What exactly is the deal with these things, you ask? Let's run through the basics:
- Seres Míticos figures were released at the end of 2017 as giveaway premiums included in packages of Mexican snack cakes called Gansitos / Gansi Premio. These cakes are produced by a company called Marinela.
- There are 10 different sculpts to collect, featuring creatures from well known myths and legends (especially Greek mythology). They include Gryfo (Griffin), Triton, Cerberus, Manticora (Manticore), Minotauro (Minotaur), Fauno (Faun), Fenix (Phoenix), Unicornio (Unicorn), Medusa, and Dragon.
- Each figure comes in three different colors: bronze, silver and gold.
- They are made of hard plastic and measure about 1.5" tall.
- One figure is included per pack of Gansi Premio cakes. They come individually wrapped along with a small character card with artwork that depicts one of the 10 monsters (for some reason the cards don't necessarily match up to the figures they're packed with).
Seres Míticos are some of the best toy premiums I've seen in a long time. They remind me of the glory days of toy giveaways and monochromatic mini figures, particularly Monster in My Pocket (if fact, I'd be surprised if they weren't inspired by MIMP). They also remind me an awful lot of the obscure but amazing Horrors N Heroes set, in both the style of the sculpts and metallic colors used. I also love that they include creatures that haven't been included in many (if any) other sets, such as Phoenix and Faun.
Here's some additional photos to show off the figures' details:
It would be better if Minotaur and Faun didn't have bases. It seems like they still could have made them to stand without them. The only other thing I'd change would be to make them a bit larger.
Here's a comparison shot with a MIMP and Horrors N Heroes figure to show off the size differences:
Seres Míticos were a great surprise. I didn't know anything about them before I stumbled onto a photo of them that was posted on Facebook, and it was the kind of discovery that continues to fuel my collecting obsession. U.S. companies should take a hint from Mexico in this case, because toy premiums this great are pretty much nonexistent here these days. I hope they've been a big hit in Mexico so that Marinela releases a second series!
What do you think? Do you plan on hunting down a set of Seres Míticos?