SPACE CREATURES Complete Set (Diener Industries, 1980)

 

This is an awesome set of vintage figures that I've always wanted to track down...and finally did!  This is the SPACE CREATURES line, made by Diener Industries.  These little guys are about the size of M.U.S.C.L.E. or other such figures, and yet pre-date them by several years! Around 1979 or so, these began appearing in the form of erasers (sold in packs of 2), but in 1980, something magical happened, and these hard-plastic versions were the featured prize in a McDonald's Happy Meal! (Get your brain around this--you have to think back to a non-corporately-over-saturated time, where McDonald's was thrilled to find a willing theme to include in their Happy Meals, rather than conglomerate-mandated-mega-movie-tie-in-of-the-week.  Random, no-brand toys actually showed up in kids' meals and cereal boxes.  It was a better time.) There were 8 in all, available in 5 different colors!

Interestingly, lots of these figures' designs were simply "borrowed" from vintage science fiction films and TV shows, and a couple were pretty much "inspired" by them.  They are pretty awesome, and the sculpts are great.  So let's take a closer look!

1.  "Veined Cranium Creature"

You know this one--it's the extremely recognizable cabbage-headed alien design from INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN.  I have actually owned the bright green one for years, which I found in a lot long ago.  Strangely, it doesn't match the five colors the McDonald's figures came in, but it's made of equally-firm material....unless it's an eraser that's petrified, but that can't be right.

2.  "Tree Trunk Monster"

Here is another familiar 1950's design, from the very odd I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE!

3.  "Gill Face Creature"

I knew this one was from THE OUTER LIMITS television show, but I admit I had to look up the specific episode, which is called "Keeper Of The Purple Twilight." Some websites list this figure as "Gil" instead of "Gill," but I am assuming it is the latter, since you know, he actually has gills.

4.  "Lizard Man"

This one is inspired by the Ymir from 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, even down to the stance.

5.  "Insectman"

This one is probably the most original design that we have looked at yet.  There is definitely some of THE FLY in here, but that's not all that's going on.

6.  "Vampire Bat Creature"

Here is another cool one.  I have seen sites mention how close this is to the "Man-Bat" DC Comics character--and he does of course look like that--but this blog being, well, you know, this blog, I want to say he is one of the Bat Men from LATITUDE ZERO.  I know, no chance...but it's a cool idea.

My figure also has some weird leftovers that didn't get trimmed from the mold!

7.  "Winged Amphibian Creature"

I will admit that this one looked familiar to me, until I read that it's the creature from the wonky DESTINATION INNER SPACE!

8.  "Horned Cyclops"

And then we have this guy.  There are lots of cyclopses in fiction, but not too many are hairy.  I thought of the LOST IN SPACE one, and some sites suggest others, but then I see the reverse and GYYYAAAHHHH my eyes can't unsee the prominent posterior on this guy! Cyclops got BACK!

This is one of those quality sets of figures that they just don't make anymore.  I'm sure they have been copied and spammed in gumball machines and the like for decades, and are probably still out there in some form or fasion, but these were the real deal.  I'm glad I never had any of the eraser versions as a kid, because there was no way I could've used them for that purpose!

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT:

Here are a few older-but-excellent blog posts with more photos and info on these great figures! One even shows the original Happy Meal box that these figures came in!

Little Weirdos - "Diener Space Creatures Revisited"
  

Neato Coolville - "Diener Space Creatures/Aliens"    

Retro Erasers - "Monsters & Outer Space"