Creature from the Black Lagoon (54/54) - VHS promo 6' cardboard stand-up (1991)

For the farewell entry for Creature from the Black Lagoon in this series AND the blog, I obviously wanted to pick out something special. 

If memory serves, Vonna procured this promotional standee for me 30-some odd years ago, so he lived at the old house before migrating to the Home of The Slaughtered Lamb Cinema in 2007, where he's taken up residence adjacent to the Creature-case in Theater B. 

Having him out of his normal location for these photos got me thinking he might be due a relocation to Theater A, the one place where we can still watch the VHS tape that he's promoting! 

That does it for my 54th year, and the I AM 54 blog! Whether you followed along as each new post went live, or if you discovered it long after the fact, I hope you enjoy reviewing all of the items shared from my I Am Legend, Godzilla, and Creature from the Black Lagoon collections!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (53/54) - Sideshow 12" Figure (2003)

Sideshow delivered one of the best large-scale Creatures to date in 2003 with this sixth-scale Creature. The articulated body with rubbery skin allowed for a nice reproduction of the Creature costume.

There have been additional figures in this scale since 2003, and arguably even nicer sculpts, but given the comparative price points at the time of release, this Sideshow Creature remains one of the best values for the cost. 

We're in the final month of I Am 54, but hang in there as we wind down our celebration of the 70th anniversaries of I Am Legend, Godzilla, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Check back next week for the final item from my Creature collection in this series!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (52/54) - Aurora Creature Long Box model kit reissues (1999, 2022)

While I've already showcased the Aurora square box glow-in-the-dark version of their Creature model kit, I can't do this series justice without including the original long-box variation, featuring the classic James Bama artwork. While I don't have an original Aurora kit, it has been reissued a number of times over the years — and several times in the classic long-box style.

 

Polar Lights previously offered all of the classic monsters in long-box kits, including this Creature hailing from 1999. In 2022, Atlantis reissued the kit in a long box. While the Polar Lights kit mimicked the original Aurora box very closely, with the notable additions of the Universal Monsters logo in the upper left and the Universal logo and licensing information by the title, Atlantis swapped out Universal Pictures with their own name in the 'Presents' text above the title.

The same holds true with the side art, with Polar Lights more closely resembling the original Aurora box. The Atlantis box features the current Universal Monsters logo is also slightly taller. You'll notice Super7's logo is also present on the Atlantis kit; as you may recall, they partnered to release a clear version of the Creature kit with pink 'guts'. 

The Atlantis kit is also the only version to include photos of the finished kit itself on the box. The original Aurora and Polar Lights reissue solely use the Bama painting.

We're in the final month of I Am 54, but hang in there as we wind down our celebration of the 70th anniversaries of I Am Legend, Godzilla, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection as we countdown to the final entries in this series!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (51/54) - Rubie's Universal Monsters Creature from the Black Lagoon Pet Costume (2022)

 

Though I don't own a dog, I did briefly own this Creature from the Black Lagoon pet costume.

I bought it specifically for my pal Muggsy Parker Schow, who I knew would never forgive me for the indignity — so I was quite pleased when his Mom sent me this photo of Muggsy in the Creature costume. I personally think he rocks the outfit.

photo by Kerry A. Fitzmaurice

We're in the final month of I Am 54, but hang in there as we wind down our celebration of the 70th anniversaries of I Am Legend, Godzilla, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection as we countdown to the final entries in this series!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (50/54) - Diamond Select Kay Lawrence figure (2010)

In 2010, Diamond select released a Creature figure that included a Kay Lawrence figure. While the Creature sculpt left a bit to be desired, they did a decent job with Kay — particularly for a mass produced (if not articulated) figure. 

While not a dead-on likeness of Julie Adams, it could have been much, much worse. For the first (and only) such figure to date, I think it's nice — and again, nicer than the Creature she was paired with!

Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (49/54) - X-Plus Revenge of the Creature 1/8 Scale Model (2023)

In 2023, X-Plus delivered the first styrene kit of the Creature from his second feature film. (It's all in the chains.)

While I have yet to build the kit (you can see it's still in the original shrinkwrap!), X-Plus did a commendable job both with the packaging and the sculpt.  Sure, a retro Bama-style painting might have been a cool touch, but it's also great when they can capture a nice photo of the actual kit you'll be building. Unfortunately for me, the promotional image below does not reflect how my feeble attempt to paint the kit will turn out...

Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (48/54) - Famous Movie Monsters: Meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon (2005)

Much like Crestwood House 24 years earlier, Rosen published Meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon with the young horror fan in mind. Bound in hardcover for library durability, the book ups the ante on the Crestwood volume through the use of color.

It's a nicely designed book, with a filmography, glossary, and bibliography encouraging further exploration for the budding Creature fan.

And kudos to author Brent Peterson for not only mentioning Tom Weaver's MagicImage Film Book, the Carl Dreadstone novelization, and even Ian Thorne's Crestwood House volume!

 Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (47/54) - Hot Wheels Low Flow (2012)

According to the Hot Wheels Wiki:

The Low Flow is a '50s-styled Bus casting which has a strong resemblance to the Surfin' School Bus, however this one lacks surfboards and has a sleek and exaggerated rear slope and decorative outer bodywork. Like the Similar Surfin' School Bus, the front fascia also features a moulded badge that bears some resemblance to the logo of the New Flyer Bus Company, a Canadian Bus manufacturer based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

In 2012, as part of a Universal Monsters licensing crossover, the Low Flow was given a Creature-themed paint job.

For the record, while this is the only Hot Wheels/Creature crossover, it's far from the only time the Creature has teamed up with a 1:64 scale automobile...

Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (46/54) - Minimates Box Set (2010)

Looking something like Lego Mini-figs, but with significantly more articulation (a whopping 14 points of articulation — according to the packaging!), Minimates were produced for many licensees — with over 3000 Minimates documented in the Minimate Database!

The boxed set of four Minimate figures includes the Creature, a glow-in-the-dark variant (shocking, I know), Dr. Reed and Kay Lawrence. 

While interesting enough to add to the collection when the price was right, as you can see, I've kept them sealed in their Minimate Sarcophagus...

Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!