Hands-on with the new merchandise, part eighteen
by RRabbit42
This issue's merchandise review is going to be a bit different. Except for the first two items, I actually haven't bought any of the rest of the items I will be describing. This will be more of a preview to let you know what's available if you have more than a deep, burning indifference to decorate your room.
Last November, Toys "R" Us began selling an Agent P wall clock. You could buy it separately, or if you bought a certain amount of other Phineas and Ferb items, you got it for free. They still have it in stores and the price has now dropped to $10.
As you can see in the picture to the right, the clock indeed in in the shape of Agent P's head. As I have found with a lot of the P&F items, there's a couple of nice touches that I don't think the designers intended. First are the minute and hour hands. I don't know why they chose to put a circle at the end of each one, but the effect is that when it's around 3 or 9 o'clock, Agent P looks like he's wearing a monocle. Normally, those are worn by villains, but I think he pulls it off nicely and looks distinguished.
Second, this is the first clock I've found that keeps the second hand moving at all times. Other clocks advance the hand each second, giving them the traditional "tick, tick, tick" sound. With the second hand always moving, it's quiet. In fact, as I sit here typing this, I notice that the clock in this room is ticking a little loudly. I will be replacing it shortly with another Agent P clock.
Below the picture of the clock is one of the two P&F calendars that are available for 2011. It's the one that's just the wall calendar, but if you head on over to the merchandise page, you can see the one that comes with a CD-ROM that has wallpaper versions of each month. I think I found mine in the calendars display at a local K-mart, so if you head on over there, you might still find one.
And now, we get to the good stuff. A company called Fathead specializes in large wall graphics that can be stuck onto any smooth surface. They currently have two sets of Phineas and Ferb graphics. They're one of the more expensive things you can buy, but you get graphics that are durable and reusable.
Likewise, there's a company called York Wall Coverings that has a RoomMates line of wall decals. These aren't as large as what Fathead makes, but the cost is quite a bit lower. There's a set for Phineas and Ferb playing guitar, a five foot border/banner and a set with a lot of the characters. Amazon has those and a set featuring Agent P and Doofenshmirtz.
But what room would be complete without life-size standup posters of our favorite characters? Disney came out with one for Phineas and Ferb, Agent P and when he's in "pet mode", Candace, and one of Dr. Doofenshmirtz. You can see YouTube celebrity BarlowGirl101 proving that they are indeed life-size over on her Facebook page.
That will wrap up our room decor review for now. There's some posters that you can buy, but I think those will be added to our Merchandise Portal in the near future.
What's next? Well, just like last time, I don't know. Maybe it will be the marker boards I got. Or maybe the new Perry the Platypus soft-covered journal. Maybe it will be something else.
Or maybe one of you will write a review of something they got. We'd love to see what's available in other parts of the country and around the world. Send me a note if you got something you'd like to share.
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