Right Back Atcha

What with all the Kirby action in the Zoofights Bar lately, I figure it's time to show off my collection of Kirby merchandise. It's nothing impressive, but I've got a few neat toys.

The majority of my toys are from a Wendy's promotion in 2003. I've always preferred Wendy's to McDonald's, by the way. Burger King doesn't place since there are none where I live, so I've only ever eaten there once or twice. Anyway, the Kirby Wendy's promo was probably my favorite of their toy giveaways (but McDonald's was responsible for my favorite toy promotion EVER - more on that another time). I'm a few toys short of a full set, though. This here's Ice Kirby. He's a pullback toy - just as the name says, you pull the toy back and then let go and watch it scoot across the floor and into somewhere inconvenient.

Here we have Angry American Kirby on Warpstar. The toy is wheeled like Ice Kirby, but it's free-wheeling, like a Hot Wheels car, and does not possess a pullback motor. I have three of these thanks to a duplicate Kids Meal and a yard sale that was selling one for a dime. Why did I buy an Angry American Kirby on a Warpstar when I already had two? Because when Kirby merch is a dime, you don't ask questions.

I didn't get this Cook Kirby toy until I found it at a yard sale well after the end of the promotion. He is a fortune-telling toy similar to a Magic 8-Ball, which is why he's pictured with one here. Push down his spatula and the message in his mouth will spin a bit. Kirby has five different responses. It's a fraction of the variety an 8-Ball offers, but he does the best with what little he was given: "Yes", "No", "Maybe", "Ask Later", and "Zzz". So you have a 2 out of 5 chance of actually getting an answer out of Kirby.

Another quirk of this toy is that since it's lever-operated, you can, with a little practice, game the system so Kirby gives you the same answer every time. So if you ever wanted to force your wishes to come true, here's your ticket to chocolate fountains and gorillions of dollars.

Sarah is showing off the next toy, which is actually from a Burger King promotion, not Wendy's. It's also a year older than the others. This promotion was a sort of Nintendo All-Stars/Super Smash Brothers deal, and this was Kirby's sole entry in the lineup. Pressing the star lever on the front acts like a pinball flipper of sorts, sending little red pellets flying about. The idea, of course, is to feed Kirby. For added difficulty, wind up the toy with that knob on the side and Kirby will start twisting left-to-right, creating a moving target.

And lastly, by far the priciest of my Kirby toys is this quality plush from Banpresto. In addition to looking cute, he can also work as a makeshift pillow and iPod stand.

Oh, that's right. Kirby's got games, too. Here's my list of Kirby games:

-Kirby's Dreamland
-Kirby's Pinball Land
-Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (My first Kirby game!)
-Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
-Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
-Kirby Air Ride
-Kirby Canvas Curse
-Kirby Squeak Squad
-Kirby Super Star Ultra
-Kirby's Dreamland 3 (on Wii Virtual Console)

That about wraps it up. I wonder if I'll ever find the other Kirby fast food toys at yard sales...