your addiction.

Monopoly.WalkingDead.USAopMonopoly: The Walking Dead Survival Edition, from USAopoly brings everyone’s favorite board game into the world of the (un)dead. Based on The Walking Dead comic from Robert Kirkman, the game challenges players to fight for their own property and avoid zombies at all costs. Monopoly: The Walking Dead Survival Edition delivers classic Monopoly wheeling and dealing game play—but this time, players must fight for their survival. Everything about the game screams “WALKERS!” Properties correspond with the series landmarks, such as the prison cells, the Greene Family farm house, and Woodbury, while game tokens resemble key items from the series such as Rick’s sheriff hat, a bucket of body parts, the telephone, Dale’s R.V. (RIP Dale!), the Katana (aka Michonne’s awesome sword), and Lucille (aka a ridiculously effective baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire). Instead of using money to purchase property, players must trade essential supplies, such as food, ammo, and fuel to gain more territory on the board or to place a guard tower or wall (instead of the standard houses and hotels) to secure their safe haven from Walker attacks. The game is recommended for two to six players ages 13 and up and is now available at comic book specialty shops.

Funko.RickFunko has brought its traditional Pop! Vinyl figure style to The Walking Dead with Pop Television 9-inch collectibles. Rick rocks that slicked-back hair look with possibly the most intimidating eyebrows I’ve ever seen, while Daryl holds his crossbow at the ready. Additional characters include Merle, The Governor (eye patch era), and a Zombie Police Guard from the inaugural prison episode. The figures bring a touch of cute to the ever-serious realm of survival.

On the more serious side of collectibles, McFarlane Toys has 10-inch action figures that feature incredible detail. The articulated figures include Michonne, Carl, Andrea, Glenn, The Governor, and more. The figures are available based on both the TV characters and the characters from the comic book series. Each figure is articulated and features stunning facial expressions and realistic clothing replicas– right down to Michonne’s purple T-shirt and Daryl’s (weird) parka.

Rubies.ZombieWith Halloween just around the corner, for those of you too broke, too lazy, or just uninterested in wearing a whole lot of polyester this year, do-it-yourself zombie costumes are a great option. A little bit of makeup, ripped and dirty clothing, and some creepy throat gurgle noises, and you’re all set! Rubie’s Costume Co. has textured step-by-step zombie make-up kits to make you look exactly like a Walker. These kits don’t just include the standard four-color creamy palette, either. You can create frighteningly authentic zombie looks with decaying skin, bloody teeth, a split jaw, an exposed jaw, a slit throat, an exposed eye socket, and shredded lips. Much like the show itself, these kits are amazingly repulsive.

For more commentary from Marissa, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!

About the author

Marissa Silva

Marissa Silva

Marissa Silva is editor-in-chief of the Pop Insider and the Toy Insider, the leading consumer holiday gift guide and toy review and news website. As a professional toy reviewer and an industry expert, she consistently reports on toy, entertainment, and pop culture trends and hot products. In addition to digital content management, Marissa contributes feature-length articles to the Pop Insider and leading toy industry trade magazine The Toy Book, providing retailers, manufacturers, and licensors with information on the latest in toy news. Marissa has been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, ABC World News Now, MSNBC, CBS, NY1, WPIX, and more. A board game fanatic and professional toy reviewer, she spends most of her free time shopping for superhero T-shirts, crushing at Mario Kart, and anxiously awaiting her Hogwarts acceptance letter. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @thattoygirl.

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