Alright, let’s see what we’ve got this time.
Oh yes – freaky, little chubby men dressed as some of DC Comics’ most iconic superheroes.
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Superman
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Batman…
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Robin…
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… and Captain Marvel (who some folks call “Shazam”).
No matter how horrible they may be, you have to admit, these characters are immediately recognizable. Is that because they have classic, well-designed costumes?
Nah.
The characters have just been around for so long, their colors and patterns are burned into our brains. You could put a chimpanzee in blue and red pajamas, and I’m sure everyone would say he’s Superchimp. (Even without the logo.)
Superchimp photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com.
Anyway, back to my point. These are some ugly-ass toys, but they’re great. It’s their superbly poor production values that make these things so unique and interesting.
I actually picked ’em up at a toy show several months back. These lil’ guys have no markings at all, but the dealer I bought ’em from says they’re cake-toppers from the 60s.
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Cake toppers, huh?
I dunno. Seems like a possibility I guess. They do have holes on the bottom for you to conveniently cram a candle up their butts.
How would you feel if you saw these things on your birthday cake? I’d be excited 😉
Superman
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Batman
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Robin
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Captain Marvel
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I have no clue who made these things or even if they’re even official merchandise released by DC Comics.
As I stated early, they are just bizarre, “not-quite-right” 2.25″ versions of some of our favorite superheroes. So what if they are just cheap (actually, they were a tad costly), little pieces of crap. They are fun.
I’m pretty sure any kind of licensed DC Comics cake topper (or any toy for that matter) produced today would be generic and more strictly follow a model sheet or standards guide. It would probably look something like this.
Superman Cake Topper photo courtesy of CelebrateExpress.com.
Where’s the fun in that? That guy actually looks kinda like Superman. Lame 😀
On a side note – while researching these cake toppers, I came across some more mini statues that were very, very similar to what I’ve shown you (if not the original versions these pieces were based on).
These Capt. Marvel and Robin toys were actually listed as rubber pencil toppers on Gasoline Alley Antiques website and were made in Hong Kong in 1970. I actually found the Batman figurine in Reis O’Brien’s (of Geek Orthodox fame) About.com’s “Batman collection” article. His is supposedly made in China, and it has a completely different look as well.
My mini superhero cake toppers are hard plastic (maybe even very hard sugar?). They have no markings at all, and they’re painted a lot more haphazardly.
Any ideas?
What am I thankful for? 2 Weirdo posts in one week! Could it get any better?
Aw. I’m thankful for you too… the readers 😀
I’m also thankful I could post twice in a week 😀 I hope it becomes a regular thing.
Thanks for the fun post. I love the crappiness of these guys.
What I especially love is the attitude that Robin is giving off. With his arms crossed, It’s either a thug-like “better not mess with me” kind of look, or it could be a “why do i have to be here” kind of look. Either way, Robin is definitely my favorite.
Sweet! I was just getting ready to be all like, “Hey! I’ve got one of those Batman figures!” but you beat me to the punch. Mighty fine researchin’ you did there. 😉
Yeah, I found my Batman in a comic shop in Chicago. They were in a bucket labeled with a sign that said “Superhero Pencil Toppers”. I have the Robin one around here as well. And yes, it clearly says CHINA on the back and is made of a hard plastic and not rubbery at all.
I love him dearly. 🙂
Thanks for the shout out, Justin!
@ Jason – Great point. Thug Robin is great!
@ Reis – Glad I could beat you to the punch 😉 Thanks for letting me steal images from your Batman collection. It’s funny to see these toppers all being structurally similar but wildly different in their final paint apps.
wow these are totally whacked out! lol. What a trip. You’re right about how these super heroes are burned into our minds. There’s a shocking difference between the crappy ’70s cake toppers and that newer Superman topper you posted. What a change!
I love the Bat-emblem on Mr. O’Brien’s figure–so accurate, so detailed! This means that “HH” is an acceptable ASCII rendition of Batman’s symbol? Instantly recognizable, I say!
PS: Good to have you back, Mr Gammon!
Yah! I found this motley crew earlier this summer at some guys man cave garage sale and knew they were a must have(especially for the gumball price he had them at) They were definitely hard plastic and awsomly awful. congrats on the find!
They’re ’70s, all right, but the presence of Captain Marvel dates them as 1973 at the earliest… probably more like ’75 or ’76. They were in fact sold as cake toppers, and the set also included Supergirl in her ’70s “hot pants & blouse” outfit. I was just discussing the possibility with a buddy that there was also a Batgirl, but he doesn’t think so. While I had several loose previously, we bought sets in cello bags with no header out of stock from a defunct local bakery around 1990.
These are so darn cute – you just want to put them in little jars and keep them safe.
why does the pencil topper BatMan have a HH on his chest ?
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Are those high heels on pencil-topper Robin? Those chubby legs don’t look very manly to me either.
Yeah, I have a Captain Marvel and Batman and they look the same (although Batman’s paint job is different) but they’re pretty squishy rubber. I always thought they were pencil toppers, they reminded me of those Star Wars ones.
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