Screaming Homer (Simpsons (Jakks Pacific)) Review

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Screaming Homer (Simpsons (Jakks Pacific)) Review

Screaming Homer
Simpsons (Jakks Pacific) (Jakks Pacific)This year has been a good one for Simpsons merchandise, and it's primarily thanks to Jakks Pacific. We've gotten four waves of figures in different scales with plenty of variety, as well as other stuff like plush, multi-packs, and a Treehouse of Horror-themed advent calendar. There's not much confirmed for next year so far, including some more multi-packs, a Plowmobile, a rumored wave seven line-up for the 5" figures, and a King-Size Homer that's unfortunately Walmart-exclusive (in other words, you'll have to go to eBay for that one). I managed to get the latest wave of both scales easily, the 2.5" figures thanks again to I Am Retro, who had a 25% off sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday last month. Getting deals like that makes it easier to accept their higher prices.

Leading the wave is Homer, and it's a standard Homer, but with a new head. He's rather terrified here, with his mouth wide open and tongue pointing out a slight amount. The expression fits him very well, and I appreciate Jakks doing variants like these rather than straight reissues, such as the angry Homer that came with the family sedan. The body is the same as the wave one Homer, and the height and articulation are no different. The painted skin on the neck and arms makes me sort of wish Jakks would fully paint these figures, but asking that of mass-market figures is a lot to ask.

This wave also gives Lisa her first variant in the line, and one more distinct than Homer, being her "cool" self from "Summer of 4 Ft. 2." I know a couple of fans have wanted this look, and it's great to have it as a figure. She's wearing a pair of glasses and a baseball cap turned to the side, and has a disinterested expression to help fit in with the other kids at Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport. The glasses are a little crooked on mine, but the head sculpt looks fine overall, and the paint on the eyes is clean.

Standing 2 1/4" tall, Lisa is dressed appropriately for the summer, with a colorful baggy shirt, ripped shorts, and flip-flops. The paint on the lower body is good, but I can't say the same for the shirt, as in addition to various small spots of bleed, the middle stripe is misaligned, making me think it's printed on rather than painted. Still, the colors are pretty good, and the sculpt is solid all around. The right arm is posed giving a peace sign, and I'm happy for once Jakks didn't give her a fully stiff pose, given these don't have a lot of articulation compared to their larger counterparts. Lisa is the only figure with an accessory in this wave, coming with a blue skateboard with rolling wheels and a foot peg. It's not completely accurate to the board she rode in the episode, but I appreciate the inclusion, and the left hand is designed to hold it.

Next up is Barney, and he's another example of a figure from the 5" line making the jump to a smaller scale. Since I already talked about that one, there's not much to say here since it's the same model, but he's just as good as before. All the details have been carried over well, including the chest hair being sculpted to protrude a bit, and the teeth are painted due to the lower jaw not being a separate piece due to the size, but the work on them is very clean. Standing 3" tall, the sit-down waist joint works great due to his gut, and a notable difference from the 5" Barney is that his right hand isn't as wide open, ensuring both hands can manage a proper grip on accessories.

Since we got Kearney last wave, Jimbo is here to continue the bullies. He stands about 3 1/8" tall, making him a little bigger than Barney; I don't think he's supposed to be, but Jakks doesn't seem to be too concerned about scale most of the time (their old Pokémon line was a good example of this). Out of scale aside, the likeness on Jimbo is great, being much better than the Playmates one from over two decades ago, and the paint on the face and shoes is clean. Like the previous bullies, Jimbo has a gripping right hand and a closed left for wailing on nerds. He and Lisa both suffer the same issue of the legs not being able to go forward far enough to properly sit down, only being diagonal at most, but the neck and shoulder articulation work fine despite how stiff these sculpts are.

The last figure in the wave is Marge, and there's nothing I have to say about her here, since it's the same Marge we've already gotten in the family multi-pack and a few exclusive sets, just on her own. I already have two of her, one from the aforementioned multi-pack and another from the Target-exclusive sedan set, so I have no need for a third. It's just as well since she was out of stock on I Am Retro. She's the shortpacked one at just one per case, and it was a good decision on Jakks' part. The first four waves had the issue of Homers and Barts taking up space on the pegs, with Walmart still being unable to clear out their mini Homer stock and Target apparently no longer selling the mini singles because of it, so they weren't going to repeat that mistake with Marge.

Even if it's a little family-heavy, this wave is good nonetheless, as aside from a singular release of a figure that was previously only available in box sets, you have two nice variants and two iconic recurring characters. Knowing Five Below has gotten in wave five makes me hope they get this wave soon as well for the sake of those who don't want to pay higher prices online. It may not be long before we find out what the next wave will have, and I have a few guesses on who could be in it, but I wouldn't mind if Jakks subverted expectations.

- 12/21/25