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In case you haven’t heard, the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” book series by Matt Dinniman is taking pop culture by storm. As of July 2026, the first eight books in the series have sold more than 14 million copies, and the audiobooks performed by phenomenal narrator Jeff Hays have clocked over 140 million hours of listening time. The books have been on the New York Times Best Seller list for months now, including the latest book in the series, “A Parade of Horribles,” which was just released in May 2026.
“Dungeon Crawler Carl” follows the titular character, a United States Coast Guard veteran, and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they are thrust into a game show called Dungeon Crawler World: Earth. Our planet has been taken over by an invading alien corporation, and millions of surviving humans (and some animals) are forced to compete in this televised video game-style competition spread across 18 deadly levels that requires them to solve puzzles, help non-playable characters with intricate backstories, fight grotesque monsters, and even kill their fellow crawlers in order to survive. Oh, and thanks to the game’s magic and technology, Princess Donut gains the ability to talk. Yeah, it’s pretty wild.
If you’re not keen on reading or listening to books, don’t worry, because “Dungeon Crawler Carl” will soon become a series on Peacock, with “Arrival” writer Eric Heisserer and “Thor: Ragnarok” writer Christopher Yost acting as co-showrunners. Audiobook narrator Jeff Hays has also been booked to reprise his voice as Princess Donut for the show, though we’re still waiting to see who gets cast as Carl.
But in the interim, we have a batch of new collectibles inspired by “Dungeon Crawler Carl” coming to retailers now, and we have a close-up first look at some of them right here.
Borant Corporation presents Dungeon Crawler Carl collectibles
New Achievement! You’ve discovered the first official (unofficial) Princess Donut fan club merch, which was sent to me in this cool “Kiss-Ass Influencer We’re Buttering You Up with Free Stuff So You Say Nice Things Online Sponsor Box.”
To start, in partnership with Princess Donut’s Donut Holes fan club, Borant Corporation (one of the companies involved in the dungeon) is releasing special Loot Boxes that come with a mystery figure of Princess Donut.
First of all, props to Playmates Toys, the company behind the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” collectibles who are best known for their “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” toy line, for going all-in on the in-universe packaging. They’ve designed the boxes to appear as if they were manufactured by the Borant Corporation. You won’t even find a Playmates logo anywhere, and you have to really search to find their copyright claim. Even opening the box reveals a familiar prompt and a bit of humor from the game’s AI:
Reward? Well, opening the box will first reveal a bonus item, which could be a trading card, a bonus accessory, or a temporary tattoo. Mine came with a tattoo for the Desperado Club, a bar in the dungeon levels. (The name of the box isn’t actually censored on the item, in case you were worried.)
Which Princess Donut figure did we get?
As for which of the Princess Donut figures I received, it was one of the common figures (more on that in a moment) featuring Donut laid out, on the verge of passing out, because she’s had one too many Dirty Shirleys (an alcoholic beverage from the Desperado Club).
The drink isn’t quite as detailed as I would have liked (images online of the figure at San Diego Comic-Con showed the ice cubes painted), but it’s still pretty cute. All of the figures are flocked, giving them a fuzzy feeling, though surely it’s not as glamorous as Princess Donut’s beautiful fur.
You can see the other Princess Donut figures available, as well as their rarity, on the back of the box. Good luck collecting them all!
How about some Dungeon Crawler Carl Highlights Statues?
Next up, we have the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” Highlights Statues line. This collection features smaller statues inspired by moments from the first book in the series. Though not indicated on the box, this is another mystery purchase, so collecting them all will be a bit of a challenge.
Again, the packaging here is excellent. While this line doesn’t have a box that feels like it’s quite as designed for in-universe playfulness, there are some nice touches. For example, the back says, “Copy provided by the system AI.” Plus, the side of the box features this amusing note about the profits that crawlers and NPCs will receive for the purchase of these items.
Unlike the Princess Donut Loot Boxes, the statues come secure in a plastic clam shell inside the box, rather than being wrapped in paper. My figure ended up being Princess Donut riding on the back of her trusty dinosaur Mongo, his jaw open for attack, posed in a run on a piece of the dungeon floor. There’s even a severed mantaur (yes, mantaur, not minotaur) on the ground behind them.
These statues aren’t particularly heavy duty material, nor are they intricately detailed, so don’t expect these to be like Iron Studios products or anything like that. But they’re vibrant, colorful, and they capture the style of the illustrations from the audio book artwork rather well.
From the looks of the box, the statues of Carl and Donut and the one I received above are the best of the bunch. There will definitely be more of these as the line expands.
All right, it’s time for the Dungeon Crawler Carl action figure
Finally, you’ve waited long enough, let’s dig into the first official “Dungeon Crawler Carl” action figure. Scaled to six inches, the first wave of figures includes Carl himself with Donut, and the other two figures at launch will be Mordecai, a game guide who gets a more crucial role as the books go on, and Prepotente, a sentient goat whose appearances are sparse in the early books but become much more abundant as the series develops.
Like the other collectibles, the packaging for the action figures is pretty cool. Princess Donut is given top billing with her full name, and there’s window packaging so fans can see everything they’re getting and display them on a shelf without opening, if that’s how they want to enjoy their collectibles.
The back of the box is where it gets really fun, though. Inspired by the interface crawlers use when they’re inside Dungeon Crawler World, the box shows Carl and Donut with a player profile, as if they’re being assessed by another crawler. You can see the little tabs at the bottom for inventory and messages.
The tone of the text comes straight from the AI, as previously mentioned on one of the other boxes, and the artwork echoes what we’ve seen on the audio book covers. Carl and Donut are even saying a couple of their familiar lines from the book. (Zev is their publicist, if you’re wondering.)
Meanwhile, the sides tease the other two action figures available, but they don’t actually show them. But you can catch a glimpse of them on Matt Dinniman’s website. I like the fact that Carl is mentioned as being a “shoulder throne for the grand champion.”
Carl and Donut are figures that are ready for action
All right, here’s that “Dungeon Crawler Carl” action figure, complete with Princess Donut. Since the figures are inspired by illustrations done for the book covers, they’re a little more cartoony than realistic, so we’re not getting action figures on par with McFarlane Toys or NECA. While the quality of the face sculpt is a little disappointing, and the painting could use more detail across the board, the rest of the figure makes up for it with features and accessories.
First of all, Donut can sit neatly on Carl’s shoulder, thanks to a magnet that’s built into his Enchanted Nightgaunt Cloak. Donut can easily sit on Carl’s shoulder, waiting for some kibble, allowing for some simple poses. Thankfully, the kneepads don’t restrict Carl’s movement, and his boxers are painted on, so his legs can move freely. The cloak does limit posing somewhat, since it’s a harder rubber accessory.
But she can also be donned with her Prism Industries Capacitating and Focusing Goggles, which she’s gifted in the third book. The glasses include attached effects that make it look like she’s shooting her laser-guided magic missiles. Carl also comes with a cool, bloody punch accessory that fits on his hand. It’s a little awkward to position so the blood-splatter looks like it’s actually moving with his punch, but it’s a neat accessory.
This is a solid start for Dungeon Crawler Carl collectibles
Speaking of blood, there are also two other blood splatter accessories that fit into little holds on Carl’s back under his cloak. They make it look like he’s being shot, which is an effect that I wish more action figures included. They pair especially well with the head sculpt that has Carl screaming.
You’ll also notice Carl’s Goblin Pass tattoo on his jacket arm (tattoos can be seen through clothes in Dungeon Crawler World). But the best detail is a little green, goopy footprint that attaches to the bottom of Carl’s tootsie, which includes the Enchanted Toe Ring of the Splatter Skunk painted on. Fans of the book know that’s going to really get the AI all hot and bothered.
All-in-all, this figure is solid, even if it’s not on par with some of the best collectibles. Carl is easily posable, and it’s not difficult to position him in visually appealing ways. Plus, the cloak and gauntlet are removable, and Carl comes with several different hands that can be swapped. It’s just a shame that Donut doesn’t come with more accessories. It would have been nice to have a Dirty Shirley, but surely there will be other opportunities, since we’re going to need a figure of her with Mongo at some point.
While these may not be worthy of a Legendary or Celestial Loot Box, we’re thinking that a Platinum Loot Box is a good classification for this haul.
The entire first wave of all these “Dungeon Crawler Carl” collectibles is hitting Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, Five Below, and other stores now, but they’re going to be in high-demand, so they might be hard to find. But if you’re heading out to hunt, to quote the books themselves, get out there and kill, kill, kill.
