Marx Monsters

[Haunted hearse]

 

I have no assumptions. Quite simply, I never encountered these figures as a kid and what little I "know" about them I've learned from discussions on this forum. But you see you fellows have now infected me with your own enthusiasm for these figures and I'm trying to figure out how to tell a Marx produced figure from a Mexican reproduction.

Go to your local Taco Bell, and order some Nachos.  Place the figure 6 inches from the Nachos.  Should the figure move toward the Nachos, you probably have a mexican reproduction.

[bigbud]

Hearse......that's wrong...........just wrong..........

[Hepcat]

The milky orange figure also includes a price tag of 19 cents from some [i can only guess] long gone store called Neisner's.

I've now read several accounts mentioning that these Marx figures were initially sold for $0.10 but the price was later raised to $0.19. This would also seem to indicate that Marx issued these figures over a period of several years.

[horrorhunter]

Hey Guys,  This is my first reply/post so if I don't follow correct UMA ettiquette please be kind. I loved the Marx monsters as a kid and still do. Over the last few years I have accumulated all six in original teal blue, original orange, lime green(unsure if original), Uncle Milton cream color and glow on blister card, and assorted Mexy repops. I remember well buying these figures in bins in mid '60s. I only ever saw the teal and orange (I still have most of my beat up originals as well as the upgraded sets mentioned above). I can tell you right now the info in the circles on the base bottom cannot be used as the end-all be-all way to tell if it is an original Marx. All of my original teal ones have the 1963 date (roman numerals of course), but all my original orange ones have the bar over the date. If you've stared at these beautiful figures all your life like I have you can tell they match the ones you bought as a kid (originals) by color and exact molding detail. My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe). From my personal experience of what I remember/own only the teal blue and orange ones came out in the '60s by Marx. The green ones are cool but they don't have the crisp detailing of the '60s figures so I think they must have come out later (I don't know exactly when). I think the orange ones with the bar across the date must have come out in 1964 and it was easier to bar out the date than change the mold. Also the plastic is a little less flat looking on the orange ones than the teal ones which corresponds to the way Marx switched from the "lead based" plastic, like with the series 3 nutty mads and the Marx dinosaurs. I think these figures are the most iconic monster kid toy period, even over Aurora models. Thanks for reading my reply.

[zombiehorror]

I can tell you right now the info in the circles on the base bottom cannot be used as the end-all be-all way to tell if it is an original Marx. All of my original teal ones have the 1963 date (roman numerals of course), but all my original orange ones have the bar over the date.  My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe).

Welcome aboard and thanks for the info!!  This begs the question; If subsequent years had the date barred out then was the bar just some kind of temporary addition?  It almost had to be since Uncle Milton's later repops bear the MCMLXIII or is it possible that there were/are more than one mold for each monster?!

[horrorhunter]

Hi Zombie Horror, I dont know, I've always wondered about that. The bar was probably a small addition to block the date that the Uncle Milton people removed. That's why I was saying you can't just go by that date to tell what is a genuine Marx. So much time has gone by we may never know the truth behind this monster mystery.

[Wicked Lester]

Wicked Lester, thanks for the update on the figures. Gasport and several of us are still sorting out what is an original/ re-pop. Hey Lester.......a friend of mine pointed out that you might just be a very enthusiastic KISS fan......true?   Buddy

Back in H.S I had a tarantula named Wicked Lester. Not sure if it was because of the pre-Kiss band but I doubt it cuz they sucked. Just like the name.

[Wicked Lester]

More importantly does anyone have a teal Creature with MCMLXIII on it?

I just checked mine. Yes I do.

[Wicked Lester]

My Uncle Milton cream colored set from around 1990 has the 1963 date, but I know them to be repops because of when I bought them and the plastic is a little harder to hold the paint (these all came from the paint sets I believe).

I think the Uncle Milton are more like mid to late 80's. I bought mine at a comic shop I frequented when my now 27 Y.O kid was maybe 4 Y.O. I painted them without any primer using enamel hobby paint and aside from a few chips they have held up for all that time.



I would love to have a full set of the Vile green and at least a couple of the yellow.

[bigbud]

More importantly does anyone have a teal Creature with MCMLXIII on it?




I just checked mine. Yes I do.

One mystery down.......... now does anyone have any of the old (notice I didn't say original) orange monsters with the MCMLXlll on the base?

[frankenstein73]

I have 15 orange original marx monsters,none have the date on them and all have the bar across it. Most have 19 cent stamps and three have sticker tags two of which is from Newberrys and the other is just a No name sticker. I have watched many auctions and have not seen an orange monster with the date on it. Ever. I know for a fact at least one set is without a doubt vintage, I bought them from a family who's mother was going to a retirement home
and her Boys were my dad's age, he was born in 1954. Along with that set I also bought a sears Hamilton invaders set,with box. A voyage to the bottom of the sea sears set, with box. A mpc horror house target set only missing one bullet. Original marx dinosaurs with the pot bellied t rex. A marx bedrock flinstones set with box. Tons of marx 6 inch sotw figures, and many more items to numerous to mention. All the toys i got that day were from that era. So I don't doubt that the orange set is original. I have yet to see an orange that even closely resembles the original color. All of my teal/blue monsters have the date on them and I have 12 of them. So until someone shows up with proof otherwise all teals have dates and all oranges do not. It's pretty easy to tell the difference between old and reproduction, the plastic is different. And the old ones have particular smell to them. I would imagine it's the plastic
breaking down. That's my 19 cents worth anyway!

[darkmonkeygod]

Did Marx, unlike most other companies, change the copyright date on the bottom of their toys as the years progressed and more runs were created? The impression is that Marx, like Auroura, had a good long run with their monsters. While Aurora added glow parts and changed the packaging (three times!) the copyright date on the models remained the same. Very often, copyright date is not the date of manufacture, but the date of registration or re-registration. 

[Haunted hearse]

The only thing a copyright date is good for, is to let you know it can't be older then that date, and is possibly newer.  I have some antiques which have serval copyright dates on them.  Maybe the reason for the bar across the date on later issues was Marx would perfer not broadcasting, later on during the run, that the designs were several years old.

[bigbud]

Frankenstein73........glad you finally added to this conversation. Lesson learned for me is that the oldest orange monster figures have the bar across the roman numerals. That is worth remembering.  Buddy

[frankenstein73]

You bet buddy. I've several of the reproduction sets as well,I started rebuying these monsters about 15 or so years ago. I remembered playing with my uncles set at my grandmothers house when i was a kid in the mid 70's.  two of which i still have, a hunchback and franky! And if memory serves me correctly i didnt start seeing the colored mexican repros until around  twelve years ago and they started showing up on ebay. Thats when i bought my first repro set,(dark blue)and a single black mummy. The blue set was good quality but The plastic was different shades from figure to figure,and the black mummy had major molding issues on his back. before then all I saw were the teal,orange, and the carded and loose glow versions. I never saw any other colors besides teal and orange until the repos  started showing up,that's why I don't think they ever made the vile green, yellow, Or red. If they did it was extremely limited, although I vaguely recall (or imagined?)seeing a yellow one showing up before then on eBay and it sold for quite a bit more than the teal and oranges were bringing. At the time I had No idea that Marx had supposedly made more colors? But it's been a long time and a year Or so after that the Mexican sets started showing up. i wish i would have paid more attention and could remember the dates and years i spent looking at these better, it would help narrowing down when the repos were started being made. Oh well, hindsight i guess. And I just realized I messed up in my previous post. My dad was born in 1949 not 54. Oops, sorry dad!