'The Wizard's Magic' fantasy action figures (Chap Mei)

Sometimes the best toys are ones that can be bought on the cheap at the dollar store or in the bargain aisle. And often, the company behind these toys is Chap Mei. The Hong Kong-based toy maker has long produced a variety of figures and playsets that turn up in discount stores, and more recently, even large chains like Toys R Us. What's cool about Chap Mei stuff is it tends to have a sort of generic charm that smacks of 1980s nostalgia, but at the same time is pretty well-made. One of my favorite Chap Mei-produced lines is a fantasy-themed set of action figures named "The Wizard's Magic."

The set consists of six different sculps--two wizards and four monsters--ranging from 3 to 4 inches tall. I'm pretty sure it came out between 2000-2002, which means it was probably spurred by the popularity of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings around that time, although fantasy has always been one of the main themes found in Chap Mei releases.

These figures were also released under at least one alternate name ("Magic World"), and were sold in multiple formats, including single-packs, two-packs and in a castle playset. There is a thread about the line on the Chap Mei Universe message board, where you can see examples of the various package types. Some of the same figures had been used in previous sets with different names, which is not uncommon for Chap Mei releases.

package back showing all six characters

Let's take a closer look at each of the six characters that make up The Wizard's Magic world: