Posted By Dan Greenfield on Oct 7, 2023 | 5 comments

NECA’s got the right idea, folks…

Horror News Network

By JASON YOUNG

Like a lot of folks, when I saw NECA’s reveal of retro-style action figures featuring vintage Ben Cooper costumes at Toy Fair 2023, my jaw hit the floor. They even feature the original artwork by Frank Romano.

So far, the figures feature classic Halloween monster designs. But what if NECA expanded the line to include licensed-character costumes? What if they had access to every license imaginable, like Ben Cooper did back in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s? (Customizer Brentz Dolz has gone down this road already, but official is official!)

Brentz Dolz

Here are the TOP 13 BEN COOPER COSTUME ACTION FIGURES WE’D LIKE TO SEE FROM NECA:

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13. Klingon. I’ve always been a sucker for the Star Trek Klingon costume because of the resemblance of the Mego toy.

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12. Planet of the Apes. A gorilla soldier costumed figure would be epic! With a toy rifle.

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11. Fred Flintstone. Whatta fun one this would be, and perhaps on a more chubby child body.

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10. Evel Knievel. Nothing screams 1970’s more than Evel Knievel.

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9. Boba Fett. The silver Boba mask is iconic (as explained in my book An Old School Halloween, about the Ben Cooper phenomenon). Would be a cool action figure.

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8. Six Million Dollar Man. Always a favorite character of mine.

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7. Batman. Complete with Bat logo on his forehead would be just awesome!

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6. Superman. Seems like a no brainer.

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5. Bugs Bunny. Another no-brainer.

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4. King Kong. My brother wore this one. He used to quietly sit by my bedside with the mask on to scare the daylights outta me.

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3. The Fonz. I’m a sucker for anything Happy Days and Fonz is a favorite.

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2. Darth Vader. Frank Romano’s personal favorite art design for Ben Cooper; I have vivid memories of wearing this costume as a kid myself.

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1. Spider-Man. For those who read An Old School Halloween you know the significance of this costume. However it still happens to be my personal favorite of all of Frank’s designs.

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You can pick your own NECA Want List by browsing through An Old School Halloween, available here, while supplies last. And visit us on social media @OldtimesDigest to learn more about my new book Lunch Box Memories, coming very soon.

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MORE

— The TOP 13 Frank Romano BEN COOPER Costume Designs — RANKED. Click here.

— 13 Groovy BEN COOPER Masks — RANKED. Click here.

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Jason Young runs Oldtimes Digest, publisher of pictorial histories covering the ephemera of our childhoods, such as Ben Cooper costumes, coloring books, Power Records and more.