1991 Eco Warriors Cesspool

Eco Warriors are a series whose time has finally come.  Through the late 1990's and early 2000's, Eco Warriors were generally loathed and often found themselves as the butt of jokes.  As the 2010's started, though, younger collectors started to come online.  And, with their addition to the Joe collecting ranks, brightly colored figures from the 1990's started to gain a bit of popularity.  In the 2020's, there are strong contingents of collectors who focus on the 1990's and appreciate figures like the Eco Warriors to a greater degree than the Joes who preceded them.  Some characters have even become essential parts of a collection.  One example is the Eco Warriors Cesspool figure from 1991.

My introduction to Cesspool was in the comic.  Here, Larry Hama started out using Cesspool as an archetype of the corrupt CEO.  Basically, he was Cobra Commander with an army of corporate sycophants instead of assault troopers.  But, he was decidedly evil.  Then, he had an accident with his toxic waste and was turned into a caricature of himself.  In this role, he thought he was Cobra Commander and acted like him in various scenarios.  Eventually, he got his comeuppance.  But, he served a major role for a few comic issues to promote the new line of Eco Warrior toys.

Once you get to 1987, the named Cobras really start to lose their media presence.  The non-army building Cobras who came later struggled to find a place in the comic as Larry Hama always went back to his mainstays.  There's nothing wrong with this.  And, the nice side effect has been that collectors have had relatively blank slate figures from the line's later years with which they can create their own Cobra characters.  Some figures have found solid life among the collector set.  And, Cesspool is one of them.  He's now a staple of most collections and even die hards from the 1980's see the value in his design and character.

Cesspool was one of the earlier figures I acquired during my early collecting years.  I picked one up in a lot of 1990 and 1991 figures that were all mint and complete with filecard.  I paid under $2 per figure for the lot as no one liked 1990's figures at that time and the competition for these later collections was minimal.  Once in hand, I found various uses for the figure.  He piloted the Hurricane for a bit.  Then, he was a close advisor of the Commander.  Then, he just became a stand alone villain.  There are enough Eco Warrior Cobras for Cesspool to have his own little army.  He's then one of many Cobra generals who are responsible for various parts of Cobra's empire.  He's not a guy to cross.  But, he's also someone who lacks the power to actually challenge the Commander's authority in any meaningful way.

Cesspool's gear is also part of his appeal.  His helmet includes a separate breather piece that is often missing.  But, when included, it adds a solid dimension to Cesspool's helmeted appearance.  He then includes a golden chainsaw.  I'm not sure of the practicality of this weapon.  But, it looks cool and is something that an outlandish villain like Cesspool would carry.  The figure is rounded out by the requisite water squirting weapon, hose and tank backpack that were released with all the Eco Warriors in various colors.  The gear fits the character and the figure.  While the water squirting apparatus isn't a great visual offering, it has great practicality is was a pretty nifty idea to include as an enticement to spend more for an Eco Warriors figure.

Cesspool's mold got some use.  The original release was just produced by Hasbro.  They quickly shipped the mold to Brazil.  There, Estrela released a Cesspool repaint in brighter blue named Poluicao.  Then, the used the parts for two different figures in the Patrulha Do Ar subset.  Cesspool's body was used for the Abutre Negro (Black Vulture) figure.  Then, his head was famously used for the Escorpiao Voador (Flying Scorpion) figure.  The head is cast with black skin and has become a fan favorite character.  The mold never appeared again.  I'd have loved a Funskool version.  But, it was not to be.  Cesspool is the type of character that would even work in the 2020's Hasbro o-ring releases as most fans accept the character and would gladly buy up a new version.

As Cesspool's popularity has increased, so has his pricing.  The helmet breather is often missing and complete figures tend to command a premium.  There's not a ton of selection available at any given time.  So, you'll pay between $35 and $50 for a mint and complete Cesspool.  Figures missing just the breather, though, will still fetch $25-$30.  You can get a figure alone for around $10.  So, Cesspool will cost you in pretty much any form.  The upside is that the figure's head is amazing and you can get use from him sans helmet.  So, a budget minded figure isn't a terrible option.  Cesspool would be high on my list of post 1987 figures to appear in Hasbro's new line.  He's a great villain, a cool sculpt and a character who is far more popular than he was even a decade ago.  I don't know if it will ever happen.  But, Cesspool is a figure from the 1990's who could pull off a popular, current and successful re-release.