Dracula's Bank

[marsattacks666]

The top one has to be the older.....it's much cooler.

Definitely.

[packy120353]

If you really want to save some dough...there's always

Bloody Eyesockets! by packy120353, on Flickr

[SWretired]

Original box and later box.

I know this is an older thread. I've been looking for the 1st generation box. Anyone seen one around..?

[marsattacks666]

I know this is an older thread. I've been looking for the 1st generation box. Anyone seen one around..?

I have not. However there are other UMA'ers who can help you.

[Mike Scott]

Welcome to the UMA, SWretired !   

[SWretired]

Thanks..!

[Hepcat]

Original box and later box.

Did these both pre-date The Thing from the Addams Family?

[Hepcat]

That '60s stuff just had the cool, classy look going. Funny how the coolness degraded as time passed. By the time the '90s rolled around some of the monster item packaging looked pretty pisspoor. The '60s were when the magic happened.

Truth!

[SWretired]

Did these both pre-date The Thing from the Addams Family?

When I went to Japan's patent site, the patent number for Dracula's Bank shows a date of late 1962 to early 1963.
Don Poynter invented his "Little Black Box" in 1959. ABC wanted to use his Black Box in their new show "The Addams Family" in 1964. But Don said he had a newer version,  they marketed it as "The Thing", and Poynter Products paid Filmways Productions royalties on each Thing sold.  They sold 14 million of them.
It's hard to say if Dracula's Bank actually predated The Thing, with such limited information on Dracula's Bank. I would guess the bottom box came out much later than the The Thing did.  The top box seems around the same time as Thing.

[Hepcat]

So evidently once the popularity of the Addams Family TV show faded later in the sixties, The Thing was rebranded by Poynter Products as the Bandit Box to avoid having to pay royalties. It's the Bandit Box I remember seeing on store shelves circa 1970:



I've had one in my collection since 1990 or so. It's on the extreme left of my toy and miscellaneous junk cabinet:



Here's a Bandit Box in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4tvji4Uwoo#

[SWretired]

So evidently once the popularity of the Addams Family TV show faded later in the sixties, The Thing was rebranded by Poynter as the Bandit Box to avoid having to pay royalties.

That's it exactly.

[SWretired]

The current version is "The Black Box money trap" It's sold on Amazon and other outlets for around $17. It functions exactly the same as the original "Thing", but its about 2/3 the size.  Many reviewers claim it stops working in a short time. Removing the cover will show one gear on the motor shaft, that easily slides off. The solution is to put a drop of glue on the shaft. Not sure why Poynter Products didn't do this.

I tried to post a picture of one of my "Things" and the "Black Box" side by side, but I don't see the attachment function for uploading files. I read through the help section, and it said the attachment function needs to be enabled.  Maybe as a new member, it's not available to me yet..?

[Hepcat]

I tried to post a picture of one of my "Things" and the "Black Box" side by side, but I don't see the attachment function for uploading files. I read through the help section, and it said the attachment function needs to be enabled.  Maybe as a new member, it's not available to me yet..?

The attachment function has never been enabled for anyone on this board. You have to use an external image hosting service such as Photobucket, ImageShack or Flicker and then employ the [IMG] tags to post a picture.

[SWretired]

The attachment function has never been enabled for anyone on this board. You have to use an external image hosting service such as Photobucket, ImageShack or Flicker and then employ the [IMG] tags to post a picture.

Oh, ok thanks.

[SWretired]

I know this is an older thread. I've been looking for the 1st generation box. Anyone seen one around..?

It only took me five years, lol..but I finally got a great condition 1st generation "Dracula's Bank" box. Talk about hard to find...geez.