My "Mad Monster" Collection

Happy Halloween, everybody.  For my final post for this year's Countdown to Halloween, I thought I'd take a group photograph all of the Mego style 8 inch cloth outfit monster figures I've been featuring this month.  Hopefully my collection will be even bigger next year!

I hope everyone has enjoyed all the monster toys and movies I've reviewed this month.  Coming up in November, I've got a handful of horror movie reviews that I didn't have time to finish this month.  I pretty much blew my wad on monster toys, though, but I've got other fun action figures on tap like Flash Gordon, Batman, Garbage Pail Kids, The Venture Bros., and who knows what else, so there is some fun stuff to look forward to.

Then in December, I'm going to be posting a lot of creepy and weird Christmas stuff for this year's Creepmas.

But my really big plans are for 2016!  2016 is the 50th anniversary of 1966, which is my favorite year in pop culture.  1966 saw the premieres of some of my all-time favorite TV shows like Batman, Star Trek, and The Monkees, and there were all kinds of amazing books, movies, music, comics, and art that year.  So I'm going to be celebrating that in a BIG way.  I've got all kinds of features, big and small planned, and I'm going to be reviewing a ton of Star Trek and Batman '66 toys.  I've actually been working on this all year in 2015, I've already got a bunch of stuff written, so I know it's going to be awesome.    So stick around, Bat-Fans, the best is yet to come!

That Monster in the Back is the Scariest One Yet!

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:

Bobby "Boris" Pickett - The Monster Mash (featuring The Groovie Ghoulies)

Universal Monsters Retro Cloth Figure Creature From the Black Lagoon (2012, Diamond Select and Emce Toys)

Universal Monsters Retro Cloth Figure Creature From the Black Lagoon (2012, Diamond Select and Emce Toys)

The Creature From the Black Lagoon was released in 2012, alongside The Bride of Frankenstein as part of the third series of Diamond Select and Emce Toys Retro Cloth Universal Monsters figures.  It features an interesting mix of cloth and plastic that's a little unusual, but works very well.

Attack of the Gill-man

To start off, it has a great headsculpt, and a paint job that almost looks slimy -- like it's been underwater for a long time.  The paint job highlights the details in sculpt and really makes them pop.  Then the figure has a set of originally sculpted hands and feet.  Again, really great sculpts with lots of details, and a paint job in multiple shades of green that makes them come alive.  The figure also has a sculpted plastic piece that sits around his neck and his shoulders that adds an extra layer of dimensionality to the creature -- it works much better than simply having his head pop out of a hole in a cloth jumpsuit.

Night Fishing

Then there's the cloth jumpsuit itself.  To begin with, I have to point out that that in my photographs, the flash from my camera makes the jumpsuit look like a much lighter shade of green than the plastic pieces, but under normal lighting conditions, they are a much closer match, so bear that in mind when viewing my photos.  The jumpsuit is screen-printed with scales and details from The Creature.  In a way, this is like a throwback to old-school Mego figures, such as the Dreadful Dracula, or The Joker, that had costume details screen-printed on to a jumpsuit.  But the print on this costume is much more detailed, and my eye was constantly being fooled into thinking there was an actual scaly texture woven into the fabric, when it was actually just printed on. Finally, there are plastic fins attached on top of the jumpsuit, on his back, arms, and legs.  The final result is a really unique looking figure that sort of bridges the gap between a fully sculpted plastic action figure and a cloth outfit retro figure.

Gill-man Meets Aquaman

The Creature From the Black Lagoon has appeared as a Mego style figure a couple of times in the past, but this figure is easily the best of the bunch.  If you're a fan of the Universal Monsters and 8 inch retro figures, then this is a figure you should certainly seek out.

Brothers From Another Mother

As a final note, Happy Halloween, everybody.  This is my final review for the Countdown to Halloween.  I hope you enjoyed all the scary movies and toys I featured on the blog this month.  I'll be back later this day for one final Halloween post, which will feature all of the Mego-style monster figures I reviewed this month in one big group shot, so tune back in later for that, if you're not too busy trick-or-treating!

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

Herman Munster 8 Inch Retro Cloth Action Figure (2004, Classic TV Toys)

Herman Munster 8 Inch Retro Cloth Action Figure (2004, Classic TV Toys)

In 2004, Classic TV Toys released a line of 8 inch "The Munsters" action figures in the retro Mego style.  Today I'll be looking at "Herman Munster" from this line.

Herman Munster in His Package

This Herman Munster figure has a nice headsculpt.  It's not as detailed as the Diamond Select Herman Munster action figures.  It's a bit more simplified and cartoony, but that works well for this type of retro figure.  It does a nice job of capturing the likeness and goofy charm of Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster.

Click here for my review of  Diamond Select's Herman Munster action figure.
Click here for my review of  Diamond Select's Hot Rod Herman action figure.

Herman Says "Hello" to Spot

Classic TV Toys and Figures Toy Company have improved their bodies quite a bit since this figure was made, but at this point in their history they were still having issues with their manufacturers and had a lot of broken figures.  My figure was not broken, but his body does not articulate very well, and feels a bit fragile, so I didn't try to force his arms or legs into any extreme positions.

The Friendliest Frankenstein

Herman's cloth outfit captures his TV look, but fits a little too loosely, which hurts it's appearance.  While there is a whole line of CTVT Munsters figures, Herman is the best looking figure, the rest look a bit sloppy.  So I probably won't get the complete collection, but I still had to get Herman, since Frankenstein's Monster is my favorite movie monster, and I like to get all the versions of him I can, even the Herman Munster version, and he does fit in nicely with the other figures in my Frankenstein collection.

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEOS:

The Munsters - Munster Creep (1964)

"The Munsters" were a 1960s surf rock band inspired by the TV show, they put out one album full of instrumentals and vocal songs with monster-themed lyrics, many of them directly referencing the Munsters TV show.  The above video is comprised of home movie footage shot at the Hollywood Bowl, and features the band in what looks like a sound check, along with footage of Al "Grandpa" Lewis, Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick, and their car the Munster Koach.

ANOTHER MUSIC VIDEO AND MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

The Comateens - The Munsters Theme (1981)

Live video of 1980s New Wave band The Comateens performing their cover of The Munsters theme song.

Herman Munster

Herman Inspects His Black Fingernails

Frankenstein Family

Universal Monsters "Frankenstein" 8 Inch Retro Action Figure - Diamond Select/Emce Toys (2010)

Universal Monsters Retro Cloth Figure Frankenstein (2010, Diamond Select and Emce Toys)

Frankenstein was part of the first series of Diamond Select and Emce Toys Retro Cloth Universal Monsters figures, along with The Wolf Man, released in 2010.  I bought this figure in a lot of loose action figures on Ebay, and it was missing it's original jacket, shirt, and one of it's boots.  So the shirt and jacket you see in the photos are actually replacements from CTVT, so bear that in mind when viewing the photos.  The original had a more muted green jacket that had buttons and fit The Monster better.  It also had two awesome rubber platform boots that really completed his look.  Mine has one awesome rubber boot, and one not-so-awesome boot that I made out of black electrical tape.  Smooth.  I've included a photo of the figure in it's proper outfit to the left.

Still, even with his missing and replaced costume bits, I still think this is a great figure.  I mean, he has a fantastic face sculpt with lots of fine details, pretty much the opposite of the cartoony Remco Frankenstein figure I featured yesterday.  He also has great hands, and they did a really clever thing were they incorporated the hinge on the articulated wrist of the action figure into the sculpt.  And even though I only have one of his boots, that one boot is a perfect boot.  They probably could have gotten away with some generic Mego boots and no one would have complained... but given him these extra thick platform boots, just like the ones Karloff wore in the movies, really takes this figure to another level.

Frankenface

At some point I'm going to have to seek out some complete versions of this figure and The Wolf Man, with all of their proper costume pieces, but for now I'm just glad to have any version of them in my collection, because my "Mad Monster" collection would feel really incomplete without them.  I have one more figure left to feature from this line this month, and that will be up in a couple of days (heck, there's only a couple of days left until Halloween... this month is going by fast!)  Tomorrow I'll be back with yet another version of Frankenstein's Monster: Herman Munster by Classic TV Toys!

Monsters!  Monsters!  Monsters!

BONUS! MUSIC VIDEO:

Gene Moss & The Monsters - The New Frankenstein & Johnny Song


MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

Official Universal Studios Monsters "Frankenstein Monster" 9 Inch Vintage Action Figure (1980)

Remco 9 Inch Frankenstein Monster Action Figure (1980)

Earlier this month, I looked at "Count Dracula" from Remco's 1980-1981 line of 9 inch cloth outfit Universal Monsters action figures.  Today I'm featuring Remco's "Frankenstein Monster."

On the Slab

All of these figures have strange looking accordion-like arms under their clothes (see pic below) and a button on their backs.  When you press the button, their arms contract, as if they were crushing their victims.  Either that or they're just really friendly and want to give you a hug.

The Monster Walks

This figure has a simple, almost cartoonish sculpt, but it has all the key elements and is immediately recognizable as Frankenstein's Monster. It reminds me more of Lon Chaney Jr.'s version of The Monster than of Boris Karloff's.  I'm a big Frankenstein fan, so of course I love this figure.  What do you think?

A Face Only a Mad Scientist Could Love

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is the first Universal Horror movie to cross over monsters from one series with another.  It is the second film in the "Wolf Man" series and the fifth in the "Frankenstein" series.  This Universal Monster formula was getting a bit tired at this point... practically every film had the monster dying at the end, followed by a sequel in which it is revealed that the monster survived, only to die at the end of that film... rinse, lather, and repeat.

Let's take a quick look at the previous Frankenstein movies:

• Frankenstein (1931) - Frankenstein's Monster is burned to death.
• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) -  The Monster is revealed to have survived being burned to death.  The Monster commits suicide by blowing himself up.
• Son of Frankenstein (1939) - The Monster's body is shown to have survived being blown up.  He is revived with the aid of Henry Frankenstein's son and a demented madman named Ygor.  Ygor previously survived being executed by hanging.  Ygor is shot to death, and The Monster plunges to his death in a pool of molten sulfur.
• The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) - Ygor is revealed to have inexplicably surived being shot to death.  The molted sulfur has solidified, and The Monster is broken free from the sulfur and lives again.  Ygor's brain is implanted into The Monster's body, then The Monster goes blind and is burned to death for a second time.

Frankenstein's Monster and Larry Talbot

The Wolf Man died at the end of his first movie, too, after being beaten to death by his own father, but since the series had only produced one film at this point, he had not yet had a chance to be resurrected.  A series of movies in which the Wolf Man comes back to life, then gets killed, then comes back to life for the next, probably would have gotten old pretty fast.  But teaming him up with other monsters?  What a great way to bring new life to this dying formula.

There was only one problem, at this point in the production of Universal's horror movies,  Lon Chaney Jr. was the actor portraying both Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man.  So what to do?

Originally, Universal wanted Chaney to play both characters in the same film, using stand-ins and stunt doubles for the scenes where he had to act against himself.  And really, since both the Wolf Man and The Monster involve such heavy prosthetic makeup, it wouldn't have been that hard to pull off.  But Chaney wasn't excited about the idea of doing so much work in once movie, and said if Universal wanted him to play two roles, they had to pay him double his usual salary.  Universal balked at this, and it was decided that Chaney would continue in the role he originated, as Larry Talbot the Wolf Man, and a new actor would take over as Frankenstein's Monster.

In the previous Frankenstein film, "The Ghost of Frankenstein," the brain of Ygor, the evil graverobber (as portrayed be Bela Lugosi) had been implanted in The Monster.  At that point, The Monster was still physically portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr., but his voice and mannerisms were that of Bela Lugosi.  It was an exciting performance from both actors, and set the stage for a bold new direction in the Frankenstein franchise.  With Lon Chaney Jr. no longer playing The Monster, it made perfect sense to cast Bela Lugosi in the part, especially since he would probably have been voicing the character anyway.  But it turned out to be huge failure.


CONTINUE READING AFTER THE BREAK...

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

"The Ghost of Frankenstein" is the fourth film in Universal's Frankenstein series, but it is the first to not star Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster.  Without Karloff, I was expecting this film to be a dud, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.  Bela Lugosi's reprises his roll as Ygor from the previous film, "The Son of Frankenstein," and Lon Chaney Jr. steps into the oversized shoes of Karloff as The Monster, and he turns out to fill those shoes quite well.

Towering Giant

Before I go any further, I think a quick recap from the previous films is in order (click on the titles to see my reviews of those films):

• Frankenstein (1931) - Doctor Henry Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz build a monster from body parts.  The monster goes on a killing spree, and kills Fritz, and attempts to kill Dr. Frankenstein.  Dr. Frankenstein survives and goes on to marry his fiancée Elizabeth.  The Monster is chased by villagers into an old windmill, and they set fire to the mill, killing the Monster by burning him alive.
• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) -  It is revealed that The Monster has survived the fire.  He meets another mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, and the two kidnap Elizabeth to force Henry Frankenstein to continue his experiments, this time building a female to be The Monster's Bride. However The Bride rejects The Monster, and The Monster, no longer wishing to live, triggers an explosion in the laboratory, killing himself for a second time, along with The Bride and Dr. Pretorius. Meanwhile, Henry and Elizabeth flee the scene and survive.
• Son of Frankenstein (1939) - Many years have passed, and Wolf Von Frankenstein, the son of Henry and Elizabeth from the first two films, returns to his father's home, along with his wife Elsa and his young son.  Wolf wishes to continue his father's experiments and redeem his family name.  Wolf meets Ygor (played by Bela Lugosi), a madman with a neck twisted out of shape after he survived a hanging for graverobbing.  The pair discover The Monster's body, still intact, and decide to revive it.  However, after bringing The Monster back to life, Ygor gains control of him by playing a weird wooden flute, and uses him to commit a series of murders.  Wolf shoots and kills Ygor, and The Monster plunges to his third death, this time in a pit of molten sulfur.  The Frankenstein family decides to leave the village behind and return to their old life. They abandon the castle and give the keys to the villagers.

Ygor Digs The Monster Out of the Sulfur

This brings us to 1942's "The Ghost of Frankenstein."  As the film begins, we learn that four years have passed from the previous film.  Although there have been no more monster attacks, the villagers are still leery of the Castle Frankenstein, and decide to blow it up, to rid themselves of the last traces of Henry and Wolf's monster-making legacy.  However, it turns out that Ygor survived being shot by Wolf Von Frankenstein, and still lives in the castle, spending his days playing his flute to the pit of sulfur, which has now solidified and entombs The Monster.  When the villagers blow up the castle, the explosion cracks the sulfur.  Thus, rather than destroying The Monster once and for all, they end up freeing him.  Ygor and The Monster flee through the tunnels underneath the castle, and decide to seek out Ludwig Frankenstein, a heretofore unmentioned second son of Henry Frankenstein, to help make the Monster stronger.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK...

Universal Monsters Retro Cloth Figure The Wolf Man (2010, Diamond Select and Emce Toys)

The Wolf Man was part of the first series of Diamond Select and Emce Toys Retro Cloth Universal Monsters figures, along with Frankenstein's Monster, released in 2010.  I bought this figure in a lot of loose action figures on Ebay, and it was missing it's original shirt and belt.  So the shirt and belt you see in the photos are actually replacements from CTVT, so bear that in mind when viewing the photos.  The original had a gray shirt that fit better and had buttons, and the belt had a more prominent buckle.  I've included a photo of the figure in it's proper outfit to the right.

This figure has a great sculpt.  The face does a great job of capturing the look of the Lon Chaney Wolf Man.  The figure also has some really gnarly feet and hands that really complete his look.  I also like the shredded pants, they highlight those great feet and bring a feral, savage look to the Wolf Man's human clothes.  I also really like the paint job, they added some yellow to the Wolf Man's face, which is a deviation from the all brown look from the original film, but it gives the face some much needed contrast, so I think it was the right choice to make.

The Wolf Man is On the Prowl!

Fang Face!

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:

TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me


MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...