THE GODZILLA LIVE Complete Set (Banpresto, 1993)

 

Here is a set of small plushes that have been on my want list for many a year now! THE GODZILLA LIVE is a series of 5 plushes (each around 6 inches tall) made by Banpresto in 1993, as "UFO Catcher" (claw machine) prizes.  

Before we look at them in detail, here is the tag:

First up is Rodan, who in the above card art is the smallest, yet in reality dwarfs his bandmates!

This one must've been quite difficult to win and hook with the claw (unless you grabbed him by the drums, maybe).  He has a giant, bulbous  head, and a stern expression, showing he takes his rhythm-keeping quite seriously.  It's very difficult to find an example of him today that has the drumsticks; they are prone to breaking loose.  His bass drum has the logo for the band:

Up next is Gigan, and this one just may be my favorite of the group.  His simplified design accomplishes volumes. Just look at that shredding pose! Both guitars in the band have three strings, so he can be the bassist if you prefer.

The big G may look familiar to you; this is a design that Banpresto used a lot in their UFO Catcher plushes, especially.  He is rocking here with fierce determination!

Mothra is adorable, but be advised that she does not stand.  It's too bad she didn't include something to prop her up.  As it is, you need to lean her against a fellow band member in as unobtrusive a way as you can come up with. On the tag, she is shown with shades on, but the plush just has large, uncovered eyes.

However, Mothra pales in comparison to King Ghidorah.  First of all though, let's take in the wonderfulness here.  Keyboards. AND. .....Vocals???!! Do two of the heads play the keys? One of them is holding the mic, so...let's not think about it too much.  11 out of 10 for charm, hilarity and originality, but....1 out of 10 because this thing WILL NOT STAND no matter what you do.  It's a round lump, like trying to stand a pillow.  Now, the details are done well--check out the tails:

And here is a better look at the keyboard(s) from a top view:

You can prop Mothra up, but there is absolutely no way Ghidorah is going to be upright without extra equipment.  If he sat on a plastic ring of some sort, it  would make a huge difference!

Before we conclude though, a bit of history--I tend to think that the inspiration for this supergroup came from the artwork for a 1972 promotional single entitled, "The Bride Of Godzilla:"

Both sides of the cover reveal: Godzilla on guitar and vocals, Gigan just singing (?), King Ghidorah as an entire horn section (and a flute), Angilas on saxophone (that's the best thing I've typed today), and....Godzilla again, as his own drummer? Astounding!