X-Entertainment.com X-Entertainment UGO
You are all doomed. Why not surrender? We might let you live.

« Clamato Tortilla Chips! [Main Index] Save Danny Phantom! »

07/23/2006: Sectaurs: The HYVE Playset!

A new article has been Chestnuts Roasted. I’ve talked about Sectaurs before, but not lately, and I never got to talk about one of my absolute favorite toys ever at length, because up until a few months ago, I never owned it. “The Hyve” was the one and only playset in the 80’s Sectaurs line, seeming so immense, so cool and so rife with spider puppets in the commercials that it actually turned up in the sleepytime dreams of my youth. Now that I have it, I can confirm that it really is cool, really is immense, and really is rife with spider puppets. I love The Hyve, and you will too. You’d better, because I wrote almost 4,000 words about it.

EDIT: So, I’m going to try a little experiment soon — X-Entertainment’s August Megaparty. It’s a big name for a small thing: I just want to update the blog with new content every day in August. No themes like the Halloween Countdown, no set lengths, nothing — it’s just a promise to update with something every day in August, and see where it goes. It could be as simple as picking out the first thing I see in my office and writing about it, or as EXTRAVAGANT as actually going out on the town to find white hot blazing content. I dunno, I guess I like my personal challenges manageable.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Bookmark and Share


Discussion Thread: 104 comments

Ohhh shit. Time killer ahoy! :D :D

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 07/23/2006 11:29 AM EDT

wow, i read the whole thing and then checked the blog to find out i’m getting a high comment.

very good, i used to have some giant base that was from a GI joe ripoff that was circular but you could spin it. kind of like the space needle but not as high and wider. that thing was freakin’ awesome.

Ghosted by the modern day pirates @ 07/23/2006 11:55 AM EDT

I had this when I was a kid and loved it more than any other toy. You are right about this being a great surprise christmas gift. I always got the lame second tier action figures but this was worth it all. My brother and I played with it so much that I broke most of the pieces. My mom still managed to sell it at a garage sail. I’m still kinda bitter about that.

Ghosted by JZ @ 07/23/2006 12:15 PM EDT

Love the glove.

Ghosted by Ragnarok @ 07/23/2006 12:40 PM EDT

I was pretty sure I hadn’t heard about Sectaurs before, but then I saw the glove-bug and it all came…rushing isn’t the right word. Maybe trickling slowly through the haze back to me? Anyways, I’ll have to read the whole thing later, as my task master (or wife, if you will) wants me to upload some pictures of a wedding we went to yesterday. OK, gotta go.

Ghosted by Mad Cow @ 07/23/2006 12:55 PM EDT

I loved the SECTAURS. Never owned one but plenty of kids at my Day Care did. Between that and never owning a BOGLIN, I feel incomplete. :(
You must really be in love with it not to be a bit harsher on the inside of the Hyve. At least Greyskull had SOME working pieces within but fair enough.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 07/23/2006 1:00 PM EDT

I kind of like the way it is inside. If I had my choice between an action figure auditorium and a battle arena, I’d go with the former. Besides, Castle Grayskull didn’t have a fuzzy spider puppet.

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/23/2006 1:02 PM EDT

Hooray for Baleen Whales!

Ghosted by Ragnarok @ 07/23/2006 1:25 PM EDT

One can’t underestimate the power of a spider puppet. :)

Call the Guiness Records people, I am the first person to ever write about SECTAURS while having the movie BRAZIL play in the background while taking a break from working on a PowerPoint about George Washington.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 07/23/2006 1:27 PM EDT

My favorite part of this article? Knowing that Matt was swilling down some Arbor Mist while putting this monster together.
If only the Hyve came with a tinny bug shaped microphone thingy…
Awesome to get an article that feels a bit more oldschool XE. Thanks

Ghosted by WonKa @ 07/23/2006 1:44 PM EDT

Great article! Ted Knight and Pink Floyd cracked me up.
On my way to the circus now…normally I’d have a bit of an ethical problem with it but the tickets were free.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 07/23/2006 1:46 PM EDT

I would never invite Krang to a party at the Hyve. You know the fucker would drool and accidentaly spit on everything while telling you how much better the Technodrome is.
Fuck Krang, arrogant bastard.

Ghosted by WonKa @ 07/23/2006 1:55 PM EDT

I like the use of the puppets for that set (and the toy line in gerneral). I’ve never really seen a playset with that feature before, but maybe I’m just out of the loop here.

I always loved getting the big ass gifts. Even if they were bad, at least they looked awesome displayed in your room.

Ghosted by Dr. Acula @ 07/23/2006 2:02 PM EDT

"The picture above could only do it justice if your monitor spans 48 inches."
I have my PC hooked up to my 55 inch HDTV and I still think the picture is not doing any justice to the size of that thing.

Ghosted by The Boy @ 07/23/2006 2:35 PM EDT

That hexagonal control panel on the bottom floor looked just like the control panel for the early TARDIS.

Ghosted by ROBRAM89 @ 07/23/2006 2:46 PM EDT

Whoa… Seeing that thing makes me sad that Sectaurs was before my time. First real action figure I ever owned was Powermaster Optimus Prime… But hey, he was an action figure and playset in one.

Ghosted by DocDragon @ 07/23/2006 2:58 PM EDT

Yeah, a TARDIS control console with testicles in it. We need to put together a list of toy lines that deserve a second chance. ToyFare did one time, and MOTU was one of the top picks. And, it did have a lamentably short revival. I would combine two different lines to make a bigger storyline. Secataurs and Wheeled Warriors, for instance. Can you imagine Spydrax and Saw Boss teaming up to create a bio-engineered galactic empire?

Ghosted by kingklash @ 07/23/2006 3:08 PM EDT

Ha! The Boy is the only one of us that isn’t poor, so far. :P

I don’t remember even hearing about Sectaurs. I guess my brother was just grown out of most of that stuff by then.

The hugeness of The Hyve reminded me of a toy my brother did have though, and I can’t remember what it was from… I think it’s name was Mezinga or something? He was this big robot looking thing that actually made noises and I think he even walked a little on his own, and you could shoot little missiles from his arm. I was scared to death of him. He reminded me of a Transformer.

Even though I completely hate bugs and insects and the like, your article made me want to come over and play.

Ghosted by Ryane @ 07/23/2006 3:25 PM EDT

I gotta admit, I don’t even remember the Sectaurs. But then, ‘84 was a bit early for me to be playing with action figures. I was only 2, so I was still watching Sesame Street.

Say, did anybody here watch Sesame Street? I still occasionally pick up a few Ernie toys. Ernie was my favorite because I’m so much like him, even though I look more like Bert. And they were NOT gay!!!

Ghosted by Nate @ 07/23/2006 3:43 PM EDT

Damn, I’m pissed I wasn’t around for the Street Fighter II thread…I own 2 plug N play’s already (the Pac-Mans) but I NEED this one- Street Fighter II is the only fighting game I am actually amazing at. (Blanka all the way)

I remember Sectaurs, but I had no idea this Hyve existed- it sounds impressive in the article, but I wish I could SEE it! Only the first picture in the article is working for me. Bummer.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 07/23/2006 3:48 PM EDT

I actually like that the backdrop is just painted in. I love the cheesy "old video game future art" like that.

Ghosted by Kid Nicky @ 07/23/2006 4:01 PM EDT

Ryane-the robot is called Mazinger Z.

Ghosted by Kid Nicky @ 07/23/2006 4:04 PM EDT

I gotta say, for something that size, it’s pretty lacking on special features.
There are what, 5 if you don’t count the ladder?

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 07/23/2006 4:06 PM EDT

Holy crap! I remembered Sectaurs right away, but not the Hyve until I actually saw the picture. Then one by one I recognized it all. The spider puppet, the little worm dude, the boulder, the gate, the railing, the ladder. Wonder if I still have it. Yet another reason I need to dig through my garage. There’s probably at least two or three remnants of lost toy lines buried under decades of junk out there.

Ghosted by GrrrArrgh @ 07/23/2006 4:11 PM EDT

Nate: My son will soon be old enough to watch Sesame Street so I’ve been watching it here and there so I can refresh my memory. I see now that Elmo takes over half the show. Elmo is an asshole! I’m all about anything that has muppets involved so I can’t wait to watch it with him.

I’m gonna get off the computer now, I swear I’m gonna get struck by lightning through my computer in a minute, but that hyve thing so so so cool!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 07/23/2006 4:13 PM EDT

Shogun Warriors Great Mazinga! I was just thinking how one of the big guys would look next to the Hyve. Or that Lion Force Voltron that held the action figures.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 07/23/2006 5:04 PM EDT

great article, i had a couple of the secutaurs but not the hyve. has anyone watched any of the nightmares and dreamscapes on tnt, they got them on on demand now too. i just watched the one about the little green army men that attack the hitman that killed their maker. they had little helicopters and howitzers. good stuff

Ghosted by pdac @ 07/23/2006 5:17 PM EDT

Dude! I so had the Hyve as a kid! A local tire (and bizarrely enough, toys) store had a TON. After Christmas, they blew em out at $13 BUCKS A POP! Seeing this in the newspaper, I freaked out and called Dad to haul me across town to get the huge playset. I point at it in the paper. Dad says "13 bucks huh? OK, sure we’ll go get it." Man, I’m pumped! We head out there and my Dad is like "Woah, son. This thing is HUGE." And I’m all like "I can still get it right?" "Sure, sure we brought the truck." YESSS!!! I took it home, long story short, God it was awesome. PS to the story, and ultimate geekiness: Matt, take a photo closeup of the door to the Hyve (the graphic side, not plastic side). If you look closely, it has "Sectaurian" writing on it. Only a couple years ago did I realize the Sectaurs comic books provide a translation key to the language. THE DOOR REALLY SAYS SOMETHING iN CODE! That is freakin awesome. Once I learned this, I’ve been dying to know what it said! Post the pic, I’ll translate for ya.

Ghosted by Terror Claws Cole @ 07/23/2006 5:20 PM EDT

Jesus Christ, I wish I had grown up in the 80s. I really hope soeone brings this back. If they brought back madballs, then why not Secataurs!

Anyway Matt, I have a question. Since you work at Nick, did they ever give any "official" expaination about why they cancelled some of their best shows (jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom and Fairly Oddparents)even though they got fairly good ratings. IF you don’t know that, do you know of any way I can reach the company so that I can start a letter-writing campaign?
Thanks!

Ghosted by TOM @ 07/23/2006 5:35 PM EDT

IHAQ, I also suggest having him watch The Muppet Show and if you can find tapes of it, Muppet Babies, because those, not to mention the version of Sesame Street that wasn’t retitled "The Elmo Show", were among the shows I grew up watching.

And this weekend was the San Diego Comic-Con and here I am, living on the other side of the country >< and what the programs and Cartoonists blogs have explained, this years Con was a kickass one ><

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 07/23/2006 5:55 PM EDT

I hate to be the dick who posts this but at the top of the screen "A new article has been Chestnuts Roasted." or is it supposed to be like that?

Ghosted by phunqsauce @ 07/23/2006 6:01 PM EDT

Wow, I missed on what looked like some good toys. I was really only into Transformers, GI Joe, Legos, and Robotix. To a lesser extent, I liked Robo-force and Star Wars. I missed out on some great stuff in the 80s.

The Boy-

I too have my computer hooked up to my big screen, although it’s only a 50 inch. I wish I could figure out how to distort my computers video output somehow. If I use the widescreen mode on the tv, everything just looks all stretchy. For now, I just use the normal 4:3 mode, and I figure that translates to about a 40" computer monitor. This is of course not large enough to do justice to the Hyve.

Ghosted by spaz307 @ 07/23/2006 6:02 PM EDT

Holy Shit people right after I send my last post a huge bolt of lightning flashed so bright that my hubby saw it while he was sleeping, and our smoke alarm went off. I think it hit the house crazy crazy stuff.

Yeah Sectaurs I think I’m remembering someone from my neighbourhood having it when I was a child? This is prolly the same kid that had a My Pet Monster,a Boglin, and a Gizmo. I always waned his toys!

Anyway, I really enjoyed this article, you can really tell Matt was having fun with this one.

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 07/23/2006 6:02 PM EDT

IHAQ – Elmo’s World also grieves my poor little heart. Where’s Little Teeny Superguy when he’s needed? Just pretend that Sesame Street is over after the first half-hour and pop in some other tape – I agree about Muppet Babies. My husband swears he’s going to start our future kids on Robotech as soon as they can sit in front of the Tv.

I don’t remember Sectaurs, but my husband had some and concurs with the consensus of awesomeness. The spider puppet made me think of Webster from that Nick show I was too old for – Eureka’s Castle. Anyone ever had a sibling who got up early on Saturday morning to watch The Busy World of Richard Scarry? I hate that theme song.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 07/23/2006 6:04 PM EDT

Jessica Marie and Norbert, Oh for sure he’s gonna watch Muppet Babies and The Muppet show! Also gotta get some Fraggle Rock too.
I bought a CD with a bunch of songs from Sesame Street. Does anyone remember the Do the rubber duck song?

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 07/23/2006 6:09 PM EDT

Jessica, I was the right age for Eureka’s Castle (I’m currently 19, to make you feel old), and it wasn’t until about last year or so when I found out it was nothing more than a 90’s reincarnation of Pinwheel.

And The Busy World of Richard
Scarry was on weekday mornings too.
Speaking of which, all the early Nick Jr. stuff was classic (all the ones said already, Wienerville, Papa Beaver’s Storytime, etc.), and kinda started to die down when Blue’s Clues came along, even though it was pretty good at first, but like most children’s tv shows, it’s overstayed its welcome 5 years longer than it should have. And on that topic, I’m trying to find the SNT where I posted my 2 1/2 page rant on Kid’s TV. Good chance it’s the one that’s inexplicably missing.

And form the last thread, thanks for the fundraising idea Matt. Everyone else, I’d still like to know good input. :D

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 07/23/2006 6:13 PM EDT

My sis who is now 20, lOVED Eureka’s Castle, and, well, let’s just say I’m still traumatized by Pinwheel and Today’s Special..which caused me a life long leg injury…I tore ligaments while falling down trying to do a dance that the TOdays special guy was doing….traumatic for an 8 yr old

also my friend or bro had the insector fly glove dealy ma bob….That figure looks like something off Venture Brothers lol

Ghosted by mandy_Reeves @ 07/23/2006 7:05 PM EDT

Great article, Matt! Bravo! But goddamn it something is really bugging me about the final figure party picture at the end. Behind the ladder, there’s a robot dude that I recoginize but can’t place. I’m pretty sure I had the toy as a kid, but I have no idea what line it was from (I had a Greedo figure that baffled me in the same way until I was in my late teens and figured it out). It kinda looks like the Lost In Space robot but it so isn’t him. Of course he’s behind the damn ladder so it’s hard to spot him but he’s there. Please someone help me out!

Ghosted by Antenna Villain @ 07/23/2006 7:31 PM EDT

Looks like it’s from Robo Force.

http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/398.html

Ghosted by Chaomancer Omega @ 07/23/2006 7:47 PM EDT

Invader –
I hardly consider Weinerville a classic! What about David the Gnome or something, Adventures of the Little Koala, even Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics…then again, I’m 25, so our definitions of classic probably differ. I have an episode of Weinerville kicking around on DVD somewhere (it came with cooler stuff, like Mr. Wizard’s World and the Hulk Hogan animated series), and I’m telling you – it’s bad.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 07/23/2006 8:10 PM EDT

I can envision The Hyve being somewhere in the Advent Calendar this year. Couldn’t you see Knacks and Kuse climbing around that thing? :D

Thank you, Kid Nicky and Kingklash for the correct spelling and stuff on Mazinga/Mazinger Z. I couldn’t find it on the web before. I wonder if my brother still has his… :( I hope Mom ‘n Dad didn’t sell it, even if I was petrified of it.

Speaking of Sesame Street, does anyone remember the guy that always played piano and made up songs that already existed – for example, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but he could never figure out what word to use (like "Star"), and he would go absolutely nuts and start banging his head on the keys and stuff. I loved that muppet, but I never see him anymore. :( They probably took him off because of anger management issues, or some crap…

Ghosted by Ryane @ 07/23/2006 8:34 PM EDT

I think that is awesome even though I don’t see myself playing on it. Maybe if it had a rocket launcher on it or something. I second posting a picture of the wording around the door though, that would be sweet to have him translate.

Welp, I am back from Oaks Park, hot, very sweaty, and that was one of the most miserable times I tried to have fun but I just couldn’t because I was a slimy sweaty miserable human being. I tried to just go on the sheltered rides, but I couldn’t do that that often. I walked through this sprinkler thing, and I went back for some more soda from the company pinnic tables (they ran out of the palatable drinks, they only had pepsi, it was tolerable for me but for my friend he hates pepsi and so he choked it down)

Before the rides I slopped some potato salad, a nasty piece of chicken, some pork and beans, and the bowls for the potato salad were HUGE I have never seen bowls like that before!!! I think they had a tray with ice in it underneath. I didn’t drink any beer, I don’t enjoy the stuff and that is the worst thing to drink during the heat. My best friend though went on his first scary right ever today though!! It spun and almost went to a 90 degree angle really fast. I went on the spider and almost peed myself. Right in front of a coworker with her too little kids!! OMG that was bad but fuck it I was a fuckin scared little girl in that seat. The kids were probably 5 and 9 ‘rolls eyes’ I told her I wasn’t going to have her right a reccemendation letter for me cause she would put it on there I was a flaming pussy on the spider ride. BTW I am a girl. So I only went on three rides.

BTW I went on a louis and clark ride and they had a puppy with a collar drawn there with them by the campfire?? how did they make a collar in those days?? A bright red collar. A modern day collar. wtf…and they had a bear like omg a bear I’m so scared, and he was more like gettin’ jiggy wit it then being scary, and an indian was doing the same jiggy wit it dance LOL. It was lame. Anyway here I go to write on my blog about this miserable day…

Ghosted by Goob @ 07/23/2006 8:39 PM EDT

I wonder if Sectaurians puke alot wherever they go? Or maybe just when they eat.

Awesome freakin’ article. I had no idea there were Sectaurians, I only knew (vaguely) of Centurions. Almost as cool as Dino-Riders!

Ghosted by Todd @ 07/23/2006 8:55 PM EDT

That Muppet was Don Music click my name for a pic and bio of him. :D

Ghosted by Ryane @ 07/23/2006 8:58 PM EDT

Ok click your name to see :P sorry about that!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 07/23/2006 9:01 PM EDT

Loved the article, Matt. The best you have written recently, IMO. Of course they are all great. Thanks for the memories!

Ghosted by chestercopperpot @ 07/23/2006 9:01 PM EDT

Is it my imagination, or did Triclops swipe He-Man’s vest? He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that crap.

Ghosted by Jeff @ 07/23/2006 9:05 PM EDT

Damn, Matt, why you gotta be bustin’ on my poor 17” monitor like that? It’s doing the best it can!

That being said, "Hyve Bags" sounds like something you get when you don’t boil your water in a third world country.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 07/23/2006 9:11 PM EDT

Anyone seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’s new teaser?

Looks xtreme.

Ghosted by Renaldo @ 07/23/2006 9:28 PM EDT

Aww, thanks IHAQ! :D You’re the best!

Ghosted by Ryane @ 07/23/2006 9:57 PM EDT

Add A New Comment!


This entry was posted on Sunday, July 23rd, 2006 at 11:28 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.