For my final evaluation of Spooky Season 2026 I current an motion determine that appears prefer it swam straight out of a Lovecraftian creature characteristic…or Discovering Nemo. The Chap Mei anglerfish. I got here throughout this toy over the summer season, when an area vintage/thrift retailer uploaded a video of their wares on social media and I noticed the catch-of-the-day hiding on a shelf. My thoughts instantly jumped forward to October, and I knew I must purchase this abomination for a Spooky Season weblog evaluation.
Chap Mei, so far as I can inform, produced at the very least three totally different anglerfish toys. One among them is extra complicated than this one, with eyes that glow purple upon urgent on the dorsal fin and a cellular tongue. Its fins are translucent inexperienced, the esca is orange, and it has silver and gold markings on the perimeters. It seems to be the rarest of the Chap Mei anglerfish. This one’s jaws open and shut once you press the dorsal fin and the tongue is sculpted into the decrease jaw. The eyes, and illicium and esca (rod and lure) glow-in-the-dark, and the fins are translucent amber. One other model exists that appears like this one, however it’s digital, with glowing eyes and a cellular tongue like the primary one I described.
My model seems to be the most typical one, with extra photos on-line and better and cheaper availability on eBay than the others. It’s included within the Satan Anglerfish Playset, together with two pirates, a ship, cannon and projectiles, and numerous equipment and was additionally included within the Animal Planet Deep Sea Encounter playset with an octopus, viperfish, diver, and equipment. Chap Mei toys are retooled and repackaged so typically that I wouldn’t be shocked if there was one other variation of this toy or one other set it was included in that I’m not conscious of.
This anglerfish measures 9” (22.86 cm) from the tip of its decrease jaw to the tip of its caudal fin and it stands 6.5” (16.51 cm) tall. The toy is of indeterminate species and may actually solely be recognized as one of many deep-sea anglerfishes of the Ceratioidei clade. The rule of cool has undoubtedly been utilized to this toy and accuracy has been sacrificed to such a level that this toy is perhaps a greater match on the Monster Toy Weblog.
In actual life, deep-sea anglerfishes have a wrinkled, scaleless, and gelatinous physique. This toy is roofed in giant, overlapping armored scales, that tightly hug the physique, making it seem inflexible and onerous. The jagged fins all seem like spined when precise deep-sea anglerfish solely have smooth fin rays. There are additionally odd cross-bars connecting the fin spines that shouldn’t be there. The toy appropriately didn’t embrace pelvic fins. The enamel are proportionally too lengthy however there’s actually no level in nitpicking accuracy an excessive amount of on what’s a intentionally stylized and admittedly superior toy.
The rubbery enamel are lengthy, skinny, and detailed with faint grooves. When the mouth is closed, they create a cage throughout the mouth, which is enjoyable. The lips are pulled again considerably and edged with reptile-like labial scales. The vacant eyes protrude outward and upward from bulging sockets, and the pores and skin round them seems desiccated, giving the fish a zombie-like look.
The operculum is edged with triangular spikes, and a patch of plate-like scales is sculpted under the dorsal fin. Overlapping plates of armor run down the flanks, wanting just like the skeletal muscle tissue (myomeres) of many precise fish, and are detailed with faint, horizonal grooves. The underside has bulging blocks of croc-like stomach scales. Rows of inexperienced photophores run throughout the perimeters. Regardless of an abundance of wealthy element, there are seen screw holes on the left aspect, that are ugly however regular for Chap Mei toys.
The toy is swampy olive inexperienced coloured and darker above than under. Silver highlights element the operculum. The enamel are white, the gums are vivid pink, and the tongue is deep purple. Since they glow, the eyes, illicium, and esca are uninteresting pale inexperienced.
The Chap Mei anglerfish is just not the standard sort of animal toy we characteristic right here, or that I gather, however I do know that there are at the very least a number of discussion board regulars that can respect its look, and even when your gathering preferences differ there’s no denying that it is a cool motion determine and an amazing toy to conclude this yr’s Spooky Season with. Halloween continues to be a number of days away and I hope you’ve all loved our creepy critter critiques and have a secure and enjoyable vacation. I’m already wanting ahead to 2027!
All articles on the Animal Toy Weblog are written with out the usage of ‘AI’
