Monday, October 14, 2024

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: Bela Lugosi as Dracula from Universal Monsters by Jada Toys

 


   I have a loose pattern for 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe that I'm using to try to give some variety to the festivities and Mondays are devoted to Dracula. Today I'm looking at a rather interesting figure from Jada Toys of Bela Lugosi based on his performance of Count Dracula in the stage play where he performed the role starting in 1927 for hundreds of performances. In fact, Lugosi performed the role in various stage productions up until 1951. Originally Lugosi wasn't the favored choice to play the Count in the Universal Studios film Dracula, really an adaptation of the play based on the novel rather than Stoker's novel itself. This figure was released on Jada's Next Level website alongside their Universal Monsters line but doesn't really contain any references to Universal Studios on the packaging. It's really marketed as more of a straight Lugosi item than as Universal Monsters product. What a fascinating concept: A figure based on a stage play! Also, how wild that you could have seen Lugosi play Dracula in the 1931 film and then seen him play the role on stage at different times within the next 20 years. That's just wild to me! Let's take a look at this rather interesting and unique set after the break...





The Facts: 

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivel, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, and barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Cape, 2 portraits, 6 swappable hands, and 5 posters/ flyers.

Original Retail Price: $30 dollars

Year of Release: 2022




The Positives:



* I rarely count packaging as a part of the figure but this packaging is excellent and quite collector friendly. I can definitely see having this as part of my display. The box isn't massive but it has a lot of presence due to the excellent image of Lugosi on the front and the recreation of his signature on the side. 


* The front and side pane are magnetic and fold out to reveal Bela Lugosi himself inside of a coffin shaped tray. The back of the opening flap is designed to look like a street scene, perhaps the exterior of a theater where the play is being performed. There are lots of posters and flyers hung on the wall, too.





* The rest of Lugosi's accessories slide out from a tray behind the figure. The plastic trays do come out if you want to just set items in there for storage, kind of like a jewelry box. 





* You can find some great pictures of Bela Lugosi as Dracula in the stage play, which is what this figure is based on. The outfit looks pretty accurate to what you see for the stage play with an ivory vest and bow-tie complementing the black tuxedo. The gold chain (I presume for a pocket watch?) is also wrapped across the bottom. There's reuse from the standard Dracula in the line, but the torso is clearly different with the chain and lack of a medallion. 








* This figure is officially licensed by the Lugosi Estate, so the portrait resembles Lugosi, unlike the standard figure in the line. While this figure is nowhere near the quality of NECA's Lugosi likenesses, the standard portrait isn't too bad, especially as Jada Toys' Universal Monsters line seems to be more caricatured. Personally, this looks more like Lugosi from the 1950s when he did some travelling Spook Shows or Midnight Ghost Shows rather than in the 1920s when he was in the original stage play.


* The tuxedo is really nicely done and looks well layered even though it's only one sculpt. Some of the single carded Universal Monsters have some messy paint applications on the bodies but Lugosi's look pretty good. The gold chain, though small, is quite neat and clean. 

* I'd compare the articulation of this line to the articulation of most 1/12th scale mass market lines. The joins have visible pins, but that wasn't irregular a couple years ago and a number of companies still produce figures with them. Everything feels solid and sturdy, like a toy that a child could actually play with and have fun with (even though this was an online direct exclusive, so it's doubtful any kids acquired this one). 







* Jada Toys included a nice assortment of hands that swap quite easily. You get a pair of plain gesturing hands, a pair of grips tight enough to hold the included posters or flyers, and a pair of dramatic hands for when Dracula's reaching out to bite some dame on her lovely neck.




* Also included are five bulletins, posters, and playbills from different shows with Lugosi. Bella Lugosi appeared as Dracula live in stage performances of the play for decades and also appeared on stage in his costume at multiple Midnight Ghost Shows/ Spook Shows into the early 1950s (he also acted in hundreds of plays and was an extremely accomplished actor in both English and Hungarian theater). These were live events that usually involved a horror film (remember how short these were back then), a "blackout" where the lights were turned out and glowing objects and ghouls floated around, interactions from a host or ghostmaster, magic shows, seances, and other such mystical performances, and then usually another film. 


* The Dracula cape is different here as it has a silver lining and a slightly smaller collar. It's wired and allows for some nice dynamic poses with the wires assisting in keeping the cape up and above Lugosi's face.

The Negatives:


* Unfortunately, the fit is kind of weird. The neck piece is a strip of clear plastic that seems way to short to fit around the neck. It causes the whole thing to look off, even when draped over the shoulders. 


* I'm getting a... bit of a Lugosi vibe here? I mean, maybe? I get the expression Jada was going for but it looks warped and just not right. It's a shame that this figure bears the Bela Lugosi name and image on the packaging but can't successfully render the image in plastic. 










* Heck, even the stronger portrait has some messy paintwork. Some of the black from Mr. Lugosi' hair has dripped down onto his ears. 












* The left bicep is very loose. There's a huge gap there which doesn't seem to be intended, obviously. 









   This set really had the potential to be a pretty incredible thing. I love the design of the set, especially the very nice packaging, and the concept. The body is pretty good and one of the portraits isn't a bad rendition of Lugosi, either. It's certainly not a NECA quality sculpt by any means but it does go well with the rest of Jada's Universal Monsters figures. Unfortunately, the awkward cape, the poor second portrait, and the botched left bicep do bring things down a bit. The price on the set originally wasn't bad ($30, though I only paid around $20) but the figure still has some flaws that bring it down. It's an Eh and a 1/2 product. Incredibly cool concept and packaging but the figure just doesn't live up to the promise. 


For more Dracula reviews check out the NECA Dracula (Transylvania), the Funko ReAction Dracula, the McFarlane's Monsters Dracula Playset, the Playmobil Take Along Haunted House 9312, the Big Bucket of Monsters Dracula, Mezco's Tower of Fear, and Dracula from Monster Force.

For more figures from Jada Toys' Universal Monsters check out the following:




6 comments:

  1. Quite an awesome figure. Does the Count well. Bela would be amazed and proud, I think, to know we still revere his portrayal.

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    Replies
    1. It's still weird to watch most other older portrayal of Dracula when it's not Bela, especially in the Universal classic films. He's still the standard that any vampire is going to be compared to.

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  2. I feel like I paid $20, but I did see him at a Ross, so maybe some kids got him!

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    Replies
    1. I found mine on Ebay for a really cheap price (maybe $18 bucks or something?). That's crazy these were at Ross.

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  3. I'm wondering, do the heads swap between this figure and Jada's standard Dracula? I'm hoping the ball joints are the same size.

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    Replies
    1. I don't have the Jada Toys standard Dracula, but I'd speculate there was some parts reuse somewhere in the figures. I'm missing the basic Dracula and any color variants, like the glowing Creature.

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