Spooky Surprise Grab Bags

[horrorhunter]

I moved all the "Spooky Surprise" posts over here from the "Elwar" thread. Might be a little confusing for someone coming along later.

Thanks, Mike.

[Hepcat]

I moved all the "Spooky Surprise" posts over here from the "Elwar" thread.

Yay!

[Hepcat]

That's my photo of some of my MPC's. That little orange Grim Reaper I've had since I was a kid but I don't really remember if I got it in a grab bag or from a vending machine, but it was one of those.

That photo superbly illustrates just how good the MPC Pop-Top sculpts really were. Excellent designs, exquisite detail, marvelous execution overall. They're just fabulous! It may be heresy to say so on this board but I actually rank them equal in quality to the Marx Universal monsters despite their smaller size.

[Hepcat]

these killer images on the back of the bag are tattoos.

I've loved the concept of tattoos with bubble gum ever since I was a kid! Here are a couple from my collection:





Then of course there were the wonderful Topps Monster Tatoos with designs by Jack Davis:

[Hepcat]

I believe that these little guys came in prize bags like this.

Here's a pic of the box:



The box is really cool (and not for sale).

Wow! Wild graphics! I would have been parting with many a nickel for those bags had I seen them as a kid.

[horrorhunter]

That photo superbly illustrates just how good the MPC Pop-Top sculpts really were. Excellent designs, exquisite detail, marvelous execution overall. They're just fabulous! It may be heresy to say so on this board but I actually rank them equal in quality to the Marx Universal monsters despite their smaller size.

If it is heresy then I'm right there with you. I dearly love the iconic Marx UniMons but the MPC Monsters are equally well done and they have that twisted creepy aesthetic that really puts them over the top. I actually enjoy them more than the Marx UniMons! I know, I know...assemble the torch wielding mob. Well, that's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it. 

The 1 1/2" versions are so well sculpted it makes me think that Becker might have enlisted MPC to knock off their own figures in the smaller size. Anyway, whoever made them did a great job. Most of them that I've seen seem to have pretty good quality control with the exception of the green ones in the "Heritage" type plastic. Maybe that particular type of plastic mix lent itself to short-moldings (plastic not filling out the mold). The ones I've seen in the flat lead-based plastic look great.

[Hepcat]

... they have that twisted creepy aesthetic that really puts them over the top.

Yes, they have a certain twisted creepy aesthetic! That's precisely it.

[Hepcat]

Here's some info from Todd Riley, an eBay seller I just purchased a grab bag and card from and requested info from:

Hey! I've dealt with Todd Riley on occasion. He's a regular advertiser in The Wrapper, a magazine to which I subscribe. (I've also been a very occasional contributor and it's high time I wrote another article.)



The Wrapper is an excellent resource for the non-sport card collector, and I heartily endorse subscribing:

Subscription Info - The Wrapper

[horrorhunter]

The Wrapper is a great publication for the non-sports trading card enthusiast. I subscribed to it for awhile when I was first building my monster trading card collection back around 2000. I bought several sets from dealers who advertised in The Wrapper including all three You'll Die Laughing sets (+ the test set), Horror Monsters Orange, most of Horror Monsters Green, both Dark Shadows sets, both Monster Laughs minis sets, the large Monster Laughs set, Addams Family, Outer Limits, Monster Cards (Blue), and several other sets, as well as a few full packs and wrappers. Since I only collect the monster related cards I let my sub lapse after I got the sets I wanted. But, about 3 years ago I re-subbed when I was looking for some of those newer Hammer cards. I noticed there wasn't many articles devoted to monster cards in particular so I let it lapse again. I still recommend The Wrapper if you're looking to buy monster cards, or if you are a non-sports fan in general. Some good articles in there, just not so many for monster collectors.

[Hepcat]

Thanks for this, HH!

Ref'fing another thread THIS is the  kind of thing that started me on the Monsterkid road, as a real KID! Long before I ever even saw the Uni classics.

Me too! My road to a life of monsterdom also started at five cents a pack. I'd been intrigued at the age of seven by the Topps You'll Die Laughing cards I'd seen in the schoolyard in 1959 but I never had any myself. I suspect that the two or three variety stores I frequented either didn't carry them or they quickly sold out but didn't restock since  the cards were a "seasonal" Halloween issue.

As a result I was primed and ready when the Leaf Spook Stories hit store shelves in early 1962 and collected them aggressively!



The stickers included in the packs were perhaps even cooler than the cards themselves:



Yes, five cents a pack was all it cost for me to be initiated into a lifetime of sordid monsterkid depravity!

[Hepcat]

Here's the pic of my MPC shelf (again...I'm wearin' this thing out  ):

It's such a cool shelf though that the pic demands repeated showings!

[Allhallowsday]

It's such a cool shelf though that the pic demands repeated showings!

I really like the yellow witch with the purple head... I had a few Pop-Top Horrors with their tops popped and swapped... these had been played with by original Monster Kids.   

[horrorhunter]

I really like the yellow witch with the purple head... I had a few Pop-Top Horrors with their tops popped and swapped... these had been played with by original Monster Kids.   

That one was played with originally by this Monsterkid. 

All of those loose Pop-Tops on that shelf are ones I had as a kid. I had several dupes which I sold over the years, but I kept one of each of the loose ones to display with the packaged ones I bought at Monster Bash in 2001. The four 2-packs were the first thing I bought at the Bash, and I gave $150 for the complete set of four 2-packs. Later one guy told me he planned to go back and buy them after he checked the dealers room. Good thing I grabbed them quickly. Those things are pricey these days.

Anyway, that Witch is a combo because my purple Witch had the bat broken off and I somehow lost the yellow witch's head. So, in the true spirit of Pop-Tops I ended up with a combo. 

[Hepcat]

...the packaged ones I bought at Monster Bash in 2001. The four 2-packs were the first thing I bought at the Bash, and I gave $150 for the complete set of four 2-packs.

A very wise buy indeed in retrospect!

[horrorhunter]

A very wise buy indeed in retrospect!

Yep. Here's a link to a post I made a few days ago reporting on some completed eBay auctions for some Pop-Top 2-packs with condition problems: http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=23458.msg511358#msg511358

This one sold for $280. Check out the base on the orange Witch. 



One sold for nearly $400! Not only is it hard to afford them now, but it's even more difficult to find undamaged examples to try to purchase. What a difference a few years makes.