Monster in My Pocket
Monster in My Pocket was a toy line developed by Morrison Entertainment Group, headed by Joe Morrison and John Weems, and released by Matchbox in 1990 consisting of small, soft plastic monsters from religion and mythology, literary fantasy, and unexplained phenomena. In total, there were eleven series released, the third (released only in Shreddie's cereal in Canada and by Bob's Big Boy and Hardee's) being the rarest. There were over 200 monsters in the collection, each (with nine exceptions) was assigned a point value. Among the highest valued monsters were the Etruscan deity Charun (100 points) and among the least being The Invisible Man (5 points).
The line proved more popular in England and continental Europe than in the United States where it originally developed. It ran into difficulty in England with its large population of Hindus, as the divinites Kali, Ganesha, Hanuman, and Yama, were all depicted as "monsters" resulting in great offense. Except for the minor deity, Yama, god of death, these were removed from the line in England. After the fourth series, which contained Hanuman and Yama, was released, they decided to play it safe and provided follow-up series: Super Creepies, 24 comical aberrations of real insects created by "Dr. Zechariah Wolfram" with point values up to 250, dinosaurs, released in both regular and "Secret Skeleton" format, and 16 Space Aliens that were essentially original. A second series of 24 Dinosaurs is even rarer than series 3. Many of these were not released outside of Europe. The Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket debuted in England in 1994, no longer produced by Matchbox. The first nine, including Tony the Tiger as a coach, were released in Kellogg's Frosties cereal. The point values went up even further, as high as 500, and the coaches and referees, save for the 100 point "Tony the Coach", were the first monsters designated with 0 points. Shreddies also did a nine-monster series of Monster Sports Stars in My Pocket, which had no point values. Seventeen Monster Ninja Warriors in My Pocket were produced in 1996, some of which came with vehicles and accessories. These also caught on with the Pog fad, in addition to being the first Monster in My Pocket figures with removable weapons. The figures that were not made by Matchbox were painted in full colors and came in only a few variations, rather than previously coming in multiple solid or tri-tone colors.
The line was recently revived in England, with deluxe figures of the principal monster characters and reissues of the series 1-2 monsters essentially unchanged.
Some people get these confused with M.U.S.C.L.E. (Kinnikuman), which were also small rubbery monsterous wrestlers. Hasbro, and later Irwin, released Puppy in My Pocket, Kitty in My Pocket, Pony in My Pocket, Teddy in My Pocket, and various other animal lines under the auspices of Morrison Entertainment Group. Some of the larger "Super Scary" monsters could ride some of the ponies without being top-heavy. These lines were, of course, more aimed at girls. A company called Feva apparently never released Morrison's Magic in My Pocket and Joke in My Pocket lines.
Monster in My Pocket in other media
A comic book series written by Dwayne McDuffie and drawn primarily by Gil Kane and Ernie Colón was released by Harvey Comics in 1991. It ran for four bi-monthly issues, despite an open ending and promises that sales had justified making it monthly. In this series, Warlock and Vampire were similar to X-Men's Magneto and Professor X in their appearances, relationship to each other, and value systems. A spell by Warlock intended to shrink the monsters who did not side with him was botched by Ogre, resulting in the shrinkage of all the monsters. The good monsters ended up in the home of ne'er-do-well Jack Miles and his studious younger brother, Tom. The series ended with both sides battling inside a dollhouse bought for a little girl named Theresa, who was scared away by Spring Heeled Jack. They also dealt with Frank Rook, The Exterminator (a parody of The Punisher), and Swamp Beast helped them defeat a Tyrannosaurus Rex who would grow when exposed to any form of radiation, such as smoke detectors and microwaves. Marvel Comics reissued the comic stories in newly-formatted annuals, including a Monster Wrestlers in My Pocket annual (which had no continuity with the previous series).
A video game was released for the NES in 1991 by Konami. It had the same essential concept of the comic book, although Hobgoblin and Gremlin, initially the good monsters' comic relief, now appeared as villains, to the extent that Gremlin was a boss. A board game was also released by Decipher, which used the action figures as playing pieces. The game involved using the monsters to fight battles in terrains where they had different strengths. In 1992, there was an animated special produced by Hanna-Barbera, where Vampire became the villain, and Invisible Man was in charge of the heroes. Swamp Beast was a mindless villain among the other changes, such as the formerly white-furred Werewolf becoming the Jamaican "Wolf-Mon". This time, their human host was Carrie Raven, daughter of Edgar Raven, a famous horror writer. The evil monsters learned they would grow at the sound of screams, while the good monsters grow with laughter.
There was also an audio cassette of original music and along with a cover of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's The Monster Mash titled Monster Rock, produced by Rincon Children's Entertainment for BMG Kidz in 1992. The songs were written by ? Byrd, James McDonnell, Peter Pope, Randy Petersen, Robert Irving, and ? Quinn. Pope, McDonnell, Petersen, and Irving played the keyboards, George Bell played saxophone, and Barry Scott and Charles Dickens played guitar, with dickens provideing drum programming and engineering. Singers were Jake Vesprille, Michael Hunter, Gigi Young, Barry Scott, Jimmy McDonnell, Mary McDonnell, Rory McDonnell, Peter Hix, Katrina Perkins, and Bob Joyce. "Saturday Night at the Boneyard" was the only song to mention monsters from series 2 or 3. The other songs are "Monster in My Pocket", "Witches Brew", "Monsters", "Can't Do a Thing With My Hair" (Byrd/McDonnell), "Do the Boo", "Full Moon Blues", "Boogie Man Boogie" (Byrd/McDonnell/Pope), "Monster Party" (Petersen/Irving/Quinn), and "Party in Your Pocket" (Pope). John Weems, Joe Morrison, and Ralph King were the executive producers.
In 2003, Pyramid Films in England created a CGI animated series that changed the concept considerably. It dealt with monsters trapped in a cloak that was shredded in battle with the now-good Warlock and his evil brother, "Morlock". A few good monsters, including Vampiress and Frankenstein's Monster side with Warlock and his young apprentice to recapture the monsters, including Vampiress's evil brother, Vampire. One addition to the series, according to its bible, was Mothman, which had previously not been represented. The series was intended for U.S. release on Cartoon Network, but it was never picked up. Apparently, with the human figures more in control of the monsters than ever before, it looked too much like Pokemon for its own good, with some Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. Its earlier X-Men influence had been only subtle and teasingly knowing.
Wikipedia entries for other monsters in the series:
Great Beast (Antichrist), Lernaean Hydra, Behemoth, Griffin, Cockatrice, Cyclops, Tengu, Triton (mythology), Kraken, Manticore, Coatlicue, Bigfoot, Catoblepas, Harpy, Jenny Haniver, Baba Yaga, Windigo, Red Cap, Medusa, Goblin, Cerberus, Zombie, Chimera, Ghost, Roc, Ghoul, The Phantom of the Opera, Mad Scientist or Mr. Hyde, Charon, The Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Witch, Mummy, Skeleton, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dragon, Jabberwock, Ymir, Golem, Loch Ness Monster, Tarasque, Herne the Hunter, Ancient Gorgon, Ectoplasmic Phantom, Minotaur, Merrow, Nuckelavee, Spectre, Bloody Bones, Sebek, Dryad, Undine, Gargoyle, Leviathan, Abominable Snowman, Anubis, Amphisbaena, Centaur, Orobas, Siren, Blemmyes, Achelous, Ankou, Banshee, Djinn Shapeshifter, Genie, Grendel, Hairy Boggart, Headless Horseman (being unmounted, he was amusingly known as simply "The Headless Man", though his origin matched Irving's description), Hodag, Sciapod, Talos, Troll, Astaroth (looking like Baal), Dybbuk, Lamia (mythology), Houngan, Jenny Greenteeth, Boogeyman, Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Jersey Devil, Poltergeist, Wildman of China (Yeren), and Imp.
No entries curretnly exist for the following monsters: Jotun Troll, Karnak (probably Maahes), Winged Panther, Bishop Fish, Elbow Witch, Jimmy Squarefoot, BasCelik, Catarenha, Hieracosphinx, Jabalius, Thunderdell, Ghilan, Grave Watcher, Creature from the Closet, the ghost of Christopher Slaughterford, Drude, Alû, Fachen, Wurdulac, or Umi Bozu.
Copyright
Edited with additional information by Scott Andrew Hutchins.
Because of the similarities in names, the Japanese franchise "Pocket Monsters" was changed to "Pokemon" for English releases. Morrison Entertainment Group sued Nintendo unsuccessfuly for what they perceived as an appropriation.