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Toys & Collectibles

Mad About The Ghoul: Rankin/Bass Monster Rally Redux

Diamond Select Toys depicts "Mad Monster Party's" Count
Mad Monster Party…
This year the season of shadows is being ushered in with a large dose of kid friendly “scares.” The likes of Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, and Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, instantly reminded me of a favorite film of similar demeanor, 1967’s Mad Monster Party. Created by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, whose most famous productions like Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer have become Christmas season perennials, Mad Monster Party was a stop motion animation monster rally of epic proportions.

The film features character design by the legendary Jack Davis, the voices of Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller, and its plot-line, co-authored by Mad Magazine’s Harvey Kurtzman, plays like a mash-up of Universal’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and AIP’s The Ghost In The Invisible Bikini. Its original poster art was rendered by none other than Frank Frazetta in the multi-character chase motif similar to his Night They Raided Minsky’s, Fearless Vampire Killers and After The Fox advertisements. Though the featured tunes don’t reach the classic repeatable nature of Rankin/Bass Christmas songs, Maury Laws score captures some late 60’s swinging Pink Panther-esque moments.

For Your Video Shelf…
Mad Monster Party is a very fun guilty pleasure that should be nestled in your pile of seasonal viewing musts. It is unquestionably the great grandaddy of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Blu-Ray edition was just released at the beginning of last month with plenty of extras.

For Your Collectibles Shelf…
Diamond Select Toys will release their first wave of 7 inch character figures just in time for Halloween. Diamond promises additional characters down the line. Hopefully the wiry Gillman is on the short list. Of course anyone who played in a group called The Skeleton Crew (that would be me) is chomping at the bit to get a guitar wielding skeleton band member.

For Your Book Shelf…
The final word on all things Mad Monster Party can be read in Rankin/Bass aficionado Rick Goldschmidt’s book. It has just gone into its second printing and you can order directly from Rick’s Rankin and Bass website. He will even specially inscribe it if you like.

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Toys & Collectibles

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Diamond Select’s Madness Returns! Figures

Cheshire Cat

Go Ask Alice, When She Was Just Small…
Diamond Select releases their first series of Alice: Madness Returns! figures this week. Based on game creator American McGee’s twisted twist on the Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) penned fairy tale we get the blade wielding main character Alice Liddel, a zombified “Card Guard”, and the gruesomely grinning Cheshire Cat all in articulated 7” form. I’m hoping the old hookah smokin’ caterpillar will be in the next round of characters.

Three Faces of Alice

Weapons In Wonderland…
Alice comes replete with Vorpal knife, her pepper grinder and rocking horse, making her ready for battle with the horrible inhabitants of Wonderland. In addition to the standard characters a special edition “hysteria mode” figure is available via comic shops that pre-ordered the Previews exclusive. This blazing eyed, battle frenzied, beauty is literally covered in blood up to her elbows. Completists will definitely want to seek her out. On the horizon, but with no release date set yet, is the “Royal Suit” clad Alice also pictured here.

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Toys & Collectibles

Diamond Select Busts Out Marvelous Spidey Collectibles

The Amazing Spider-Man Vigilante Bust from Diamond Select Toys

The 2012 movie blockbuster season has officially begun with last weekend’s “Hunger Games” box office rout and it will be fun to see the battle ramp-up through the summer. Based on what I got a peek at during the recent New York Toy Fair, collectors will have a dizzying array of choices as the roll-out progresses. In particular Diamond Select Toys has just announced a series of busts to salute the re-boot of Marvel Entertainment’s The Amazing Spider-Man! franchise. I suggest saving space on your display shelves because these are some mighty nice offerings. Thanks to Diamond Select Marketing Supervisor Zach Oat for the opportunity to capture these images for all of you.

The sculpts were rendered for DST by Gentle Giant Studios from the film production’s digital data. There are four busts in the series which range 9-10 inches in height. A classic web-slinger pose is joined by movie specific items. The Vigilante Spider-Man is very cool with the character dressed in a leather jacket, wool cap and shades over his classic mask. Dr. Curt Conners in the form of The Lizard has a huge arm span terminating in deadly claws the power of which is evidenced in the rips across the costume of the unmasked and “battle-scarred” bust. That bust, a striking likeness of Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, includes swap-outs for the head and right hand to cloak the character’s true identity.

In addition to the busts, DST has a real gem of a statue depicting Spidey perched on the side of a glass windowed skyscraper ready to spray his webs and swing. Along with the vigilante bust that one is my favorite. Last but not least two action figures of the hero and villain will be available, and there will be a movie tie-in Mini-Mate.

All collectibles are scheduled for sale on June 26, 2012, a few days before the film’s July 3 release date.
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Toys & Collectibles

Monstrous Interest Rates: Diamond Select Toy’s Bust Banks

Universal Monsters Creature Bust Bank (Photo Courtesy Diamond Select Toys)

The Revenge of Bankenstein
You certainly can’t get a good interest rate at your bank these days, but Diamond Select Toys (DST) is making sure that you can keep your money in a place of great interest. Namely their soon to be released Universal Monsters Bust Banks.

The Creature’s Features
It’s already been a month since I reported on DST’s varied series of licensed Universal Monsters collectibles displayed at Toy Fair 2012. You can read that entry here. I relished the chance to ogle and photograph the very cool looking Frankenstein Bust Bank prototype, it’s a lean mean Karloffian depiction. Unfortunately its counterpart, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, was not available for display. I’m a big fan of the Gill-Man and that one missing piece has kept me in suspense. Well, the wait is over as DST released this image today. It’s quite a beautiful sculpt and paint job, and I like the unique artistic flair portraying him emerging from the depths. DST’s press release says you can slide your coinage into a slot behind his gills.

The Bust Banks will measure approximately 8 inches tall, are listed at a SRP of $19.99, and should be available in mid-September 2012. These will make perfect Halloween presents for “monsterkids” of every age. Imagine trick or treating for UNICEF carrying around one of these puppies. Who could resist donating. They’ll be too frightened not to.

Creepy Close-Up of DST's Frankenstein Bust Bank

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Film & Television Series SkeletonPete Says Toys & Collectibles

Diamond Select Toys’ Next Wave of Universal Monsters Collectibles

Diamond Select Mini-Mates, "Kings of Fools" Quasimodo and Esmeralda

Toy Fair 2012 revelations continue with a look at Diamond Select Toys. In this centennial year of Universal Pictures, Diamond Select is poised to continue their roll-out of licensed Universal Monsters figures with an interesting assortment of creature creations. Product waves 1 & 2 gave us exceptional interpretations of the “top tier” in Universal’s horror hierarchy, featuring Frankenstein, Count Dracula, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Select packaging added great extras like the Mummy’s massive sarcophagus and a jaw-dropping Julie Adams figurine for the Gillman to menace.

Phantoms and Mutants and Moles, oh my…
Waves 3 & 4 – due in September 2012 and 2013 respectively – will offer an intriguing variety as we dive deeper into the monster pantheon. Some of my favorite characters will be represented including silent horror icon Lon Chaney Sr. in the role of The Phantom of the Opera and the mother of all bug-eyed monsters The Metaluna Mutant from 1955’s “This Island Earth”. Select packaging will again include impressive extras (pipe organ, Metalunan Interocitor) and collectors should be aware of some Toys R Us variants. The Invisible Man is listed for a Toys R Us September 2012 release also but wasn’t on display – or was he?

The pictured Wave 4 prototypes (some still awaiting licensor approval) give us a sneak peek at the next range of silent through 50’s options. This time Chaney Sr. portrays Notre Dame’s hunchback, Quasimodo. Boris Karloff’s Dr. Jeckyll is complimented by his monstrous Mr. Hyde in select “roof top” edition. Karloff’s J&H terrorized comedians Abbott & Costello and is a fun, unexpected, choice. I’m extremely jazzed to add The Mole Man (“The Mole People”, 1956) to the collection. I always loved those creepy claws.

More Monstrous Fun…
Other goodies expand the “Retro Cloth” line with Series 3’s “Bride of Frankenstein” and “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and Munsters fans will love the details on the “racer” garbed Herman, Grandpa, and Lily characters due for September 2012 release. The Munster kids – werewolf Eddie and and misfit Marilyn – will arrive in a two pack this summer and sometime in the future we may even be treated to a Munster’s mansion grand stairway, with house pet “Spot”.

For those strapped for shelf space (like myself) the very popular Mini-Mates figures can quench your collector itch without making you a candidate for an episode of Hoarders. A nice option for memorabilia minded Dads and Uncles, the design ingenuity of these blocky little babies always makes me chuckle. Mummy and silent Hunchback sets are in the pipeline for later this year.

Diamond’s newest Universal related product is a line of vinyl “Bust Banks”. Starting with the Frankenstein monster (prototype pictured) and the Black Lagoon Creature. Imagine the coolness factor of carting these puppies to the local TD Bank change counting machine. Both are slated for September 2012.

SkeletonPete Says…
Diamond continues to produce quality sculpted figures in packages priced to give buyers the opportunity to own display pieces as well as keep pristine packages for their collections. Considering that Frankenstein’s bride was on the short list for the Universal Monsters line, my personal wish-list would include Ernest Thesiger’s Dr. Pretorius (complete with bottled homunculi), Dwight Frye as Fritz, and of course Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein.

Keep an eye on SkeletonPete for information on Diamond’s first wave of “Mad Monster Party” figures, and hit Ken Pierce’s PiercingMetal Musings for Toy Fair coverage, soon to include Marvel Select, DC Direct and superhero mini-mates.

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