Garbage Pail Kids Cheap Toys + Garbage Can-dy can

GPK Cheap Toys Crater Chris, Muggin' Megan & Thin Lynn with Garbage Can-dy can

I recently came into a couple new Garbage Pail Kids Cheap Toys figures to add to my paltry collection and immediately started thinking of how I might photograph them to properly show how fun and cool they are. When I stumbled onto an old Topps Garbage Can-dy container I had lying around (in a nice silvery gray color), I knew I found the answer! GPK figures and Garbage Can-dy containers are a match made in toy heaven (or in this case, the alley). Now, if I could only go back in time and buy a considerable amount more when they were literally cheap toys!

Saint Seiya vending machine bootlegs

I couldn't always control myself from tearing the armor pieces off

Comparison shot with a MUSCLE figure

What: Back in the early 1990s, one type of figure line that appeared frequently in toy vending machines included a variety of futuristic-looking warriors that came with extra armor pieces attached (which were meant to be removed and placed onto pegs on the figures' shoulders). I got a number of these figures as a kid, and as with most other vending machine toys at that time, always just figured they were generic characters without a tie to anything more official. I learned later that these are actually bootlegs of figures from a Japanese manga series titled Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. They came in a variety of colors including at least blue, green, red, flesh, yellow and orange, and most of them were made out of a slightly softer plastic than that of MUSCLE figures (although the flesh example pictured above is more rubbery). In vending machines, they were sold under names such as "Earth Defender" and "Creatures from the Stars," some visual examples of which were compiled by LittleRubberGuys.com member Soupie and can be seen here. If you're a collector of little rubber guys, chances are you have come across some Saint Seiya bootlegs at one point or another! 

When: I'd estimate that I got these in the early 1990s. I'm not sure if they were also sold before or after that.

Where: Sold in toy vending machines.

Who: N/A

Unidentified: Skeleton warrior fantasy playset figures

Size comparison with MUSCLE & Monster in My Pocket figures

Set of skeleton warriors (photos in this grid by irbaboon)

UPDATE: Check out a more recent, detailed Little Weirdos post on these toys here.

What: Here are some very cool plastic skeleton warriors that I recently got in a trade. When I first saw a photo of them I had no idea what they were, but I knew I wanted them because I loved the sculpts and the bright colors (plus, can you ever have enough skeletons wielding weapons in your collection?). Based on the look of the figures I had a hunch that they were somehow related to these plastic fantasy playset figures I recently posted about, and according to a member of the LittleRubberGuys.com forums with the handle irbaboon, they are indeed. He says all of these figures came from a fairly large line that was released under multiple names by various toy distribution companies in the 1990s. As far as the skeletons, there are at least six main warriors, two skeleton horses and three shaman/priest-like figures (all can be seen in the above bottom grid of photos supplied by irbaboon). Because they were released in multiple ways by multiple companies, they were sold under different names, such as "Knights and Demons," "Battle of the Ancients" and simply "Fantasy Battle." I am not sure under what name the particular figures pictured above were sold.

When: 1990s. I don't recall seeing the skeleton figures, but I picked up some of the other fantasy figures from this line in the late-'90s or very early '00s.

Where: U.S. (at least). I remember getting some of these figures at a bargain/dollar-type store called Amazing Savings.

Who: Released in various ways by various companies, including Polotoy and Schylling.

Nintendo keshi: Super Mario Bros.

Size comparison with Kinnikuman figure

What: When I was a kid I spent a lot of time both playing with little rubber guys and playing Nintendo games, so back then I always hoped they'd make little rubber guys of Nintendo characters. Little did I know then that they did make them...in Japan! It only took me a couple of decades to find out they existed and to track some down, but I find them just as cool now as I probably would have then. The figures I have are from the first Super Mario Bros. game and include a few variations of Mario himself, Toad, piranha plants, goombas, and koopa troopas. There were other characters besides the ones pictured included in this particular set, which you can see in this thread on LittleRubberGuys.com. In addition to the Mario set, there were also keshi (the Japanese word for erasers or little rubber figures) released for a variety of games, including Ghosts 'n Goblins, The Legend of Zelda and more. These are made out of a soft eraser-like material similar to that of the Japanese Kinnikuman figures and came in a variety of colors.

When: I don't really know much about these, but I'm guessing they were released when the game was originally popular in the mid-to-late-1980s.

Where: Japan

Who: From what I could tell these were released by the Nintendo company itself, but I'm not totally sure as I couldn't find much information out there.

M.U.S.C.L.E.: The green gang

My favorite color of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures has always been neon green. No matter what other color it's next to, it always makes for the most eye-catching figure on the shelf; green M.U.S.C.L.E.s almost look like they could be glow-in-the-dark even though they aren't. I recently added green versions of some of my favorite sculpts in the line to my collection and had to get a shot of them all together. Interesting thing to note: The Planet Man figure (third from the right) seems to be a factory error, with his head tilted to the side in a way that makes him appear a bit wonky and drunk!

For more M.U.S.C.L.E.s, check out the original post I did on the line.

Ro-Gun Robots

What: One of the earliest mini figure memories I have is getting a big bag of mono color, cheap plastic robots at the dollar store. I was never that attached to them but they were always there, hanging out alongside my much more cherished MUSCLE and Monster in My Pocket figures. Fast forward more than two decades and I finally discover some details about this line, called Ro-Gun Robots (thanks to MinifiguresXD, formerly Toypedia, for shedding some light via an informative post a few years back). This set consisted of six unique sculpts, each of which came in three colors: dull blue, dull red and black. They're made of a hard, light plastic that would probably crack pretty easily if bent (I haven't tried). One part of me kind of likes these and another part doesn't think they're incredibly exciting. In any case, they're a welcome addition to any mini figure army, especially if you have a weakness for robots and/or cheapo toys.

When: The MinifiguresXD entry linked above says 1984, but I'd estimate that I got mine in the late 1980s or very early 1990s so it seems they were being sold for a while.

Where: U.S. (at least). I remember getting mine at a variety/dollar store, but I have also seen people say they found them in toy vending machines.

Who: Made by Arco

Mini Boglins (part 2)

My previously sad group of Mini Boglins recently came into a bunch of friends. The new additions have already made themselves comfortable, lurking around the house being their typical repulsive and unruly selves. Hopefully the horde will grow even larger soon.

Unidentified: E.T. bootleg rubber figures

Size comparison with Mini Boglin

What: For this entry we've got one of the most beloved little weirdos of all time...E.T.! There have been tons of E.T. toys produced over the years, but I had never seen these particular rubber, mono-neon color figures before. As soon as I set eyes on the little buggers I knew they had to be mine. The sculpts of these figures are the exact same as those found in LJN's line of collectible E.T. figures, but those were released in the character's tan color with painted details. Being a huge fan of mono color figures, I think they are cooler this way! The rubber is about the same consistency as that of a Mini Boglin. My personal favorite is the bright pink E.T. pictured above--the color makes for a very attractive mini figure.

When: The original LJN figures came out upon the release of the movie (1982-1983), but I'm not sure if these versions appeared at that time or later.

Where: I purchased these from a seller in Mexico. I can only assume that's where they originated.

Who: While these figures retain the "LJN Toys Ltd" marking of the original LJN figures, my guess is that they are bootlegs produced by a different company.

S.L.U.G. Zombies

Cap'n Scurvy Jack, King Guts, Erik the Dead

Gutslingin' Grimm, Grave Lincoln, Inspector Bones

Rigamortis Lourdes, Decayin' Dom, Brain-Eatin' Brandon

The Corroding Kid, Jon B. Gone, Neil Armgone

Zombie attack!

A SLUG with a couple of deadbeat cousins

12-pack coffin

Single blind pack coffin

What: A new line of mini figures that combines inspiration from classic lines such as M.U.S.C.L.E. and Monster in My Pocket with modern day zombie mania. While Z.O.M.B.I.E. from October Toys got there first (along with the Zombie Planet set of vending machine figures), S.L.U.G.--which stands for "Scary Little Ugly Guys"--is a very exciting toy line for a few reasons: there are already 16 different sculpts released with plans for many more (including other creatures such as monsters and aliens); this is the first mini figure line of its kind to see mainstream release for some time; and quite simply, they're awesome! The 2" zombies are made out of a soft plastic that falls somewhere in-between the materials used for M.U.S.C.L.E. and M.I.M.P. and come in a fitting green color that looks great on display. They're sold in a few different formats, including coffin-shaped 12-packs and single-packs as well as three-packs. Instead of being just basic zombies, all of the S.L.U.G. figures offer up a unique character--there's an astronaut zombie, a pirate zombie, a cheerleader zombie, and so on. This is a very cool toy line that will hopefully continue for a long time!

When: The initial wave of 16 different figures began to appear in winter 2011.

Where: So far available in the U.S. in certain Toys R Us stores. Single-packs have also been available in some Walgreens stores, and the JAKKS Pacific website also lists Target and K-Mart as retailers, although at the time of this post I haven't seen any reports of the toys being spotted at either.

Who: Released by JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

Unidentified: Plastic dino monsters

Cheap dino monsters caught in their natural habitat

This pink dino looks & feels like he belongs with these guys

What: Cheapo plastic beasts that look like what might happen if a dinosaur and a dragon mated. These guys seemed to show up everywhere when I was a kid--from vending machines to bags of figures sold at the dollar store. The paint jobs are crappy and the plastic feels super cheap, but I'll be damned if they're not charming little doofuses.

When: I'm thinking these were sold in different capacities for years (they probably still are somewhere), but I would have gotten these particular figures in the late-1980s through the mid-1990s.

Where: I remember these coming in playset-like bags of cheap figures that were sold in the toys sections at grocery stores and dollar stores. I am also pretty sure they used to be sold in toy vending machines.

Who: N/A

Unidentified: Gundam/'shell robot' vending machine bootlegs

What: Here's something a bit different from the typical minifigures that have been sold in toy vending machines over the years--little soft plastic robots with removable hard plastic shells. I'm not very familiar with anime and don't know what name these were actually sold under, but they appear to be some sort of "super deformed" Gundam bootlegs. These came in a variety of neon colors, with the colors of the inside figures being a bit richer than those of the outside shells. The shells came in two pieces that you could snap together around the figure. Each figure also included a small sticker to be placed around the "head" of the inside robot.

When: I got these in the mid-1990s.

Where: I remember picking up a handful of these at a specific department store toy vending machine over a period of a few months. I'm not sure if I ever spotted them in another machine.

Who: N/A