TOYHEM! Listen to the band… and play with them too!
—
Welcome to TOYHEM! For the sixth straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! — Dan
—
By JIM BEARD
Like the song says, “The Beatles and the Monkees… Chubby Checker…”
Now, I already covered the Beatles (so to speak; I’m no musician) and I’m a bit daunted by the thought of digging into the mountain of Chubby Checker folderol, so let’s talk about my other favorite pop-rock group, the Pre-Fab Four, the madcap Monkees.
Funny thing about the band with the “manufactured image” — they seem to have had more actual toys and playthings with their name on them than their erstwhile cousins from Liverpool. Maybe because the Monkees were purposefully created to be more fun, more fantasy than the Beatles? Whatever it was, Micky, Mike, Davy, and Peter had their fair share of merchandise spin-offs and I’m here to talk about ’em for your illumination and education.
I listened to this while I edited Jim’s piece. You should put it on while you read it! That cover art is by Mike Allred, natch. — Dan
In an odd way, I think my older sister was a bigger Monkees maven than a Beatles buff. It could have been her age — the Monkees came along a bit later than the Fab Four — or it could have been the message the Monkees were sending to younger kids, but whatever it was, I think we had more Monkees merch compared to Beatles bounty around the house. That was very cool, though, because when you have both all around you as a kid, you’re sitting pretty, pal.
Let’s tune in to the mayhem… but mind you don’t slip on the banana peels.
—
Corgi Juniors Monkeemobile (Corgi, mid-1960s). There has been a virtual fleet of Monkeemobile toys since the days of the TV show, but for my money the very best is still the Hot Wheels-size version from Corgi Juniors. I still have mine, complete with the tiny plastic figures of the boys, and it’s sitting right next to me as I write these words.
—
The Monkees Talking Hand Puppet (Mattel, 1966). My sister had one of the individual finger puppets (Remco, I believe), but there’s nothing more manic, more madcap, more moxie than this cray-cray piece of toy heaven.
—
The Monkees Game (Transogram, 1967). Surprisingly, there was something far more original going on with the Monkees’ board game than the Beatles equivalent. Here, it’s all about completing a piece of music (the TV show theme) and a little plastic guitar, not to mention really nice figures of the band as the player pieces. Groovy, man, groovy.
—
The Monkees Go Mod (Popular Library, 1967). There were several paperbacks for the band back in the day, but my sister had this one and I was fascinated with it, especially with the “O” replacing the “A” in the title. It’s like a toy in book form: a few minutes of fun, not to be taken seriously.
—
Monkees Lunchbox (Thermos, 1967). Once again, the Pre-Fabs went their own way with a vinyl lunchbox, not metal, and some really gear original art to decorate it. You’re lucky today if you can find one without broken glass in the thermos.
—
Monkees Guitar (Mattel, 1966). Remember how these were? They had a small crank that activated a crude music box inside the plastic guitar when you turned it. We had this one, complete with a pick, but I never learned to play anything but whatever song it played.
—
Official Monkee Puzzle (E.E. Fairchild Corp., 1967). Looks like there were four different original images produced for these puzzles, each a work of garish glory, but the wackiest among them may be the beach scene. Beyond that, the boxes featured an “Official Autographed Picture” on the back. Woe to the kid who believed it to be actual signatures.
—
The Monkees View-Master Set (GAF Corporation, 1967). The pack says it features the Monkees in “Last Wheelbarrow to Pokeyville,” but I suspect the scenes on the reels are from the TV episode “Hillbilly Honeymoon.” Of course, not having ever seen this set (I didn’t have it back in the day), I could be wrong. Isn’t that dumb?
—
Monkees Costume (Bland Charnas, mid-1960s). Never heard of this particular costume company, but in my opinion they did a better job on these than Ben Cooper did on the Beatles costumes. I’ve also seen some of these Monkees boxes say “Mini-Dress,” so I’m assuming those were a girl-specific option?
—
Monkees Show Biz Babies (Hasbro, 1967). These little bendie figures were off the charts strictly for their psychedelic packaging. I just love the artwork and the whole presentation. And the “autographed photo on back” obsession continues.
—
The Monkees Bubble Gum (Donruss, 1966). These are trading cards, but there was a focus on just calling it “bubble gum” on the wrapper. Who the heck ever ate that gum? I suppose there’s some poetic justice in the foremost “bubble gum” band having their own bubble gum cards… and several series of it, too.
—
The Monkees Wacky Wobblers (Funko, 2002). Gotta slip in a bit of “mod”ern Monkees merch before we go, so here’re some really nice bobbleheads from more than 20 years ago. I think the sculpting on these is spot-on.
—
Official World’s Greatest Heroes! Monkeemen (Figures Toy Company, 2015). A number of years ago, Figures Toy Company started cranking out a whole slew of Monkees Mego-style action figures, but I think the best of them all were these, my childhood heroes, the Monkeemen. Fight me.
—
MORE
— The Complete TOYHEM! Index of Features and Columns. Click here.
— We Love These 13 Gear BEATLES TOYS — Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Click here.
—
When JIM BEARD’s not editing and publishing through his two houses, Flinch Books and Becky Books, he’s pounding out adventure fiction with both original and licensed characters. In fact, he’s put words in the mouths of Luke Skywalker, Superman, Fox Mulder, Carl Kolchak, Peter Venkman and the Green Hornet… and lived to tell about it. His latest book is the newly edited and expanded re-release The Lemon Herberts: World Tour, available here.
MADNESS!
Beat it, Beatles! Move over, Monkees! Roll it up, Rolling Stones! Here comes the greatest, grooviest, gearest rock-and-roll group of all time: The Lemon Herberts!
Hot on the heels of their chart-topping hit album, Redwing Blackbird’s Summer Solstice Tea Party, the Lemon Herberts launch themselves on their very first world tour – and straight into more danger, more peril, more sheer adventure than they ever bargained for!
In seven kicky, pulpy, far-out fables, you’ll meet drummer Ellroy, guitarists Honor and Dilly, bassist Ally, and the gorgeously fab and grooviestly gear Her Majesty—trouble-magnets that even their long-suffering manager, the very proper Brighton Hawks, can’t hope to contain. Just ask the Lemon Herberts’ legion of screaming fans: they’re wild, they’re wonderful, they’re simply the most!
Herberts’ creator Jim Beard leads a band of groovy authors for a kookie collection that will have you tapping your toes and humming along as the Lemon Herberts conquer the world, shining their music into hearts both dark and light around the globe!
First published in 2015 as The Lemon Herberts, the book amazed readers with its pop culture punch. Now it makes its triumphant return in this newly edited and expanded edition, certain to entertain a whole new generation of Herberts fans!
Cover illustration and Design by Jeffrey Ray Hayes of Plasmafire Graphics. Interior Design and Formatting by Maggie Ryel. Edited by Jim Beard and John C. Bruening. Characters and Concept Created by Jim Beard.
