UNCOVERED Digging through boxes this winter to find samples for LV’s portfolio (and things that just needed to be tossed), I found the copy of Headstrong Ashley Tisdale signed for Meg on her Rolling Stone advertorial shoot in 2007. I used to listen to the whole disc on repeat while editing photos home alone. It’s shocking to listen to now because I forgot how popular auto tune was.
One more great toy from 2021 has us cheering
TEN HUT!
For those not familiar, Ashley Tisdale was the first female artist to debut with two songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 when the High School Musical soundtrack was released. (I had to read that sentence twice and confirm it.) Now if you know Olivia Rodrigo came from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and won three Grammys, you might be wondering is Headstrong is as good as SOUR? No. But it’s fun. Hopes were sky high for Tisdale, but she doesn’t establish herself as a character in her own music. I’m totally going to keep blasting it in the car, though. —MV
20
When I heard the Major Wresting Figure Podcast rundown the top wrestling figures of 2021, I realized I omitted one of the best figures of the year from my Toys of the Year list (Issue 112): the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Ultimate Edition Sgt. Slaughter. The packaging on this figure is insane. An oversized box utilizes the illustration from the traditional Legends figures along the sides. The box then opens to reveal an LJN blister pack with the figure posed like the original Sgt. Slaughter LJN. On top of the unreal packaging, the sculpt and likeness on the figure are perfect. The blister pack also slides down to reveal a bevy of accessories, like his riding crop and swappable body parts. WWE SDCC exclusives continue to be the cream of the crop over the past three years (Slim Jim Macho Man, Wrestlemania Mr. T). I did not attend SDCC, but Slaughter is available online through the Mattel Creations site. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2022. —LV
Art Department Weekly • March 2022
