Jenny Greenteeth, Monster in My Pocket, Series 4 (Super Scary) by Matchbox

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. These new features were clearly an effort by Matchbox to reinvigorate the brand, but for me the crudely applied paint detracted from the classic monochrome charm of the earlier series. But I do have a fondness for monochrome figures due to my innate love of Invicta dinosaurs.

Jenny Greenteeth was part of a lineup of 24 monsters numbered 97 through 120, and ranging in point value from 50 to 100. A pamphlet provided some brief details about these “wildest, scariest, most outrageous” creatures, and explains that Jenny Greenteeth is a “water-dwelling spirit who pulls unsuspecting people into the water to be with her for eternity.” A figure in English folklore, she is variously known also as Wicked Jenny, Ginny Greenteeth, and Grinteeth.

Jenny Greenteeth received a dynamic sculpt in the Super Scaries set, with a menacing pose and eerie features, which give her a genuinely scary appearance. Her arms and contorted fingers are reaching up to grab a victim. She has a creepy combination of long ratty hair with a bald scalp on top, not a particularly appealing look. Her gaunt skull-like face has hollow eyes and an open mouth.

She’s wearing a robe and is posed in a crouched position, with what I think are meant to be drops of water dripping from her arms, as if she is emerging from the water. She has a stamp on her left buttock with her points value: 80.

The base colour in my figure is a vibrant purple-pink, with the strands of hair painted in yellow, and the face painted in green. Unpainted versions of the Jenny Greenteeth sculpt, and nine other Series 4 monsters, were released as premiums in the UK. Overall, this is one of the best of the later MIMP releases, and one that lives up to the ‘Super Scaries’ name!