Tags
1980s, Boglins, hand puppets, Larry Mass, Mattel, Maureen Trotto, Tim Clarke, Toys
Boglins were a series of toy puppets distributed by Mattel. They were created by Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto, and Larry Mass, and licensed by Seven Towns. The original run of Boglins was released in 1987, coinciding with a “creatures” craze that included Ghoulies, Critters, and Gremlins. Boglins were goblin-themed hand puppets made of flexible rubber and could be manipulated to represent speech and facial expressions. Several series of large and small Boglins were released until 1994, with additional aquatic, Halloween, and baby themed Boglins released later into the line. Small solid ‘Mini-Boglins’ were also produced, akin to the Kinkeshi figures also from the 1980s.
Created by Jim Henson Company alumni Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto and Larry Mass for the Seven Towns company in 1987, Boglins were initially brought to Coleco as a potential addition to their Sectaurs line; but were eventually marketed on their own by Mattel in 1987. The three original large scale Boglins were Dwork, Vlobb and Drool (Vlobb and Drool were called Plunk and Flurp in the UK), and were packaged in unique wooden crate-like boxes with bent plastic jail-bars. Although sporting small arms and a tail, these puppets mostly consisted of a large goblin-like head, drawing some inspiration from the giant Olmec heads of Ancient Mexico. Constructed from an artificial rubber known as Kraton, the initial models also featured glow in the dark eyes, which could be moved using a lever hidden inside the puppets, as well as the ability to wink/blink via a small plastic tab above each eye. Unlike many toylines of the 1980s there was no accompanying cartoon series or comic book for Boglins, with a backstory only mentioned in the “Bogologist Field Notes” on the back of the packaging. The notes establish the science of “Bogology,” detailing how the creatures originated from a “swampy bog that time forgot,” possibly a “missing link” to human personalities. The first release of large creatures were given the species name Boglinus Humungus.
There were additional lines of small and mini boglins.