Mooch (Mutts) Review

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Mooch (Mutts) Review

Mooch
Mutts (Dark Horse Comics)The world of newspaper comics has offered plenty of memorable characters over the years, including famous icons such as Garfield, The Family Circus, Cathy, and a lot more. One I feel gets overlooked too often is Mutts, a cute, funny comic about two household pets, their owners, and all their friends. It hasn't gotten too much in terms of merchandise, but back in 2006, Dark Horse Comics picked up the license and did a few things, including vinyl figures of the comic's stars: Earl the dog and Mooch the cat. As of now, I only have the latter, but it's better than nothing.

The figure comes in a simple box, but it's outfitted with nice graphics that call to mind Patrick McDonnell's art style. The colors are very attractive as well, bearing a realistic look to the background. Getting the figure out is as easy as one-two-three - cut the tape, open the flap, remove the tray, and take out the twist-tie holding him in.

The front of the box tells you right away that Mooch was sculpted by Yoe! Studio, and they did a great job. His body seems to be a little thicker than it should be, but the head is very accurate, bearing a blank look that's common to the character. His lower jaw is visible, being the kind of detail that isn't usually shown in the comic. Mooch stands 7 3/4" tall up to the tips of his ears, and is made out of a hollow but thick vinyl.

Mooch bears simple colors, being all black and white outside of a red nose. That meant there was little opportunity to mess it up. The painted colors are very nice, and I like the airbrushed look of the paws. There is some bleed and fuzzy edges around the face and nose, unfortunately, and there is some airbrushed black onto the white fur around the neck for reasons unknown. Mooch has only two points of articulation: swivel shoulders. You can do a couple things with them, but I wish he had a joint at the neck so he can look around. Despite looking like swivels as well, the legs do not move.

Normally, designer vinyl figures don't get any accessories, but Mooch actually gets one extra. Often in the strip, Mooch is occasionally shown obsessing over a "little pink sock," so that had to be included here. Rather than being vinyl like the figure or another sculpted material, the sock is knitted soft goods, adding a small bit of realism to a cartoony figure. In addition, there is velcro on both the sock and the figure so Mooch can hold it in his mouth, definitely a nice touch.

Although he's only a vinyl figure with minimal articulation, Mooch is a nice item for those who enjoy the license. The sculpt is very nice, the inclusion of the pink sock adds more to the character, and the nice packaging art makes him look good both in and out of box. It's a shame Mutts hasn't gotten more items like this, though I believe there could've been had that Blue Sky movie never got cancelled.

- 3/25/23