Monster in My Pocket

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Monster in My Pocket is a media franchise developed by Morrison Entertainment Group, headed by Joe Morrison and John Weems (two former senior executives at Mattel). The focus is on monsters and legendary creatures from religion and mythology, literary fantasy and science fiction, and cryptids and other anomalous phenomena. The range encompassed trading cards, comic books, books, toys, a video game, and an animated special, along with music, clothing, kites, stickers, and various other items. The line proved controversial for various reasons and many changes were implemented that took it away from its original mythmaking focus, though it has since reemerged with the original idea intact.

Contents 1 Toys 2 Monster in My Pocket in other media 3 More details about individual monsters 4 Known Monster in My Pocket Items 4.1 2006 5 Credits (The Big Scream) 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Toys

Monster in My Pocket is best known as a toy-line released by Matchbox in 1990. It consists of small, soft plastic figures representing monsters, and later other tangentially-related characters.

In its first run, there were eleven series released, the third being the rarest. There were over 200 monsters in the collection, most of which were assigned a point value. Among the highest valued monsters were the Etruscan deity Charun (100 points) and among the least being the Invisible Man (5 points). Initially, the high point value was 25, which was elevated to 30 for the second (49-72) and third series (73-96); the fourth, "Super Scary", series (97-120) introduced the 100 point monsters. The third series does not appear to have been formally released, though portions of it were released as premiums through Shreddies, Bob's Big Boy, Pizza Hut, and Konami. Indeed, Monster Mailer #1, the Monster in My Pocket Collector's Club newsletter, refers to the fourth series as "Series III", in spite of a gap in numbering. They were initially solid-colored, though later series would gradually add more painted colors, until they became fully colored under the ausipices of new toy makers Corinthian Marketing and Vivid Imaginations.

A board game was also released by Decipher Limited, which used the action figures as playing pieces. The game involved using the monsters to fight battles in terrains where they had different strengths--New York, Tundra, Volcano, and Swamp. This should not be confused with the Monster Clash action game made by Matchbox--a board game/playset combo in which glow in the dark rubber balls were launched from catapults as part of the game. Other toys included Super Scary Howlers representing Vampire, The Monster, Swamp Beast, and Werewolf, a Monster Mountain display case with custom labels for series 1, a Monster Pouch fanny pack, Battle Cards featuring The Beast and Witch, and a Haunted House playset, which was probably never released, although it was shown at Toy Fair 1992.

The line proved more popular in England and continental Europe than in the United States where it was originally developed. It ran into difficulty in England with its large population of Hindus, as the divinites Kali, Ganesha, Hanuman, and Yama, were all depicted as "monsters" resulting in great offense, including a public outcry by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad^[1]. Except for the minor deity, Yama, god of death, these were removed from the line in England. After the fourth series, which contained Hanuman and Yama, was released, they decided to play it safe and provided follow-up series: Super Creepies, 24 comical (punning) aberrations of real insects and arachnids created by "Dr. Zechariah Wolfram" with point values up to 250, Dinosaurs, released in both regular and "Secret Skeleton" format, and 16 Space Aliens that were essentially original. The point values went up even further, as high as 500. A second series of 24 Dinosaurs is even rarer than series 3. In some markets, such as Argentina, the dinosaurs were released as Dinosaur in My Pocket. Many of these were not released outside of Europe. The Dinosaurs appear to have been released in the U.S. only through premium distribution by Hardee's, and these were not the standard figures that were sold in stores.

The Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket debuted in England in 1994, no longer produced by Matchbox, but by Corinthian Marketing. The first nine, including Tony the Tiger as a coach, were released in Kellogg's Frosties cereal. The numbering was restarted, the high point value was returned to 100, and the coaches and referees, save for the 100 point "Tony the Coach", were the first monsters designated with 0 points. Shreddies also did a nine-monster series of Monster Sports Stars in My Pocket, including "Tony the Referee", which were made of much harder plastic and had no point values. Seventeen Monster Ninja Warriors in My Pocket were produced in 1996 by Vivid Imaginations, some of which came with vehicles and accessories. These also caught on with the Pog fad, in addition to being the first Monster in My Pocket figures with removable weapons. The figures that were not made by Matchbox were painted in full colors and came in only a few variations, rather than previously coming in multiple solid or tri-tone colors.

Recently, Monster in My Pocket figures distributed by Cromy in Argentina as Collector's Club premiums have appeared on eBay. Some of the more recognizable monsters have included a club-bearing Minotaur with a shield, a Nāga (a cobra with an over-large head and tiny body), and an Empusa among others, including a squat, two-headed creature (the yellow figure to the left in the photo to the right--the orange figure is not one of those here described), a gill man, a wizened creature with a cane, a spiked ball with arms, a beaked serpent with arms, a frog-like creature, a head with wings, a humanoid with enormous ears, an octopus-faced merman, and a creature resembling Sebek but with horns, not unlike those of the 2006 Charon, along with other more nondescript humanoids and reptilians. They appear cheaply made and their status as genuine Monster in My Pocket figures was disputed by fans even when shown mint in package, a clear plastic pouch with a stapled-on card.

Morrison Entertainment Group sued Nintendo over Pokémon's similarities to the line, but lost.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Image:MonsterInMyPocket Doc.pdf The line was revived in England in 2003, titled Monster in My Pocket: The Quest, with deluxe figures of the principal monster characters and reissues of the series 1-2 monsters essentially unchanged. The backstory (see below) emphasized the similarities between Monster in My Pocket and Pokémon, to a level that would appear self-defeating. The toys were made by Corinthian Marketing. Monster in My Pocket was divorced from the re-named "Monster Quest" on December 22, 2004.^[5]

2006 has seen another relaunch of the series, also by Corinthian Marketing. Unlike the 2003 series, this one is a complete revamp. Some of the likenesses are closer to earlier source materials, others, such as Kraken, which now looks more humanoid than like a cephalopod, further removed. These figures are in full color and have close to the level of detail one often finds in pewter figurines for role playing games. Kali and Hanuman returned under the names "6-Armed Sorceress" and "Monkeyman", while Mattoon, Illinois, never embracing the connection, was dropped off Mad Gasser's name.

Some people get these confused with M.U.S.C.L.E. (Kinnikuman), which were small, rubbery, monstrous wrestlers and also solid colored. Hasbro, and later Irwin Toy, released Puppy in My Pocket, Kitty in My Pocket, Pony in My Pocket, Teddy in My Pocket, and various other animal lines under the auspices of Morrison Entertainment Group. Some of the larger "Super Scary" monsters could ride some of the ponies without being top-heavy. These lines were, of course, more aimed at girls. A company called Feva apparently never released Morrison's Magic in My Pocket^[6] and Joke in My Pocket^[7] lines.

[edit] Monster in My Pocket in other media

The earliest Monster in My Pocket items were trading cards painted by Jan Sheets and Jenice Heo, which appeared in 1990, with no credit other than for Morrison Entertainment Group. The Sheets/Heo art appears on a great deal of the other material. Paintings were made for at least the first three series as well as the Dinosaurs, though only the first was released in the U.S. Cromy of Argentina released all of these, including prismatic chase cards of many of the series 2 and 3 characters. These were also released in a sticker album format, including a series 1 only edition in the U.S. from Panini. Both were accompanied by sketchier art depicting cartoons of the characters.

A comic book series written by Dwayne McDuffie (initially working from a plot by Craig Mitchell, R.L.Stern, and Tim Bogart), and drawn primarily by Gil Kane and Ernie Colon (with Nelson Dewey[1]) was released by Harvey Comics in 1991. It ran for four bi-monthly issues, despite an open ending and promises that sales had justified making it monthly. In this series, Warlock and Vampire were similar to X-Men's Magneto and Professor X in their appearances, relationship to each other, and value systems (though Vampire was not in a wheelchair; he was modeled on Graf Orlok, only better-looking and more tolerant of sunlight). A spell by Warlock intended to shrink the monsters who did not side with him was botched by Ogre, resulting in the shrinkage of all the monsters, who were then flung in boxes with room-like interiors to Los Angeles, California. The good monsters ended up in the home of ne'er-do-well Jack Miles and his studious younger brother, Tom, in Burbank. The series ended with both sides battling inside a dollhouse bought for a little girl named Theresa, who was scared away by Spring Heeled Jack. They also dealt with Frank Rook, The Exterminator (a parody of The Punisher), and Swamp Beast helped them defeat a Tyrannosaurus Rex who would grow when exposed to any form of radiation, such as smoke detectors and microwave ovens. Atypically for a series of this nature, but metaphorcially appropriate, the comics depicted an interracial relationship, as caucasian Jack was dating an Asian American co-worker named Tina. Beginning with the second issue, Universal Studios began receiving credit in the indicia for the use of Frankenstein's Monster, Mummy, The Invisible Man, and The Phantom of the Opera, although the characters originated in public domain literature and bore no particular resemblance to their cinematic counterparts at Universal. There was, for example, no equivalent of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Marvel Comics reissued the comic stories in newly-formatted annuals, and World Publishing (an imprint of Egmont Publishing) followed with a Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket annual (which had no continuity with the previous series) in 1995 (cover dated 1996).

A video game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991 by Konami.^[8] It had the same essential concept of the comic book, although Hobgoblin and Gremlin, initially the good monsters' comic relief, now appeared as villains, to the extent that Gremlin was a boss. Warlock sends out his henchmen, led by Spring Heeled Jack, Bigfoot, Kraken, Gremlin, and Medusa while Vampire and The Monster are watching TV in the Miles home. They must fight their way through the upstairs and kitchen of the home, the street and sewer, emerging in a construction site and an Orientalist garden before fighting Warlock at Monster Mountain. And that's not quite the end. Vampire and the Monster's abilities in the game are the same (though 2-player simultaneous action was an option)--an attack that can extend slightly beyond their bodies with a bit of a blaze, and they can make a double-jump from the height of their jump, something that has since become a common move in many video games. The remaining good monsters from the comics--Werewolf, Vampiress, Golem, Swamp Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, Jotun Troll, Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll, and Mummy--made no appearance whatsoever in the game, although Werewolf did appear on the cover. Warlock and Minotaur were the only two monsters from series 2 to appear in the game. In the comic book, however, Medusa declared that by her count, Vampire's side had a majority, though all the other series 1 monsters were included as enemies in the game. Blemmyes appeared prominently on the cover, and the figure was distributed exclusively with the game, though did not appear in the game itself. It came inside the box, next to a smaller piece of styrofoam than NES cartridge boxes normally contained.

Clearly depicted with the evil monsters were Medusa and Spring-Heeled Jack, the two most prominent evil monsters after Warlock, along with Ogre, Cerberus, Minotaur, Windigo, Cyclops, Zombie, Siren, Ymir, Karnak (probably Maahes), Tengu, Bigfoot, Spectre (Grim Reaper), Sebek, Charon, and Ghost, though the evil monsters were most often shown in amorphous crowds. Dr. Jekyll is twice force-fed (first by Warlock, then by The Monster) the potion that makes him into Mr. Hyde, but he turns maverick, not much more willing to support Warlock than Vampire. Fundamentalist radio preacher David Bay claimed among other things in his diatribe against the comic,^[9] that Warlock's invoking of Great Beast (the seven-headed dragon from chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation) as "king of the monsters" proves that all of the monsters, even those described as good, are truly minions of Satan, despite the fact that "warlock" is derived form the Anglo-Saxon word for "liar". Dwayne McDuffie finds this column, which claims that he is trying to instill satanist values in children, amusing. In the letter column of issue #2, Bobby Horgan of Bronx, New York asked, "Can you tell us who are the bad guys and who are the good guys?" and the response was, "Guess it all depends on which side you're on. Stay tuned. You may find that it all turns around."

The mythos of the comic book and video game was to be completely turned around, although it never occurred in the pages of the comic book. In 1992, there was an animated special, Monster in My Pocket: The Big Scream,^[10] produced by Hanna-Barbera and directed by Don Lusk from a script by Glen Leopold, where Vampire became the leader of the villains, and Invisible Man, now named Dr. Henry Davenport, was in charge of the heroes. Swamp Beast was a mindless villain among the other changes, such as the formerly white-furred Werewolf (although by the fourth issue it had been changed to brown) becoming the Jamaican "Wolf-Mon". The other good monsters were Big Ed (The Monster) and Mummy, while Medusa remained among the ranks of the evil monsters. A few others, like Tyrannosaurus Rex and Cyclops, were shown for a second or two during the prologue, which had Vampire creating a potion that shrinks all of Monster Mountain, now a prison rather than a meeting place (as it had been in the comic book) guarded by the good monsters, and blows it to Los Angeles. This time, their human host was Carrie Raven, daughter of Edgar Raven, a famous horror writer. The evil monsters learned they would grow at the sound of screams, while the good monsters grow with laughter. It ran on Halloween 1992 on ABC, but it was not carried in all markets. Early releases of the special on video from Vidmark Entertainment contained a glow-in-the-dark monster: Charun, Thunderdell, or Yama.

There was also an audio cassette of original music and along with a cover version of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash" titled Monster Rock, produced by Rincon Children's Entertainment for BMG Kidz in 1992. The songs were written by ? Byrd, James McDonnell, Peter Pope, Randy Petersen, Robert Irving, and ? Quinn. Pope, McDonnell, Petersen, and Irving played the keyboards, George Bell played saxophone, and Barry Scott and Charles Dickens played guitar, with Dickens provideing drum programming and engineering. Singers were Jake Vesprille, Michael Hunter, Gigi Young, Barry Scott, Jimmy McDonnell, Mary McDonnell, Rory McDonnell, Peter Hix, Katrina Perkins, and Bob Joyce. "Saturday Night at the Boneyard" was the only song to mention monsters from series 2 or 3. The other songs are "Monster in My Pocket", "Witches Brew", "Monsters", "Can't Do a Thing With My Hair" (Byrd/McDonnell), "Do the Boo", "Full Moon Blues", "Boogie Man Boogie" (Byrd/McDonnell/Pope), "Monster Party" (Petersen/Irving/Quinn), and "Party in Your Pocket" (Pope). John Weems, Joe Morrison, and Ralph King were the executive producers.

In 1994, the monsters received a popularity boost in Mexico; after being part of a promotion from the Sonrics candy company. This promotion consisted of MIMP themed boxes full of candy, a monster random figure and any of the following: trading cards, mini-comics and mini activity books. Part of this promotion was a collector set modeled after Monster Mt. by phone order, but oddly the company kept saying by phone there was no such offer.

In 2003, Peak Entertainment in England created a CGI animated series that changed the concept considerably. It dealt with monsters trapped in a "Tapestry of Terror" that was shredded in battle with the now-good Warlock and his evil brother, "Morlock". They looked identical save that where Warlock's hair and clothing was white, Morlock's was black. A few good monsters, including Vampiress and The Monster, side with Warlock and his young apprentice to recapture the monsters, including Vampiress's evil brother, Vampire. One addition to the series, according to its bible, was Mothman, which had previously not been represented. The series was intended for U.S. release on Cartoon Network, but it was never picked up. Apparently, with the human figures more in control of the monsters than ever before, it looked too much like Pokémon for its own good, with some Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. Its earlier X-Men influence had been only subtle and teasingly knowing.

[edit] More details about individual monsters

Main article: Characters of Monster in My Pocket

There are at least 229 monsters in the series, though information past #184 is very sketchy. In addition, there are 42 Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket, 12 Monster Sports Stars in My Pocket, and 19 Monster Ninja Warriors in My Pocket, not to mention supporting characters and two relaunches.

[edit] Known Monster in My Pocket Items

• Series 1
  • 4 packs
  • 12 packs (12 different sets resulting in a collection of the 25-15 point monsters in two colors and the 10-5 point monsters in four colors with no duplications)
  • 24 packs
  • Battle Cards with The Beast and Witch
  • Monster Pouch with Charon
  • Monster Clash action game and playset
  • Monster Mountain display case
  • Trading Cards
  • 12 packs in hot colors (no duplication rule may not apply)
  • 24 packs in hot colors (many contained mixtures of original and hot colors)
  • pin brooches (OSP Publishing)
  • POGs (by Airmer)
  • Panini Sticker Album
  • Decipher Board Game
  • Frosted Wheat Squares premium
  • poster
  • lunchbox (by Aladdin Industries)
  • Coloring Books (by Xenos) (Germany)
  • Book (by Xenos) (Germany)

• Series 2
  • 12 packs (6 different; results in a complete set of 15-10 point ponters, with 2 duplications)
  • 24 packs, complete sets with standardized colors, sets A and B
  • Cauldron with series 2 Battle Cards
  • Spaghettios sets and inflatable Dryad
  • Haunted House playset

• Series 3
  • Bob's Big Boy premiums
  • Shreddies premiums
  • Konami video game with Blemmyes
  • Cromy Sticker album (Argentina)
  • Folder Dividers (Argentina)

• Super Scary
  • 6 packs, six different
  • 12 packs, two different
  • Super Scary Howlers (Vampire, Swamp Beast, Werewolf, The Monster)
  • Monster in My Pocket: The Big Scream VHS tape (with Charun, Thunderdell, or Yama--none of who appear in the video)

• Super Creepies
  • 12 packs, two different

• Dinosaurs
  • Two packs with Fact Cards
  • Four packs
  • 12 packs
  • Hardee's Premium
  • Cromy sticker album
  • pin brooches (Dufort & Sons)
  • Return of the Dinosaurs Board Game (by Spear's)

• Space Aliens
  • Four packs
  • 24 packs

• Wrestlers
  • Frosties Premiums (1-9)
  • Secret Signle Pack
  • 4 pack
  • Physio-Terorists Set with Tongue Tied, Ortho the Ogre, Deadly Night Nurse, and Dr. Suture Self
  • Grappling Ring
  • Training Set
  • White Castle Premiums (simplified variants)
  • Champion Set
  • Sticker books (at least 2)
  • Jigsaw puzzles by Falcon (at least 3)

• Sports Stars
  • Frosties premiums (9)

• Ninja Warriors
  • Puncher with Sayonara Sucker and Bigfoot Kickboxer
  • Twister with Kung Fu-Neral and Shogun Slasher
  • vehicle

• Kites
  • Tengu (Hi-flier)

• Shoes

• Halloween costumes
  • Tengu, Hobgoblin, Windigo

• Comic Books
  • Harvey (4 issues)
  • Marvel (1 Annual, 1 Summer Special--both reprinted material)
  • Monster Wresltlers in My Pocket Annual 1996 (World/Egmont)

• Monster in My Pocket Collector's Club
  • Monster Mailer (only 1 issue published; two were promised with membership)
  • Monster Keeper tote Bag
  • Stickers
  • Membership Card and Certificate (signed by Warlock (a wild scrawl) and Vampire (small and refined))

[edit] 2006

• 4 packs (6)
• 3 packs with decoder (4)
• 1 packs with decoder (4-Mad Gasser, Swamp Beast, Leviathan, Mad scientist)
• Haunted Mountain with Poltergeist and Vampiress
• Monster Skull Carrier with Zombie
• Monster Showdown with Mummy and Grim Reaper

[edit] Credits (The Big Scream)

• Executive Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
• Co Executive Producers: Jack Petrick, Paul Sabella, Mark Young
• Executive in Charge of Production: Jayne Barbera
• Producers: Ted Turner, Cos Anzilotti
• Director: Don Lusk
• Co Producers: Joe Morrison, John Weems
• Written by: Glenn Leopold
• Supervising Director: Ray Patterson
• Animation Directors: Frank Andrina, Richard Bowman, Larry Cariou, Joan Drake, Joanna Romersa, Sam Nicholson, Margaret I. Nichols, Robert Alvarez, Allen Wilzbach
• Creative Design: Iwao Takamoto
• Storyboards: Owen Fitzgerald, Scott Shaw!, Jim Schumann, David Feiss, Phil Mendez, Andrew Austin, Tony Benedict, Bob Singer, Keith Tucker, Zhi Gang Wang, Kunio Shimamura, Harry McLaughlin, Iwao Takamoto, Adrian Gonzales, Stuart Heimdal, Greg Garcia, Robert Lamb, Bob Fuentes, Chris Reccardi, Michael V. Bennett, Barry Caldwell
• Recording Director: Gordon Hunt
• Voice Director: Susan Blu
• Xerox: Star Wirth
• Paste Up: Stacey Nichols, Viki Kurch, Mario Williams
• Animation Checking Supervisor: Jan Adams
• Character Designers: Mr. Jim, Jesus Rodgrieuz, Butch Hartman, Mario Williams, Marcus Nickerson, Iwao Takamoto, Bwana Takamoto, Sandy Kopitopoulos, Salene Weatherwax
• Design Supervisor: Scott Jeralds
• Design Assistants: Dana Granger, Barbara Krieger, Stacey Nichols
• Ink and Paint Supervisors: Alison Leopold, Stella Reyes
• Layout:
• Layout Supervisors:
• Color Key: Costi Mustate, Suzette Darling, Kathleen Hardin
• Title Designer: Cos Anzilotti
• Sound Directors: Alvy Dorman, Ed Collins, Stan Wetzel
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Ezra Dweck
• Music & Sound Editor: Joel Valentine
• Music by: Tom Chase, Steve Rucker
• Production Coordinator: Vicki Casper
• Film Editors: Tom Gleason, Gil Iverson, Tim Iverson
• Graphics: Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
• Negative Consultant: William DeBoer Jr.
• Production Assistants: Linda Moore, Terry W. Moore
• Track Readers: Kay Douglas, Jim Hearn, Carol Iverson, Kerry Iverson
• International Production Coordinators: Jo Harn
• International Production Executive: Paul Sabella

[edit] See also

• Cryptozoology
• List of fictional species
• List of legendary creatures
• Book of Imaginary Beings
• Goetia
• The Lesser Key of Solomon

[edit] References

1. ^ Global Dharma (column). Hinduism Today. November 1993. http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1993/11/1993-11-15.shtml
2. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_46_23/ai_80165415
3. ^ http://www.nintendorks.com/chris/archives/000343.php
4. ^ http://www.entlawdigest.com/search.cfm?sort=AA&page=2&areaID=5
5. ^ http://sec.edgar-online.com/2005/05/16/0001144204-05-015931/Section19.asp
6. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20010909104155/http://www.feva.co.uk/p5.htm
7. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20010909104338/http://www.feva.co.uk/p6.htm
8. ^ IMDb
9. ^ David Bay. New World Order Is Being Driven Through Your Children. http://www.cuttingedge.org/ce1031.html
10. ^ IMDb

• Hill, James. Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket Annual 1996 Manchester: Egmont Publishing Ltd., 1995. ISBN 0-7498-2414-x

• McDuffie, Dwayne. Monster in My Pocket. Harvey Comics. Four Issues. May-November 1991. Edited by Sid Jacobson.

• Monster in My Pocket Album de Figuritas. De Lunes a Viernes: Cromy Club, 1992.

• Monster in My Pocket Sticker Album. London: Panini Publishing Ltd. 1992.

[edit] External links

• Official Website for 2006 releases:UK
• Official Website for 2006 relaunch: outside UK (less information)
• article on Monster in My Pocket: The Quest
• Monster in My Pocket: The Quest press release
• Toy archive list and images of monsters
• Monsters in my Pocket Collectors Archive
• Monster in My Pocket: The Scholar's Resource
• Corinthian Marketing Deluxe Monster in My Pocket announcement
• Goblin animation demo for Peak Entertainment
• Contract between Morrison Entertainment Group and Peak Entertainment