Nutty Mads are
monochromatic
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or color scheme, palette is composed of one color (or lightness, values of one color). Images using only Tint, shade and tone, shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or Black and wh ...
, injection-molded
polymer plastic toy figures originally manufactured in 1963–1964 by the
Marx Toy Company. Comically grotesque and minutely detailed, the series was a contemporary of the stylized
Kustom Kulture graphics of
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (whose bizarre
Rat Fink
Rat Fink is one of several hot rod characters created by artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, one of the originators of Kustom Kulture of automobile enthusiasts. Roth conceived Rat Fink as an anti-hero to Mickey Mouse. Rat Fink is usually portrayed as e ...
character was being licensed by
Revell for
hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...
model kits
Model building is a hobby and career that involves the creation of physical models either from kits or from materials and components acquired by the builder. The kits contain several pieces that need to be assembled in order to make a final mode ...
at the time), as well as the of comic art of popular magazine
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
s
Basil Wolverton and
Don Martin.
Generally about tall, each figure stands on a flat base in a fixed pose, complete with bulging, bloodshot eyes and maniacal expression. They originally sold in
five and dime stores like
Woolworth's
Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to:
Businesses
* F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores
* Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
,
Newberry's
J. J. Newberry's was an American five and dime store chain in the 20th century. It was founded in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry (1877–1954). J. J. Newberry learned the variety store business by worki ...
and
G. C. Murphy. Each figure was available in a variety of colors. Their popularity led Marx to expand the product line with several similar series, including ''Weird-Ohs'', ''Blame-Its'' and ''Cartoon Soldiers'' (commonly referred to as "Nutty Generals"). Marx manufactured other toys based on the ''Nutty Mad'' brand as well, including battery-operated tin toys made in Japan, wind-up toys, water pistols, a
bagatelle-style
pinball game, and even an enclosed, tabletop target-shooting game.
Recastings from the original Marx molds began to appear from PlastiMarx out of
Mexico several years after Marx was sold to
Quaker Oats
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.
History Precursor miller companies
In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...
in 1972. These were also produced in various colors, and do not bear the Marx copyright on the bottom.
Series 1:
*Roddy the Hot Rod (driver)
*Manny the Reckless Mariner
*Waldo the Weightlifter
*Rocco the Champ (
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
)
*Dippy the Deep Diver (
scuba
Scuba may refer to:
* Scuba diving
** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving
* Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook
* Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...
diver)
*Donald the Demon (driver)
Series 2:
*All-Heart Hogan (
policeman)
*Bull Pen Boo Boo (
baseball pitcher)
*Chief Lost Teepee (
Native American)
*End Zone (
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player)
*Suburban Sidney (tricyclist)
*The Thinker (
Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
sculpture parody)
Series 3:
*Smokey Sam (
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
)
*U.S. Male (
mail carrier)
*Gutterball Annie (
bowler)
*Hippo Crit (
physician)
*Mudder (
homemaker)
*Now! Children (
school teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
)
Weird-Ohs: (A similar Marx-produced series of plastic figures, based on the
Hawk Model kits created by illustrator and cartoonist
Bill Campbell.
)
*Drag Hag (racer)
*Daddy the Swingin'
Suburbanite
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
(racer)
*Endsville Eddie (racer)
*Freddy Flameout (
test pilot)
*Davey the Psycho Cyclist (
outlaw biker)
*Digger (racer)
References
{{Reflist
External links
Nutty Mads at CollectToys.NetToyNfo.com article on Nutty Mads
Products introduced in 1963
1960s toys
Toy brands