“Guardians of the Galaxy” fans can finally bring home a life-sized version of one of the film series’ most beloved characters. Hot Toys today announced a collectible figure based on Baby Groot, the diminutive tree-like alien set to appear in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” at the beginning of next month.
The figure stands at 26 centimeters and has 15 points of articulation. It includes three interchangeable faces: smiling Groot, contemplative Groot and quizzical Groot. Baby Groot also comes with a maroon Ravagers outfit and two pairs of interchangeable hands; one humanoid and the other long and branchlike. The figure’s branchlike hands are poised for attack, and include embedded wires that allow for multiple poses.
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Groot is the stoic, treelike alien that first appeared on film in “Guardians of the Galaxy” back in 2014. Voiced by Vin Diesel, Groot communicated solely through the repeated sentence, “I am Groot.” Groot was the largest character in the film, standing several meters tall. At the movie’s conclusion, Groot sacrificed himself to save his fellow Guardians, encasing them in a protective orb made of his own branches. The orb saved Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax and Rocket Raccoon when they plummeted from the Dark Aster, the capital ship of Ronan the Accuser, but destroyed Groot in the process.
After the Guardians dealt with Ronan on the surface of Xandar, Rocket harvested a piece of Groot’s body and planted it in a pot aboard the crew’s ship. One of the after-credits scenes in “Guardians of the Galaxy” showed a small, root-bound Groot dancing in the pot. The image was a sensation among viewers and resulted in multiple toys and figures depicting the dancing alien.
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Groot looks to make his return in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” as Baby Groot, a miniature, childlike version of his former self that is no longer bound to a pot. The character has been featured numerous times in trailers leading up to the sequel’s release, often as a comic relief or source of mischief.
Groot first debuted in “Tales to Astonish” #13 in 1960. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Groot is a flora colossus from Planet X. His species enjoys an extensive language system, but outsiders often believe they are only capable of uttering the phrase “I am Groot” because this is all their stiff, barky larynxes allow for in the way of verbal communication.
Check out some pictures Hot Toys' Baby Groot figure below.
Debuting in theaters on May 5, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a production of Marvel Studios directed by James Gunn and starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell.