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Musclemania (Select) Bootleg Figures


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#26 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 02 December 2008 - 12:18 PM

Musclemania has been stuck in my brain for awhile now. It was that 1984 thing. How could these seemingly pre-date MUSCLE figures? Kinnikuman just seemed like such an odd choice for a small toy company to try and rip-off.

I had to start digging.

The first thing I checked was Musclemania's manufacturer (or at least distributor) Select Merchandise, Inc. All I knew is that they were in New York. Surprisingly, it was kind of easy to find some information about them. I simply went to the New York Department of State website.

And found the following information:
Current Entity Name: SELECT MERCHANDISE, INC.
Initial DOS Filing Date: OCTOBER 26, 1982
County: NEW YORK
Jurisdiction: NEW YORK
Entity Type: DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
Current Entity Status: ACTIVE

DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)
SELECT MERCHANDISE, INC.
303 E. 57TH ST.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022

So, my next step was to try and contact the organization. I was unable to find any phone number, and this location did not have any listing of a Select Merchandise, Inc.

Based on the look of the building (thank you Goggle Maps) it doesn't look like manufacturing took place there. It was clearly their office. It's possible that Select is still "operating" but with a new name and/or this company/person receives the mail. I find this incredibly unlikely.

Seemingly hitting a dead-end I wanted to know what else Select had done. I felt that a better understanding of the company could shed a little light into their operating procedures. I was right.

It looks like Select was a bottom-of-the-barrel toy company. Aside from Musclemaina they also created a cheap He-Man knock-off Ninja Assassins (possibly Ninja Defenders too). It seems like they had a thing for Mattel. Just recently I was able to spot a carded figure on eBay. It went for $95, much more than I would have expected. This was the write-up:

NINJA ASSASSIN "WERE WOLF" SELECT MERCHANDISE. 1985

NIJA ASSASSIN "WERE WOLF" RAISE ARM THROWING ACTION USE LEVER IN BACK TO ACTIVATE.OTHER FEATURES. CARD BOTTOM TWO CORNERS ARE BENT.THERE IS A CREASE GOING TOWARDS THE TOP.PLASTIC BUBBLE HAS A FEW DENTS TOP ALSO LEFT CORNER . COLORS ON CARD ARE VERY RICH. YEAR 1985. SELECT MERCHANDISE INC. # 7500

Attached File  Select_Ninja_1.jpg   28.77K   40 downloadsAttached File  Select_Ninja_2.jpg   25.26K   27 downloads[attac
ment=15484:Select_Ninja_3.jpg]

Most importantly, it had a decent picture of the back of the card. It looks like they hard a pretty standard format.

I also found out that they had produced several children's books, all of which can be found on Amazon for the price of shipping.

Of course, I had to buy one. Yes, it is an authentic Select item. And yes, it is a steaming pile of turd. I would say the audience is elementary school kids. I will try and get some scans up ASAP.

The one new piece of information I got from the book, was that it was printed in Korea. Perhaps all of Select's manufacturing was done there?

So that is what I found, but where does that leave me with that 1984 date?

Here's what I think. Select was a shizznitty knock-off toy company. They saw MUSCLE's success (and He-Man's) and wanted to rush their product to the shelves. By putting the 1984 copyright maybe they thought they could say they were inspired from the Japanese Kinnikuman, instead of clearly ripping-off Mattel. No matter what, I feel confident that these figures do not pre-date MUSCLE's.

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#27 TheOrgg

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Posted 02 December 2008 - 12:22 PM

Wow. That's impressive.

I think if someone farted near a MUSCLE, Veers could find 'em.
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#28 Soupie

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Posted 02 December 2008 - 01:37 PM

Nice info, Veers. Teacher of Madness posted at least one of those HeMan-like Select figures earlier this year. (Link) On the back, it apparently said 1985 SELECT and Korea on the foot.

Something that may help us understand the origins of this toy line would be if someone like URS or Boaconda could identify MUSCLEMANIA figures that resemble characters from other (Japanese) toy lines. We've already identified one that bears a striking resemblance to a Kinnikuman figure, maybe there are a few others that resemble Kamen Rider, Ultraman, or some other well-known Japanese franchise characters. It seems unlikely that only one character would have been "borrowed," and Geronimo of all characters...
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#29 BaltanII

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Posted 02 December 2008 - 06:23 PM

You bellowed?

I've never paid MUSCLEMANIA sculpts any attention, because I figured they ripped off nothing else but MUSCLE/Kinnikuman sculpts, and they just didn't try hard enough to differentiate the Geronimo ripoff.

Starting with the figures in the blister pack on Toypedia, you have a flesh figure that looks a bit like Terryman, and the red one looks like it might replicate his boobalicious TEXAS sculpt. Can't identify the scruffy guy or Tubby offhand, but it wouldn't surprise me if their features came from a MUSCLE sculpt or a combination of some (actually, Tubby looks like the top half of #75).

The card art on the back depicts more that look like ripoffs, but a more creative mixture. The reptile guy looks like the love child of Ukon and Snegator. To the left of "Geronimo" is a character that looks a lot like Buffaloman. Guy in the second row, on the right? #16, Neptuneman. Look at the pose of the arms - mirrored, but a perfect match. The head looks like something that would have been cooked up to actually evoke the name of the original character, down to the beard and helmet. Guy in the bottom right corner? Looks like Atlantis, in the sense that they both look like Creature from the Black Lagoon rejects. Bottom row, middle? #52 with extra crap tacked onto his head.

You know what they say about the simplest explanation...

Edited by Boaconda, 02 December 2008 - 06:29 PM.

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#30 matthewf1tz

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 03:32 AM

I wonder what the relevance to the two different types of figures is?

Maybe the softer ones were the originals:

Attached File  untitled.jpg   26.1K   59 downloads

from http://gartwo.tripod...enericmini.html

and the newer ones were the MUSCLE rip-offs but the same stamp was used on them showing the 1984?

It's strange that the packaging describes the softer ones on the front, has the softer ones inside it but then has the harder ones on the back. Maybe they just re-used the packaging fronts and re-did the backs to create new packaging when the new figures were brought in. Then maybe the leftover stock was put in the new packaging too?

Edited by matthewf1tz, 03 December 2008 - 03:35 AM.

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#31 Soupie

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 05:21 AM

Good ideas, Fitz. However, I should clarify that all the figures I have are soft except for one. The yellow one featured at the end of the Toypedia entry.
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#32 matthewf1tz

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 06:59 AM

Good ideas, Fitz. However, I should clarify that all the figures I have are soft except for one. The yellow one featured at the end of the Toypedia entry.


ah, right, I assumed the ones in the packet were really flexible and soft...
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#33 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 10:07 AM

ah, right, I assumed the ones in the packet were really flexible and soft...

I don't know if they are. If I pushed on the bubble to find out, I think it would be the end of those figures being MOC.
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#34 Soupie

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 10:35 AM

ah, right, I assumed the ones in the packet were really flexible and soft...

If you're thinking of the ones I sent you awhile ago... those are what I consider soft. I actually have one that is more firm than those (the yellow one on Toypedia). Now, whether or not the ones in the bubble are even softer than the ones I have, I don't know.

:lol:

All I know of at the moment are the soft, flexible ones, and the ones that are slightly firmer, but still flexible. All of mine -- including the 2-3 that I sent you -- are of the softer variety. I only have one of the harder ones. (I don't think I sent you a harder one.)

For the sake of clarity, were you thinking the ones I sent you were the harder ones and that the ones in the bubble were the softer ones? :unknw:

Edited by Soupie, 03 December 2008 - 10:38 AM.

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#35 TheOrgg

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Posted 03 December 2008 - 11:07 AM

ah, right, I assumed the ones in the packet were really flexible and soft...

I don't know if they are. If I pushed on the bubble to find out, I think it would be the end of those figures being MOC.


If there's any holes a needle could fit through on the bubble, you could easily tell if the figure was soft or hard by pushing it lightly with a needle. If they're as soft as the ones I've got, it'd easily indicate softness.
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Our glorious Milky Way is a tiny, infinitesimal speck of sand in this vast, incomprehensible universe. And somewhere in that Milky Way is our own solar system, less than one billionth of that speck of sand that is the Milky Way. And then there is our planet Earth, one hundred trillionth of that one billionth of that one speck of sand. And on this planet Earth there is DEV-0, an insignificant blemish with a lifespan too short to measure when placed in infinite time.

And you are here, with them, as so many specks of sand.

#36 matthewf1tz

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Posted 04 December 2008 - 01:29 PM

ah, right, I assumed the ones in the packet were really flexible and soft...

If you're thinking of the ones I sent you awhile ago... those are what I consider soft. I actually have one that is more firm than those (the yellow one on Toypedia). Now, whether or not the ones in the bubble are even softer than the ones I have, I don't know.

:wacko:

All I know of at the moment are the soft, flexible ones, and the ones that are slightly firmer, but still flexible. All of mine -- including the 2-3 that I sent you -- are of the softer variety. I only have one of the harder ones. (I don't think I sent you a harder one.)

For the sake of clarity, were you thinking the ones I sent you were the harder ones and that the ones in the bubble were the softer ones? :mcmadd:


sorry, my bad, I'd assumed they were the harder ones :lol:

So the packaging is probably all for the MUSCLE imposters, I don't think that makes much difference though to the main idea I was getting across...I woder if we'll ever find more packaging for the 'other' sculpts. If it doesn't exist maybe the MUSCLE imposters were the original figures and the strange wrestlers a second style and they just didn't bother to change it for.
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#37 Soupie

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Posted 04 December 2008 - 02:12 PM

Yeah, I think you may be on to something. I think it is odd that I don't have any of the 4 for figures in the bubble of Veers' card, but I have 11 of the 12 sculpts shown on the back.

I also have 2-3 figures that have the trade markings on their back obscured. It's as if the TMs were scratched out of the molds. I'll post pics eventually.

There's definitely more to learn about this line. :mcmadd:
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#38 mrjayberry

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Posted 04 December 2008 - 05:40 PM

Soupie, which of the twelve sculpts don't you have?
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#39 Soupie

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Posted 04 December 2008 - 05:49 PM

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The one in the second row down from the top, all the way on the right. He has his right arm in the air and the left arm down.
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#40 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 05 December 2008 - 11:30 AM

I wanted to post my scans, so I tried to quickly scan them at work. Unfortunately our copier was weird and the SELECT logo (and all the bottoms of pages) got a bit cutoff. Hopefully this is enough to give you a sense of the book. When I get a chance I'll do a better job with my scanner at home.
Attached File  SELECT_Book.pdf   562.86K   18 downloads
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#41 spastik4plastik

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 09:09 PM

here is a pic of a soft one in almost full stretch - i didnt want to pull it much harder but it felt like it could have gone a bit more...
Attached File  stretchyselect.JPG   100.72K   27 downloads
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#42 Ridureyu

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 09:31 PM

Hmm. I just noticed something. Look at the Musclemania wrestlers and look at the 28-pack MUSCLE comic...

Attached File  musclestory_musclemania.PNG   217.27K   75 downloads

Edited by Ridureyu, 22 January 2009 - 09:31 PM.

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#43 Soupie

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 05:20 AM

here is a pic of a soft one in almost full stretch - i didnt want to pull it much harder but it felt like it could have gone a bit more...
Attached File  stretchyselect.JPG   100.72K   27 downloads

Awesome pic, Spastik. I've never handled a MUSCLEMANIA figure made of that type of plastic.

;)
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#44 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 06:39 AM

Attached File  musclestory_musclemania.PNG   217.27K   75 downloads

I've always thought that figure was supposed to be #82 or #152.

I think the MUSCLEMANIA figure is an oddly inspired version of those figures.

And spastik, do you live in a warm and/or humid climate? I'm just wondering if that maybe helps keep them pliable? No matter what, it looks like there are variants: hard & soft.

Edited by General Veers, 23 January 2009 - 06:40 AM.

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#45 Soupie

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 06:44 AM

No matter what, it looks like there are variants: hard & soft.

Yeah, I would say, kind of like Cheap Toys, there are actually three plastic variants: hard(er) plastic, soft plastic, and rubbery/stretchy.
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#46 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 06:56 AM

I bet we'd find this type of inconsistency with any of the "off brand" LRG's.
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#47 mrjayberry

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 07:38 AM

Attached File  musclestory_musclemania.PNG   217.27K   75 downloads

I've always thought that figure was supposed to be #82 or #152.

I think the MUSCLEMANIA figure is an oddly inspired version of those figures.


Check out Mongol Man from part 2 http://ulala69.hp.in...co.jp/part2.htm third from the bottom, this might be a bit of a clue an almost direct rip off of a non-muscle sculpt.
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#48 Guest_General Veers_*

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 07:51 AM

Yeah, I can buy that too.

I sort of feel like Select made very conscious choices. I think they wanted the figures to be similar enough to tap into the market, but to still be somewhat defendable if they went to court.

"That's not a MUSCLE rip-off, it's just a Viking-like wrestler. That's not a MUSCLE rip-off, it's a Frog-like figure."

Select did a similar rip-off with He-Man-like figures.
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#49 spastik4plastik

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 02:38 PM

And spastik, do you live in a warm and/or humid climate? I'm just wondering if that maybe helps keep them pliable? No matter what, it looks like there are variants: hard & soft.


well, it IS rainy here a lot but not a warm climate. this rubber is just too different to be caused by that i would think.
the closest i can descride the stretchy one is as a wacky wall crawler type rubber, not as sticky but still a dust magnet. it is also not as shiny as the common ones, but that may be from handling it too much over the years.

i have only held a few in my hand and one was recently at goodwill, missing its head and all limbs, got stretched too far i guess, i left him there to die. :shok:

honestly i prefer the common ones MUCH more. some of the nicest rubber i've ever held. no-one is really missing much w/ the stretchy ones. i just wanted to share a pic since i hadn't seen much info about that type.

:rolleyes:
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#50 Ridureyu

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 04:14 PM

152 is already in the MUSCLE comic, so maybe 82?

Edited by Ridureyu, 23 January 2009 - 04:23 PM.

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