Three words for you. Super Deformed Anthony Perkins. Wait, that's four. Oh, yeah, and it's an eraser. I need this. And a Nosferatu? Wait, is that the "head crab" from The Thing!? And... holy shit... Is that Tor Johnson!? Think about that for a minute: Super Deformed Tor Johnson. What kid WOULDN'T want to bring a tiny effigy of Tor to math class?
They're from 1986, released as part of an old Bandai "gashapon" capsule toy series called "SD Horror World," and I never would have known of their existence save for a chance encounter in a Nakano Broadway antiques shop the other day. All the classics are here. There's one of Frankenstein's Monster, a Mummy, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, a really demented-looking Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Fly, a Lon Chaney style Phantom of the Opera, the Metaluna Mutant... The list goes on. If anything represents the sheer awesomeness of the Japanese approach to toy merchandising, this is it. Because why use one of those rectangular pink jobs if you can use an eraser in the shape of a corpse-loving, oedipally obsessed slasher instead?
That looks more like Willem DaFoe than Anthony Perkins.
Posted by: Roger | February 12, 2009 at 10:02 AM
PLATOON erasers are the wave of the future, my friend.
Posted by: MattAlt | February 12, 2009 at 10:12 AM
Uh.. You're "Tor Johnson" is actually Alfred Hitchcock.
I've known about these for quite some time. As you know, I moonlight as a monster collector. ;) I've got a few of these in various colors.. Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Creature, The Metaluna Mutant, The Wolf Man, The Fly, The Thing, The Mole People, Dracula, Nosferatu, The Thing (1951), Norman Bates and Jaws (with frightened kid on it's back!). Still missing a few like the Hunchback, The Phantom and the Mummy.
There were some other neat things in the Horror World line. Among those, a Creature stamp moistener...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/nekrodave/5.jpg
A Wolf Man scissor holder..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/nekrodave/1-2.jpg
A Frankenstein pencil sharpener..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/nekrodave/5-1.jpg
I heard there was a Mummy thing too, but I don't know what as I've never seen it. All these are much, much rarer than the erasers. I owned the ones pictured but stupidly traded them. Managed to re-acquire the Creature though.
Best of all though is the Thriller Game board game which, though it bears the Horror World logo, was actually made by Takara. Two versions were made. One with red tray holding the figures (more common) and another with a white tray.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/nekrodave/3000_6681.jpg
Posted by: NekroDave | February 12, 2009 at 01:28 PM
Damn it, Dave, he'll always be Tor Johnson to me.
But even if I'm wrong, I can offer this tidbit as a sort of mea culpa. Did you know there was supposed to be a martian in the series as well? Mandarake sold off the prototype a while back:
http://www.mandarake.co.jp/information/2008/12/09/21nkn11/index.html
Posted by: MattAlt | February 12, 2009 at 03:08 PM
I can't believe I have eraser envy...
Posted by: Bernie | February 12, 2009 at 03:10 PM
The link to "The Fly" doesn't work, it links to the Hunchback image... Other than that, awesome find as always.
Posted by: JayWicky | February 12, 2009 at 05:46 PM
Thanks for the catch! Fixed... And added images of Bride of Frankenstein and the Mummy for your troubles.
Posted by: MattAlt | February 12, 2009 at 08:26 PM
No! I did not know that! I wonder what it sold for? I would have loved to have scored that.
Posted by: NekroDave | February 12, 2009 at 11:15 PM
There are stuff like this on almost every modern culture. Anyone remember the garbage can kids from the states?
Posted by: freedomev | February 13, 2009 at 11:43 PM
I think my little brother might have acquired these somehow. Was there a house along with it? I vaguely remember the house resembling the Bates Manor from Psycho.
Posted by: Nick | March 19, 2009 at 01:42 PM