Here's one for the Toad - KRAZY KREATURES FROM OUTER SPACE. I knew I had a set in the loft somewhere, I got these at a car boot sale about 10 years ago for £3 - still says so on the placcy bag along with a date of 1970! I know them as CHIX but these say PRIMROSE CONFECTIONARY? In fact having handled them again I'm inclined to think that they are colour photocopies as the 'card' is so thin as to be paper really and the margins seem erratic! So much for Carlsberg Car Boots! Anybody else got a set? Are they stiff cards? Were they just in the UK?
PS. The Philosophic Toad has found this cool KRAZY KREATURE album of close-ups online here.
Thanks for posting these, they are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThe top picture of the two enlarged ones you posted is very "Alien" isn't it? Wonder if Giger saw that!
Those are great! On the question of "Were they just in the UK?" I can at least say I never saw them in the US. If they'd been available here circa 1970, I'm absolutely sure I'd remember them.
ReplyDeleteI hope Philosophic Toad doesn't see these, he won't sleep for a month!
ReplyDelete;-)
Oh, dear. You could be right, eviled ^_^
ReplyDeleteWoodsy, could you post the back of the Frit card please. I want to see if I have remembered the right card, and see what it was that so frightened me back then.
BTW, I think the CHIX cards were the larger format ones I remember having. If I remember aright, they were the same size as most other bubble-gum type cards (like the cards for Thunderbirds, Batman, Champions, Land of the Giants, etc.) I think they came three to a pack, with a flat piece of chewing gum. Now you've made me think about them, I am wondering what the wrappers looked like?
I've just noticed ... the card reverse you have up gives the total number of cards as 50, but you have only 49 there.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what that 50th card was?
Actually, I'm not at all frightened by seeing these cards again. The only reason I'm taking my big teddy bear to bed with me is in case she's feeling scared. Just wanted to make that clear to everyone.
ReplyDeleteLOL at the big teddy bear!
ReplyDeleteI still think that one looks like the Alien.
they are all really sinister, have to say Im with the toad on this one, they gave me the creeps as a kid too - its something about the slightly psychotic gleam in the eyes of some of the aliens. I distincly recall the walking mushroom, but cant remember what size they were. Judging by the shape of the cards, id say there were 'cigarette' card sized.
ReplyDeleteShades of R&L Crater Critters and Lindberg Loonies in some of those illustrations, I'd say...
ReplyDeleteSean
I see that album in the link has all 50 cards. The one you seem to be missing, Woodsy, is the Malak.
ReplyDeleteWOTAN: yes, the ones here are cigarette-card sized, but they were also released in a larger format. I believe those larger ones to be the original release, but don't know that for sure. Wish I could remember the year. What I do distinctly recall is the lovely little shop where I bought them. It was a few doors down from the school gate.
Sean: yes, I se what you mean. The Fluss would have made a good Crater Critter. (The Fluss is the one at bottom right in Woodsy's picture.)
eviled: Mitzi is hurt you're laughing at her. She really was very scared indeed. Just as well I was able to reassure her, wasn't it? ^_^
Primrose did the JOE 90 sweet cigarette cards too. They were released on very thin card almost like paper too as you say so this is likley to have been a similar format
ReplyDeleteJim Lewis
Hi all
ReplyDeleteFrank, in Canada, I do have one of these cards, the giant slug. it is a bit smaller than a hockey card, same thickness and was available in Canada since I have one.
I have all 50 and got them in Montreal, Canada back in the early 70's. They are the same thickness as hockey cards.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI have this complete PRIMROSE set, they were actually from 1972 and are paper thin, cigarette card size - in fact they were in small packets of sweet cigarettes.
I also have the 1970 original set which were larger (bubblegum card size) with grey (not white) backs with some of the text as I remember printed in dark pink, the rest being black. They did come in packs of three with a flat piece of pink chewing gum. There is a picture of an original wrapper on Google.
The only card where the creature's size was never given was #41, the "Joran"(looking like very thin, white, bald, machine-gun toting gangsters) - so I always wondered whether they were giants, human sized, or maybe even only the size of pipe-cleaners or cotton earbuds, which they resemble!
What I've been trying to find out for years is who the original artist was. Who would know?
Hi, its a good question. I'll re-post this and see if anyone knows 10 years on. Maybe there's a card collecting forum on the net too?
Delete