Universal Monsters Wolf Man Action Figures: Remco vs. Burger King vs. ReAction

Universal Monsters Wolf Man: Remco (left), Burger King (center), ReAction (right)

The Universal Monsters have been around much longer than I have.  Even as a kid, I couldn't help but notice that there were still remnants of their 1960s  resurgence in popularity.  However, it wasn't until Remco released their line of 3 3/4" Universal Monsters that they seemed to fit in with my world of toys.  I had always wanted to pick up these figures, but ended up with the 8" Remco Dracula and Frankenstein instead of any of the 3 3/4" figures.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I finally added some of these awesome figures to my collection!

Universal Monsters 1980 Remco Wolf Man

Because I had been keeping an eye out for them for quite a while before picking up the Remco figures, I saw a lot of 1997 Burger King monsters mislabeled (and overpriced) by people who didn't know the difference.  I can understand.  I wouldn't be able to differentiate between two antique lamps and I wouldn't be able to tell you much about any sports memorabilia, so I can see how someone not interested in monsters wouldn't know the difference between the Remco version and the Burger King versions.  Now, with the ReAction Universal Monsters, there's even more confusion.  That's one of the reasons that I decided post some photos of the various Wolf Man figures...another reason it that it gave me an excuse to take some fun photos of these cool toys!

Universal Monsters 1997 Burger King Wolf Man

The original Remco Wolf Man from 1980 was a very cool figure!  He's wearing a deep green shirt with matching pants and had dark brown hair.  Although it's a little bit strange that he's standing on his toes, it is in keeping with the character...but it also makes him more difficult to stand on his own.  To help with the balance issue, Remco added a little extra plastic which makes the figure appear to be wearing high-heeled shoes.  It's also unusual to see a figure that's looking to the side.  I wouldn't have noticed much as a kid, but as an adult, his hair / fur seems excessively curly and it's a little bit odd that his face is so tan.  Despite these observations, I still really like this figure a lot!

Universal Monsters 1980 Remco Wolf Man

Early in 1997, I wasn't interested in may action figures that were available in stores at the time.  In those days, I was hunting mainly for vintage figures.  Also, there hadn't been much in the way of cool monster toys in a while.  I think in 1997, Universal re-released a lot of their old monster movies on VHS and as a result, they were licensing the old monsters all over the place to stir up excitement about the movies.  They even had Universal Monsters US Postage Stamps that year!  Burger King got in on the action to make one of the coolest fast food premiums ever: The Burger King Kids Club Universal Monsters Action Figures!  At 4" tall, this Wolf Man was a little bit taller than the Remco version and he came with a "cellar door" box that he could leap out of when the moon was full!  Like his Remco counterpart, he was standing on his toes a bit.  However, he wasn't at such an arch that he needed heels to help him stand.  His shirt and pants were also dark green, but a little more olive green and not quite as brown-green as the Remco figure.  His hair was much lighter brown, but he too had pale face.  Even now, this figure stands out as an awesome collectible; especially when you consider it was from a fast food premium!

Universal Monsters 1997 Burger King Wolf Man

In 2014, Universal teamed up with Super7 / Funko to offer up a series of Universal Monsters under the ReAction line.  ReAction figures are typically characters from the 80s and the premise of the ReAction line is that this is what the figures would have looked like if they had come out in the 70s / 80s.  However, most of the Universal Monsters from this line had come out in 1980!  Of the six figures that appear in both lines, the Wolf Man is the most different from one line to the other.  Although you can't tell from the lighting in the photos above and below, the new Wolf Man has pants that almost perfectly match the Burger King release (you can tell in the photo at the top of the page).  Unlike both previous figures, the new Wolf Man's shirt is blue and buttoned all the way to the neck.  His fur is dark like the Remco figure, but unlike both of the previous figures, he doesn't have light skin on his face; it's only slightly lighter brown than the rest of his fur.  Also, he's not standing on his toes at all.  He's completely flat-footed.  And it's a good thing he is because there are no peg holes in his feet for him to use an action figure stand!  Although I like all three figures, I think the new Wolf Man is the best design of the ReAction monsters and I'm happy to have him in my collection!

Universal Monsters 2014 ReAction / Super7 / Funko Wolf Man

Do you collect Universal Monsters action figures?  If so, which company's figures are your favorites?  Tell me in the comments!

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