Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was an instant sensation upon its publication in 1897, but it took sixty-odd years for the crafty bloodsucker to break the plastic barrier. Although he was one of the first Universal Monsters to receive his own Aurora model in 1962, the Count would have to wait three more years to receive an actual toy.
Produced by MPC in 1965, Dracula and his his monstrous ilk saw release in the Spooky Halloween Pop Top Horror Monster Figures set. The figures were unpainted molded plastic, and featured odd cartoonish sculpts that offered no articulation other than removable heads. Scoff at that if you will, but when it comes to Dracula, removing his head counts as an action feature! Sold in grocery stores and 5-and-dimes, these 5-inch figures were the best a monster-starved kid could do back then. Sad, I know, but things were about to get a lot better.
1974 Mego Corp entered into talks with Universal Pictures concerning licensing its horror movie characters for an upcoming toy line. The company had recent success with Marvel and DC properties and was looking to expand. Mego had hit upon a lucrative formula for producing a wide variety of action figures: using “stock” bodies, the company created different characters using unique head sculpts and soft-goods costuming. While Universal ultimately turned down Mego’s offer, that didn’t stop the upstart toy company from producing its own line of (non-movie) Monsters.
When people reminisce about their Mego Monsters, they’re thinking of the above figures only half of the time. That’s because smaller companies like Azrak Hamway, Lincoln, and Tomland were digging in the same graveyard, so to speak. Each of these companies produced their own 8-inch versions of Drac and his pals between 1974 and 1980, creating confusion in the minds of misty-eyed nostalgics who remember having “a” Dracula but aren’t too clear on the particulars.
Never one to be outdone, Remco took a shot at the Count and his gang in 1980. I took a look at them here. Unlike Mego, who used a fairly average body type across its line, Remco had chosen a beefier build for its figures; compared to Mego’s version of Drac, the Remco figure looks more like a linebacker than the undead. And while the bodies were bigger, Remco still followed Mego’s lead when it came to screen-printing Dracula’s evening wear. I guess bow-tie technology hadn’t penetrated the world of action figures just yet.
In between all of this action-figure-y goodness, Ideal gave us the now-legendary Scare Cycles. Monster fans could chose from Dracula, Frankstein, or, oddly enough, the Grim Reaper. These gyro-powered bikes were great for either play or display. Launched from glowing haunted house bases, the Scare Cycles would zip across any hard surface, terrorizing any peasants or household pets unfortunate enough to be in their way. Now highly prized thanks to their funky designs and easily damaged nature, Scare Cycles are classic kitsch that any collector would be proud to have on their shelves.
Jakks-Pacific looked to alleviate the monster drought in the 1980s, to mixed success. It’s not like their heart wasn’t in the right place (just behind and slightly left of the breastbone, for those of you with sharpened stakes), but the company’s aesthetic was better suited to wrestlers than monsters. Still, they did give ol’ Vlad a try. It’s not a bad likeness for the time, and his li’l coffin is amusing enough, but this sucker goes in the “Well, at least you tried” pile. See also Imperial Toys, Toy Island, Diamond Select, and that time Donatello dressed up like Dracula in the Playmates TMNT line.
In 1997 Burger King produced 4 Universal Monsters action figures for its Kids Meals. Evoking Remco’s 4-inch offerings, the figures sported minimal articulation but some nice overall sculpts. Each figure had an action feature — Dracula “rose from the dead” thanks to a small lever situated at the base of his included coffin. Considering these figures were free with purchase of a burger and fries, they were a great little set. Seriously, when was the last time you ate at a fancy restaurant and they brought you a Hot Toys figure at the end of the meal?
The Fwoosh’s own canonball reviewed Toy Biz’s 2008 Marvel Legends Monsters set here. The included Dracula figure was… odd, to say the least. Built on the Prox. X body from ML8, the Count was plagued ugly ball hips and an overly thick torso overlay unbefitting the King of the Vampires. Marvel’s comic version of the Count hewed closer to Stoker’s original vision, meaning along with his trademark fangs and widow’s peak he sported a mustache. Its a little thing, but as a kid I just couldn’t accept the Count with a dirt squirrel.
Sideshow Toys produced a terrific Dracula in their 8-inch Universal Monsters series, which I reviewed here. Sculpted by Sideshow Toys’ resident monster-maker Oluf W. Hartvigson, the Count features a wonderful Lugosi likeness. The articulation is limited, but the figure was designed to strike specific poses from the film and does that beautifully. He also came with a staircase base, an intricate candelabra, and a bat for company. Hey, it gets lonely up in that castle with no one to talk to!
Classic TV Toys “The Dreadful Dracula” was a recreation of Mego’s Mad Monsters figure down to his drawn-on dinner jacket and spats. Admittedly a step down from its classic inspiration, ol’ Dreadful hit before the big Mego renaissance, which made him cheap and plentiful. Sadly, the figures had serious quality issues and were prone to breakage, gaining a bad reputation among collectors. Eventually, Classic TV Toys began calling itself Figures Toy Company and is now doing all right for itself.
If you like your monsters pint-sized, Funko has you covered. These little guys are a cute take on the old classics. They may not be the kind of thing we old-timey collectors go for, but if it brings some fresh attention to the classics then all the better. Consider them pony-sized bottles of horror for the lightweights.
And to show that everything old is new again, Funko’s Re-Action has just released their own 3 3/4-inch “retro-styled” figures. Moving at the “big five” and featuring minimal paint apps, these figures intentionally evoke a simpler time in action figure collection. Before the super-detailed, hyper-articulated manikins of today, we made due with more totemic representations of our horror favorites. And you know what? That was okay. Dracula was never the type to show off his parkour skills or bust out kung-fu moves (Dracula and the Legends of the 7 Golden Vampires notwithstanding.) All he needed to do was stand and beckon, then bend over enough to bite his lovely victims. We don’t need 40 points of articulation or complex paint apps to have fun, just imagination. And when it comes to playing with toys isn’t that what its all about?
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A special thanks to Gary Joseph Haygood for the use of his image.
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