MPC Pop Tops , anyone have pics.

[Hepcat]

Here's a set of Weird Monsters in the correct 4 colors 2 figures each.

How about the less common yellow ones then? Were they available only as Fritos Mini-Monsters premiums?

Some of the smaller (regular) guys in creepy yellow...

[horrorhunter]

You're very welcome, glad to share, PM!
Yes, they're original test-shots in yellow, though only a few are visibly floating around the pile here (the brain-eaters must have gotten to me in my sleep, as I completely forgot where their box is with the rest of them), and I know my feral cat ran off with a skeleton a while back (not sure if I ever recovered that one...)
I found a couple more pics so you can see all the yellow, and then a pic of a couple test-shots they were trying to do something with (notice no bases); the other stuff in their original storage box didn't give me enough to make any conclusion.

For some reason the pics got reduced in the upload, I'll try and restore their proper size.

Here are the baseless

This post identifies the 2 1/2" yellow ones as test-shots. I've never seen evidence of yellow ones in the marketplace. Yellow was a common color for Pop-Tops, but not for Unbreakable Weirds. The Unbreakable Weirds were produced in black, green, orange, and purple (darker and more commonly lighter shades of purple).

Here again is the pic of the carded example which contains two of the darker purple figures:



I have two of those darker purple Unbreakable Weirds in my collection and they are noticeably different than figures in the more common lighter shade of purple.

In that carded example pic the green ones look a little darker than standard too. Maybe there are some green ones in a darker shade floating around the marketplace, though I don't have any. However, I'm certain there are two shades of purple (it isn't just the pic making them look darker).

[Hepcat]

This post identifies the 2 1/2" yellow ones as test-shots.

Okay, test-shots as opposed to production stock.

[horrorhunter]

Okay, test-shots as opposed to production stock!

I wish those yellow ones had made it to the marketplace. They look rad cool! 

[Hepcat]

That 6-pack flat box is what I used to get the small bags of Fritos in when we went grocery shopping in the late '60s.... When folded and assembled the box was open on top and shrink-wrapped so you could see the bags of Fritos. I don't remember buying many of them during that MPC Monster promotion, but I remember they always hid the monster figure under the bags....

So then were the paper inserts between the cellophane shrink-wrap and the box itself? Or were they peaking out from inside the box somehow?

And do you remember any colours of inserts in addition to these two?

...the "put together" sets you usually see at shows and ebay (and claim are to be Fritos, with a repro box insert paper) are the common "Weird Monsters" that are everywhere.

How do you tell repro inserts from originals? Do originals necessarily have a line demarcating a border as in the grey-blue examples above?

[horrorhunter]

So then were the paper inserts between the cellophane shrink-wrap and the box itself? Or were they peaking out from inside the box somehow?

And do you remember any colours of inserts in addition to these two?







How do you tell repro inserts from originals? Do originals necessarily have a line demarcating a border as in the grey-blue examples above?

I don't remember getting the inserts at all. Maybe they weren't in all the boxes, I don't really know.

I'm not certain but if I had to guess I'd say the yellow insert is original and the bluish gray one is a copy.

[Hepcat]

My guess is that the bluish grey one would be an original because of the existence of the border line and that the yellow one would be a repro. After all, why would anyone ADD a border line to a repro when such a line was not present in the original?

[horrorhunter]

My guess is that the bluish grey one was an original because of the existence of the border line and that the yellow one is a repro. After all, why would anyone ADD a border line to a repro when such a line was not present in the original?

Good point. Maybe someone who knows will favor us with the lowdown. 

[Monster Bob]

The yellow paper w green printing is the original. The paper was sitting on top of the six bags of Fritos inside the box.

I used to get cool 45rpm records out of Fritos sister product, Lays Potato Chips. Real decent 45s, not some cardboard junk. Still have my 45 of Willie Bobo doing Sunshine Superman.

[horrorhunter]

Bob jogged my memory. I guess that's the reason I thought the yellow one was original- I saw it.

Wish I'd have kept 'em, but kids couldn't wait to toss packaging in those days. That's why it's scarce (and valuable) now.

[Monster Bob]

I'm surprised ANY survived!

[Monster Bob]

Posting pics and videos here has always been near impossible for me for some reason. Today On The phone, my Photobucket won't work right. Always hoped for drag and drop ease ...and that's why I don't post pics. Too much of a pain for me. I lose interest fast...

[Hepcat]

Monolith, do you remember getting the little 1 1/2" knockoffs out of a Spooky Surprise grab bag?

I collect vending machine toys, and there were some smaller cast "bootleg" MPC monsters in vending machines of the 1960's.  So far, I've only ever seen the Grim Reaper and the Skeleton available in this style.  They are smaller than the regular MPC monsters and the base is not fully cast on them.

...the sculpt was altered to get rid of the scythe.  I think the Skeleton is also altered to omit the bat in his hand.

Are you sure then that you got yours out of vending machines as opposed to the Spooky Surprise Grab Bags?

[Hepcat]

I despise that the card was cut, and it turns my stomach to even try to understand how or why that ever happened to it, but it's still here I guess,unlike that ahi creature on eBay right now with the butchered card. hmmmm......I wonder if it was cut by the same person at some point? Lol! Some crazy person with scissors cutting cards on rare toys just to drive us mad years later wondering why! The serial killer of cardbacks!!!! No motive,and the Twisted uncontrollable need to disfigure his victims!

Cards were typically cut (or just keypunched) by the manufacturer or distributor to denote unreturnable stock that was being blown out to retailers at close-out prices. This was commonly done to record albums as well. I bought several early Rolling Stones' and Animals' mono LPs at discount prices at Bluebird Records in early 1968 that were keypunched for this reason. Old LPs can still be found that way in used record stores.

[Palifan]

Hi all,

I've been looking into these smaller MPC monsters recently and wondered if any of you thought these ones look a little off?

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=monsters&_ssn=virg_gra&hash=item3d3631605d%3Ag%3AFHAAAOSwuLZYzyrW&item=262902210653&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=monsters&_sacat=0

There's something about the plastic and color that doesn't look quite right to me but I'd love to hear your thought.

Sorry if this has already come up somewhere else in this thread.

Ian