Review and photographs by triceratops83, edited by MonsterToyBlog.
Medusa is a monster from Greek Mythology, one of the three Gorgons – though she got the short end of the stick being the only mortal one of the sisters. Famous for having snakes for hair, to merely behold her would turn anyone instantly to stone.
Review and images by Animal Lover, edited by MonsterToyBlog.
Horses have been around since the dawn of humanity. Ever since horses were domesticated, they have been used for many purposes, such as for farming, transportation, sports, and many others. In the past, their agility, speed and strength were put to use on battlefields.
In Greek mythology, Areion is an immortal horse that is typically regarded as the offspring of Poseidon and Demeter, conceived when Demeter turned into a horse to outrun Poseidon and he then also turned into a horse. He is first mentioned in Homer’s Iliad where he is described as the “swift horse of Adrastus, that was of heavenly stock.
Armed with the sharp senses and the sharper teeth of both its savage heads, the hellhound patrols the borders of the Lava World of Eldrador for intruders—and hopes to find them!
The Schleich hellhound is clearly based on Orthrus, a two-headed dog from Greek mythology that is said to have been the brother of Cerberus, the much more famous three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the underworld. Orthrus for his part guarded the red cattle of the giant Geryon before finally being slain by Heracles.
The ghilan are shape-shifting ghouls from middle-eastern mythology. The word ‘ghilan’ is the plural form of the singular Arabic word, ‘ghul’, so technically this singular toy should be galled a ‘ghul’.
However, this series 4 ghilan or ghul (monster number 101) is very different from the series 1 ghoul (monster number 37).
The basilisk is famously known as the “king of serpents,” a venomous creature so lethal that simply looking into its cold eyes brings upon death. According to Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, written in 79 AD, “When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from it: and it does not advance its body, like the others, by a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect upon the middle.
The full set of figures found in the Monsters book and box set. Eclectic does not begin to describe it.
(Editor note: This is the final of the three Monster Toy Blog-relevant book/toy sets. Unlike the Magical Creatures and Mythical Beasts sets, I never covered this one on the FaunaFigures blog, but I’ll use the same general format) Here I am with the last Groovy Tubes set from Innovative Kids that focused on monsters, myths and fantasy (there was a Knights one…not sure if that would fit but I don’t have it).
The griffin is a monster that most is commonly depicted with the body of a lion and the head, wings, and sometimes front claws of an eagle. (Variations do exist, however, with simply winged lions often being considered griffins, or other kinds of birds being combined with other kinds of cats.) The griffin is one of the most widespread and oldest mythical creatures.
The Magical Creatures box set, with the figures spread out. On first appearance, definitely more…pastel…than the Mythical Beasts. I’m sure that’s coincidence. Because this is the one with the horse-like animals…
(Editor note: This is also a repost of one of my FaunaFigures posts, just a few updates and some clean up..
The logical follow up to last week’s cyclops review, here’s the dragon from the same film that bested the cyclops in combat! Readers of that review could’ve probably guessed the dragon would be next, based on the comparison picture included in that review that will also be featured here.
Jenny Greenteeth stands out as one of the most memorable figures in the fourth series of Monster in My Pocket, the so-called “Super Scary” set. Like the other monsters in this and later series, she exhibits a striking departure from the design aesthetic of earlier releases. The figures in Series 4 were slightly larger than their predecessors, with painted details, and some even glowed in the dark.
If you’ve read my reviews on the Dinosaur Toy Blog, it should come as no surprise to our burgeoning readership that I am a fan of old monster movies and practical special effects. And if you’re a fan of those things too then you’re likely a fan of Ray Harryhausen.
