Jazwares, known for injecting an often-surprising level of poseability and value into mass-market lines like Fortnite and Star Wars: The Vintage Collection (TVC) (in the 3.75-inch space), they’ve now been handed the Netflix master license—a weighty scepter, indeed. Their new 6-inch Upside Down Collector Figure line makes its debut, and at the core of the first wave sits the original terror: the Jazwares Demogorgon action figure. Jazwares decided to drop a bomb on the high-end collector scene with their Stranger Things line. The undisputed star of this collection, the one figure that must land—is the Demogorgon. We’ve been living in the shadow of the Upside Down since that fateful night in 1983, and now, finally, we have a physical representation of its apex predator that feels commensurate with the monster’s legacy. The Jazwares Demogorgon doesn’t just stand on its own; it heralds a new, more serious chapter for the Stranger Things collectible universe.
When Stranger Things first premiered on Netflix, the creature’s name was the ultimate geek litmus test. It wasn’t the showrunners who named it; it was the prepubescent, Dungeons & Dragons-obsessed kids—Mike, Lucas, and Dustin—who defaulted to the familiar D&D demon prince. The figure is an homage to that initial spark of shared, basement-dwelling mythology. It’s not the gargantuan, slightly-too-CGI-looking versions from later seasons. This is the lanky, unsettlingly smooth-skinned creature from Season 1—the one that chased Will, snatched Barb, and left a trail of interdimensional slime everywhere.
The body is rendered in a sickly, muted blend of grey, pale brown, and reddish-pink tones, reflecting its perpetual existence in the Upside Down’s gloom. The texturing is subtle—a moist-looking finish on the skin rather than a dry, matte look—which accurately reflects the creature’s slimy presence. Furthermore, its dark-earth tones and subtle washes of crimson and black elevate it above the flat, often lifeless paint applications of its competitors. It carries the distinct feeling of being freshly emerged from the grime. The paint isn’t merely functional; it’s atmospheric.
The terrifying complexity of the Demogorgon’s flower-like head, with its rows of interlocking teeth, is where detail matters most. The teeth on the open head are cleanly painted in a stark white-bone color. Each of the five petals is individually textured and painted. Look closely at the inside of the petals. They’ve added a subtle, moist, glossy coat, making the figure look genuinely capable of oozing spores or strange, corrosive saliva. While effective, they lack the pinkish, fleshy, and often bloody grime that defined the creature in the show’s most visceral close-ups. The premium Jazwares Vault bloody version explicitly addresses this, confirming the need for an enhanced paint deco to truly satisfy the purist.
The true measure of any creature figure is its articulation system. A Demogorgon doesn’t just stand; it stalks, it lunges, it ducks through portals, and it performs a signature, spine-chilling head-waggle before going in for the kill. Jazwares has gone all-in on poseability, advertising 33+ points of articulation.
The arms are built for aggression. They utilize double-jointed elbows, allowing the Demogorgon to curl its hands dramatically inward toward its chest for a terrifying, hunched-over stalk, or extend its lanky limbs fully to scratch at a dimensional barrier. This is a vast improvement over previous iterations which often restricted the monster to a static ‘T-pose’ or slight bend. More importantly, the shoulders feature a true ball-and-socket joint—not just a simple swivel hinge—granting a full 360-degree rotation and an excellent outward swing. The wrists, naturally, incorporate swivel and hinge for fine-tuning the claw position.
While the upper body excels, the foundation of the figure—its feet—presents a genuine engineering conundrum. The figure features rocker ankles, which is the gold standard for providing lateral tilt (necessary for wide stances on uneven surfaces). However, as confirmed by numerous collectors, the range of motion on this ankle pivot is severely limited. This restriction immediately undercuts the figure’s potential for truly dynamic, low-center-of-gravity poses. A creature designed to leap, crouch, and stalk should be able to dig its toes in and pivot wildly; this Demogorgon is hampered in achieving anything beyond a slightly tilted stance. The included environmental display base—a simple, textured disc—becomes less of an aesthetic bonus and more of a necessary prosthetic to compensate for the figure’s inherent instability in advanced poses. Its poseability even lets you replicate D&D rulebreaker crawls, direct homage to that “first encounter” echoed on Mike’s campaign board in Season 1.
Accessories:
Alternate Heads: The core Demogorgon includes at least two key head sculpts—a “neutral”/closed and wildly “opened” petal-face, both loaded with painted detail and unique flesh tones.
Interchangeable Hands: Expect at least two sets: wide-splayed attack hands (for “snatching and grabbing” actions) and more relaxed, neutral claws.
Display Stand: Retail and exclusive versions include a translucent base with “Upside Down” motif or branded stickers. They help balance dynamic stances—a must for the lanky-legged Demogorgon, and subtle enough not to ruin the display aesthetic.
For the packaging, Jazwares uses a sturdy cardboard frame, with bold colors and a gloss finish, meaning even heavy handling or repeated openings don’t degrade the “new-in-box” look. Collectors will notice the panoramic artwork wrapping around the sides and back—a moody, poster-style collage of Hawkins’ foggy forests, static-charged skies, and cryptic ‘80s motif overlays. Some convention packs feature foldout backdrops (the creature’s wall or “throne”), letting you replicate the lair or pose next to vanquished Hawkins PD “victims.” These are made from heavy cardstock for quick, scene-perfect deployment. QR codes on some releases link to digital lore, AR mini-games, or secret product drops.
In the competitive, often-flawed history of Stranger Things collectibles, this figure stands as arguably the best mass-market Demogorgon released to date.
- Bandai’s The Void Series: These figures suffered from inconsistent scaling and an aesthetic that felt too stylized or “toy-like,” often failing to capture the realistic, horrifying look of the show’s monster.
- McFarlane Toys: While larger (often 10-inch scale) and visually imposing, the McFarlane Demogorgon was notoriously a “statue with limited movement,” featuring restricted articulation and lacking the interchangeable heads necessary for full character representation.
For fans of Stranger Things seeking a definitive, poseable 6-inch scale representation of the creature that started it all, this figure is the answer. It expertly navigates the line between mass-market affordability and high-end import quality. It respects the lore—down to the microscopic textures on the petals—while delivering an engineering feat that allows for maximum poseability and dynamic display. This is a figure that will look as perfect lurking in the shadows of a shelf diorama as it will under the sterile fluorescent light of an office desk. It is the definitive physical representation of the monster that launched a thousand streaming hours. This is the Demogorgon we’ve been waiting for. It’s a collectible that captures not just the look, but the sheer, primal terror of the Upside Down. Get one before the portal closes.
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