Retro Review - Universal Studios Monsters Kids' Meal Toys from Burger King

In the late 1990's, the classic Universal Studios Monsters experience a resurgence in popularity thanks to their home video re-release. At the same time they were featured as promotional toys in the Burger King Kids' meals and let me tell you, they are awesome. These toys were a big part of my introduction to, and love of the classic Monsters. Even though I only had The Wolf Man as a kid I can remember hunting for The Creature from the Black Lagoon, trying to trade a friend for a Dracula,  and finding Frankenstein later at a flea market. The 90's was a great time for fast food tie in toys and the Universal Monsters set is one of the most unexpected but welcomed collections ever released.

The set consisted of 4 different figures; Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. It's a solid selection of characters, with the Creature being a nice addition. I really wish they had done more figures, I would have loved to have seen a Mummy or Invisible Man toy.

The Universal Studios Monsters come PACKAGED in your classic fast food baggie. Nothing special really. It does have some nice spooky color scheme on it though, and a clear back making it easy to see what figure you got. However, each toy comes with a little pamphlet that has some beautiful character art on it and simple instructions on the inside about how to operate each figures signature feature. Also included in a nifty glow in the dark sticker of each monster.

The SCULPTING on these guys is fantastic. Sure, they're pretty simple and maybe a little soft but they still look great even by today's standards. They absolutely blow the ReAction figures from a few years back out of the water. The real winners are Dracula and The Wolf Man, always have been. Dracula does look a bit like a generic vampire but I think that's because the Lugosi Estate is very protective of Bela's likeness. The Wolf Man looks spot on, with some great detail throughout his costume, and some nice fur on his head. They also captured his classic tippy-toe stance which does make it difficult for the figure to stand unaided.

Frankenstein's Monster (from here on Frankenstein for short) and the Creature also have fantastic sculpts, however a lot of the detail and subtlety is lost due to being cast in a semi transparent plastic. It's a shame because the likeness on Frankenstein is top notch, and the Creature is covered in scales and fine detailing. My one other complaint is that Frankenstein is a little under scaled. He's just about the shortest figure of the bunch when he should tower over Dracula and The Wolf Man.

The PAINT on these guys is solid, though a bit of a mixed bag. It's accurate where it counts, like eyes and Dracula's medallion. It gets a little sloppy around hands and feet but not so much so that it's distracting. It's actually pretty nice work for a fast food promotional toy line, and it doesn't feel like they've cut any corners.

When it comes to ARTICULATION, these guys are all rocking your classic 5 points of articulation. Well, except for the Creature who doesn't have an articulated neck. Everybody else has a swivel neck, shoulders, and hips. The Creature does get the short end of the stick with the lack of a neck joint, but also he's got a 'v' cut pelvis which doesn't work as nicely as the other figures regular hip joints. The thing is though, they don't feel as static as the ReAction figures, especially The Wolf Man. They've all got slightly bent elbows and the Wolf Man is hunched forward. They\re all slightly more dynamic, even Dracula who is standing straight up. All the joints are really nice and tight too which is always a nice surprise.

The ACCESSORIES these guys come with are awesome. Dracula is the real winner here, coming with his bright red coffin and a removable cape. The color of the coffin doesn't actually bother me, and there's some beautiful sculpted detail on the front cover. The Wolf Man and Dracula both have basically the same action feature; you connect them to foot pegs inside of their respective caskets then you flip a lever and the burst forward out of the top. It's a pretty neat feature that doesn't hinder the figure in any way. The Wolf Man has a nice blue coffin modeled to look like cellar doors. There's some great sculpted wood grain and metal brackets on the front, and when he's lifted forward a little sticker mural pops up with some spooky trees and a bright full moon on it. These two are the reason why I would have loved to have gotten a Mummy figure in the set, him and his sarcophagus would have been awesome.

Frankenstein comes with a laboratory table with some connected machinery so you can recreate the iconic scene of the good Doctor bringing him to life. I love the little detail of the undone leather straps on the table, it's a really nice touch. When Frankenstein lies on the table there's a little lever you can press that turns on a light illuminating the semi transparent plastic of his head. The problem is the battery inside is 20 years old and no longer functional and there's not way to replace it without breaking the plastic and pulling the light box apart. The Creature once again gets the short end of the stick and doesn't come with any accessories, instead he's got a water squirting feature. It's hard to think of some sort of base or bed for him to come with that wouldn't have just been generic underwater plant life, so they probably made the right decision going with a squirting feature.

OVERALL, this is a fantastic set of four classic Universal Monster characters. Great sculpts, solid paint, and awesome accessories really bring these figures to the next level. It's so disappointing they only did 4 figures, but I'm grateful we got who we did. Boy these figures bring back memories, maybe I'll have to take another look at some more Kids' Meal toys in the future.