Terribly Fun Films
Baby Pulgasari Vinyl ToyReview by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courney McAllister.
In Japan, after the release of “Godzilla”, the Kaiju genre was born, and then merchandised like crazy! Board games, toys, models, stickers, just everything under the sun that you could think of, was eventually slapped with Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, or some other giant monster (or combinations thereof)! Thanks to the longevity of the big kaiju franchises, this never really died out. To the point that toy makers, especially those in the vinyl figure market (vinyl figures are massive throughout parts of Asia, and are making some solid headway here in North America) made limited exclusives, tied in with a theatrical release, for an anniversary, or just because they got the rights and could. This even extends to the more bizarre, obscure, and crazy movies/ monsters in the genre.
This brings me to Marmit, one of the biggest names in vinyl toys! In 1998, they released four limited edition “Pulgasari” vinyls. Yes, that insane North Korean movie in which a kidnapped South Korean director was forced to direct a Godzilla-style epic, on very little budget. That’s a story for another time, but yeah, even that craziness, which can’t get an official DVD release, got a line of toys!
Via their Vinyl Paradise:
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Movie colored adult Pulgasari.
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Super limited all gold Pulgasari.
Via their Para-baby:
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Movie colored baby Pulgasari.
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Super limited, all gold baby Pulgasari.
Being as obsessed as I am, I happen to own the movie colored baby Pulgasari, because of course I do! I got the toy all thanks to the awesome folks at Clawmark Toys! Now, down to brass tacks and let’s look over this oddity!
None of the colors bleed into each other, allowing each one to stand bold on its own. The gradient fade makes for visually appealing color changes, without feeling awkward. The forest green for the scales, and the silver horns are what catches the eye immediately, as his skin is black. The pink lips standout as the only really bright color on the whole figure, which works nicely.
The plated scales, covering part of the monster’s chest, most of his face and back, are very nicely etched into the sturdy vinyl. The silver back spikes run the length of his body, down to the end of the tail. Their size works well with the rest of the figure, and aren’t too sharp to accidentally hurt oneself on them.
Articulation-wise, the head moves a full 360 degrees without any issues. The legs move back and forth a bit, but that slightness might be due more to age than any issue with how the toy was made 17 years ago. The arms move very well, going quite high and swinging back without any issues.
Amusingly enough, the toy could be considered to scale, as in the movie Pulgasari starts off super tiny- slightly larger than a sewing needle- and gets bigger and bigger, when fed copious amounts of iron. It stands okay on its own, but the stunted, stubby tail makes the back weigh a bit more, so he does have a tendency to tip over adorably.
Overall, this is one of my favorite kaiju toys. I am not sure if I like the idea that this exists more than the toy itself, but it is cool looking, cute, and nicely colored.
*Side note- Given the age of the toy, that I obtained it slightly used (still in excellent overall condition though), and such, there is some fading, chipping, etc., but I tried to not let that inform my review of the figure.*