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[Mike Scott]

That's about what their original retail price was when they came out.

$20 each? In 1972?

[Hepcat]

I believe that they originally hit store shelves in 1968. The full retail price must have been less than $1.00 at the time.

I had three of those COLORFORMS OUTERSPACE MEN about 50 years ago... I remember buying the Man from Mars on the card out of a bargain bin and think I paid a whopping 50 cents!!! 

 

[Monolith]

$20 each? In 1972?

No, I was talking about the new reproductions made by a company called Four Horsemen. the original Colorforms Outer Space Men were about a dollar or so each in 1968 when they came out. The Four Horsemen action figures that came out a few years back were originally priced around $14-20 -they are smaller, articulated hard plastic figures based on the original figures from the '60's. The Four Horsemen figures have gone up in price now to about $60 to $100 each. Original Colorforms aliens from the '60's are much more than that now-they are around $200+ for a nice loose figure and thousands of dollars for one in it's original packaging.

[Monolith]

Here's a photo of my collection where you can see the difference between the original Colorforms Outer Space Men and the newer action figure.

On the right is an original from 1968. They have wire inside so you can bend them into poses.And they came with translucent plastic helmets and weapons ( he's not wearing his helmet in this shot )

On the left is a Four Horsemen action figure that was made a few years ago. They are hard plastic, and much smaller.

And in the middle ( the small pink one ) is a knock-off from either the late 1960's or early 1970's. These are harder to find than the originals and very expensive for their size. They're usually around $100.

Colorforms Xodiac x 3 by donald deveau, on Flickr

[Hepcat]

Original Colorforms aliens from the '60's are much more than that now-they are around $200+ for a nice loose figure and thousands of dollars for one in it's original packaging.

While this gbs4783qxp fellow has little imagination when it comes to selecting a log-in handle for himself on Ebay, his imagination when it comes to the pricing of his Colorforms Outer Space Men seems unconstrained by earthly bonds:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/COLORFORMS-OUTER-SPACE-MEN-VINTAGE-1968-COMPLETE-CARDED-SET-OF-7-ACTION-FIGURES-/151622681877

While these figures aren't common MOC, his asking price of $35,000 is more than a touch optimistic.

 

[Hepcat]

The Four Horsemen action figures that came out a few years back were originally priced around $14-20 -they are smaller, articulated hard plastic figures based on the original figures from the '60's.

Here are pics of a couple of the Four Horsemen Outer Space Men MOC:





 

[Mike Scott]

While these figures aren't common MOC, his asking price of $35,000 is more than a touch optimistic.

Was there a MAN FROM MERCURY? Seems the only planet not represented, except Earth. (BOB: The Man From Earth)

[Monolith]

Was there a MAN FROM MERCURY? Seems the only planet not represented, except Earth. (BOB: The Man From Earth)

In the Colorforms Outer Space Men second series of figures, which didn't make it beyond prototypes, there was a man from Mercury named Inferno. The Cyclops pictured above made by Four Horsemen recently is another character from the second series.

[Mike Scott]

In the Colorforms Outer Space Men second series of figures, which didn't make it beyond prototypes, there was a man from Mercury named Inferno.

Thanks!

[darkmonkeygod]

In the Colorforms Outer Space Men second series of figures, which didn't make it beyond prototypes, there was a man from Mercury named Inferno. The Cyclops pictured above made by Four Horsemen recently is another character from the second series.

The second series made it into at least the packaging if not sales samples stage - Mel Birnkrant, creator of the OSM has and has sold a set and is on record saying that Colorforms received four sets of the second series that he saw and therefore knew of.

Personally, I think they made it through manufacturing and an initial wave of packaging and shipping, resulting in incredibly limited distribution because I have seen in person a carded Mystron mixed with carded examples of series one from a garage find that was brought onto the floor of the San Diego Comic Con and I spoke with the man selling them - a longtime con staff member - whose mother bought them along with Major Matt items on closeout in SoCal. Despite many reports to the contrary, the OSM debuted in 1969 and Mel has also spoken of a longshoreman's strike that, in conjunction with the moon landing, killed the demand for the OSM, relegating them to discount bins in their after Christmas arrival, meaning the glut would have been in stores during Toy Fair 1970, thus killing wave 2 orders and wave 1 reorders. It's all interesting to me, but adds up to the same thing: series two in all but impossible to acquire.

[Hepcat]

...Mel has also spoken of a longshoreman's strike that, in conjunction with the moon landing, killed the demand for the OSM, relegating them to discount bins in their after Christmas arrival....

I don't understand. Why would the moon landing have killed demand for the Outer Space Men? I would have guessed the  effect to be the opposite.

 

[darkmonkeygod]

I don't understand. Why would the moon landing have killed demand for the Outer Space Men? I would have guessed the  effect to be the opposite.

 

According to Mel, we got to the moon and *no aliens* created a disillusionment with space fantasy. His website, http://melbirnkrant.com/ has multiple takes on the history of the toy line.

[Mike Scott]

According to Mel, we got to the moon and *no aliens* created a disillusionment with space fantasy.

And it took 8 years for everybody to get over it! 

[Monolith]

The second series made it into at least the packaging if not sales samples stage - Mel Birnkrant, creator of the OSM has and has sold a set and is on record saying that Colorforms received four sets of the second series that he saw and therefore knew of.

Personally, I think they made it through manufacturing and an initial wave of packaging and shipping, resulting in incredibly limited distribution because I have seen in person a carded Mystron mixed with carded examples of series one from a garage find that was brought onto the floor of the San Diego Comic Con and I spoke with the man selling them - a longtime con staff member - whose mother bought them along with Major Matt items on closeout in SoCal. Despite many reports to the contrary, the OSM debuted in 1969 and Mel has also spoken of a longshoreman's strike that, in conjunction with the moon landing, killed the demand for the OSM, relegating them to discount bins in their after Christmas arrival, meaning the glut would have been in stores during Toy Fair 1970, thus killing wave 2 orders and wave 1 reorders. It's all interesting to me, but adds up to the same thing: series two in all but impossible to acquire.

Cool. Was that carded Mystron for sale? And if so how much?

[StyreneDude]

Here's a shot of some of my Outer Space Men...