[Grumble Toy] Custom Manmorah

Today I have something shameful to admit: I have been remiss in my collecting duties. Long a fan of the original character offerings of Grumble Toy, I have not purchased a Manmorah toy until quite recently despite its availability for nearly 2 years.

What is a Manmorah? In the words of creator, Chris (of Grumble Toy), Manmorah answers the question of, “What if my pet lizard Baxter was a woolly mammoth?” Well Chris, I suspect you’d need a bigger tank. Thankfully, artist (and co-creator) Ainsley came up with a better response, and the resulting toy was sculpted and produced by Amapro [アマプロ] of Japan. At roughly 9 inches in length and 5 inches at its highest point, Manmorah is Grumble Toy’s largest toy to date. As an interesting feature, Manmorah can be posed both on all fours or rearing up on its hind legs. This may be a nod to vintage vinyls that were sculpted in a standing pose, even where the original character typically appeared on all fours. Manmorah was first cast in milky white vinyl, the first version of which was painted by Grumble Toy and sold via their online store in October 2009. Since then, Manmorah has been produced in both clear pink and black vinyl, and made available by Grumble Toy primarily as an exclusive item at art and toy shows. Amapro has also offered several Japan-exclusive versions of Manmorah on milky white and clear pink vinyl at various toy shows.

I was lucky enough to find this dazzling version of Manmorah on sale at a store in Japan. It is a one-off custom painted by Chris as a display piece for a comic convention in Winnipeg (the base is milky white vinyl). A collector in Japan purchased the custom, but it later came up for sale again when said collector sold off a large part of their collection. Having now landed in this collection, I can tell you that it is here to stay. While Wormrah and Chou-cho tend to garner the most attention from soft vinyl fans, Manmorah is an overlooked gem in the Grumble Toy stable. Beefy and fun, I highly recommend it for standard-size vinyl enthusiasts. Wouldn’t you like to bring one home today?