Maxx FX Presents: Jason Voorhees!
Back in the mid to late 1980's, horror films and merchandising were at an all time high in popularity. The market for horror merchandising was still new and there were not the specialized companies we have today like Sideshow Collectibles or NECA Toys. So, when Mel Birnkrant had an idea to sell monster figures commercially in stores, it did not necessarily go as planned.
Mel came up with Maxx FX (originally known as Maxx Miracle), where Maxx was a master of make-up effects and could transform himself into any movie monster imaginable. It was an ingenious idea where a Maxx figure could have monster components snapped onto the body, and instantly, Maxx became a famous monster in film. The original monsters included the classic Universal monsters like The Mummy and The Wolfman.
Eventually, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger were added to the monster line-up and Mr. Birnkrant was ready to pitch his idea to any toy company that would listen. Matchbox wanted to listen and agreed to market and distribute the line of monsters. Remember, there were no Sideshow or NECA toy and collectible companies at this time. Unfortunately, due to Matchbox execs lack of knowledge of horror in general, mistakes were made, and only the Freddy Kruger Maxx FX figure was released into stores. This Freddy figure is a very rare commodity among collectors today.
As for the Jason figure, Mr. Birnkrant posted production photos of our favorite Crystal Lake slasher on his website, and they are listed below. Take a look at what Jason figure you could have owned in 1989, and if interested, visit melbirnkrant.com/maxxfx to read about the full story in its entirety. It is an interesting read and gives nice insight into the world of toy and figure licensing!
Mel came up with Maxx FX (originally known as Maxx Miracle), where Maxx was a master of make-up effects and could transform himself into any movie monster imaginable. It was an ingenious idea where a Maxx figure could have monster components snapped onto the body, and instantly, Maxx became a famous monster in film. The original monsters included the classic Universal monsters like The Mummy and The Wolfman.
Eventually, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger were added to the monster line-up and Mr. Birnkrant was ready to pitch his idea to any toy company that would listen. Matchbox wanted to listen and agreed to market and distribute the line of monsters. Remember, there were no Sideshow or NECA toy and collectible companies at this time. Unfortunately, due to Matchbox execs lack of knowledge of horror in general, mistakes were made, and only the Freddy Kruger Maxx FX figure was released into stores. This Freddy figure is a very rare commodity among collectors today.
As for the Jason figure, Mr. Birnkrant posted production photos of our favorite Crystal Lake slasher on his website, and they are listed below. Take a look at what Jason figure you could have owned in 1989, and if interested, visit melbirnkrant.com/maxxfx to read about the full story in its entirety. It is an interesting read and gives nice insight into the world of toy and figure licensing!
