6. Cassandra Peterson - Elvira
Elvira rocketed to cult status within the '80s as a late-night talk show host for a Los Angeles horror show named Fright Night. The feisty horror hostess whose real name is Cassandra Peterson knocked the socks off men by wearing low-cut, cleavage-enhancing frocks and kept them in check with her satirical wit. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood took the bait and elevated the Elvira brand to new heights in the 1988 film, Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark. Once her name was in lights, companies couldn't wait to get their hands on the Elvira brand and launched Halloween costumes, comics and perfume, to name but a few, but it wasn't until 1998 that Figures Toy Company launched a 7-inch action figure in honour of the dark temptress, and boy was it weird. Instead of a sexy and mysterious Elvira, fans got a blank hypnotic stare. Her dress is hastily thrown together with fabric that works better on a child's felt board and her tiny dagger has got nothing on Macbeth.
5. William Murderface - Metalocalypse
Shocker Toys hasn't had the smoothest road to toy business glory: etablished in 1998, the company's toys suffered from various delays and production problems, however the founder, Geoff Beckett, has since rebranded the company as GBJR Toys, leaving the Shocker name and its less-than-stellar reputation in the past. In their heyday, Shocker had some great products, including the 3-inch action figures named Shockinis, but they also produced some real shockers. In 2007, Shocker fashioned two limited edition figurines from the animated TV series Metalocalypse. According to sources, Nathan Explosion and William Murderface two well-known members of the Deathklok virtual band from the TV series were hand-painted and made in 20 days prior to San Diego Comic Con, where they were sold for $20 each. Largely seen as a marketing tool and a prototype for the retail line-up, there were only 500 pieces manufactured for each of the two figures, which was probably just as well, since Murderface looked a lot more like Lionel Ritchie than himself.