The Creature ~ only model figures need apply

[Sir Masksalot]

With Creature month drawing to a close and summer's stifling heat setting in,
how about one last dip in the icy Black Lagoon? Just remember: No lifeguard on duty!



It's been bested several times since but I'll never forget the excitement when Tsukuda Hobby
first released their jumbo Gillman figure in the mid 1980s. The size, the pose, the detail;
all quite impressive >



Although smaller and similarly posed, Billiken's Creature was a fine addition to their
canon of classics. The legs on mine are weighted so it can stand without a base >



They also offered a She Creature, shown with Billiken USA president M.C. Ruffalo >



Horizon Hobbies & Toys soon swam up with a 13" Gillman and left all others in their wake >



When it came to swimming, Geometric Designs captured their Creature in a dynamic pose >



Of course it all started with Aurora's and Marx's figures in the 1960s.
Does anyone happen to remember which came first?

     

If not, do remember to reply with more pics of Creature model kits
and action figures before the water gets too warm.

[Anton Phibes]

Neat thread. One minor correction: The Creature swimming you have pictured is actually a cold cast kit sculpted by Chris Walas and released by Dark Horse. Geometric's is this one. The Dark Horse is highly favored by many since Walas worked in Hollywood fx.

[Mike Scott]

Of course it all started with Aurora's and Marx's figures in the 1960s.
Does anyone happen to remember which came first?

They both came out in 1963, but I couldn't tell you which one hit the stores first.

[Hepcat]

They also offered a She Creature, shown with Billiken USA president M.C. Ruffalo

It should of course be noted that there's no association between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the She-Creature. The latter was not a Universal Pictures discovery but was instead introduced to movie audiences by rival studio American International Pictures in this docu-drama from 1956:





 

[Hepcat]

The Dark Horse is highly favored by many since Walas worked in Hollywood fx.

So you're implying that Chris Walas therefore had more chances to actually observe the Creature in the jungles of the Amazon and could consequently sculpt a more accurate likeness?