Rediscovered Realms is going on Monster Safari. Grab your adventuring gear (and magnifying glass) as we explore the World’s Smallest Dungeons & Dragons Micro Figures by Super Impulse!
Remember the toy dispenser machines in supermarkets and other stores? I used to LOVE going shopping or bowling with my Grandma as a kid and trading in her kindly bequeathed quarters to crack open those plastic bubble capsules and see what kind of treasure lay inside.
Sure, most of the stuff was cheap, but they contained the kind of toys that were nonmainstream brands - and that required you to use your Imagination. The kind of Imagination that would provide you countless hours of fun incorporating this bric-a-brac with the rest of your toy collection.
Vampire teeth, hand buzzers, plastic jewelry rings, glow-in-the-dark (or holographic!) stickers, necklaces, keychains, wind up robots, Chinese handcuffs, Sticky Hands, fake (itchy as heck!) mustaches, metal Sheriff’s badges (or 007 badges!), magic tricks, spy supplies, temporary tattoos, dinosaur erasers, (super) bouncy rubber balls . . . but some of my favorites were always the molded action figures & monsters.
This was the kind of stuff you would never find in regular toy stores. But it was just because of that - along with the addiction-like pull to “roll the dice” and see what you would get - that made these things so special.
I share all this because it’s THOSE kinds of memories & treasures that THESE Dungeons & Dragons micro figures remind me of.
They’re tiny enough to have fit in those old plastic bubbles (the tallest is only 1 1/4”!), and in fact, come with their very own clear plastic display cases, sticker-labelled with a back-door entry for each resident denizen.
Their quality is pretty decent. Overall better than the vending treasures of yore. Many of them even have several points of articulation, where arms move and heads swivel!
Super Impulse put out Series 1 in 2021 that included:
Mind Flayer
Umber Hulk
Young Red Dragon
Displacer Beast
In 2022, they released Series 2 which contains:
Acererak
Owlbear
Bugbear Fighter
Mimic
Have you already discovered the treasures of Acererak the Lich?
My only complaint is Acererak’s staff is too spindly to stay put in his pimp, uh I mean, Lich hand.
Love D&D classic monsters? Check out these recent Rediscovered Realms newsletters:
Opening these was such a blast. Flashbacks abound of begging quarters from Grandma (I miss her so much), as well as Easter/Stocking-stuffer and Cracker Jack/Cereal box treasure hunts of days long gone by.
Good times.
How about you?
Are you going to collect these D&D World’s Smallest figures (or some of the other brands of Micro Figures they have)? I’m guessing with this audience, “Hello Kitty” would be the next choice?
Other News from The Realms
Pre-orders are open for a new wave of Conan the Barbarian Ultimates action figures by Super7.
The Arthurian epic fantasy RPG “Pendragon” is getting a revised edition to be released in April. Interesting article about this new edition and the creator Greg Stafford: “The hobby is only just catching up to what Greg did 40 years ago”
This metal artist (think blacksmith, not heavy metal musician!) is bringing ancient Greek armor back to life! Read about this modern-day Hephaestus - Dimitrios Katsikis. You have to see his creations - not only historically accurate, but incredibly beautiful & badass!
Check out this re-imagining of The Lord of the Rings movie preview in a vintage 1950’s style!
Christian Lindke over at Geekerati published another great fantasy-packed newsletter where he discusses: Dungeons & Dragons origins and 50th anniversary, Birthright AD&D 2e RPG campaign setting, D&D movie recommendations, and D&D ambiance music!
For aspiring Fantasy creators (game makers, artists, authors), you’ll want to check out this edition of “Game, Play, Gather” by
where he discusses “Ten Takeaways from the Indie RPG Creator Summit”!
And so another adventure is accomplished. “Small” though it was, I thank you for your readership and support!
“Sometimes the smallest things in life have the biggest meaning” - Anonymous
Do you love heroic fantasy gamebooks like me? Consider signing up to be informed when I launch my very 1st one!
(Featuring artwork from Clyde Caldwell & Luke Eidenschink!)
If only all of my husband’s figures were this small! Love these!
Thanks for the shout-out! I learned a lot from the summit, and hope that I can pass some of that learning along!
Those D&D minis look fun, and I can't help but think about ways to incorporate them into a super-small game.
I've been looking forward to Pendragon 6e, and I can't believe I missed that there was a cover reveal (and a release month)! Thanks for sharing.