By JAMES BURRELL
If you were a kid in the 1970s, a trip to the local department or toy store would likely result in you coming home with a nifty new action figure or two from such popular companies as Mego Corporation, Azrak-Hamway International (AHI), Kenner or Mattel. Perhaps less commonly found on store shelves, however, was the output of another smaller manufacturer named Lincoln International. A New Zealand-based outfit, the company was keen on producing cheaper knock-off toys that were often highly derivative of product put out by the more established AHI and Mego. Among the company’s releases was a set of six articulated 8-inch-tall monster-themed figures released in the mid-70s, which have become known as the Lincoln International Monsters. The line – comprised of Frankenstein, Count Dracula, the Mummy, Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Wolf Man – featured unusual designs (the Count Dracula, for instance, has vivid blue eye bags; the Phantom figure sports a purple-colored face) and their simplistic fabric outfits and packaging artwork have made them highly coveted by collectors of vintage monster toys.
Now, nearly 50 years since their introduction to stores, the figures – now under the banner of LINCOLN MONSTERS – have been resurrected for monster kids both young and old by a trio of die-hard toy collectors: author/historian Brian Heiler of retro toy site plaidstallions.com, indie toy manufacturer Jason Schiermeyer of White Elephant Toyz and Frank Wojo of online toy retailer Absolutely Retro. Wave One of the new LINCOLN MONSTERS line consists of the just-released Count Dracula and Frankenstein, and I have to say that they look fangtastic.
While these may look like typical vintage 8-inch figures, they are of a much higher quality than the original Lincoln releases. First off, the bodies for these new figures are much sturdier, and are constructed from a more durable, heavier plastic. With numerous points of articulation, these little fiends are much more poseable than monster figures from decades past. The fabric outfits have been upgraded from what was used for the vintage releases: the Dracula figure now has a nicer, more elaborate suit and cloak; the Frankenstein figure sports a longer, nicely tailored black jacket (with miniature buttons) that recalls the one worn by Christopher Lee in Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein. Both figures are cast in green plastic (a lighter shade for Dracula and a darker one for Frankenstein) and come with black plastic boots and several sets of interchangeable glow-in-the-dark and non-glow hands. While the colors have been slightly modified from their original counterparts, the figures still retain all their identifying features and charm: Dracula still has his beloved blue eye bags, and Frankenstein still has the same deep scar running down his face.
Each figure comes packaged in a solid box with newly commissioned art (by Chris Franklin) on one side depicting the fictional fright flicks The Evil of Count Dracula and The Power of Frankenstein, as well as vintage 1970s-styled Lincoln International artwork on the other. Even the misspelling featured on the original ‘70s Frankenstein figure packaging has been left intact here. Upcoming releases in the line will include both vintage and newly created characters. Fans of classic monsters and retro toy lines will want to add these to their collections.
For more information on the creation of the new Lincoln Monsters and featuring an interview with their co-creator Brian Heiler (who also publishes a great magazine devoted to vintage toys titled Toy-Ventures), check out my coverage of them in issue #218 (May/June 2024) of RUE MORGUE.
SRP for each figure is $29.99. A special “Blood-A-Rama Shock Fest” two-pack set with slipcover, a Certificate of Membership and other ghastly goodies is also available for $54.99, while supplies last (shipping not included). The spectacularly lurid slipcover is made to resemble vintage VHS artwork for the two aforementioned imaginary horror releases. The figures (as well as Toy-Ventures magazine) can be ordered from any of these three sites: Absolutelyretro.com, Plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop and Whiteelephanttoyz.com.
