Super7 ReAction - LILY MUNSTER!

ReAction Action Figures - The Munsters - Lily Munster - Super7 2021

The early 60s were an interesting time for American television. In a few short years, the well-established format of the wholesome sitcom was turned on its head with the introduction of farcical shows that mimicked the innocence of tv staples like Donna Reed and Leave It to Beaver. These new shows had a successful gimmick of dipping into the popular pulp and sci-fi genres of the time. Shows like I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, Betwitched, and Addams Family all premiered between 1963 and 1965. And right in the middle of that batch was my personal favorite, The Munsters, in September of 1964. The Munsters was a Universal Studios production with direct ties to the Universal Monsters they were paying homage to. It perfectly captured the cheesy sitcom family vibe mixed with the fantastic visuals of all the great monsters movies. Lily Munster was the heart of the family with a wonderfully vampy appearance. This ReAction figure of her has been on my wishlist for years. Let's check her out below!

Women of Halloween Part 15 - MARILYN MUNSTER!

The Grotesque Black Sheep of the Munster Family by Diamond Select Toys 2012

Marilyn is such a classic comic element of The Munsters.  For those who haven't seen the show, Marilyn is the adopted niece of Lily Munster who comes to live with her monsterous family.  She is, in fact, beautiful and charming, but her suitors always run away, leading her to believe she is abnormal and ugly.  The constant gag being that her quirkily eerie family are always the culprits in chasing the young men away.  I wouldn't be suprized if this plot element was inspired by the classic Twilight Zone Eye of the Beholder episode from 1960.  Marilyn is the least vampy lady in my Halloween lineup, but she's new (just released last week!) and The Munsters are undeniably halloweenie.  I'm very impressed with this figure.  I felt that the prototypes made her look so much older than she is meant to be (I thought she actually looked like the lovely Cheryl Hines to be honest).  But in person she has that bubbly 20-something look I was hoping for.

Women of Halloween Part 14 - LILY MUNSTER!

The Matriarch of the Munster Clan from Diamond Select Toys 2011

Diamond Select gets the coolest licenses out there.  Who would have thought that they could procure the rights to a campy 1960's sitcom and produce such popular modern toys.  I'm crossing my fingers that they someday nab the rights to the Addams Family as well.. it seems right up their alley so I'm sure someone on their creative team is pushing for it, too.  Lily Munster was part of the first wave of Munsters action figures released around Halloween last year.  The second wave just hit last week (and I'll be reviewing Marilyn next).  Also in series 1 was Grandpa and Herman.  They came in regular releases (like this figure reviewed here) and also "deluxe" which included pieces to assemble Herman's electric chair.  There was a version of this figure shown at a convention with some slight tweaking to her design, no word on if/when this variant will be released (or if it was just a prototype).