(item number) 5105
(title) BULLMARK Ultraman Taro and ZAT Corps Double-Sided Soft Vinyl
(maker) Bulmaak
(the date of issue) 1970s
(size) 235 mm
(Country) Japan
(detailed) Main item 8 (slight scratches)
(starting bid price) 350,000 yen
(comment) In 1973, toward the end of the second monster boom (also known as the transformation boom) from 1971 to 1974, "Ultraman Taro" began airing on television.
Bullmark, a toy manufacturer, released many soft vinyl figures of monsters and heroes from "Return of Ultraman" (hereafter "Return of Ultraman"), which aired in 1971 at the beginning of the second monster boom.
These soft vinyl figures sold explosively among children, driving the boom.
After that, "Mirror Man" was aired in the latter half of 1971, and "Ultraman A" in the spring of 1972, and Bullmark developed toys centered on soft vinyl figures.
However, in just a year, the company's soft vinyl sales situation changed dramatically.
The main reasons for this include the following factors.
The decline in the popularity of the monsters in "Mirror Man" among children and the decline in the viewership ratings of "Ultraman A" led to a decline in the monster soft vinyl figures. Decreasing sales of Fubi
Rampant production of unlicensed soft vinyl figures of Mirror Man and Ultraman
The mass production of Mirror Man toys, which the company had focused on as a solution, later turned into dead stock and put pressure on the company's finances
The sponsorship of Ultraman Ace by Banso, whose pop-up picture book was a hit, and the entry of other manufacturers led to a decrease in Bullmark's merchandising allocation and a rise in the contract fee with Tsuburaya Productions
Changes in children's demand for life-size transforming hero toys, such as the transformation belt of Kamen Rider
Due to these factors, Bullmark was forced to carefully select the products it produced in a short period of time
In fact, about 40 types of standard soft vinyl monsters were released for Kaeriman in 1971, but the number of types for Ultraman Ace in 1972 was greatly reduced to only 6
Ultraman Taro gained popularity by being written for a lower age group, but the standard No Dad monster soft vinyl figures were released, and only four mini monster soft vinyl figures (Astromons, Live King, Cosmo Liquid, Oil Drinker) were released.
So Bullmark seems to have found a way forward by releasing a variety of soft vinyl figures of Ultraman itself.
In fact, many soft vinyl figures of Ultraman were released, and with the appearance of Ultra Father and Mother and past Ultramen in the show, Bullmark released 11 types for "Return Man", about 10 types for "Ultraman A", and over 20 types for "Ultraman Taro" including Father and Mother.
In the midst of this, in 1974, Bullmark began selling soft vinyl figures of "Ultraman Taro" with different designs, as well as standard soft vinyl figures with mask replacements and mini and mid-sized figures.
Mini soft vinyl figures that collected each Ultraman. A blister pack set, soft vinyl with pencil cap, soft vinyl with a mask that reveals a human face when you rotate it, and more were released.
The prototype soft vinyl being exhibited this time was given to me as a child and I played with it as a child.
The owner, who had a connection with Bullmark, said, "It was not featured in any promotional photos or catalogs at the time, and there are no sample photos remaining as reference material. Bullmark probably produced it, but the design was so unusual and different from the one in the show that they decided not to release it."
This soft vinyl is a one-piece mold with a ZAT member and Ultraman Taro back to back, and is a double-sided design that allows you to enjoy both the member and Taro. It has a look that sets it apart from conventional Ultraman soft vinyl, and like the soft vinyl with a human face that appears when you rotate the head mentioned above, it is an intricate design with a lot of ingenuity.
It is a standard size at 23cm.
At first glance, the angles of the elbows are different, but the shape is similar to that of the same-sized Taro soft vinyl.
However, if you look closely, there are two thumbs on the fists and toes on both feet.
The head is sculpted with Taro's horns and some of the ears on his helmet, giving it a different impression compared to regular soft vinyl.
The regular Taro soft vinyl is painted in a gray color scheme that makes use of the red molding color, but this double-sided soft vinyl naturally requires painting the ZAT member parts as well, and it would normally take about three colors to paint. It would have taken more than double the work to paint a figure that normally requires just three colors, but this soft vinyl figure required six colors, which increased the labor required and may have increased the production costs.
In the current soft vinyl boom, not only have the prices of vintage soft vinyl figures risen, but unlicensed soft vinyl figures from that time have also been drawing attention.
The soft vinyl figures introduced here are of a different dimension in every respect, from their uniqueness, rarity as prototypes, and innovative design, making them a treasure among treasures from Bullmark that appeared like a miracle in this era (Miyagawa)
126 Bullmark |
