Cool Stuff: Let Mondo's Daria & Jane Figure Set Cure Your Low Self-Esteem (For Everyone Else)
"La, la, la, laaaa, la. La, la, la, laaaa, la."
Great news for the sardonic, sarcastic, and rejected members of the Esteemers, because Mondo is releasing the first-ever, official, on-model figures based on the hit MTV show and cultural institution, "Daria." The adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn was famously a spin-off of Mike Judge's "Beavis and Butt-Head," with Tracy Grandstaff reprising her role as the intelligent, cynical Daria Morgendorffer as she navigates her new high school in Lawndale.
"Daria" was a satirical look at suburban America and the high school experience, with the titular character and best friend Jane Lane's borderline misanthropic criticisms doubling as the vocalized interior thoughts of Gen X and elder millennials as they came of age. While Beavis and Butt-Head were oblivious idiots whose existence provided a commentary on the way the world mistakenly viewed teenagers because they didn't understand them, Daria and Jane were cursed with the intelligence of how stupid the world actually is, while still having to exist in it.
Viacom/Mondo
As influential as the show was, "Daria" always felt like more of a cult hit than a bonafide success, which means merchandise has been limited after all these years. Thankfully, we can now have Daria and Jane figures of our own without having to risk purchasing from some random 3D printer on Etsy that is one sale away from getting slapped with a studio lawsuit for violating intellectual property laws.
The Mondo figures of Daria and Jane come as a pair and feature swappable portraits, arms, and accessories based on some of the most memorable episodes and moments. Not to mention, the deluxe limited edition Daria figure also comes with her classic appearance from her debut on "Beavis and Butt-Head." This set is limited to 1,000, so if you want one, you better act fast!
You're standing on my neck
As for the figures themselves, both Daria and Jane are roughly 8 inches tall and were created by a pretty stellar creative team. The concept design came from Leanne Hannah, Vivian Coscia handled the sculpt, Mark Bristow was on paint duty, Pam Wishbow came up with the packing art, Jordan Christianson did the packaging design, photography was done by LordBobasauras, and Hector Arce provided the art direction.
There was some serious love, care, and attention put into these designs, capturing the 2D designs of the characters and successfully bringing them into 3D figure status. The swappable heads come with a variety of expressions, and the accessories harken back to some of the show's most famous moments. I especially love that Daria comes with a flame glasses option, a reference to the season 1 episode "The Teachings of Don Jake" as the visual of fire reflecting in Daria's glasses has become a bit of a meme in recent years.
Viacom/Mondo
There's also an option for Daria to be reading a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," home to one of her best comebacks after cheerleader Brittany Taylor sees her reading the book and gushes about loving romance novels, inspiring Daria to quip, "Yeah, nothing says 'be mine' like a pounding heart beneath a floorboard." it is interesting that they went with the book instead of a newspaper advertising "Sick Sad World," but perhaps the design of a newspaper would have looked too strange with small print. Jane also gets a memorable moment, with the horrible dye job from "Dye! Dye! My Darling," the episode where Daria also realizes that she's falling in love with Jane's boyfriend, Tom. It's one of the most important episodes in the entire series, and it's great to see the first official figure release represent it with such affection.
You can pre-order the figures on Mondo's website, and the figures are expected to ship sometime in November 2024.