Popularity of Godzilla Toys

It’s a little known fact that the very 1st Godzilla film was released at the time of 1954 Japan. Collecting Godzilla artifacts, however, did not start until about 10 years later. The first time the toys began to pop up in large numbers, and interestingly enough even although the Japanese produced a wide variety of nice-looking monster toys it was actually the Americans who got going. This is something that a lot of people do not now. The first licensed toy came in the form of gun as well as a target game that was released in 1955 he came out about the same time as the film Godzilla was a re-release of the Godzilla movie as well as Gigantis the Fire Monster which is the American dub version. This would be the only licensed product and nothing else would be released for another 8 years. It wasn’t until 1963 that the company Ideal began to develop the game based upon Godzilla along with the famous Monster King Kong. We now have 2 separate games based on Godzilla and King Kong and this would launch what we now know was the film that would come out in 1962 King Kong versus Godzilla.

The original King Kong that came out in 1933, was rereleased in 1956. It was also the year that the very 1st Godzilla would hit the American beaches in the year 1956. It was fueled by these 2 movies that suddenly the monster boom took off. Moving on to the second kit which was actually released through Aurora Models they released a Godzilla kit in 1964. It could be one of the most famous of all released kits, and the most widely known as well. Aurora Models had already leased an extremely popular line of “Human size” monster kits. They chose to re-release kits of two of the most well-known “Giant Sized” monsters one being King Kong and yes the other being Godzilla.

The two models that were released have sold extremely well, even at the more expensive price of 29 dollars as most of the Aurora kits cost USD.98 per unit. It’s interesting to note that the prices are still the same today. I’m sure they are at about 10 times that price. If there isn’t more. It’s a fact that isn’t widely known that the success and popularity of Godzilla did not go unnoticed when it was in Japan. This is when the Murasan Company Hua the makers of many different children’s toys in Japan thought that if the Godzilla model did so well in the United States and that they could make even more of one that was made in other countries. They took the Aurora model and added a simplified version, giving an appearance which was very similar to that of Japanese comics that appeal to children at that time.

In the initial 2 years of Murasan Company releasing that Godzilla it did in fact have moderate success during the first two years following its release. It wasn’t until the year one that monsters from science fiction general started to increase in popularity, and they and the Murasan Company decided that perhaps they should look well into making a line that included monster toys and models specifically designed for children. At that time in 1966 that the Ultra-Q Series which had spawned several different kinds of monsters. The series would create the Ultraman series. We are aware that Ultraman does battle a lot of monsters.

At or around the time I would guess around 1965, which is the year they introduced Gamera for the first time. He is now a huge flying Terrapin who is now recognized in the present. Godzilla would be more in the role of a hero than a villain and this would continue to be it all the way through in the Showa Series. It was not until 1984 that Godzilla would return to his vile roots and was to remain in that position until 2014. Godzilla would return to his evil roots until 2014. Murasan Company did in fact react by releasing a variety of new products, but for the first time in a vinyl version instead of the plastic version. It was targeted at the children’s market, as it is well known that children tend to put items in their mouths or they could look at it with their eyes that’s why they came out with these toys in vinyl. The Godzilla line of toys , this would include Godzilla, Mothra, and Ebirah from the just-released movie that came out in Godzilla versus the sea monster, or its tentative title is Ebirah: Horror of the Deep. A variety of monsters were released on vinyl of the Ultra-Q Series.

Also, Gamera which is a flying Terrapin was also made available on vinyl. Daimajin from the movie with the same name and they were also the first to release Baragon from the film Frankenstein Conquers the World they were released in 1965. Other releases of the high-end plastic toys, like a plastic wired control kit for Baragon and Ebirah and more. You can also find these in the toys of Baragon and Godzilla These particular toys are uncommon as nobody makes items like this in a metal tin. I think it would be extremely cool to get my hands on something like this. The items that I just mentioned are made of tin or iron they cost nearly four times over the prices of the vinyl toys. They also were sold moderately well as they were kept for several years.

It was soon to be the next year, that I believe to be 1966. Minya, Gorosaurus, Mechani-Kong and King Kong (although titled giant gorilla on the packaging) it also had an King Kong that was a controlled model kit that was wired. Plamodel included a Godzilla kit which was released in this year. It was the final Godzilla toy that the Murasan Company would produce. The reason for this is because the company fell into difficult times financially. Keep in mind another factor is that this toy was very expensive to manufacture and in the end it would be the smallest release of the Marusan collection of toys.

In 1968, due to their financial problems, The Murasan Company neglected to add any new figures to the Godzilla line. This meant that they missed a possibility of releasing the King Ghidorah figure to go along with the film just released in the year 1968. The movie was called “Destroy all Monsters” that was released in theaters of that year. Another fact that is not widely known is that due to the rise in the popularity of Gamera and, yes, there was an Ultraman Series Ultra Seven and its characters the Murasan Company would not even be able to launch the two figures that were left in the Godzilla line that they have been working on and they comprised Gabara and Minya and this was before the decline in sales forced that forced the company to shut its doors in the year 1970. Another reason these figures are so highly priced is because the company has ceased to exist and if that you own any of these lines, they are quite valuable to that very reason.

In this article, we will discuss another company that has entered the market. It’s called Bullmark and this company is expected to really protect Godzilla. Godzilla toy line, if this seems reasonable. The firm actually did buy molds of the default company that was the Murasan Company and the Bullmark company had the potential to be a success, so they went to work and added some new figures to the line one being Ultraman. Bullmark was focusing on superheroes , like Ultraman at the point at which time it was becoming the rage on TV since kids were eager to purchase all of these figures in the amount they were able to. Even though the revenues on the new Godzilla films were in a decline in the early 70s as we have seen in 1975 with the film Terror of Mechagodzilla would be the final film that the Toho Company would make until 1984.

In the meantime, the Toho Company was even starting to pack their older films, including cartoons and other kids’ features, and then release them in special “Festivals” to attract the young audiences. Asahi Sonorama would start to publish children’s books and record sets with these new films as well as when the older films were repackaged at festivals. The books they released were very well and children were thrilled to hear the sound effects and the songs from their favourite films. Remember the days before soundtracks or VCRs and yet technology was primitive , now everything is at hand. By 1970 it was the time that Bullmark Company would rerelease several of the Murasan Company’s earlier models, such as Baragon, Mothra, Gorosaurus, Mechani-Kong , and Ebirah Horror of the Deep. This was the time when the Bullmark company would also add three additional Kaiju’s to their lineup that were popular as Godzilla’s co-costars. These included Anguirus, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. By doing this the Bullmark company was able to follow the success of these creatures with the release of a couple of other Toho monsters that had never been released before one being Varan the Unbievable, and Moguera.

It is then that the Bullmark company came out with an additional and limited edition of large-scale versions of their 3 best sellers and they include Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and believe it or it’s not Baragon. With this release this would be the Godzilla toy that you would encounter in the opening scene of the Toho Company’s next installment of the Godzilla series. That film is called Godzilla against the smog beast which came out in 1971. Eventually they would add the smog monster to their collection as well.

When the year 1971 dawned, the season of the holidays, the Bullmark company decided to capture a portion of the greater disposable income by releasing the Murasan Company’s tin toy series again. They also added Jiraasu to the lineup this is an animal that was part of the Ultraman series the original Ultraman episodes 10 is the actual 1964 Godzilla suit. The suit which was so badly damaged that it had to take out the head and they substituted it with the 1966 Godzilla in contrast to the sea monster head. They then put an ornament around his neck and also gave him different hues.

By 1972 it would see Godzilla versus Gigan released in 1972. film Godzilla against Gigan and of course the vinyl figures would soon be available, and yes, there were modifications made to the tenant Godzilla mold to create the most modern Godzilla. Due to the issues with the castings of the metal Gigan mold, it wasn’t available beyond a a short periods in the stores and did end up being one of the more difficult toys to find in the entire Godzilla toy line. It was unfortunate that this great monster boom was on its last legs because children’s fascination in monsters began to fade. They were turning their attention to something else , as they became bored with their old toys and switching to newer toys that were more thrilling to them.

The next 2 Godzilla films had C the lowest audience in the entire series and Bullmark nevertheless produced the final toys for these brand new monsters. Those monsters were Megalon and Mechagodzilla. At this point, American collectors also had their patience be rewarded, and 2 new Japanese monster items hit the toy market in the shape of model kits from the Aurora Company. The first one is named Rodan and the other one was King Ghidorah these with the newest line of toys by Aurora. Sales of these particular toys and the specific line in general did not meet Aurora’s expectations. In fact, the entire line was scrapped before the company suggested that a prototype already made to be released. Godzilla kit that would be made available for sale.

Because of the lack of interest, it forced Bullmark to stop producing vinyl monsters as of 1975. However they did try to spark the fire under their license for the Toho monsters once more in 1977. The latest rival Popy’s Line created diecast robotic versions of the show gun warriors have been extremely popular in Japan since most people realize that these robotic versions were the most popular trend at the time. This was when Bullmark made the decision to make their own versions of the Toho monsters as diecast metal and rubber figures of the monsters that were released the diecast versions were Godzilla, Baragon, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, and Gigan the releases were all in rubber and metal diecast figures , all sporting firing missiles, as well as a variety of other weapons. However the sales on these specific items aren’t so strong as they had hoped they would be. Consequently for the next release of the series they came up with and Anguirus figure , which was designed more like a simple robot instead of a monster, and very similar to the line of competition.

Although they had announced their plans to release Mothra and Moguera they were never produced or released this would be the last that The Bullmark Company would manufacture before they filed for bankruptcy. In 1978, Popy would later acquire all of the rights from the bankrupt company and they began to launch the line they created that consisted of Godzilla toys UK. However , to avoid making the same mistakes that Bullmark could make, they decided to release more of a more serious approach to monsters. One is called “Jumbo Source” This is a very massive Godzilla toy that actually had the most real Godzilla roar. It is still as one of the more well-loved and sought after toys. The appeal of this brand is not just to children but to the emerging adult collectors market.

Sadly, without new films that could support them or keep showing on TV the small collection of collectors was not enough to sustain the whole line of toys. The company discontinued making Godzilla toys and instead focused on their more lucrative lines. This is when Mattel attempted to duplicate the popularity of Popy’s toys in Europe by launching Show Gun Warriors here in America however they would not be able to secure the rights to a few of their designs on vinyl were granted to attempt to capitalize on the recently launched Godzilla cartoon that was shown on Saturday mornings and this show is known as “The Godzilla Power Hour” that features a 1970s-style Godzilla it does not look exactly like the Godzilla we have today, but it is quite well-known today to the majority of Godzilla fans.

Mattel was set to release what’s known as “Godzilla’s Gang” character, however it was halfhearted and a failed effort however since the cartoon did not have any other Toho monsters in it. Mattel decided not to purchase the rights of any of the other characters or monsters that were part of the series. Instead, Mattel makes use of the molds of those characters in”Ultra,” the “Ultra” series that was much more well-known in Japan in the era of. The show gun warrior line was hit with a similar fate as the toys were not properly constructed and did not provide any entertainment value as they did in Japan. The line did in fact fold after a couple of years, but not before adding two additional figures to the line of salt after Godzilla toys. They introduced a Godzilla figure which was loosely based on the Jumbosaurus but there was something distinct about this particular figure. It was missing the back fence, replaced with few crude lumps and some roars and even the flame top, so this figure was quite different and would be the last figure Mattel would release in this particular fashion. The final figure Mattel what issue will be a gorgeous Rodan piece that had the wingspan of 3 feet. It is an amazing piece.

Mattel wisely decided to take the name of the show gun warriors off of the box and instead simply referred to it as Rodan under the banner of “the world’s most terrifying monsters” this particular series set the bar high even though it contained only “world’s most terrifying monsters” that was ever made available. Toys over the next couple of years would take a noticeable drop from the spotlight over the following years. One particular company called Beetland this company being the sole active license that was able to release new products. Their most notable items released during this period included books of all kinds. The release of “Asahi Sonorama Fantastic Collection Number 5 Godzilla” in addition to “Kodansha’s complete collection of Godzilla” this was where fans were finally get access to insider information and photos in addition to based on the films.

Around 1982 when we start seeing conventions that were held in the early days of Japan were also serving as proof for the collectible worth of some of their earlier toys and other merchandise. It was through these shows that the company Bullmark vinyl figurines first started to be viewed with it was then that they were released with extravagant price for USD100 or more. In 1983, the release of the very first Godzilla film in the midst of an entire decade was officially revealed. In 1983, Godzilla merchandise started what was quite a quantum leap in the past, and not just items produced but and death with a wide range and incredible detail. In 1983, Yamakatsu would go ahead and create a truly amazing Godzilla series that included seven highly collectible figures and that includes the brand-new company called Bandai was set to launch Brandon figures for sale.

The company Bandai will go ahead and release many more figures and greater variety of sizes than any other company to date. In 1989 we’d get the release of Godzilla versus Biollante film. Godzilla versus Biollante 1989. By this particular point in time we would be returned to the Bandai version of Anguirus, Megalon, Rodan, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, King Ghidorah and the Mothra larva. There was also a reissue of a Godzilla character that was intended to look similar to the screen version of him from 1964 . They also decided to re-released the large-size Godzilla they made available in 1984 in the “Great Monster Series” even though these versions are slightly smaller in size. It also included a larger Mothra larva in the following year in much the same fashion.

There was a lot of reluctance about the opinions of people about the new monster Bandai decided not to create the Biollante at the time. They King Ghidorah figure of the Great Monster Series would never ever be rereleased, which was due to the poorly designed wings which was almost certain to fall off after assembly for the first time. In 1991, a fresh Godzilla film would again be released and this one is titled Godzilla versus King Ghidorah 1991. It is not widely known that at this time , there would be another Godzilla film released each season for 5 years. This has not been done in the 1960s since. Yes, just like clockwork every winter the Bandai Company would release toys from the latest movie with other classic monsters as well. By the initial release of this film, I have released a brand new updated Version of Godzilla along with King Ghidorah from that film. There is a larger version of the new mega-King Ghidorah and Godzilla to go with him.

After 1992’s release of the new film Godzilla against Mothra Bandai would issue vinyl figures of the first Mothra and a Biollante figurine that would then appear. Also released during this time was Minya, Baragon, and Mechani Kong as we’ve already known. Mechani-Kong from the film King Kong escapes which came out in 1967. The release also included a recently modernized version of Mothra and a new creature called Batra with its larva stage and the stage for adults. It also happens to be the year when Bandai will release a repainted collection of 10 Bullmark figures introducing a younger generation to the toys of their parents.

1993 was a great year, and saw the largest number of Bandai vinyl characters to date. were released and also knew figures were released to promote the new film Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla that came out in 1993. In addition to those releases, there was the brand new Kaiju they call Godzillasaurus, Gorosaurus, Hedorah the Smog Monster, Kamacuras, King Caesar, King Kong, and, finally, Jaguar. Within this very same year it marked the release of what is perhaps the most impressive achievement of a Godzilla collection of figures. That is the first release of the 1st Tokyo Marui radio control Godzilla figure . It is an incredible feat of engineering.

In the next two years he would slow down the release of vinyl characters and also see a slight upturn in the releases of battery operated and hire and figures like The Deluxe Series (Godzilla, Moguera, Space Godzilla, and Destroyah) by this point , it appears that the creative capabilities of Bandai seems to have been at its highest as of 1996. This also led to the issuance of a repainted figures in the “Godzilla Forever Series” as well as the “Godzilla Memorial Box” a little-known fact about Bandai during the 1990s when they did not release any new figures from the Godzilla line until 1996. For most collectors, it is a good thing that they will not be able to live the lengths of time without it because America finally has a Godzilla line that they can call their own and in America, we have the trendmaster Corporation. United States we have the launch of the Trendmaster Corporation.

This was an American manufacturer that will launch toy figures such as Varan the Unbievable, Mothra, Gigan, Anguirus, Biollante, and all of the new monsters who spelled have yet to be revealed in the USA. Prior example of that would include Destroyah, Space Godzilla, the little Godzilla Baby Godzilla, as well as others from the Heisei characters from their series. In May 1998, with the release of the 1st American-made Godzilla film that the majority of people aren’t happy about for silly reasons and never to be beaten in the same way by American counterparts there were several smaller Japanese businesses that decided to fill in the gap given by Bandai Marmit being one of the companies to produce a line of toys. Another company to have jumped on the bandwagon is am-1, another producer of fantastic Godzilla vinyl kits and is owned by a lifelong Godzilla fan who declared plans to make the line of Godzilla vinyl figures . This includes a variety of figures that have yet be released as toys. I’ll leave you with this message that the future for Godzilla collectibles seems brighter as we progressed into 2015 and there are a lot of other companies out there producing Godzilla toys and statues. The statues that they create are incredible the items I’ve observed there are so many options for those who are avid collectors that you aren’t able to even imagine.