By Chris Cummins

One of the reasons monster toys are so consistently popular is that they help demystify creatures that kids find terrifying. While Dracula may seem frightening on screen, he’s downright adorable as a 3 ¾-inch glow-in-the-dark action figure. Over the years there have been countless toys inspired by monsters, from the 1960s Universal Monsters model kits to the Mego/Remco action figure lines of the 1970s/early ‘80s, and beyond. With all of these playtime options to choose from, which ones possess the most fun and thrills? Find out in this (somewhat) super-sized list that features 15 of the niftiest monster-related toys ever to hit store shelves.

15) TTP Dual Launch Drag Set

The most famous of all of the Six Million Dollar Man’s foes, Bionic Bigfoot was actually an alien robot designed to look like a Sasquatch. Pretty lame, huh? His dubious origins aside, there really are few things in life that as satisfying as watching a bionic fight between man and beast. The furry character proved so popular that he spawned two action figures of his own: a 15-inch version with a removable chest plate and the amazing 3 ¾-sized one that came packed in the TTP Dual Launch Drag Set. This toy let kids drag race Steve Austin against the Bionic Bigfoot in futuristic motorcycles that run off of air pumps. Although in my mind, the pair called a truce and partied the night away at the Creature Cantina.

14) Mini Monster Monsterizer

The first of several Remco toys on this list, the Mini Monster Monsterizer gave kids the opportunity to play mad scientist. The playset featured a hand crank that moved the figure into position as well as a snap down cage and flashing lights that could be activated at the flip of a switch. Although this toy was intended for use with Remco’s glow-in-the-dark Universal Monster figures, many kids pretended it was a torture device that Han Solo could use on Greedo. Or at least I did.

13) Mighty Men and Monster Maker

A simple spin on the Fashion Plates concept, Tomy’s Mighty Men and Monster Maker was a drawing toy that let kids mix together tiles featuring various body parts to create their own creatures. Once their monster masterpiece was assembled, they could transfer it to paper and hang it on the fridge. Theoretically, this could be used to make heroic characters too, but where’s the fun in that?

12) Skull Face Madball

Madballs were the perfect toys for kids who’d rather watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre than have a catch with their dad. One of the eight original Madballs, Skull Face was nothing more than a disembodied head that you could throw around for hours until G.I. Joe came one. He was magnificent. Here are three things I learned about Skull Face from personal experience.
• It doesn’t hurt too much when he hits you in the testicles.
• He really pisses teachers off.
• Playing with him almost counts as showing an interest in sports if you otherwise can’t be bothered.

11) The Mummy

Hailing from AHI’s Official World Famous Super Monsters line, this Mummy figure features a nicely deformed head and some blood-soaked bandages. Back in the '0s, this sort of toy dementia was everywhere (i.e. Kenner’s horrific Hugo disguise puppet). Go to your local Toys “R” Us today and you’d be hard-pressed to find any monster toys, let alone ones caked with their own leaking plasma. So how exactly are we progressing as a society?

10) Monster at Home Dracula

Long before Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Dracula puppet shows were held in homes across the nation with the release of this toy in 1981. Packaged in a coffin which he could crawl out of, Drac here was the highlight of Remco’s line of officially sanctioned Universal Monster puppets. While he may look nothing like his cinematic counterpart, he trumps Bela Lugosi by having a head and hands that glow in the dark.

9) Playmobil Scary Ghost

Lego may have all the big licenses, but Playmobil has the style. Case in point, this little fella. Nothing more than a skeleton wearing a glow-in-the-dark ghost suit, this figure’s appearance on this list raises a controversial question: are ghosts monsters? While you debate this in the comments, I’m gonna stare at him some more. Aww, he even has a little ball and chain. Adorable.