Universal Monster Army

Palmer Plastics of Brooklyn, NY made plastic models, water guns, cars, and a few figures in the 1960's and possibly part of the 1950's as well.  In 1970, Palmer was sold to Pyro.  Pyro is known for their plastic figures, cars, and model kits as well.  Then in 1974 Pyro was sold to Lindbergh, which is also known for model kits and such.

The Palmer monsters were primarily made in red, yellow, and green.  In my experience, green seems to be a little more uncommon than red and yellow, but that may be demand rather than actual rarity.  The blue Palmers are much harder to find than the red, yellow, and green.  There are some variations which include a very waxy plastic adn some subtle color differences, but that is the basic commonly found Palmer figures. 

I have seen them in a butterscotch color, and white as well.  Also, Andy has some in a different type of plastic that seems much newer than the standard figures.

Some of the packaging that has turned up for these appears to be more 70's style graphics than 60's. 

This all leads me to conclude that Pyro and possibly Lindbergh as well were making the Palmer monsters well into the 70's. 

This is only about the 3" figures, not the mini figures, which are a different discussion altogether.

Sorry for the quality of these photos, some are begged, borrowed, or stolen.

"Regular" Palmers
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2043752354_6b9539e44d_o.jpg)

Look at the different shades of blue.  Hard to tell but the red Gorgo and green Frankenstein are that waxy type of plastic I mentioned.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2308/2190931397_011d63f4a8_o.jpg)

The yellow Creature here is waxy plastic and this one is somewhat transluscent.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/2190931343_d7dce00070_o.jpg)

Classic 60's!  I think this is Richard's
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/2190931377_555f727001_o.jpg)

These are Andy's.  The Kongs are that "different type of plastic" I mentioned.  Not the "waxy" type, but yet another.  The butterscotch Werewolf and the white Cyclops are visible here too.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2293/2191718182_67f60ff535_o.jpg)

These were on eBay.  Not sure if the color is accurate, but WOW!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/2191718114_1299f82b9f_o.jpg)


I could not find the other packaging pics I thought I'd saved.  Maybe someone else has them? 

What else do we know about Palmers?

I've seen white, brownish butterscotch and liter or brighter blue ones packaged like the Bag of Fun in the second photo.  There was a seller at the San Diego Comic Con who always had immaculate condition 60s toy he displayed in glass cases and priced to keep. He had two or three bags with the above colors at $300 each for several years running in the 90s.

Encountered a number of waxy plastic ones, in fact those were the first type I'd seen and was surprised to find the harder type, which hold the detail far better.  I've occasionally handled some made of a more brittle, shiny plastic.

So here, in no particular order, are some photos culled from sales of these over the years:


This header card sold on ebay last year, the guy opened it and sold each figure separately, then the card.  It sold for $305.


This is cropped from Richard's Big Frankie thread photo, and shows not only part of his Weirdo Target Set, but what looks to be spots from a Palmer vendor catalog, showing the Target Set and a blister card! (and thank you Richard)

Thanks Shannon~

That "Movie Dreams" is the one I was looking for.  That could be a 70's package.  Does the Gorgo in that one look like his head is detached?  Also the "Movie Monsters" could easily be 70's.

Had not seen the "Bag of Fun" before, but that is very cool.  That looks 60's to me.  And of course, Richard's is very 60's, as is that blister card in the picture next to it.

Thanks for the pics Shannon.   What do you make of the 70's Pyro/Lindbergh Palmer thing and the white and butterscotch colors?  Or the waxy plastic or Andy's "different" plastic Kongs?  I wish I could think of a common toy that shares the same plastic as those Kongs, because there are some.  His red Kong has a Fay Wray out of the same stuff. 

Quote from: Toy Ranch on January 14, 2008, 06:26:40 AM
[Movie Dreams]Does the Gorgo in that one look like his head is detached?

I'm sure it's just a trick of the light reflected off a wrinkle in the bag.

QuoteWhat do you make of the 70's Pyro/Lindbergh Palmer thing and the white and butterscotch colors?  Or the waxy plastic or Andy's "different" plastic Kongs?  I wish I could think of a common toy that shares the same plastic as those Kongs, because there are some.  His red Kong has a Fay Wray out of the same stuff.

I didn't know about the history of the company, btw, so thank you very much for that.  No idea really on how late they produced them.  I don't think anyone is out there recasting them, because these odd colors are so few and far between, but who knows.  And if they were made as late as 1976, with the dramatic rise in the price of plastics, all bets are off as to the composition.  I've seen the white, butterscotch and brighter blue together three or four times on ebay from people claiming they had them as kids, and those were the only colors in the bags from the San Diego seller, so I'm inclined to believe they are just later releases.

I don't think they are recasts either.  They are the same size, and have the same detail.  I think the molds were just active for a while.

I'll be adding Pyro and Lindbergh to the dealer catalog search list.  That snippet on Richard's display is the first Ive seen on a Palmer catalog.  Aside, the only Jaymar catalog I've ever seen was too early for the monsters. 

I suppose the only way to know for sure is to find a package.  Yikes. 

Any more info that comes my way, I'll post it here.

sts

A set of packaged Palmers is very high on my want list.  I have never come across any in 15 years of looking.

Quote from: darkmonkeygod on January 14, 2008, 05:12:42 AM
This is cropped from Richard's Big Frankie thread photo, and shows not only part of his Weirdo Target Set, but what looks to be spots from a Palmer vendor catalog, showing the Target Set and a blister card! (and thank you Richard)

(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii123/darkmonkeygod/1960sPalmercatalogspotsMovieMonster.jpg)

Fascinating Palmer thread. Thanks guys for the pics and info. I would love to see a scan from that Palmer catalog of Richard's. Hey Mr. "Monster Hugs", are you out there? Any chance you can lend some spare change to a beggar like me? I would love to see scans of the Target Set and a blister card ads. Thanks Richard!

I'll second that request, Richard.  The packaged ones are just incredible.  Do you think they sold these loose in a bin, too?  It seems like with all the loose ones out there, there would be more packaged sets popping up occasionally, unless they were also available as a bin toy.

Sorry, guys~

I am of no help in this! I received scans of a Palmer catalog (only showing the monsters) in an email. I was most interested in the target set ad as I wanted to place something in the frame with my target set to fill some space.

The reason for this is that my target set was wavy and warped and I wanted to flatten it out as nice as I could without hurting it in any way (esp. the blister). So I made a clear acrylic plate, with a cut out the size of the blister and pressed the backing card down tight. This really helped and made the backing card much more presentable. Then a clear acrylic frame went over the whole thing. I had some space to the side in the frame so I printed up the catalog scans.

Here are the scans....I know nothing else. Wish I did.

BTW, the header card image I remember is that of the header card featuring Frankenstein leading Gorgo on a rope. I'm sure thats how I got my Palmer monsters set at Ostrov's Grocery Store in Virginia, Minnesota. I saw the Weirdo target set there too. I wanted it but didn't get it at the time....had to wait 40 years - LOL!

Best,
Richard

(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/PalmerFigs.jpg)

(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/mnroo/PalmerTarget.jpg)

That's a big help!  Thanks Richard.  Odd that the blister pack seems to contain multiples of some characters.

That is helpful, Richard.  The target set has the sprues still attached, and the Fay Wray attached to the King Kong.  I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the other packaged examples aren't like this and may not have the Fay Wray. 

Richard ole Great and Wise Monster Collector. Where did you get that Palmer Target set from? Big Brother Richard, Tell us a story.  ;D

Here is a color picture of a carded set.  I do not own this.

(http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/msc/palmercard.jpg)

This is Kong on a sprue with Fay Wray attached.  They are connected to a Gorgo.

(http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/60swing/palkong.jpg)

Raymond, what is up with the color in that Kong pic.  I've always wondered but never remembered to ask.

Quote from: raycastile on January 15, 2008, 01:38:32 PM
This is Kong on a sprue with Fay Wray attached.  They are connected to a Gorgo.

(http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/60swing/palkong.jpg)

I bet this is from a target set.

It's just an old, low-res pic.  It was probably shot in 1993 or 95.  I probably used a flash or some kind of excessive lighting.

Quote from: Toy Ranch on January 15, 2008, 02:24:34 PM
Raymond, what is up with the color in that Kong pic.  I've always wondered but never remembered to ask.

Quote from: raycastile on January 15, 2008, 10:04:34 PM
It's just an old, low-res pic.  It was probably shot in 1993 or 95.  I probably used a flash or some kind of excessive lighting.

So what color is it?  :D

Here you go.  A nice, shiny new photo taken with the finest modern technology.

(http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/60swing/palmerkongfaywray.jpg)

Here's another just for good measure.

(http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/60swing/palmerkonggorgo.jpg)

Thanks Raymond, that has puzzled me for YEARS!  I've been trying to figure out why it was that color and how it could be splotchy like that, lol.  Glad to see it's a standard red Kong and that he doesn't have leprosy or anything.  :D

Quote from: hhwolfman on January 15, 2008, 10:02:59 AM
Richard ole Great and Wise Monster Collector. Where did you get that Palmer Target set from? Big Brother Richard, Tell us a story.  ;D

Great and wise? You are sadly mistaken, sir! I am meek and baffled!

Sorry, HH, it's only because the private collectors I've dealt with have wanted to remain private.
I had wanted a Palmer monster target set or the MPC monster target set for a very long time. Many years ago, I became aware of this Palmer set. After nagging, begging, etc, etc, I was able to obtain it from the owner. The blister has been detached from the backing card so I don't know if the monsters came on sprues or not (don't remember, originally)...or whether these are even the actual monsters that came with the set. I have another dart gun like the one in this set (color is different) that my brother had for some target set (not monsters) he owned in the 60s.

The header card (color) with Frankenstein head alone (that Raymond posted) must be the 60s version? It looks like the blister was removed so the monster mix/color my be later additions but the card matches the catalog pic. I still want to think I saw the Gorgo on chain with Frankenstein header card originally. But, my memmory fails me more often than I like. Wish I could remember for sure!
Best,
Richard

Quote from: Richard on January 16, 2008, 09:01:25 AM
Great and wise? You are sadly mistaken, sir! I am meek and baffled!

Sorry, HH, it's only because the private collectors I've dealt with have wanted to remain private.
I had wanted a Palmer monster target set or the MPC monster target set for a very long time. Many years ago, I became aware of this Palmer set. After nagging, begging, etc, etc, I was able to obtain it from the owner. The blister has been detached from the backing card so I don't know if the monsters came on sprues or not (don't remember, originally)...or whether these are even the actual monsters that came with the set. I have another dart gun like the one in this set (color is different) that my brother had for some target set (not monsters) he owned in the 60s.

The header card (color) with Frankenstein head alone (that Raymond posted) must be the 60s version? It looks like the blister was removed so the monster mix/color my be later additions but the card matches the catalog pic. I still want to think I saw the Gorgo on chain with Frankenstein header card originally. But, my memmory fails me more often than I like. Wish I could remember for sure!
Best,
Richard

I actually wasn't asking who, but How you obtained it. You answered just fine. All though I was hoping it would be a flea market or Garage sale story. Or maybe even a I bought it at a dime store when I was a kid story. Can you tell me how many years ago you obtained it. Thanks HHW

Quote from: Toy Ranch on January 13, 2008, 11:11:09 PMPalmer Plastics of Brooklyn, NY made plastic models, water guns, cars, and a few figures in the 1960's and possibly part of the 1950's as well.  In 1970, Palmer was sold to Pyro.  Pyro is known for their plastic figures, cars, and model kits as well.  Then in 1974 Pyro was sold to Lindbergh, which is also known for model kits and such.

Some of the packaging that has turned up for these(Palmer monster figures) appears to be more 70's style graphics than 60's. 

This all leads me to conclude that Pyro and possibly Lindbergh as well were making the Palmer monsters well into the 70's. 

What else do we know about Palmers?

Palmer of course produced many different kinds of plastic figures. Here are some pictures of Palmer Circus Sideshow figures that I lifted off the net:

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/palmersideshow.jpg)

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/palmercircusjobber(1).jpg)

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/palmercircus1.jpg)

8)