Hi All -
I have seen these all over ebay, etc.. for years - They all seem pretty cool - But I was wondering -
When and how were these sold? Just in a loose bin?
Also, are some colors more rare than others? AND, I hear the molds were still used in Mexico until maybe not even that long ago - How do you tell the vintage from the new?
I would love a set, but I just dont know where to start!
Yes they were sold in bins, (and they are very cool!)marx had a whole slew of 6" figures from nutty mads and monsters, to soldiers of the world. most of the prices that are left stamped on mine are 19 cents. The original monsters came in two colors orange and teal (blue) and have two round indented molded stamps on the bottom one saying UNIVERSAL PICTURE CO. INC with a C in a circle. and the other says LOUIS MARX & CO., INC. and the roman numerals MCMLXIII, however some have a blank spot where th numerals should be. Most of the mexican knockoffs i have just have blank stamps on the bottoms, no words. and they come in any color imaginable. I have not seen copies that look even close to the color of the marx plastics though. Thes were also released on card in america in glow in the dark plastic. i think they were released by uncle milton maybe, ill check on that. I will put all of mine together tonight and take some pictures so you can see the difference.
They were also sold like this apparently~
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4373/64aldensdv6.jpg)
I also posted a picture quite a while back that listed green, yellow and rose as 3 other original Marx colors though these colors seem to be very, very hard to come by! Most monster kids of the 60's only remember teal and orange!
Two threads on the Marx Monsters:
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.0 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.0)
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=2159.0 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=2159.0)
A-ha, found the picture, this is the listing of the 1964 Marx catalog for the Cinema Creatures~
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/zombiehorror01/P2260008.jpg)
And I've found at least one instance of a person on the web that recalls these vibrant variations!
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.msg124737#msg124737 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1070.msg124737#msg124737)
Quote from: zombiehorror on September 07, 2011, 04:24:52 PM
A-ha, found the picture, this is the listing of the 1964 Marx catalog for the Cinema Creatures~
Would love to see one of those 10x24 window streamers!!
I really like the teal and am still trying to get some but I keep getting outbid late in the auction. What I would REALLY like are the Mexican repros which seem to be harder to find and sometimes more $ than originals depending on the color.
Being one who had those as a kid, the teal ones are hands down the coolest. They repros are very nice, but they sometimes lose a little detail in the re-casting process.
Well heres some pix. I have normally have them scattered throughout my collection, but brought them all down for a reunion. I have been picking these up for quite a while. not ever really searching they just turned up at estate auctions and garage sales, and antique stores. and i bought the few uni mexi monsters i do have on ebay about 9 years ago.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6125269325_0fd362f1ed_z.jpg)
these are the original monster colors. I have heard of other colors but personally have never seen them, ill believe it when i do i guess.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6125266533_a66fab1c90_z.jpg)
and here are some mexican copys and glow in the dark. I didnt get into the remakes as much, they just arent the quality, or have that nostalgic factor.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6125785572_c126c4d94e_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6125243149_ffa8898ace_z.jpg)
and here are all my marx figures together. Nutty mads, cowboys, indians, russians, germans, and even some cavemen, and a bunch more. I love the sculpts on these they are amazingly detailed. these are all original colors no recasts besides the green uni monsters, the black mummy, glow uni monsters, and dark blue uni monsters, the nutty mads had the most color variations mine are all original. be carful there are a bunch of remakes of them floating around too within the last ten or so years, thats when i noticed them popping up.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6184/6125256565_0a2f128253_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6125803240_44bc1b8727_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/6125805930_a7189f5df7_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6125264287_ce37c204d7_z.jpg)
GREAT collection Frank73 , but I'm REALLY diggin the bright lime green repros. NIIIICE!
Damn! That's a lot of Marx toys!
Man nice collection frank73!! I really want to get a set of all the various colors of Marx repros....someday...someday! I really dig those dark blue ones. Those lime ones are very close to what I believe the Vile Green ones mentioned above look like (the originals may be a few shades darker), I can also see the "repro" flaws on Frankenstein's and the Wolfman's head.
That Marx collection is awesome.
and yes I also remember buying them at Woolworth in the 60's out of a bin
But as I recall I was paying much less than $1.99
more like 69cents apiece maybe they were closing them out?
Quote from: Zardoz on September 08, 2011, 12:57:48 PM
and yes I also remember buying them at Woolworth in the 60's out of a bin
But as I recall I was paying much less than $1.99
more like 69cents apiece maybe they were closing them out?
That ad is for all 6 monsters plus a paint set (6 jars of paint), all for $1.99! As frankenstein73 stated most of the original prices left on the Marx Monsters show them as .19 cents originally.
*btm pic, lower r.h. corner* - that Caveman with the rock over his head
was one of my favorite figures when I was a kid... love that color, too~ :D
Same here, Street Worm! I wonder how hard the cavemen are to track down? Like to have the whole clan!
Quote from: Unknown Primate on September 08, 2011, 02:47:10 PM
Same here, Street Worm! I wonder how hard the cavemen are to track down? Like to have the whole clan!
There are several auctions on Ebay right now for them. Not that tough to find. Just depends what you want to pay.
Wow Franky73! That is wonderfully impressive! I notice that in the lime greens you have what appears to be a Phantom with FULL MASK in hand. Wasn't aware any of the re-pops had masks with them. Amazing. Also, are you aware of the rare 7th German soldier? He is thrusting down with a bayoneted rifle. I've been after one of those on E-bay acouple of times but lost out. Are the truly dark blue figures next to the rows of whites re-pops? Buddy
In the 1990s, an auction house (It might have been Just Kids Nostalgia) listed a Marx Cinema Creatures plastic bag. It had printing on one side and clear plastic on the other. I seem to remember pictures of the monsters lining the side of the bag, with "Cinema Creatures" in the middle. But it was just a little black and white photo and my memory is hazy after more than 20 years. I remember it sold for around $100. I think I bid on it. We're talking phone bidding here. There was no ebay at that time.
Quote from: bigbud on September 08, 2011, 09:00:41 PM
Wow Franky73! That is wonderfully impressive! I notice that in the lime greens you have what appears to be a Phantom with FULL MASK in hand. Wasn't aware any of the re-pops had masks with them. Amazing. Also, are you aware of the rare 7th German soldier? He is thrusting down with a bayoneted rifle. I've been after one of those on E-bay acouple of times but lost out. Are the truly dark blue figures next to the rows of whites re-pops? Buddy
Thanks buddy! Yes my green and my dark blue phantom both have masks. And my glow cards has it bouncing around inside the bubble detached from the figure. Only 1 of my vintage orange phantoms still has its mask. As far as my blues and greens being repops. Im pretty sure they are however both sets do have both stamps on all the figures with only the roman numerals blanked out. So I don't know for sure. The way I see it the orange and teal are vintage and everything else is a repop. Unless there is undeniable proof. I still like them I just wont pay as much for em. And I have heard of another pose on the german figures, but have never seen it. Do you have a picture? And how much do they ussually bring? I've seen some others that were only released in the UK I think they were french legion.
Quote from: raycastile on September 08, 2011, 10:48:07 PM
In the 1990s, an auction house (It might have been Just Kids Nostalgia) listed a Marx Cinema Creatures plastic bag. It had printing on one side and clear plastic on the other. I seem to remember pictures of the monsters lining the side of the bag, with "Cinema Creatures" in the middle. But it was just a little black and white photo and my memory is hazy after more than 20 years. I remember it sold for around $100. I think I bid on it. We're talking phone bidding here. There was no ebay at that time.
Wow, Ray...I used to bid during those Just Kids phone auctions too! Got some great stuff during those days [Lost In Space board game, Zacherley for President day-glo button, Wolfie and Mummy soakys, to name just a few] They still had their walk in store here on Long Island up until recently. Scored myself a neat Frankie Monster Nik on my final visit there not long ago for 25 bucks just before they closed. Still have some of the auction catalogs kicking around somewhere...great memories!
Franky, My knowledge of the 7th German comes from acouple of long past E-bay auctions. I was shocked to see the down-stabbing soldier. Especially since I had become accustomed to several of the Marx 6"ers coming in series of 6 figures per grouping. That's unfortunate news about my dark blue Creature not being an original. I kinda suspected that. I'm gonna need to search out a teal Creature and Mummy. Never owned a Mummy. I have seen several but always thought the fingers had been chopped.....I think maybe that's just how he is......Buddy
Oh, and Franky73, your avatar still totally creeps me out! So intense! Love, Buddy
I have one set of the glow monsters at Monster Cafe. I show a blacklight on them in our display case. the people love it. This is the first time I knew about the Cavemen. I had the little cavemen when I was a kid though. I live in Mexico and have only found 4 army men repros. that is it.
Holy CRAP. That's a great set of plastics.
I also have Marx-envy! Wow! I only have the 6 glow in the dark monsters (probably repros) I got them at a shop in Milwaukee 6 or 7 years ago for $8 for the set. I love walking in on them at night when they're glowing. I never thought to add a blacklight to the fun! Great idea. I would love to collect some of the colors- they are fantastic!!
Quote from: Street Worm on September 08, 2011, 02:39:35 PM
*btm pic, lower r.h. corner* - that Caveman with the rock over his head
was one of my favorite figures when I was a kid... love that color, too~ :D
I had that one too!!
I am SOOO stoked! After being outbid on both repro's and originals I got a message from a seller that I lost an auction on. 2nd offer for a vile green Frank in nice condition for $23 delivered. WL is a happy camper. :) :) :) :)
Congrats, Mike!
Quote from: Wicked Lester on September 13, 2011, 07:18:02 PM
I am SOOO stoked! After being outbid on both repro's and originals I got a message from a seller that I lost an auction on. 2nd offer for a vile green Frank in nice condition for $23 delivered. WL is a happy camper. :) :) :) :)
Atta boy Luther!!
Quote from: Mike Scott on September 07, 2011, 05:00:44 PM
Would love to see one of those 10x24 window streamers!!
DAMN STRAIGHT!
Got my first vintage Marx monster in the mail today (a teal Creature). MAYBE I had some as a kid, as I remember them for sure...along with having some Palmer monsters. Got him for $15 postpaid and he is in nice shape (not perfect, but I'm pleased since the photos weren't too hot).
Great collection Frank73. I've always liked the Marx Monsters and enjoy reading about them. I'll have to be more diligent in looking for the different colors. Makes for a nice set. Thanks everybody for sharing.
Oh wow! Awesome post and photos! Brought back some good time memories!!!!
i just recently got my first teal marx wolfman, so i am all about the Marx love
Congrats to all who received their first marx!
BK
Quote from: frankenstein73 on September 07, 2011, 08:28:36 PM
the nutty mads had the most color variations mine are all original. be carful there are a bunch of remakes of them floating around too within the last ten or so years, thats when i noticed them popping up.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6125803240_44bc1b8727_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/6125805930_a7189f5df7_z.jpg)
Any tips on how to tell repro Nutty Mads from originals?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on November 16, 2012, 03:01:19 PM
Any tips on how to tell repro Nutty Mads from originals?
???
to my knowledge from mine and my dad's collection bright green ,pea green ,and the pink color are old ones all the others i would be careful on.
Quote from: horror1o1 on November 16, 2012, 05:02:59 PM
to my knowledge from mine and my dad's collection bright green ,pea green ,and the pink color are old ones all the others i would be careful on.
..the base tells it all...MARX bases are marked with Character name(s) and year...Copies have "NO INDICATION " ..many come from MEXICO...I would like to get a hold of a MEXICAN copy just to see / feel the difference if any!
peace OUTT...
WANTED -NUTTY MADS
Good info! Thank you.
:)
Quote from: FETT1 on April 10, 2013, 09:27:33 PM
..the base tells it all...MARX bases are marked with Character name(s) and year...Copies have "NO INDICATION " ..many come from MEXICO...I would like to get a hold of a MEXICAN copy just to see / feel the difference if any!
Nope, I have a full set of teal and orange as well as a set of mocha from Mexico, the only figure that has any significant difference is The Mummy which is missing the Louis Marx Co., Inc. MCMLXIII stamp! The mocha set does have a block instead of the MCMLXIII date but so do all my orange ones! The only character name on these appears on the nameplate itself and I've never seen a Marx monster missing that!
FETTI may have been talking about only the Nutty Mads though as opposed to the Universal Monsters figures. Do you have both?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on April 11, 2013, 10:32:19 AM
FETTI may have been talking about only the Nutty Mads though as opposed to the Universal Monsters figures. Do you have both?
???
Ah, gotcha! I should pay more attention to what's going on in the thread. Nope no Nutty Mads here, never cared for them!
Quote from: Hepcat on April 11, 2013, 10:32:19 AM
FETTI may have been talking about only the Nutty Mads though as opposed to the Universal Monsters figures. Do you have both?
???
Hi guys ...yeah it was the Nutty Mads that I was talkin about sorry for any confusion ...I want nutty mads Im ADDICTED TO NUTTY MADS !!!!!!
I was looking for a different picture and to my delight found this one:
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/allhallowsday/001MARXCREATURESwithBAG_zps134adb56.jpg)
I knew I'd seen the MARX Creatures in an illustrated bag, blue and orange. I think retailers opened these bags and dumped the figures into bins for, y'know, 25 cents each. Of course, all these decades later we collected them in sets of at least teal and orange (other colors are dubious if not "Mexico" but who knows?)
Is that your pic or did you find it online!?
Quote from: zombiehorror on April 16, 2013, 06:43:56 PM
Is that your pic or did you find it online!?
I wish! The pic is grabbed from an old eBay auction I think... the file dates to 1999!! I have been looking for a bag like it ever since! The picture came off of an old zip file I uploaded recently, but in a Monster toy folder I had not yet looked in (for at least 10 years). Now, I've parted with my blue (eh, "teal") guys but I still have my set of orange!
The bag is missing the very top. It should say CINEMA CREATURES! by Marx
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 16, 2013, 08:53:45 PM
The bag is missing the very top. It should say CINEMA CREATURES! by Marx
Good point! Do you have a pic of a full frontal? ;D
Someone must have an intact or unopened bag somewhere...???
Saw a bunch at the Canton, Tx flea market last winter with missing fingers. Thought somebodies baby bro chewed them off, now I know they were mex repos.