World's Greatest Super Heroes: The Mad Monster Series (Mego / Krege / Lion Rock)

World's Greatest Super Heroes: The Mad Monster Series
Mego / Krege / Lion Rock
1973 - 1980

Happy Halloween (one day early), everyone!

This post has taken us years to compile. It's been so long in the making that we were beginning to think it would never come to light. Mego's World's Greatest Super Heroes: The Mad Monster Series is so incredibly difficult to track down. Boxed and blister carded versions of the figures are so rare, and yet there are so many different variations. You would think at some point it would be easy to get your hands on at least one of the versions. Apparently not so much.

What is it with monster related series that make them so hard to track down? Looking at you, Remco Universal Studios Monsters.

The Mad Monster Series began in 1973 with the release of what has become known as "Solid Box". The four characters released were; The Dreadful Dracula, The Monster Frankenstein, The Horrible Mummy and The Human Werewolf. These would be the only four figures produced, and they would be re-released in multiple packaging styles up until 1980.

The Dreadful Dracula

Mego Solid Box*Mego / Krege Blister Card

During its first run, Mego made a change to the production of both Frankenstein and Dracula. Frankenstein was retooled with blue hair, and Dracula received bright red hair. Though it is unknown for certain why this change was made, many collectors speculate it was due to the original sculpts to closely resembling the characters from Universal Studios. Fearing some form of repercussions the changes were made, and the production continued until resculpted versions were completed. Again, this is all just speculation among the collecting community.

 The Dreadful Dracula

Mego Window Box*Mego / Toys R' Us Exclusive Lion Rock Blister Card

Mego produced the figures at some point between 1974 and 1975 for the first blister carded versions - AKA Krege cards. SS Krege was one of the largest retail organizations which later formed into a little known company that you may have heard of - Kmart Corporation which then evolved into Sears Holding Corporation.

Though many sources profess that the Krege carded versions are one of the more difficult versions to find, we can assure, they are all difficult to find.

The Monster Frankenstein

Mego Solid Box*Mego / Krege Blister Card

Mego briefly re-released the Mad Monsters in window boxes, and like the aforementioned Krege cards, many collectors profess that these are difficult versions to obtain. We regress back to our prior statement on the matter - They're all difficult to find.

The Monster Frankenstein

Mego Window Box*Mego / Toys R' Us Exclusive Lion Rock Blister Card

 The Horrible Mummy

Mego Solid Box*Mego / Krege Blister Card

In 1980, Lion Rock released a second version of the blister cards as Toys R' Us exclusives. Though the figures weren't all that popular during their initial release, they have since become highly sought after by collectors who claim...Yes, you guessed it...These are incredibly hard to find.

We're not making this up. According to Mego Museum, the profess that each one of these sets are difficult to find / complete. Why don't they just say that every single one of them is an almost futile attempt?

 The Horrible Mummy

Mego Window Box*Mego / Toys R' Us Exclusive Lion Rock Blister Card

The Human Werewolf

Mego Solid Box*Mego / Krege Blister Card

If The Mad Monster Series is the challenge you've been looking for, be ready to drop a lot of cash. You're going to spend about $200.00 a piece for the solid box versions, and anywhere from $600.00 to $1,000.00 for each other version. Let's do some quick math here...That's about $8,000.00 on the low end, and about $12,800.00 on the high end.

The Human Werewolf

Mego Window Box*Mego / Toys R' Us Exclusive Lion Rock Blister Card

Now, mind you, that price noted above is just for the figures. If you really want to complete the set, you're going to have to also track down the incredibly rare Mad Monster Castle. That's going to cost you another $600.00 to $700.00.

Mad Monster Castle

For those looking to scratch that nostalgic itch at a fraction of the cost, you may want to consider the 2012 Classic TV Toys versions. These reproduced figures (and the playset) are far more common, and will only set you back around $25.00 to $35.00 for each of them, and about $70.00 for the playset. Yes, we know, it's not the same thing, but it may be your only option if you don't want to take a second mortgage out on your home.

Mego's Mad Monster Series is definitely an amazing set of figures from a time of classic toys. It's just not very obtainable by the majority of people interested in it.

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Classic Movie Monster (Imperial)

Classic Movie Monster
Imperial
1986

Since their inception, Universal has willingly been the gigolo for their trademarked monsters. These classic characters have been on everything from posters to coloring books to toy to <insert genre of collectible here, and keep going>. Rest assured, if you're a fan, there's something out there for you to collect.

While Imperial's venture into the realm of Classic Movie Monsters isn't the best iteration of toys to be found, they are certainly some of the more budget friendly ones to this day. Unlike the Remco line which will set you back not only a ton of money, but a lot of time and patience to obtain, Imperial's are relatively in abundance, and sell for as little as $10.00 a piece. Granted that's more than double of their original price of $3.99, but fairly on par with the cost of figures these days.

Imperial produced only four characters; Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and Wolfman. The first thing you might notice with these is their unnaturally large hands. Yikes! Is that where the majority of the plastic went into these products? HUGE!

Still, there's something about these that we really love; The cardbacks work so well with the figures inside to give them a real appeal to the eye. They pop, if you know what we mean. It would be difficult to walk past these hanging on a store peg, and at least not glance at them. Their vibrant colors draw you in for at good look (at the very least).

The downer to these is that the back of the cards don't share in the amazing design of the fronts. Rather than make the backs leap out at you like the fronts, Imperial went with a bland black and white "drawn" look. They get points for the classic Meco type artwork for the available figures in the line, but at the end of the day it's rather bland, and leaves you wanting to quickly flip it back over to the figure side.

Beyond that there's not much more to say about this line. It has its appeal for being a Universal Monsters property, and of course you can't go wrong with a a well put together bendable figure - Which Imperial certainly does. This certainly wasn't their first outing in the realm of bendable toys, and it shows that they know what they're doing when it comes to producing a line of toys. In other words, there's quality (and care) there.

This is not one of the more well known toy lines to be produced based on Universal's monsters. This factor may contribute to its (relatively speaking) low prices on secondary markets. They're certainly a conversation piece, and fans of these iconic characters should definitely consider adding them to their collection.

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Universal Studios Mini Monsters, Official Universal Studios Monsters and Universal City Studio's Monsters At Home(Remco)

Way back in 2010 we had an anonymous comment from a reader on our Karate Kid post. That reader expressed an interest in the vintage Remco Universal Monsters line of toys, and said that he/she would, "Love to see photos of the toys." Well, we don't know if you're still out there anonymous, but this one's for you. Ever since your comment all those years ago we have been painstakingly tracking down each and every one of these just for you!

Universal Studios Mini Monsters (AKA Universal City Studio's Monsters)
Remco
1979

Remco is truly a company we miss today. Back in the 70's and 80's they were known for making some of the most iconic toys of their time; Lost in Space, The Karate Kid, The Monkees, McDonaldland Characters, Sgt. Rock, and so many more. Today Remco brands are highly sought after by collectors, and the Universal Studios based monsters are no exception to that rule.

In 1979, Remco released the Universal Studios Mini Monsters, or as they are known on the package as, Universal City Studio's. No, there's no monsters on the end of that name. Instead each character's name made up the remainder of the title, I.E. Universal City Studio's Dracula, and so on.

The line was a massive success for the company, so much to the point that they made not one, but two variants of each 3 3/4 inch figure. The first variant is an obvious one - It glows in the dark. Much like the first variant, the second variant also glows in the dark. The only change is to the package which now sports a glowing green border around where the figure is encased.

Creature from the Black Lagon -  Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

Dracula - Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

We get that Remco was looking to capture the iconic creatures of Universal Studios, and for all intents and  purposes they did. However for a line so popular, it would have been fantastic to see some other characters released, not necessarily limited to Universal Studios based monsters. Ones that immediately come to mind are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man and The Bride of Frankenstein - Just to name a few.

Frankenstein Monster - Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

Phantom of the Opera - Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

This is no collection for the casual of collectors. No, you're going to need a deep wallet to secure these figures. Each figure is currently ranging between $50.00 to $75.00, and that's if you can find all three versions.

Mummy - Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

Wolfman - Regular*Glow in the Dark*Glow in the Dark Version 2

One of the most difficult pieces to find for this line is the Mini-Monster Monsterizer. Chances of finding one new in the box are slim, and chances of finding one cheap are even slimmer. On average these sell for $300.00 to $500.00 new in the box - Between $70.00 and $100.00 open with all the parts. Mind you, it's not even that big.

Mini-Monster Monsterizer

Remco also released the Mini Monster Play Case. It's playset meets carry case in all its vinyl glory. What's not to love? Much like the figures, there's a standard version as well as a glow in the dark one.

Mini Monster Play Case

Mini Monster Play Case Glow in the Dark Version

As we said above, tracking down this entire line is no easy feat. It took us over three years. Of course we're very picky about condition, and only looking for things that are (near) mint in the package. If you're looking for a challenge as a collector and have the financial backing to do so, this might be a line to turn your attention to.

Official Universal Studios Monsters

Remco

1980

Then the 70's left us, and the 80's were upon us.

Despite a new decade, Remco still saw a lot of value in the Universal monster brand. This time instead of focusing on 3 3/4 inch figures, Remco turned their sights towards nine inch dolls with unique features. A new name was also chosen for the series - Official Universal Studios Monsters.

Creature from the Black Lagoon*Dracula

Each doll/figure was fully poseable and featured glow in the dark hands and faces as well as the series unique play feature, Monster-Crush Grabbing Action! Some dolls also featured glow in the dark rings, and each came packed with a patch inside the box.

Frankenstein*Phantom of the Opera



The series mimicked the release of the prior 1979 line of 3 3/4 inch figures. By that we mean that it had the exact same six characters. However, being much larger, these dolls/figures have an amazing amount of detail far exceeding that of the prior series.

The Mummy*The Wolfman

Remco rounded out the series with a much larger Monsterizer which could be incorporated into play with the nine inch toys.

Monsterizer

Universal City Studio's Monster At Home

Remco



1980

...And then there were these.

Okay, so not everything Remco did with the Universal monsters brand was gold. Here's how we pictured this one came about.

SCENE - INTERIOR WAREHOUSE - DAY

Employee - "Hey boss, we have all these spare heads sitting around from the nine inch dolls. What should we do with them?"

Boss - "Meh, put them on puppets and make finger puppets with little plastic coffins and crates as the stages.

Employee - "That's brilliant! Kids in the 50's loved puppets, so clearly kids of the 70's/80's will eat them up!"

Creature from the Black Lagoon*Dracula

Whether it was due to poor sales or they ran out of heads, Remco only made four of the six creatures into puppets.

Frankenstein Monster*Mummy

Oddly enough, for as poorly as the Monsters At Home sold, these days they'll cost you about $150.00 to $200.00 for a mint in package one. For as rare as the 3 3/4 inch figures are, these are even more so harder to find.

Well, that about wraps it up for Remco's Universal monster related toys. We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed posting it. For all of you out there celebrating the day, have a happy and safe Halloween.

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Monster Playsets Series 1 and 2 (McFarlane Toys)

Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy - These are all characters who shaped the world of fictional horror as we know it. They've been the source of scares since the dawn of the first horror title, and to this day are fan favorites in all their classic and current iterations.

There are those who view scary movies, specifically gory ones as a representation of societies decay. This theory bears scrutiny as even the earliest societies have been documented for their stories on "monsters". Horror films have also been scientifically proven to stimulate the brain, producing endorphins based on the excitement that terror brings, which in turn reduces stress.


McFarlane Toys gave an iconic node to the greatest of the greatest classic monsters starting in 1997 with their Monster Playsets line.

Unlike the majority of figures coming down the production line of McFarlane Toys, the Monster Playsets were simplistic in nature. While they represented the iconic characters well, they didn't necessarily contain the attention to detail that fans had come to expect from the company - At least not in the figures. However, the background pieces and accessories were incredibly detailed - Right down to severed legs.

This is all made acceptable in that the figures were never designed to look like any specific portrayal of the characters as seen in the past. Rather, they were homage’s to the characters as seen from a fans perspective who just so happened to have the licensing and ability to mass produce said nod.

The yellow cardboard backer of the first series left little to desire in the first series of figures, so it was a welcome change for the revamped brown back for the 1998 second series.

The update to the bubble section itself was also a much needed, much appreciated change. In the first series, pieces seemed crammed inside with the majority of them overlapping each other. The new packaging design allowed for all the pieces to be spread out so that people could see everything inside.

In total the series one and two had eight playsets produced. They are as follows;

SERIES 1

Dracula Playset
Frankenstein Playset
Hunchback Playset
Werewolf Playset

SERIES 2

Dr. Frankenstein Playset
The Mummy Playset
The Phantom of the Opera Playset
The Sea Creature Playset

For fans of classic horror, these are an excellent conversation piece in their collections. It's not often that we see figures based loosely on a concept, as opposed to specifically related subject matters. This was a great idea, and a fresh take on the action figure market. It's a shame that so few companies take risks like this today by producing sets such as these. Though in the here today, gone tomorrow market we see these days, it's no surprise that the majority don't.

We'll take a look at the remaining series in the Monsters line at some point, so stay tuned for a continuation of this post coming down the pike at some point.

Join us next time when we take a look at Vampirella!

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