Marx Monsters

[ToyMemories]

Hi, new here... and looks like a fun place 
Erin had written me regarding those timeless childhood classics, the Marx 6" monsters (also favorites of my troubled youth).
Hopefully I'll be able to add something to the discussion in some way soon.  Regretfully I never seem to have much of any spare time (including to eat dinner, ack...) but I'll try as I can 
Right now, trying to check out the posts some.
Me?
Hello... my name is Mike... and some people think I'm... well, insane.
My site, ToyMemories.com (used to be 3 different; ToyMemories.com, MarxFiles.com and MultipleToymakers.com until AOL ambushed me and obliterated its' hosting, after which the three were mutated into just the TM site.  Before= thousands of pics, a variety of articles.  Now, a lot less pics and articles, which makes me sad.) and my interest is in toys (original Marx being my favorite), and the behind the scenes material and history.  Mostly older stuff, I try to keep to early 1980's and back (newer stuff just isn't the same, to me at least).
Some people make fun of me and say that when I was young I had drawings of toys, and didn't have actual toys... haha... but I know that's just light-hearted kidding, as I had prototypes of toys too 
So, thanks for having me, I'll look around a bit...

(this was one of my older picture links for the Marx Files site, an original Marx design drawing, colorized, of my favorite... the Creature)

[zombiehorror]

Welcome aboard Mike!!!  As Mike mentioned I sent him an e-mail regarding some of these questions over the Marx monsters after I found his site http://www.marxfiles.com/, a site by the way which is loaded with tons of Marx info!!!  I don't know how the site has escaped me as I've done searches for Marx stuff before and never found it?!?  I do suggest everyone go and check it out!!

I also informed Mike about the Marx Frankenstein sculpt pics that were posted here a while back!  If anyone has them saved (or is the owner of the sculpt) maybe they can be re-upped so he (and others that may have missed them) can check them out?!

I look forward to any info that can be dug up on the Marx Monsters, hopefully some still exists in the documents of the Marx files?!

[Sean]

Love the Strange Frank!

[ToyMemories]

Thanks, Erin!   
Yes, that was some e-mail... haha
I believe I saw the original monster prototypes when they "first" sold, but they went way more than I could handle.  Like I mention, my brain is perpetually swamped, but I even think I saw one of them re-sell after that (again, expensive).  I do own a variety of other original Marx 6" figure prototypes, and they're extra cool art in that size.
I know I have some info., not all-inclusive, but I have to dig it up (could take a little time).  Personally, before the Mexican re-issues showed up, all I had seen since I was a kid were the blue and orange like many others here apparently.
One of my favorite things, check my post above as I added a pic; I had taken an original Marx design drawing for the Creature (it was the one I liked best out of the 6), colorized it and used it for a site link a while back.
Below, here, is one of various site title pics I had used when the MarxFiles site was independent of the others.  I had changed the title pic almost monthly for a while (sadly can't do that anymore...)
So, hopefully I'll be able to add something to the story.
Anyways, thanks again, Erin!  Seems like a cool place...

[Hepcat]

Cream/Uncle Milton:  The placement of the copyright info matches my teal set, the circled C is at the front of all the bases, the Marx info on the Hunchback is located on the same side as my teal

Glow/Uncle Milton:  All copyrights again match my teal set, there is no Marx info on them.

I take it that the Uncle Milton Marx figures were properly licenced repros.



Were the cream ones packaged and sold the same way as the glow-in-the-dark ones? Do you have a picture of an Uncle Milton cream figure side-by-side with a glow one?

[Monsters For Sale]

The Cream (or Buckskin) colored Marxies were issued in by Uncle Milton in 1991 as a boxed set, complete with paints and brush.

[zombiehorror]

I take it that the Uncle Milton Marx figures were properly licenced repros.

Were the cream ones packaged and sold the same way as the glow-in-the-dark ones? Do you have a picture of an Uncle Milton cream figure side-by-side with a glow one?

First question yes.

Next, as far as I know the cream were sold individually loose or in a boxset called Monster Studio, the glow were sold both on card and loose.

Finally, here's the best I could do since my girls have all the cream ones painted, this was the one that had the least paint on him!

[Hepcat]

The blue Hunchback is representative of the common teal, although it looks way bluer in that picture!  The Frankenstein is green but not what I (originally) considered vile green because of this picture:



Which I also found at http://www.jeffs60s.com/  If this picture represents the "original" colors then you have teal (Which does appear more accurately in this pic than his other.), orange, rose, green and yellow (Which if I'm correct is actually a lime green, at least to my eyes!?)

Did Jeff ever get back to you with respect to where he got that picture?

[Unknown Primate]

Lovin' this thread!

[Wicked Lester]

I bought my Uncle Milton's in that comic shop loose for $3 each over 20 something years ago. I was never much of a mummy figure fan until I got one in the vile green a few months back.

I had this awhile back but traded it to Bane and some other stuff for the Pop Top repops. This may or may not have some info needed to this thread but it is a cool mag nonetheless.

[Hepcat]

Did Jeff ever get back to you with respect to where he got that picture?

So I sent Jeff an email asking him myself. Here is his reply:

Those images were created in photoshop to simulate the same ones sold in the early and mid 60's. A friend of mine had the gray re-issue set, and I took shots of them and retouched the colors in. There are still some pics of the colored figures around on the web. I've seen a blue hunchback out there.

Ulp!!! So the picture has been colourized and doesn't constitute evidence of the existence of the Bilious Rose and Creepy Yellow figures.

[zombiehorror]

Ulp!!! So the picture has been colourized and doesn't constitute evidence of the existence of the heretofore unseen colours.

No, I figured that photo was manipulated, the only evidence is Jeff's own recollection of seeing/having those colors and the info in Playset magazine that coincides!

[jeffs60s]

These are really nice paint jobs! Love 'em!

[Hepcat]

Look at this shyster on Ebay slyly intimitating that his tan repros were molded by Marx in 1963:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marx-Universal-Monsters-Phantom-Hunchback-Wolfman-Frankenstein-Mummy-Creature-/170788140220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c3c434bc

Title says it all (or almost all!)

date on bottom says MCMLXIII which is 1963

[Hepcat]

I always felt they needed to be painted to fully enjoy the sculpts. As good as any resin kit IMO.  Here are a few from the Monster Studio kit I painted up, still gotta do the Creature and Mr. Modo. 

Nice! Beautiful paint job!