Loch Ness Monster, Monster In My Pocket (2006), by Corinthian Marketing PLC / MEG

It has been exactly one year to the day since the launch of the Monster Toy Blog. My first review to kick things off back then was the AAA Loch Ness Monster, so to mark this annual milestone, I’ve picked out another Nessie to take a look at, this time from Monster In My Pocket.

But wait… you’re correct to note that we’ve already reviewed the MIMP Loch Ness Monster! But did you know there was a short-lived ‘reboot’ of the Monster In My Pocket brand, with some completely new designs, in the 2000s? The company MEG, who own the MIMP brand, also rebooted their Puppy In My Pocket brand at the same time.

I did a bit of digging on MEG. According to MEG’s website (megtoys.com), MEG stands for Morrison Entertainment Group, a “California based creator and owner of children’s Intellectual Properties” founded in 1989. MEG partnered with Matchbox for the original Monster In My Pocket. However, Matchbox was not involved in the 2006 reboot (at least, the name is not on the packaging). Instead, the new line was “Manufactured under licence and distributed by Corinthian Marketing PLC and MEG.” As part of the reboot they also created a redesigned Monster In My Pocket logo.

The 2006 MIMP series 1 contained 48 monsters (according to the packaging), organised into eight groups, each group containing six monsters. The Loch Ness Monster was part of “The Sea Monsters” group. Other groups included “The Beasts”, “The Ancients”, and “The Dead”. There were also four “decoder lights” that revealed hidden bonus point values on the underside of the figures. As the brand name suggests, this is a small pocket-sized figure, just 4.5 cm long.

The basic Loch Ness Monster body plan is there: a long neck, four flipper-like limbs, a short body and tail. But look closer and it’s actually a pretty unusual take for the Loch Ness Monster.

The MIMP 2006 Loch Ness Monster’s head is clearly inspired by a Viking longboat figurehead. It is dragon-like with large pointed ears, and a pointed, snarling, almost dog-like snout. You don’t often see Nessie depicted with large ears, so that stands out. Another unusual feature is the blue ‘beard’ on its chin, and I’m not sure what inspired that. From a distance it looks like a tongue, and that would make more sense because Viking dragon figureheads often have long tongues, but it’s definitely meant to be a horn or beard on the chin.

The short body has four chubby, stubby legs, each with three delicate toes, more reminiscent of a tardigrade than a plesiosaur. The underside of the neck has large snake-like scales. The tail is also unusual, twisting and turning awkwardly, and terminating with two small prongs. Overall, it’s a rather curious design.

The details are really excellent, especially apparent when compared with the Original version. Another key difference is the colour. The Original MIMPS were monochrome (although they added some paint in later series), while the 2006 line is properly painted. The Loch Ness Monster is quite a vivid but dappled green, with details picked out on the head. Another difference between the original and the 2006 reboot is the material. The Original is squishy, and I vividly recall that being part of the marketing in the 1990s. In contrast, the 2006 version is a slightly harder material. I suppose it would have to be to stop the paint coming off.

Although the 2006 MIMP lineup was marketed as “Season 1”, no subsequent seasons were forthcoming. For some reason, MIMP wasn’t able to establish the same degree of success with kids in the 2000s as they had with the previous generation. There’s no doubt the toys in the 2006 MIMP reboot were more detailed and finely sculpted than their predecessors, but maybe they lack some of the charm and simplicity off the original line.

I acquired the 2006 MIMP Loch Ness Monster on Ebay recently out of curiosity, and specifically to review here to celebrate a year of Monster Toy Blogging. It’s cheap and easy to get hold of, and it really is a nice figure. But it is very different from the original!