It should come as no surprise that I’m quite the fan of DOCTOR WHO. Heck, I even started a podcast to that effect (Whotininnies, natch). So this holiday season, I wanted to do a dedicated shopping guide geared towards pointing my fellow fans towards all of the wonderful merchandise they should empty their bank accounts for this holiday season. Special thanks to the fine folks at Underground Toys, the BBC America Shop, and Thinkgeek – and please be sure to use the links provided if you decide to snag anything below.
I’m still not entirely sure I understand everything that happened in the 6th season of Doctor Who (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP), but you have to admire the narrative chutzpah that showrunner Steven Moffat brought to the table as we dealt with the Doctor’s march toward death and the unraveling story of River Song. The 6-disc set contains all 13 episodes plus the Christmas special, plus newly-filmed additional scenes, audio commentaries, Confidential featurettes, the Comic Relief sketches, prequels, monster files, and trailers.
And if you finding yourself wanting to give the gift of David Tennant’s 10th Doctor this holiday season, get the 26-disc Doctor Who: The David Tennant Years ($199.98), which spans from “The Christmas Invasion” all the way through “The End Of Time”, also including the two animated specials that were released along the way as well.
Jon Pertwee’s 3rd Doctor finally escapes his banishment to Earth and travels into space in the new-to-DVD adventure Doctor Who: Colony In Space (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Okay, so he doesn’t really escape – more like the Time Lords who banished him there in the first place decide they need his help to stop The Master from getting his hands on a master weapon, so they send the TARDIS (with The Doctor and companion Jo Grant) to a bleak planet in the 25th century to stop him. Bonus materials are plentiful, including an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted footage, and more.
Now that we’ve reached a point where nearly every extant classic Doctor Who story has been released, the BBC have very nicely decided to go back and revisit many of their early releases and make them bona fide special editions. The latest to get the treatment is the Tom Baker story The Talons Of Weng-Chiang (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), which finds the 4th Doctor hunting a mysterious killer in Victorian London. While wearing a deerstalker. Because hats are cool. This new special edition is almost overloaded with bonus materials, from an audio commentary to new documentaries and featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
Action figures! For the kid who loves the Doctor or for the adult who loves the Doctor in a lovely arrested development kind of way (like me), there are plenty of action figures you can snag this holiday season. If you’d like to get a whole clump of them in one fell swoop, why not pick up the Pandorica Figure & CD Collection ($119.98), which comes with the fez-wearing Eleventh Doctor, a Roman Auton, Angel Bob, the Cyberman Pandorica Guard, Amy Pond (in policewoman outfit), and a Silurian Warrior – plus sections to make your own Pandorica box (the sides are audio CDs containing extracts from the Doctor Who audiobook series).
But what if you want to really populate your Underhenge display? You’ll do that with the 6-figure Underhenge Figure Set ($79.98), featuring the red Dalek Drone figure, a Sontaran, a Roman Auton, a stone Roman Auton, a stone Dalek, and Amy Pond (in her jacket, red shirt, skirt, & boots look).
Yes, well, if that still hasn’t quite fulfilled your Who figure needs, why not get the still-in-10th-Doctor-suit-post-regeneration 11th Doctor ($19.98), or the fairy tale Raggedy Doctor & newly be-bowtied Doctor in the 2-figure Eleventh Doctor’s Crash Set ($35.98)? Or how about the 11th Doctor in Cowboy Hat ($14.95)? Perhaps the Villain Figure Set ($49.98), which comes with Hawthorne and Peter the Winder (From the episode “The Beast Below”) and Professor Bracewell from “Victory Of The Daleks”. Of course, then you’d need your Dalek, so how about a new style yellow Dalek Eternal ($19.98)?
One of the creepiest episodes of this past season featured the Flesh and the doppelgangers created from that white goo. With the Flesh Bowl Figure Creator ($49.95) – crafted to look like the Flesh vat and creation tank from the episodes – you can make your own ganger Doctors. It’s icky fun!
But if classic Who is more your style, there’s always something like the Resurrection Of The Daleks Collector’s Set ($69.98), which nets you not only the 7th Doctor (Peter Davison), but also Davros and a pair of old-school Daleks so you can recreate that classic story.
And what are you going to do with all of these figures? Play with them in your very own – and very massive – 11th Doctor TARDIS Playset ($74.98). And yes, it is quite massive, featuring multiple levels and walkways as well as the quite-tall control panel and column. It’s just a cool, really really big playset that will be the center piece of any kid’s playtime (or adult’s display).
That’s not the only TARDIS playset you’ll want, though, because you can also get the Junk TARDIS Console Playset ($39.00) seen in the episode “The Doctor’s Wife” and designed by the young Blue Peter “Design A TARDIS Console” winner. What’s really nice about it is the design is very reminiscent of the classic TARDIS consoles of yore.
Although they seem to be agonizingly slow in adding to their offerings – and I wish they’d really dive into the action figure side of things – the fine folks at Thinkgeek have imported a pair of Doctor Who board games for the whole family. Doctor Who: Battle To Save The Universe ($34.99) is for ages 6+, while Doctor Who: The Time Wars ($24.99) is older-skewing for ages 8+. Both are fun and worth a spin for Who fans.
Who doesn’t want to snuggle with a soft and fluffy blob of sentient fat? Well, if you’re a Doctor Who fan, you can do just that with the Adipose Plush Toy ($19.99), a stuffed version of the cute creatures from the beginning of the 4th season of Nu-Who.
Pens! We’ve got pens! We’ve got floating pens, with floaty things – either a TARDIS Floating Pen or an Adipose Floating Pen ($12.98 each)! Or how about a Talking Doctor Who Pen ($14.98), featuring Dalek & Cybermen phrases at the click of a button. Perfect for school, right?
By now, you’ve surely gotten your Standard Sonic Screwdriver ($34.98) – I mean, who hasn’t? So why not change things up a bit with the Personalize Your Sonic Screwdriver Set ($39.98), which comes with three sets of emitters, controls, power sources, and buttons, allowing you to create up to 80 different variations of screwdriver. There’s also a Sonic Screwdriver Projector ($24.98), which features interchangeable wheels allowing you to project show images on, well, anything. Finally, how about River Song’s Sonic Screwdriver ($19.99), given to her by a future version of the Doctor during her swansong first story? Yup – In the Library.
Remember the Doctor’s Nano-Recorder ($35.98), which he used to implant the recorder chips that allowed him and his companions to remember their encounters with the Silence? Well, now you can own your own version of it, that features lights, sounds, and a 10-second voice recorder.
Take my advice, and do as I say – Save a little money for a rainy day. And why not get one of the deadliest aliens in the known universe to keep your money safe? With the Dalek Money Bank ($32.98), you can do just that. But do be careful trying to get your money out of it.
It seems rather obvious that the Doctor and watches go together, so for the kids there’s a Doctor Who Projection Watch ($19.98), from which the wearer can project an image of the Doctor himself. And for the adults, there’s The Master’s Fob Watch ($54.98), the face of which lights up with the touch of a button. Though, when opening it, there’s a slight chance it could remind you that you are, in fact, The Master.
While you’re telling time with those watches, determine it on a larger scale with your very own Doctor Who 2012 Wall Calendar ($12.98), featuring images from both the 5th and 6th season to carry you through the year.
It still baffles me that they’d go off-market LEGO with the license, but that’s pretty much what the Character Building sets are – In fact, the bricks are even LEGO compatible. So for the construction nerd in your home, you can not only get a Dalek Progenitor Room Set ($29.98) but also an 11 Doctors Micro-Figure Set ($49.98)… Because you know you’ve always wanted a tiny Jon Pertwee.
Everyone likes 3D. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but it’s a cool gimmick. Particularly when it’s a 3D optical illusion you can hold in your hands, like the Doctor Who Hologram Chamber ($16.98), which creates a 3D effect of a tiny TARDIS or an adipose right on your desktop.
What will you be hanging upon your Christmas Tree this holiday season? Perhaps a TARDIS Ornament ($19.99). Standing about 5″ tall and made of glass, you’ll certainly want to have it hanging on one of your branches.
And if you remember last season’s reappearance of the old school Cybermen and their small cyberminions, you’ll probably want your very own Bump-N-Go Cybermat ($34.99 SRP), which navigates all by its lonesome by bumping into things and course-correcting. It’s cute! But do mind the teeth.
For the really wee kiddies who might not be ready for action figures, how about Stuffed TARDIS & Daleks ($24.99 each)? All three of them feature sound effects, while the TARDIS light also lights up when its button is pushed.
And finally, when you’re attending all of those festive holiday fetes, how can you not show up bedecked in your very own 11th Doctor Bowtie ($29.99)? Heck, it’s even holiday red! And cool! Bowties are cool!
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