For some men, it’s Angelina. For others, it’s J. Lo or Jessica. In past generations, it was Marilyn or Raquel or Farrah.
For Craven, it’s Donald the Demon.
Standards of beauty are funny things, as hard to pin down as shadows. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” spoke the Greeks, and Shakespeare, Hume and Barthes all chimed in agreement.
Craven finds one of his personal standards of beauty in a six-inch dayglo chunk of plastic molded into one of the damnedest figures you ever saw. Say hello to Donald.
Donald is one of the so-called “Nutty Mads,” manufactured by Louis Marx & Co. starting in 1963. For 60 years, Marx was the “Toy King,” as founder and eponym Louis was himself christened on the cover of TIME MAGAZINE eight years earlier, and besides the Nutty Mads, Marx & Co. gave the world toys like the Great Garloo and Rock’em Sock’em Robots (both designed by the legendary toy designer Marvin Glass, who also conceived Lite Brite, Mystery Date and Gaylord for other companies).
Nutty Mads were Marx’s reaction to a strange phenomenon occuring in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the world of popular culture. MAD MAGAZINE was part of this phenomenon, as were the hot rod cartoons of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and the late Stanley Mouse, and the grade-Z cinematic monsters of Paul Blaisdell. Perhaps subconsciously reacting to an ugly era, American kids were going gaga for the grotesque, and this freakish phrase reached fever pitch in 1963 when the Hawk Model Company, reacting to Roth’s popular Rat Fink character, issued their first three “Weird-Ohs” model kits: Digger, Daddy and Davey.
The Weird-Ohs were fairly lackluster models, but their packaging art — provided by freelancer William Campbell — was inspired, dynamic and pure nutty. The kits were hugely popular, enough so that Marx entered into a deal with Hawk to release plastic figures of the Weird-Ohs.
Marx’s Weird-Ohs figures were more faithful to Bill Campbell’s illustrations than Hawk’s actual models, and almost simultaneous with their roll-out came Marx’s original creations, the Nutty Mads. As beautifully crafted as the Weird-Ohs figures are, the Nutty Mads put them to shame. Whoever sculpted these toys was the Michelangelo of 1960s grotesquery.
Some of the Nutty Mads mined the same territory of vehicular mayhem as the Weird-Ohs:
Athletics were also a popular subject:
But any subject could be grist for the Nutty Mads. Art… old movies… you name it:
After Louis Marx & Co. was sold to Quaker Oats in 1972, the Nutty Mad molds were purchased by a Mexican company called Plastimarx, which manufactured new toys from the old molds. These versions are distinguished by their cream-colored palette and are worth considerably less than the Marx originals. Further reissues (in white and black) were produced through the 1990s… but none of these have quite the aesthetic impact of their brighter hued forebears… which still stand as vivid reminders of a time when ugly was beautiful.
19 Comments, Comment or Ping
Joygirl
A strange kid that sat next to me in school used to try and draw these creatures freehand. He was very good. Was that you Craven?
Aug 12th, 2008
Craven
Well… the “strange kid” tag fits. I dunno… did the drawings look like this?
Aug 12th, 2008
Joygirl
Oh My! It WAS you! JH
Aug 14th, 2008
V
Was there a pig character in this series? Do you know of a toy that looked like these, only a pig in a tiny police car…?
Jan 3rd, 2009
Craven
I think possibly you might be referring to a plastic model kit released by Lindberg Model Kits as part of their “Lindy Loonies” series, which was a lesser competitor with Hawk’s Weird-Ohs. The kit was entitled “The Road Hog,” and it featured a rather barrel-chested pig (in what looks like, appropriately enough, a pork pie hat) — but he’s driving something like a souped-up Camaro, not a police car. I wasn’t exposed to these kits as a child, and I’ve only seen pictures of “The Road Hog” as a model kit, but I know the Lindy Loonies were spun off into jigsaw puzzles at one point, so perhaps they were also marketed as plastic figurines. I’d love to learn more about the Lindy Loonies myself, but information is scarce on the Internet.
Jan 4th, 2009
Brad Nord
Hi there, my name is Brad and for the last two years I was the brand manager for the Weird-Ohs over at Hawk Models (which is now owned by a company that also owns Lindberg based in Cedar Rapids, IA).
I am currently working as a freelancer for them illustrating a line of Silly Surfers trading cards!
As far as the Weird-Ohs go there are a line of skateboarding magnetic minis that were roduced before I arrived and are finally about to see the light of day within the next month or so. While not a very impressive effort and a little off topic (skateboards instead of cars?) it is nice to see the characters coming out for a new generation. The sculpts are reproduced from the original molds and each figure comes with a pack of Weird-Ohs trading cards reproduced from the original fleer line:-)
On the subject of the Lindy Loonys the kits and puzzles were the only items ever produced for the line. Unfortunately the current owner of the molds is a bit over zealous in his religious beliefs and has decided that because the character Satan’s Crate is part of the line that the entire group is evil and will not be getting a reissue as long as he is the owner of the molds. I think it is an absolute travesty and wish that fans of these kits cold have acces to them as the sculpts are actually much cooler than the Weird-Ohs kits!
The art on the boxes is pretty cool, not up to Bill’s Weird-Ohs, Frantics, and Surfers but still pretty sweet. My favorite is the art from the puzzle box, it’s awesome.
Hope that helps!
Brad
Feb 24th, 2009
Craven
Wow, Brad, thanks so much for the inside information. I will watch for those skateboarding minis.
The Lindy Loonies were unknown to me before posting this photo-essay, so I am especially bummed to learn that they will not be reissued. Doesn’t that guy realize the devil finds work for idle hands?
Feb 24th, 2009
KWF
Hello Craven:
I want to thank you for keeping these characters alive, so to speak, on the Internet. I purchased two of them, Bullpen Boo Boo, and another one that I cannot remember which one it was.I bought them at a dime store known as “Grants” for 25 cents or 50 cents a piece. What a great deal, I thought!
May 19th, 2009
d newman
WOW!!!
I now remember these, but had forgotten most of them. I remember “Digger” and all of these models that we bought and were sold at Jean’s Model Shop (in the 60s) in Sharpstown Center (Houston, TX) which was allegedly the “World’s First All-Weather Mall.”
My faves were a series of four kits, and I again forget the manufacturer, but the kits were named “Zopp” and something like the “Blurp”, the “Gloop” and another one that escapes me. I had all four…..
Not just anyone would come close to remembering these, but here on this forum,…maybe there is a chance to help me locate that long lost braincell,…and a bit of nostalgic gratification
Any ideas (…..or interest) here?
Thanks,
DMN
Jun 15th, 2009
c m
I’ve been staring at some of these ghoulish figures for as long as I can remember. My father bought and painted them when he was a kid in the early 60’s (some still have the ยข19 sticker on the bottom), and they’ve always been hanging on their special shelf in my brothers room. I’m all grown up now, a semi-pro sculptor and mask maker, and I feel these creeps are partially responsible for my career choice. I’ve been wondering about the history of these things recently, and a little google searching fixed that problem. Thanks for posting this!
Jul 13th, 2009
A. Ward
Craven, Just found my mad man Dippy The Deep Diver and remembered that I bought them for 50 cents back in the 1960’s @ Britt’s store in Houston, Texas. Also I had a Waldo, but cannot find it now. What is now surprising is that I am a diver. Thanks A. Ward
Nov 16th, 2009
Billy H
DMN - I know it’s a bit late, but the missing one of the four kits you mention was “Voop”.
Hope this helps with the braincell.
Billy.
Dec 23rd, 2009
Chainsaw Chuck Majewski
I had these as a kid and the Nutty Mads made a definite impression on me. The details sculpted into them were amazing. I became an illustrator as a result of studying them. I bought most of them back again, and it’s amazing to have toys to just stare at, toys that do nothing but sit there and look crazy.
: )
Jan 1st, 2010
Chainsaw Chuck Majewski
Please check out my art at
http://www.myspace.com/chainsawchuck
Jan 1st, 2010
Craven
Anyone interested in Nutty Mads, Odd Rods or Big Daddy Roth should surf (and I do mean surf!) over to Chuck Majewski’s MySpace page immediately. Gorgeous, gorgeous, exquisite stuff!
Jan 1st, 2010
Joe
Y’know, I used to have a Nutty Mad figure that was a guy on a tricycle with a briefcase in his hand. I think it was a re-issue because it was molded in a loud shocking pink.
Can you shed a little more light on this….or am I cracking up?
Jan 5th, 2010
Craven
That sounds very familiar to me, Joe. I think you might be referring to the figurine truncated on the left in the photo here, although I’m not positive.
One of the confounding aspects of collecting Nutty Mads is discerning the Mexican reproductions from the original. FWIW, I believe pink was used as a mold color in the 1960s, but I have also seen reproductions in pink as well.
Jan 5th, 2010
John Hoover
Hey Craven, My cousin and I collected these as youngsters and bought them from $.10 to $.17 at the Five & Ten store and on Ocean City, NJ boardwalk. I still have ten of the oringials all in pink and lime green. We had fun then and I am trying to convince my wife to let me display them in the house somewhere. Great memories. We had the water pistols too and I had forgotten that until I saw the pictures. What are they selling for at auction according to the Antique Road Show? Thanks, John
Jan 13th, 2010
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