How do you describe your collection?
When people see my Creature from the Black Lagoon collection, they’re blown away. While it’s just one monster, there are tons of different variations—one in a snow globe, action figures, even a life-sized version. It’s really overwhelming!
The funny thing about this is that you’d think, since the original movie was so popular, there would’ve been a lot of Creature stuff released. But there wasn’t. There were plenty of Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolf Man toys and models, but the only things available in the 1960s for the Creature was the Aurora model kit and a board game from Hasbro that used artwork based on the model kit’s box art.
As a child, I remember going to my local Ben Franklin store. For a dollar, I bought what’s called a rubber jiggler of the Creature. He’s about eight inches tall and made of all rubber. I still have him, believe it or not. I was a strange kid. I played with my toys gently and I wasn’t really aggressive with them. I liked to place them on a shelf and set them all up.
There was a company called Azrak Hamway (AHI) that made with these toys. They were known as a cheap toy maker—you could buy them for a dollar or $1.99. You’d play with the toys and eventually they’d fall apart. AHI released a series of monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Creature. Because they were cheaply made and kids would play rough with them, it’s rare to find them in great shape. That’s what makes some of these toys so valuable.
They made two versions of the Creature. One they called the male version, which has jointed elbows and knees. Then, a year or so later, possibly because it cost too much to produce the joints, AHI made a version with straight arms and legs. They called this the female version, since the Creature’s hips were slightly larger. I didn’t come up with these names, but I’m fortunate to have both toys, and they’re in great shape. A couple of collectors still have them in the original packaging, which is unbelievably rare. One recently sold on eBay for ten or twelve grand. Creature collectors—we’re a nutty group. Because there wasn’t a lot of Creature released from that time, anything you can find, you snap up right away.
In the 1980s, Remco released a series of Creatures. Then, in the ’90s, a few more Creatures were released. Around 1999, a company called Sideshow Collectibles got the Universal Monsters license and made these realistic-looking Creature from the Black Lagoon figures in two different sizes—they’re gorgeous. Since then, other toy companies have picked up the Universal Monsters license and released their own great versions of the Creature. There’s a lot of Creature stuff out there now, so it’s the early releases that collectors go after.
The oldest pieces in my collection are the AHI rubber jigglers. My largest piece is a life-sized Creature statue made around 2005 by an incredibly talented artist named Mark Alfrey. Mark was a very skilled special effects guy in Hollywood. He was hired by a group of seven or eight die-hard Creature fans who had some money and wanted a life-sized statue of the Creature. He did a beautiful job and made maybe 20 of them. What else is cool is that the paint job on my statue was done by a guy who worked on the film titled The Shape of Water. It is really great.
When and why did you start your collection?
The funny thing is, ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the Universal Monsters. When I was really little, I saw Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy. But, the last classic monster that I saw was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The thing that really drew me to him was that he was a swimming, underwater creature who lived in a swamp—the other monsters don’t. They’re more classic gothic horror icons.
When Creature from the Black Lagoon was made in 1954, it had a contemporary monster. I just loved everything about that movie. It was magical to me to see this creature swimming underwater. A lot of credit goes to director Jack Arnold, the amazing cast, and the incredible team who worked on the film. This was the second 3D film Arnold directed—he had done It Came from Outer Space in 1953. He worked with actor Richard Carlson on that first movie and brought him in for Creature from the Black Lagoon. What was so beautiful about the film was that, when they shot it in 3D, some of this stuff had never been done before.
I host a bi-weekly podcast called Monster Party with three good friends, Matt Weinhold, Shawn Sheridan, and James Gonis. I’ve known them for 25 years. We’ve recorded nearly 300 episodes since we launched in 2013. In the podcast, we talk with folks in the Hollywood industry about science fiction, fantasy, horror, monsters, toys, and a slew of other fun topics. It’s lighthearted and loads of fun!
These three friends beat the hell out of their toys. Shawn lit his on fire. Matt threw them off the roof. They all played really hard with their stuff. The difference is, none of them came from a large family—I did. There were seven kids in my family. Space in the house was at a premium, and there was no privacy. We had a big container of plastic toys we all shared. We’d fight over them—who could have what, and when. Getting something that was specifically yours, something you didn’t have to share was a precious thing. I had a special little place where I kept my things. I wanted to keep them in great shape. I think I started doing this when I was about six or seven years old.
When Star Wars figures came out, I put mine on the shelf and kept them there to display, while my friends were beating the hell out of theirs. That’s why a lot of the stuff I have from when I was a kid is in great shape.
It’s funny, my brothers were not like this. They didn’t care about their toys in the same way. As the older brothers moved out and I didn’t have to share space with so many people, my area got so much bigger and I filled it with more stuff. Those were good times.
How do you display and store your collection?
There are a lot of Creature toys that have come out within the past 10 years that are plastic, and if they fall off a shelf, they’ll be fine. Those are in an open bookcase.
All of my primo stuff is in a glass case. On the top shelf are the beautiful Sideshow Collectibles pieces—the eight- and 12-inch Creatures. On the next level is my vintage stuff from the 1960s, which includes my models, the AHI Creatures, and rubber jigglers. I also have a little flicker ring. Back in the 1960s, you could get these rings from gumball machines. You put your coin in, turned the knob, and a little capsule would come out with a silver plastic lenticular ring with the Creature’s face and claw. It sold for a nickel or dime back then, but now a ring like that goes for anywhere between $125 and $200. I also have Creature PEZ dispensers.
On the bottom shelf are my Creature costumes—still in their boxes—from Ben Cooper, who was known for making cheap Halloween costumes in the 1960s and ’70s. They’re in really great shape. In the 1980s, a company called Collegeville made more realistic-looking masks. A lot of these costumes were basically a picture of the character on the front. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Rubies came out with a Creature costume for kids with scales.
My niece, who was about 10 at the time, knew her Uncle Larry loved Creature from the Black Lagoon and asked her mom if she could get the costume. She said, “Look, Uncle Larry, I’m the Creature, I’m the Creature!”
What do you consider to be the Holy Grail of your collection?
Is there anything I wish I had? Yes. I wish I had an original poster from 1954. I had the opportunity to get one in 1982. They wanted $800 for it. I thought that was a ridiculous price. Well, now its one of the most iconic 1950s posters and sells for anywhere between $14,000 and $20,000. I do have a beautiful reproduction and several of the original lobby cards, but not the original poster. But, you know, at this point in my life, the reproduction looks great. I’m fine with it.
Two things are really precious to me. If there’s a fire, these are the two things I would grab. I wouldn’t be able to grab the life-size Creature because it’s just too big. But the first would be the AHI male Creature because it’s so hard to find and in great shape. The second thing is something from my daughter. It’s a painted paper mâché mask that looks like the Creature. She made it at a summer school. It’s so cute, and it’s precious to me. Since then, she’s made other things for me. She recently got into felting, and for Christmas, she made me a Creature.
My daughter is 19 now. When she was little, her first stuffed animal was a Creature. When she was little, I’d put her in her little swing, and we’d watch Creature from the Black Lagoon together. She says she remembers watching the Creature swimming.
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a similar collection?
The one thing that I would say is if you’re into collecting, you should collect what you enjoy, what brings you happiness. Don’t look at what will be valuable in the next 10 years or what you can sell next year.
Recently, NECA produced a collection of figures dressed in Ben Cooper Halloween costumes. They weren’t planning on making many, and they were snatched up right away. There’s a Creature from the Black Lagoon figure in the collection. People lined up at stores first thing in the morning and grabbed all of them. The figures sell for $19, but I’ve seen them for sale on eBay for $150. While the market is going to dictate how much it’s worth, I’m not paying $150 for something that just came out.
Sometimes, people get burned that way too—they buy a bunch of figures, thinking they will sell them and make a killing. But then they can’t sell them and get stuck with all of them. It happens all the time.
My podcast co-host Matt and I talk about this frequently. There’s stuff he bought 30 or 40 years ago that he loves. It’s not worth much more than what he paid for it, but it brings him a sense of joy and happiness to see it. My advice? Get something because you like it. Don’t get into it thinking it’ll be worth money down the road.
Listen to Larry and his co-hosts on the Monster Party podcast to hear more about Creature from the Black Lagoon, collecting, and classic monsters.
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