Sssqueeze vintage figure review thread

[Spacedust]

Fridays. They sneak up on you, and before you know it, they're on top of you. And Fridays, of course, bring with them another vintage figure review thread.

This week's is another late figure, the Snakeman with amazing arms, it is... SSSQUEEZE.

I had been pretty much weaned off of the toy-line by the late days that Sssqueeze was released. But when I started collecting the line seriously a few years later, Sssqueeze was one of the very first figures that I got, coming in with a large lot that I won on the 'bay to kick off my rejuvenated collecting.

Sssqueeze's feature is impossible to miss - it's his long, bendable arms. They are in fact one long arm that threads through his upper torso, and can be pulled either way. The promotional blurb that went with the figure claimed that his arm (when pulled completely one way) was long enough to hold three figures.

Other than his arms, his design is somewhat of a generic Snakeman. In my opinion, he doesn't look outstandingly bad not outstandingly good - I guess you could say, middling.

Play-wise, Sssqueeze isn't top of the pile, but he is fun to play with none-the-less. I used to have fun hanging him from light fittings and the like to annoy my MOTU and monster-in-general hating mother. With his long arms, the figure is very top-heavy. The figure has a twist-waist, but with such a heavy top half, it is pointless.

Sssqueeze appeared in a few late-day comics and whatnot, but being released late on didn't make a huge impact.

Sssqueeze appeared in the 2002 Mike Young Productions version cartoon.
He didn't appear as a revamped figure, but the Snake Crush Skeletor had a noticeably similar feature, with long bendy arms, in this case with skulls on the end.
Recently, a staction figure of Sssqueeze has been released, and the most noticeable design alteration is that he now has a snake head on the end of each arm, giving even more parallels with Snake Crush Skeletor.

Anyway, for the vintage figure... it's a fun one, but not quite a classic IMO. I'll give it an average 7 out of 10.

That's my thoughts on Sssqueeze.
I want to hear your thoughts, comments, criticisms, memories and anything else remotely to do with Mr. Sssqueeze.

[Razzbel]

Sssqueeze's action has always been a source of endless fun for me. His gimmick was always really great for just jumping over Grayskull and ensnaring the Sorceress or reaching for things that are normally out of range. To me, he always resembled a smiling crocodile with an 80's midriff cut off shirt like that one break dancer had in that Lisa Lisa video. (I know, I know - but it's a totally 80's reference!)

I never quite understood how his pet snake was supposed to work. I would wrap it around his arm and it would kind of just sit there. To me it looked like some silly caricature of a wannabe Aztec snake. I would've liked if he'd also come with a snake staff, but I agree, it would've seemed rather useless on him. I like how they made the long arms for the Sssqueeze character in the Macy's float also. The arms weren't as long, but I remember him ensnaring Frosta and someone else. I think it was Glimmer. Anyway, He'd get a 7 from me also. Not horrendous, but also not ab-so-freakin'-awesome either.

[Spacedust]

Sssqueeze's action has always been a source of endless fun for me. His gimmick was always really great for just jumping over Grayskull and ensnaring the Sorceress or reaching for things that are normally out of range. To me, he always resembled a smiling crocodile with an 80's midriff cut off shirt like that one break dancer had in that Lisa Lisa video. (I know, I know - but it's a totally 80's reference!)

If I had had the figure as a kid, I would have had endless hours of adventures hanging him over Castle Grayskull.
He did have a rather crocodile look to him; In a way he reminds me of the punk-inspired Bebop and Rocksteady in the original 'Teenage Mutant Ninja / Hero Turtles' cartoon series.

I never quite understood how his pet snake was supposed to work. I would wrap it around his arm and it would kind of just sit there. To me it looked like some silly caricature of a wannabe Aztec snake. I would've liked if he'd also come with a snake staff, but I agree, it would've seemed rather useless on him.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention his pet snake. I think it was supposed to sort ot wrap around his arm, but as to it's exact nature I was never 100% certain. To me, it a little felt like "hmm, we have to give him an accessory... hey I know, how about a pet snake". Must've spent minutes thinking of that one!

[super-munkyboy]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention his pet snake. I think it was supposed to sort ot wrap around his arm, but as to it's exact nature I was never 100% certain. To me, it a little felt like "hmm, we have to give him an accessory... hey I know, how about a pet snake". Must've spent minutes thinking of that one!

Surely it was a gun? i always thought it was as a kid, I mean I think there is a gun in his mouth.....maybe I have rose coloured glasses on....

[Spacedust]

Surely it was a gun? i always thought it was as a kid, I mean I think there is a gun in his mouth.....maybe I have rose coloured glasses on....

I always assumed it was to squirt some kind of venom.

One of those little things that Mattel put in, probably not even thinking about it, that gave so many kids so much to wonder and speculate about!

[He-Man]

I'm not really crazy about the excessively long arms. I gave him a six.

[discosupafly]

Oh man, this is so easy for me. Along with Leech and Extendar - Sssqueeze is one of my favourite classic toys of all, possibly THE favourite. Perhaps the reason I love the guy so much is because I was never able to buy him when he was first released. I saw him once at a supermarket and then never again ...

It was only about a year or so ago that I was finally able to make him mine, and man, that was a happy day.

His goofy long arms and huge hands won me over instantly, and his colour scheme was like no other in the MOTUverse. Sure there's been a few stand out in silver or orange, yet most other characters had a mix of blue, purple or skin colour somewhere on their bodies. NOONE else was a beautiful lime green like Sssqueeze. You gotta love that about the guy.

His hands and action features are awesome, his colour makes him stand out above everybody else and his little snake weapon/companion thingy was cool too. Noone deserves a perfect 10 more than Squeeze/Tanglor. I love him.

[Spacedust]

Oh man, this is so easy for me. Along with Leech and Extendar - Sssqueeze is one of my favourite classic toys of all, possibly THE favourite. Perhaps the reason I love the guy so much is because I was never able to buy him when he was first released. I saw him once at a supermarket and then never again ...

It was only about a year or so ago that I was finally able to make him mine, and man, that was a happy day.

That's a unique list, Sssqueeze, Leech and Extendar.
Personally, I think they are all very good toys play-wise, but I wouldn't necessarily single them out as classics of the line (I was never over crazy about Extendar; for one thing he had little character).
I know what you mean about much of the appeal being the fact that you could never get hold of one originally though.

[The Horrorist]

In the Filmation series Kobra Khan borrowed the powers of Sssqueeze by extending both arms. Just thought it was funny to mention. 9/10.

[Spacedust]

In the Filmation series Kobra Khan borrowed the powers of Sssqueeze by extending both arms. Just thought it was funny to mention. 9/10.

Yep, that popped up in another recent thread. I wonder if it's some kind of early Sssqueeze concept that they were going by, but if that's the case, it's odd that they gave it to the existing character of Kobra Khan.
In the episode that it appeared, I was always like "where the heck did that come from?!"

[faker32828]

I recently got squeezzzze and am still checking him out. He's a neat figure, but what is his weapon? a purple snake? is it a club?

[zodak74]

Ssssqueeze always looked more like a crocodile to me than a snake... he is a wierd-looking MOTU figure, isn't he? I dig the bright green they used for his skin, it goes well with the bits of grey on the boots and the armor, even if he is wearing a tube top (a hot item back in those mid-80s days on Eternia. Him and Terror Claws Skeletor must have been fighting each other the get the best tops off the rack... heh...). I guess he's another figure that, while I was happy to collect them all so I could have a complete collection and build up the ranks of each side, I wasn't too thrilled about. I didn't think the bendy arms were that great (mine at least couldn't really coil around a figure and stay that way, he'd always unfurl, like the plastic was too thick to do what it was supposed to do). And I had a hard time keeping that purple snake weapon thing on him for very long, too. Still, I wish there had been more Snakemen.

[braxsis364]

I allways thought Ssssqueezes capture abilty was kinda goofy. because if you capture a heroic warrior, they just punch you like crazy inside his arm trap. but I was allways more inmaginative, I remember playing with this figure and thinking. yea his arms are kida goofy, but you could make him thro some crazy punches with thos arms.

I remember my brother getting realy upset that I was makeing Ssssqueeze such a bad @#$. then he played the same way when he had Ssssqueeze. and eventuley we both kind put Ssssqueeze on the side lines for a while. because we would both go overborde with his punching abilty. so ill have to say a 9 and a half for playabilty. demerits for his goofy head sculpt. could have been a much cooler fig if done right.

[Bowhead Whale]

I don't have much trouble with Sssqueeze having the mouth of a crocodile. To me, if he had been more "snakish", he would probably looked too much like Tunglasher.

[davidlogan]

The purple snake is a gun.
When I was a kid I never saw him except in the mini comics. I thought he must be one of the best figures.
As an adult I got one off eBay and now I know I was wrong. haha.
He is a fun concept, but not a great figure. Though over all I like him. I like him because he is a big steaming pile of MOTU nonsense. Best toy line ever. Hands down.

[motu77]

10 not because I completely like this figure but the entire 87 line is a 10 to me.
The figure was pretty well done but I didn't like the arms.

[Yoko]

10/10

one of the best motu action features made! Great figure!

[TriKlops1971]

A solid 5. I never really got into the whole Snake Man thing, although a few were fun to play with. Nothing exceptional about Sssssqueeze (all the S's in the name made it a little annoying) good or bad.

[Pain Brain]

I gave SSSSSqueeze a 6, primarily for the unique appeal of his arms and their playability. Beyond that, I do not think his costume is horrible but it does not really work for him- particularly the color scheme. He does not look as menacing as the other Snake Men to me and his hoaky name does not help matters.

As far as accessories go, his gun is kind of cool. It is different.

[Evil_Horde]

Voted 10 for his arms I loved as a child!

[PaoloKr]

Cool figure.
8