by: -RoG-
If you've been reading this site for a while, you probably know that Freddy Krueger has always been my favorite horror movie monster. Unlike some of his other slasher brethren, Freddy kills with comedy. He tortures his victims both mentally and physically in some of the most creative ways ever put on film. Save for the 2010 remake, there isn't A Nightmare on Elm Street movie I didn't absolutely love in some form or another. I remember when Robert Englund first announced he would be hosting an all new horror anthology series called "Freddy's Nightmares"; I damn near lost my mind in anticipation for it, clipping out every single newspaper ad for the show I could find at the time. Yes indeed, I was a total "Fred Head".
Along with being a fan of the movies and TV series, I naturally collected a lot of Elm Street toys and memorabilia over the years as well. From costumes and parking sings, to video games and comic books... if it had anything to do with Freddy Krueger, chances are I owned it at one point or another. Hell, I still even own a full box of Freddy's Bubble Gum.
Today I want to share with you what is easily my favorite Nightmare on Elm Street toy, and if nothing else, easily the greatest bootleg figure of Freddy Krueger ever made. Yes, even better than the Sungold Monster bootleg mini Freddy figure with the face tattoo. Prepare yourselves for...
NIGHTMARE FEDDY!
No, your eyes do not deceive you... this is a real thing. Nightmare Feddy actually exists, and he's clearly one of the most wonderful creations anyone on this planet has ever seen. A 12" doll, roughly the same size as your average Barbie figure, dedicated to one of our favorite horror characters. The name alone should sell you on him; I mean come on... Feddy? FEDDY!? That's fucking incredible! When you think about it, "Feddy" sounds like how an infant would adorably mispronounce Freddy's name.
And let's be honest here, for a bootleg doll from China, the packaging for Nightmare Feddy is absolutely stellar too. First off, you have a killer logo, done in a horrific font complete with blood dripping from within Feddy's name. There's also some amazing artwork showcasing Freddy... er... Feddy in front of a suburban home, presumably about to haunt their dreams. I love how he was so excited to give them nightmares that he forgot to wear his hat. He also appears to be wearing jeans and a striped short sleeve shirt; and from the looks of it, he has some fairly muscular forearms! Feddy works out!
To top it all off, they made the package a window box, and it's not just your typical rectangular shaped window box either. No, they actually die-cut it the opening go along with the design and continue around the sides of the box so that Feddy appears to be emerging from kind of nightmarish blood portal.
Now let's check out the back of the box:
Tell me that's not a beautiful image. This is the kind of hand-painted Elm Street fan art that I would frame and hang on my wall in a heartbeat. And just look at Feddy's glove! It's quite different from Freddy Krueger's infamous razor glove. For starters, it appears to be made of gold, so while Freddy may have worked in the boiler room, I'm guessing Feddy had a much higher paying job. Maybe he was a VP at a big tech firm or something... who knows. Either way, his glove is made of gold, and you probably noticed the razors aren't nearly as long as Freddy's either. These ones just barely extend beyond Feddy's finger tips and appear more like the claws of a panther or some other wild animal.
Say what you want about how awesomely hilarious his name is, but Nightmare Feddy gets an A+ on presentation. Seriously.
Now I came to own this figure many years ago when it was selling for practically nothing, so I'm actually lucky enough to have several of them. I think today is the day to finally take one Feddy out of the box so we can learn more about him, as there's hardly any information about this doll online other than it being included in some "Hilarious Knock-Off Toys" lists. You'd think by now, Nightmare Feddy would've been elevated to superstardom, but sadly, he's just this quirky afterthought that some Elm Street fans are mildly aware of.
Alright, the moment of truth has arrived... let's take Feddy out of the box and see what stories he has to tell.
Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!!! Nightmare Feddy is wearing women's loafers! I've had this Feddy doll in the box for years, and only now do I learn that he's been wearing women's shoes all this time!? This is incredible. I always knew Freddy Krueger was fashionable, but Nightmare Feddy takes it to a whole other level with this subtle cross-dressing. He's not even wearing socks, and I gotta say, for a guy so badly burned, he has some seriously silky smooth looking ankles. Absolutely fantastic.
Another nice detail I'm noticing for the first time is that part of Feddy's brain is exposed, just like how he pulled his scalp skin back in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Considering this is a bootleg of Freddy Krueger, I'm honestly quite surprised to see specific little details like that on this Feddy doll. Nice to see that kind of love went into creating him. So let's see how Feddy looks standing out of the box, complete with his hat 'n all.
There's your proof. Nightmare Feddy is the greatest Freddy Krueger bootleg in history. His hat and sweater are slightly oversized, his shoes are women's loafers, and his glove has golden highlights with super tiny blades. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even kill people with those blades. I think he's just some friendly guy who's really good at scratching your back if you have an itch. That's the kind of pal you want around at all times. What more could you ask for in a bootleg Elm Street doll? Let's check under the sweater and see if Feddy has any final surprises for us.
Turns out they gave Feddy some extra details in the form of burnt forearms! That's a nice bonus when you consider they could've just given him standard doll parts like they did with the rest of his body. Maybe that's why they put him in a short sleeve t-shirt on the box, so we'd know that he had customized forearms hiding underneath that sweater of his. Either way, his yellow grin shows that Feddy is most pleased with his appearance, so you should be too.
These days, Nightmare Feddy fetches anywhere from $60 - $80, so he has become quite the collector's item to dedicated Elm Street fans over the years. While I'm glad I bought him when I did, I can't help but feel like he's worth every penny that sellers are charging for him now. I mean, anyone can own some Freddy Krueger memorabilia... but there's only one Nightmare Feddy, and he deserves a place of honor in your home.
Before you invite Feddy into your home, he does have one simple question for you:
"Do you mind if I *loaf* around your house? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
Yeah... maybe you should have second thoughts about inviting him in.
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