In an effort to boost name recognition, the Student Senate put out a line of action figures, modeled after themselves and various other personalities associated with the Student Senate.

“Senate Series 1” is the first in an annual series produced by McFarlane Toys, producer of quality action figures from the SpawnTM series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyTM.

The opening series features President Joe PanciottiTM with “gavel pumping action.” Pull the cord on his back to elicit such well-known comments such as: “One moment please,” “Excuse me,” and “The Senate will come to order.”

CCA Chair Fritz HyppoliteTM responds with “How’s everyone doing today?” at the touch of a button.

Senators Jesse SolomonTM, Maria MorenoTM, Andrew BarnesTM, and V. P. Tuan PhamTM are also included in the opening series, all of whom come with “motion making action.”

“I’d like to take this moment to commend the people at McFarlane Toys on doing such a great job with our appearance and our mannerisms,” stated the real Vice President Tuan Pham.

“With these fully pose-able action figures, the students at UMass Boston can not only recognize their Senators, but they can re-enact all the great meetings we’ve had over the semester!”

Pham then imitated the “motion making action” feature of his action figure: a stiff, left arm jerk and a sharp swivel of his head.

Non-Senators featured in “Senate Series 1” include: Director of Student Life Joyce MorganTM, and Chancellor GoraTM.

J. Stone LarawayTM is a particularly desired toy, as a recall on the action figure was recently made by McFarlane Toys. “It’s weird, we didn’t program any dialogue into that Laraway figure,” mused Todd McFarlane, creator of McFarlane Toys. “It’s only supposed to have ‘finger pointing action.’

“But every time you go near one, it spouts off this really crazy speech that lasts for nearly 2 minutes.”

The “haunted” action figure almost always begins its speech with “Systems (MIS) and I have an individual membership with the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI). I have been affiliated with the Beacon Leadership Project (BLP) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) since Fall semester of 2002.”

The action figure then goes on to either denunce the Student Senate, or promote the Academic Integrity Club.

“It’s pretty creepy,” added McFarlane.

For a limited time, special dioramas are also available at efollett, the UMB Bookstore. Trustee Heather DawoodTM and The Mass Mullet News Editor Gin DumciusTM feature in “The Classic Battle of Good versus Neutral”. Other dioramas include “Executive Session”, of which The Mass Mullet is unable to report the details.