The Universal Mini Monsters Line (Remco, 1980)

 

1980 was the center of the Golden Age for four-inch (excuse me; 3 & 3/4") action figures, and in the following three years it would expand even more.  Star Wars dominated (and that word is an  incredible understatement--the sales wrap circles around any feeble, modern numbers) the market, but that year, a tiny action figure line was added by a smaller company with very little fanfare.  It can be argued what the exact title of this line really was:  the figure backing cards call them "Universal Film Monsters" as well as "Universal's Famous Mini Monsters Collection" on the same card.  Their sole playset is labeled as belonging to "Universal City Studio's Mini Monster(s)."  Whatever you call them, you can see that their manufacturer, Remco, was pretty insistent to get the "Mini" into the name.  This was because they had launched another line the year before called "Official Universal Movie Monsters," which were 9-inch figures very similar to what Mego produced (we looked at these in depth earlier this year, which you can read and see here). So why not produce Universal monsters the size of Adventure People or Star Wars figures? As it turns out, it was a great idea!

Here is a look at all six action figures (using their titles as they are presented on the back of the backing cards):

1) Count Dracula - Right away, you can see the Star Wars influence from the vinyl cape.  HOWEVER, this cape is a different color on the inside (Remco also worked in some textures to their capes), so eat that, Kenner!  There's a lot of Lugosi here without being full-on Lugosi (I don't think that was worked out yet), and the open palms were a very interesting and unusual touch for an action figure.  He has some great details on the torso.  Like Kenner's Imperial Dignitary, this figure commonly suffers from nose dings (it's all that neck-biting that does it). 

2) The Wolfman - Clap for the Wolfman! [Say, isn't Wolfman supposed to be two words (hint: it is on the movie title)? Maybe this is supposed to be Marv Wolfman.]  Anyway, this is one of the most unique figures in the group--at first he's just brown-on-brown, but when you pick him up and really look at him closely, he's awesome.  It was a brave decision to depict him as toe-walking (in fact, if you look closely at the back view, it meant they had to accommodate the figure's peg-holes, giving him a bit of a high-heel look).  I want somebody to tell me that they put this figure in their Cantina playset, because I know somebody did.

3) The Mummy - Another stellar, extraordinary figure, because it's not just a guy in a coat and pants, but sculpted all the way around! This figure has lots of menace, and is just asking for his arms to be outstretched, as he shuffles along towards his victim.  Another cool feature was that Karloff was depicted on the front of the card!

4) The Frankenstein Monster - And speaking of Karloff...Sure, Remco should know enough to not just call him "Frankenstein." (The front of the card cleverly says FRANKENSTEIN in a huge font, and "Monster" in fine print.) There are no duds in this line, but I find this figure completely mediocre.  He's servicable, he's passable, but just doesn't have the oomph, the character in the sculpt that the others have had that we've seen.  He's crucial to the collection, of course, just not my personal favorite.  I think what would've elevated this figure was a possible Bride, or even mad doctor, if a second series had happened.  

5) The Phantom Of The Opera - Most kids' least favorite figure in the line (in the aforementioned 9-inch line, this character was a late add, and was unpopular there too--because of this, he's quite expensive today, so think about the outcomes of your choices, kids!).  It doesn't help this figure any that his arms AND legs are cribbed from the Dracula figure. Like Frankenstein's Monster, he's not terrible (his face is actually quite accurate).  At least Lon Chaney is shown on the backing card.  These are Universal Monsters after all, and not "Ernie's Discount Monsters."

6) The Creature From The Black Lagoon - [see Dave Edmunds song of the same title, which is now playing in my head]  My goodness, this figure is AMAZING! The sculpting is detailed, and completely captures the real thing (yes, I said real thing; we do that here).  In the chronology of Universal Monsters, he's a late-comer, a whippersnapper from the 1950's, but his memorable design earned him a spot in the Monster Hall of Fame.  I would've put him in my Cantina, too.

I mentioned peg-holes above, and it's another design cue that these figures took from Kenner.  However, the Remco ones are actually quite a bit smaller, and you may have some trouble with most stands (unless you sand them down that is).

I don't know how successful the Mini Monsters were for Remco, overall.  Instead of issuing a second series (I would've loved the Bride of Frankenstein, Igor and Victor Frankenstein/Generic Mad Doctor, or even other 50's delights like the Mole People or the Metaluna Mutant [come to think of it, Super7 has made some of these...]).  The following year the entire line was remade as GLOW-IN-THE-DARK figures, which is a very cool feature, but meant that most of the figures look paler in their paint jobs, and just not as good as this first go around. (In fact, they even made a 3.75-inch scale version of The Monsterizer to power up the glow figures!)

But, this has run long, and we haven't even looked at the line's one playset yet! We will get caught up next time!