Pluey's Box of Shadowguy Research - Part 1 - Action Figure Shadowguys
Sharing more of my knowledge hoard! This time on Shadowguys. I have this separated into two posts with research on action figure Shadowguys & shadow puppet Shadowguys
I think it was canonically confirmed that the Shadowguys' Light World form is supposed to be the figures in the windows of Kris' house since they disappear after Chapter 3 if they were all recruited. But a lot of people headcanon the Shadowguys to be shadow puppets that Kris & Asriel made as kids, and I love that interpretation of them as well
General Shadowguy Information
Shadowguy Page on Deltarune Wiki
Exactly what it says on the tin. If you're looking for canon information and trivia about the Shadowguys from the game, start here
Mikes' Page on Deltarune Wiki
Same as above. Has information on all three of the Fake Mike Trio, so if you're looking for info on any of them specifically, go here
Adding this here because this is the role that the Shadowguys fulfill in the dark world. Kuroko are stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre, who dressed all in black. The black outfits were meant to imply that they weren't there as part of the action on stage. They had the same purpose as a traditional running crew, and moved props and scenery around the stage, much like the Shadowguys do. If you want to read more about them, start here
Wikipedia's page on action figures in general. Has a lot of good general information on their history, design process, materials, scales sizes, etc.. Good place to start if you just want some basic, general information
According to the Deltarune Wiki, apparently that tower of stacked Shadowguys that you can recruit is a reference to the Balancing Sasuke Toy, which had such an impeccable center of gravity for an action figure toy that just about anything could be stacked on top of it, including multiple copies of itself. I had no idea what they were talking about, so I went and found the reference so you don't have to. Apparently it's become something of a meme
Action Figure Joints & Anatomy
Article by DC.com. Quick article that gives a concise run down of the four main joint types of an action figure. Mostly done in bullet pointed form. Includes a detailed, yet easy-to-read chart to help illustrate points
Article by Collectors Headquarters. Gives a quick run down of the four main types of joints, plus combination joints. Slightly more in depth than above, but no charts or graphics to go with it
Article by Figure Base. Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Gives quick definitions or explanations for common action figure terms and abbreviations. May help to read this before exploring any of the more jargon heavy articles
Article by Figure Realm. Gives an in depth explanation about each of the joint types, then goes a step further by explaining variations on each type depending on what they're made out of (springs, magnetic, etc.). Uses photos with labels to help demonstrate each main type of joint
Article by Toy Making Tip 101. Very detailed article about the whole process of creating your own action figures from scratch. Extremely thorough. However, it's text only - no pictures or charts - and it's a pretty long read. Probably not recommended if you don't do well learning from text only or if you don't have the time