Tuesday, October 18, 2016

31 Days of Toy Terror Lives: The Wolfman Monster from The Real Ghostbusters: Monsters by Kenner

  Ever since me and my daughter watched the recent Goosebumps movie, wolves and werewolves have been massively popular in our house. Unfortunately, there aren't many werewolf movies that are appropriate for a child (the only other movies containing werewolves we have watched together have been Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, the 1941 film The Wolf Man, Mad Monster Party, and The Nightmare Before Christmas) so werewolf toys are always a hot commodity. My daughter loves this toy and I couldn't be more thrilled: I loved this toy as a kid, too! The Wolfman Monster is easily my favorite figure in the Monsters subset of The Real Ghostbusters line. He just fits in so well! Let's take a closer look at this guy after the break...



 The Facts:

Height:5 3/4 inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders with lateral action feature hinges, and an action feature activated hinged neck and lower jaw.

Accessories: None

Year of Release: 1999

Original Retail Price: $5-$7 dollars
 The Positives:

* Remember that this figure was part of a used lot of figures I picked up off of Ebay for a really good price, so the paint wear happened long before I ever got my hands on these. That being said, this is one of the best werewolf sculpts ever! I love it! I love the long nose, the yellow teeth and eyes, and the pointy ears. Just perfect work here, particularly on the hair.
 * One of the things in my mind that separates a werewolf from a wolfman is the presence of clothing. This Wolfman is still decked out in the normal duds he was wearing prior to his transformation which include some blue dress slacks, a white dress shirt (with a breast pocket), and a blue necktie. I love the ripping and tearing effect on the clothes! It's really well done, as are the wolf's hands. Hey, considering the outfit, wouldn't it be funny if this was actually Louis Tully?


* The Wolfman's pants are ripped up, too, as are his shoes. Well, his shoes are completely gone; all that's left are his huge, hairy feet. Err.. paws. Huge, hairy paws.

 * The Woflman isn't a bad action figure, either. While he has a built in action feature, his arms and hips still swivel freely. He's really fun to play with and holds up well. I've let my little one run around with him all she wants over the past few weeks and he's still in fine shape. This toy is almost 30 years old and it's still holding it's own nicely. You gotta respect that.

* The Wolfman does have an action feature like the other figures in this series. Squeeze his legs together and his arms spread out, his head tilts back, and his jaw closes shut. Yup, this guy actually howls at the moon. How cool is that? Also, you can see my hand in this picture! Hi everybody!
 The Negatives:

* The only negative I have with this guy is that the back of the figure doesn't have that much detail. It'd be really cool if the ripping and tearing of his clothes extended to his back but it doesn't: There is only a bid of mild stretching going on back there.
I've always loved this figure and now, over 25 years later, I still do. He's just incredible and so much fun to play with. I love the idea of the Ghostbusters going up against a wolfman, particularly if it's Louis Tully. That would be hilarious, wouldn't it? The poor guy always getting turned into dogs, lycanthropes, and what not? This is an Epic toy and one of the best monsters Kenner put out in the line. He's cheap to pick up so if you don't own one and collect Werewolf related memorabilia, snap him up.


Keep checking back here every day in October for more Toy Terror! Also, make sure to check out the Toy Bloggers United contest being hosted here this month! For more 31 Days of Toy Terror, check out my Hokey Halloween Horror page for spooky fun from 2016 and years past!

6 comments:

  1. Interesting in how I came across this guy. When i lived in Atlanta the one time of two my brother took me out to eat was to a burrito place. Instead of giving the customer a number they gave them a figure to play with and then brought the food to said figure table. The Ghostbusters Wolfman was our figure. I still do not have one to this day.

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    1. That's a really cool story. How long ago was that?

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  2. These old toys spank alot of the new ones as far as quality/durability goes.He will definitely be a consideration for the Toy Disorderly Action Figure Hall of Fame!

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    1. I agree. Maybe it's due to the newer articulation, but there are way too many modern toys that don't feel that durable. Of course, maybe it's just that as collectors, we're not that attracted to those lines. G.I. Joe Sigma 6, Imaginext, Hasbro's Heroes and Hero Mashers, and Mattel's WWE figures all seem pretty durable. A lot of collectors are not as enthusiastic about those lines, though.

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  3. Had him as a kid, along with Frankenstein. Loved him. :D

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    1. I always wondered how the Ghostbusters defeated him, though, as he wasn't a ghost. Also, why were they picking on poor Quasimodo?

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