Miniature Giants Part 5: Not Marx Is Still Good Marx

This will be the final installment of my series on large-size Marx figures, though I have enough material to bring it back as a feature. I have previously commented that perhaps the greatest testimony to Marx's legacy is that many toys that they didn't make are still attributed to them. Just as many of the most iconic Beach Boys songs weren't actually by the Beach Boys, casual collectors and sellers list items as from Marx that were made by other companies and in some cases were being made well after Marx bit the dust in 1980. In that spirit, here's a lineup of rogues that weren't from Marx, but still represent the Marx style. To start with, here's another lineup of several of our rogues, with Scooper and the Truckstop Queen for reference:

The first of our rogues are here on a technicality. These are Mexican reissues of loosely related Marx figures probably released in the early to mid-1960s. I actually obtained this pair in a quite terrible "vintage" bag that I'm sure was from no earlier than the late 1980s. The figures were noteworthy for their unusual scale, either 3 or 4.5 inch, and detailing that looks rather "retro" even for the 1960s. They were also probably the last Marx astronaut figures to be unambiguously portrayed with weapons, including the rather surreal knife-wielding figure seen here. Here's a pic of the pair with Bossk the bounty hunter:

What really sets this group apart, and will certainly get them at least one further installment, is the quite vivid facial expressions. For this alone, I rank them as easily the most bizarre, disturbing and flat-out evil-looking Marx items I have seen or handled (including the "casualty figures!). The old man/ commander especially manages to look more menacing than the armed figures. Here's a few more shots to show what I mean:

"Looks like someone brought a knife to an orbital-laser-cannon fight..."

The next in the lineup is a large-size version of an astronaut released by Timmee with the Galaxy Laser Team set, and quite possibly the single most frequently listed "Marx" astronaut. He is curiously realistic for a distinctly fanciful line, to the extent that I have wondered if the sculpt was developed independently for something closer to the Marx "Apollo" set. I am certain that the open hand was originally intended to hold some kind of accessory not included with the set, most likely a flag of the kind already common in army man sets. Why this was retained in the large-size figure is less clear. Unfortunately, it will be readily apparent that the manufacturer did not put in nearly as much detail as Marx. Here's some more pics of the figure:

The last item is one I have held back for this post. I acquired the figure as a pair with the Apollo cameraman astronaut, and it was a major reason I took the deal. It was sold as another Marx figure, but it was quite clear to me that it was quite different. In fact, compared to Marx's very manly style, it seemed almost subversive, to the point that my first suspicion was that it came from a later period. Here are some pics of the mystery offering:

In the time it took to receive the figure, I was able to find out enough to establish a provenance that turned out to be routine. The figure was part of a group made by Lido, a major manufacturer of army men, in 1963, about the time Marx started releasing 6-inch figures. (These included a grenadier figure that was even more bizarre and ineffectual looking.) Additional reports indicate that this and other Lido molds were purchased by Asian manufacturers in the 1970s and then used well past 1990, perhaps accounting for my sense of a "modern" look. 

Even with an explicable provenance, I was struck by how different it was not just from Marx offerings but from any number of idealized depictions of the military. The oddly large head, the neutral expression and especially the almost unmasculine jaw all present something quite different from the usual determined, patriotic and stoic troops that more orthodox toymakers churned out in droves. This feels like a trooper for the era's emerging realities, of young men recruited or drafted into conflicts they did not understand with no certainty that victory could be achieved or even defined. Of course, this is undoubtedly reading far too much into things the designers would never have been competent enough to try on their own volition. But even unintended subtexts are still potentially potent, especially in a toy reused for generations, and it is not completely fanciful to wonder if this was one of the many tiny cracks that shaped the outcome and aftermath of Vietnam.

Again, here's the major links:

Toy Soldier HQ article on Lido army men

Marx Wild West Guide to astronaut figures

Little Weirdos post on large sized Galaxy Laser Team figures, plus the original post on GLT

And a recap of the rest of the installments in this series:

Part 1: Enemy Marx (Japanese figures)

Part 2: Marx Marxists! (Soviet figures)

Part 3: Marx on the Moon (Apollo/ astronaut set)

Part 4: The Good, the Marx and the Ugly (Wild West and "'casualty" figures)