The Incredible Shrinking 31 Days of Toy Terror: Spring-Heeled Jack from Monster in My Pocket by Matchbox

 

   It just wouldn't be 31 Days of Toy Terror without looking at a Monster in My Pocket minifigure, would it? Not only are they one of the best horror toylines from the Golden Age of toys but they're also also perfectly fitting for this year's theme: The Incredible Shrinking 31 Days of Toy Terror! Today I'm looking at another of my favorite MIMP minifigures, Spring-Heeled Jack. I love the Victorian Era and Spring-Heeled Jack's period of activity very much followed it as his first appearance was in October of 1837, just a couple months after the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, and his last noted appearance was in 1904, just a few years after her death in 1901. Was Spring-Heeled Jack a malevolent supernatural entity, a mischievous and ill-willed prankster, an extremely acrobatic pervert, an extraterrestrial being, or the devil himself? Perhaps he was the real-life equivalent of someone who just put all of their RPG stats into agility or acrobatics? He was a pop culture juggernaut during the Victorian Era, eventually even turning into more of a folk hero and precursor to the superheroes that would come about in the early 20th century. I have a shelf or two of various horror icons and other characters from the Victorian Era and that's where this guy likes to hang out. Ready to check out Spring-Heeled Jack? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 1 3/8ths inches

Monster #: 45

Year of Release: 1990

The Positives:

* I actually have two Spring-Heeled Jacks in my collection. He was released in all four of the original colors (green, purple, red, and yellow) and was later released in five more colors. He's an interesting looking figure, posed like he's in the middle of landing or beginning to leap. He's a dramatic looking figure and the bottom of his coat even looks like it's moving. I loved the MIMP figures based on urban legends and such. They were just some of the best releases in the line.

* Spring-Heeled Jack's face is really wild. Reports varied about his appearance but there were quite a few witnesses who noted that he had flames coming out of his eyes or the ability to spit fire. It looks a bit like he's wearing some funky glasses, but a closer examination does seem to show these as being flames. He's wearing a maniacal grin, too fitting for someone who seemed to have no other purpose but to scare people on the streets at night. 

* I really love the pose on this minifigure. It's very dramatic and just makes him more fun to play around with. He looks very cool on the shelf, especially with his head at such an odd angle with his arms flailing about. Having him standing just on the toes of his shoes is also a unique detail, all the more admirable due to the fact that he can actually stand on his own. 

   I didn't have that many Monster in My Pocket figures as a kid. Oddly enough, I had more of the Super Scary series figures than the regular ones. I did have the full set of Monster in My Pocket trading cards, however. I loved them but they also creeped me out! Spring-Heeled Jack was a character I'd never of of before and he definitely seemed like one of the scarier ones to me as a kid. The figure? It's Great. He's an excellent mini-figure and even though he's only worth 5 points (there was a simple point based game with these guys), he's one of my favorites. 




This is the first figure of Spring-Heeled Jack I've reviewed on the site. For more Monster in My Pocket reviews check out the following:

Astaroth 

Creature from the Closet 

Drude

Dybbuk  

Ghost

Gremlin
Invisible Man

Karnak  

Mad Gasser of Mattoon  

Mad Scientist
The Monster

The Phantom

Red Cap

Skeleton 

Witch
Wurdulac