Undead hot rod culture, a match made in hell

I spent the last few weeks doing a deep dive on my obsession with monster trucks. How I became a fan, what toys I collected, a history of the organizers, and more. I had something left to say about the design behind the Bone Shaker. I said that it was essentially Mattel’s counter to the Grave Digger. I argued that the reason why the Bone Shaker was an instant hit with the community was because it called back to the roots of hot rod culture. It had a body similar to the classic Ford Model T, A-Frame, and B-Frame cars with the styling of modern rat rods, and the fantastic elements of a chrome skull, and skeleton hand headlights at the front.

Americans had been car crazy ever since the introduction of the automobile. In the early 1900’s cars were utilitarian. They were a replacement for horses, and buggies. Some of the first car builders were former carriage makers. As technology improved they made cars with better handling, better visibility for drivers, and better comfort for passengers. By the 1930’s cars started having more unique body shapes that were less carriage like. Automobile manufacturers also started offering different colors, and options. Some cars were now becoming luxury items. Roads began being paved, and expanded beyond the city. In the late 1940’s Americans were returning from a war economy to a peace economy. Factory jobs were changing. Women, and minorities were not willing to give up the advances that they had gained, and suburbs were expanding. There was some civil turmoil boiling under the surface, and it would only get stronger through the 1950’s, and especially the 1960’s.

As far as car culture went it was in the late 40’s, and ‘50s that a perfect storm was brewing. That original generation of cars were now filling up junkyards, and collecting dust in garages. There was a surplus of bodies, and a youth culture that was eager to get away from the war mentality that they had grown up with. They put that energy into rock and roll music. They put that energy into rebellion. They put that energy into remaking old cars because they couldn’t buy new ones. More than simply trying to go faster, and faster this was the foundation of hot rod culture. Hot rods were considered too fast, and too dangerous for the masses. Hot rods were counter culture. They were punk. They were rebellious. They were visual statements against the establishment. After all what could be more punk that ripping the hood, and fenders off of grandpa’s old car, chopping off the top, and exposing the motor?

Teens were constantly embracing anything that shocked adults. The fashion, the music, the language, anything that challenged the status quo was appealing to them. The bigger the shock value the more the youth were drawn to it. Years ago I talked about “Big Daddy” Ed Roth. He created the most mind-bending custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles. More important he created Rat Fink. He would become the mascot of hot rod culture. Aside from Rat Fink things like ghouls, ghosts, skeletons, monsters, and the macabre actually mixed into hot rod culture very well. This wild mashup of elements couldn’t be ignored any longer. It was becoming a part of pop culture. It could be seen in Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow, a movie from 1959.

Hot rod culture was constantly evolving, and creating different branches. Entering the 1960’s there was another movement happening within the culture. Builders were creating what would later be known as “show rods”. These were hot rods seemingly built out of anything, including a barbershop chair, telephone booth, bathtub, bed frame, and popcorn cart. The Boothill Express by Ray Fahrner was arguably the coldest example of the movement. He turned a late 1800’s funeral coach, the kind that carried the outlaw Jessie James into a hot rod. Show rods could be a little campy, but the builders that understood the culture could really make a statement. Such was the case for the “King of Kustomizers” George Barris.

Mr. Barris was known for building all sorts of outlandish hot rods, show rods, and especially cars for television. He built the Black Beauty for the Black Hornet television show. He built the Batmobile for the Adam West TV series. He built K.I.T.T. for the show Knight Rider. He built the Beverly Hillbillies truck. He built the Monkeemobile (designed by Dean Jeffries) for the Monkee’s television show. All of these cars were brilliant, but I would argue that his best work went into the Munsters show. The family car was a stretched t-bucket-meets-hearse called the Munster Koach. Not long after he gave Grandpa Munster a car by turning a coffin into the wickedly cool Drag-u-la. To be fair these last two were designed by Tom Daniel. Tom had created a number of best selling hot rod model kits, some of which were so popular that they were turned into actual show rod builds.

There was definitely an appeal to the ghoulish hot rods. By the late 1960’s hot rod culture was becoming mainstream culture. It was subtle in movies like The Great Race. The 1965 Warner Bros. classic featured several fictional rides, but none were as scene stealing as Professor Fate's Hannibal 8. I would call that ride the original Sinister Six. You could also see the hot rod appeal in the cartoons from the era. Shows like Tom Slick captured the spirit in 1967. A more popular cartoon was called Wacky Races, which was influenced by The Great Race. Animation studio Hanna-Barbara was always quick to turn a pop trend into a cartoon. They were the animation studio that turned the live action shows Happy Days, Star Trek, and Gilligan’s Island into cartoons after all. The studio saw how quickly car culture had grown in the past decade. They made a cartoon that was essentially a mash up of show rods, hot rods, and the model kits from Roth, Daniel, and Barris.

The Wacky Races featured a car made of stone driven by cavemen, a ‘30s sedan driven by mobsters, an airplane-turned-car driven by a pilot, a military tank driven by a general, and even a distillery on wheels driven by a moonshiner. Some of contestants were Big Gruesome, and Li’l Gruesome know as the Gruesome Twosome. They piloted the Creepy Coupe which was a rolling haunted house. It hosted all manner of monsters that they could call upon for help. The kinds of fantastic cars featured in Wacky Races wouldn’t necessarily have made sense in any other time, but they perfectly captured the anything goes spirit of the ‘60s.

There was a certain appeal to what I called the goth hot rod aesthetic. It was as intimidating as a custom car build could get. The hot rod had long been a canvas for artists of every kind. Some would paint pinstripes, or airbrush flames all over their rides. Some would make cartoons of monsters driving hot rods, or build models of skeletons racing dragsters. Some would hand build fiberglass bodies over a rolling chassis. Ed Roth managed to do all of the above. He was the leader of a movement that had no parallel. Certain paint schemes, or body mods told a story. They reflected the personality of the builder. These things let other people on the road know how badass their ride was. There was the extreme end of kustom kulture. One that went well beyond a massive engine or paint scheme. The most heavy metal thing a person could do was turn a hearse into a hot rod. Changing a car that was previously used to carry dead people into a street racing machine was beyond macabre. It was apparent in the Boothill Express, and every modern hearse-turned-rod ever made. This connection between hot rods, and the undead had been coloring the mainstream for generations. It would eventually influence car designs in video games.

Carmageddon was one of my favorite games of all time. It was a vehicle combat game from the mid-‘90s that didn’t use guns. Instead the cars destroyed each other in collisions. That was when they weren’t running over pedestrians. There was a number of memorable cars, trucks, tanks, and monsters that had been featured in the series. One that was highlighted in the original title, and early ads was a fan favorite called the Stiff Shifter. It was a hot rod hearse driven by the Brother’s Grimm. It had coffin in the trunk, and the owners were rumored to have a connection to the underworld. The full story of the Brother’s Grimm hunting for souls, and summoning demons was explained in the official comic which was available to people that contributed to the Kickstarter campaign. It was my little brother’s favorite ride in the game, and one that I certainly enjoyed racing with as well. It wouldn’t be the only game influenced by the wicked designs of hot rods, and show rods.

The 2009 game Brütal Legend by Double Fine was a love letter to everything rock & roll, specifically heavy metal music. It called out 50+ years of history, and culture. It presented the type of world that Ed Roth would have dreamed up; filled with avatars of metal icons like Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), Glenn Danzig, Lita Ford, Metallica, KISS, and more. Director Tim Schafer was known for his sharp writing, engaging stories, and funny games. These included Maniac Mansion 2: Day of the Tentacle, Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle. Each one was a refreshing change of pace from the standard genres. Brütal Legend had one of the greatest aesthetics, and world building of any action-meets-RTS game. There was nothing like it before, or after. The good guys, bad guys, magics, vehicles, and character designs pulled together several generations of heavy metal influences. The team at Double Fine somehow made it all work together, and put it in a package that was severely underrated. The iconic rides reminded me of the darkest monster trucks I had ever seen.

There had been a few hearse-bodied monster trucks in the community. Some going back almost to the birth of the sport. The oldest I think was called the Undertaker. It had a 1955 Cadillac Hearse body that was built by Tom Zachery and Robert Moore. I first saw it in an old monster truck poster magazine. Based on its construction it looked like a first generation monster truck. This meant that it was on a stiff frame with traditional shock absorbers. These were prone to breaking if pushed too hard in competition. Then there was Cardiac Arrest, which was built by Rick Rabb from a 1961 Cadillac Hearse. The construction of this one was closer to a second generation truck, which meant it had a greater range of travel on its suspension. This made it less likely to break in racing. This truck was sold to a Canadian. It was fixed up as the Soul Collector, and turned into a ride truck from the last news I was able to find on it. They all demonstrated that the goth hot rod worked whether they were slammed to the ground, or riding on monster truck tires. That was one of the reasons why the Bone Shaker looked so good as a monster truck. This dark aesthetic also reminded me of the early version of the Grave Digger.

Dennis Anderson like many of the early monster builders started with a work truck. He strengthened the chassis, built a new motor, added a better suspension, and more over the years. Replacing mechanical parts like transmissions, and axles with military equipment so they could take severe abuse. The tires got taller, but still narrow so that he could conquer the mud. Then one day his truck got big enough to run in monster truck competition. The 1950 Chevrolet Panel Van that it was built from was both beautiful, and brutal. No other driver had anything that looked remotely as tough. A lot if it had to do with its paint scheme. The van was all black with green flames on the front, and an airbrushed ghostly skull cloud hovering over a cemetery. A haunted house was shrouded in the mist. The chrome grille with some patina, red headlights, and gold rims gave the truck contrasting colors. It helped frame its tough appearance. Everything about the early Grave Digger embraced the spirit of do-it-yourself. That was the backbone of hot rodding. Monster trucks were essentially hot rods for off road enthusiasts. The baddest monster trucks embraced their brutal side. They didn’t aways have to look bright, and polished like a show truck. They were allowed to be rough around the edges. To show their working man roots. The important thing was that they got the job done.

By comparison the recent builds by Feld Entertainment were more uniform, almost cookie-cutter. The trucks featured in the Monster Jam shows had steel tube chassis made by one of a handful of fabricators, often painted with a bright complimentary color. The interchangeable fiberglass bodies had colorful graphics. Not the toned down, hand painted metal bodies of the old school trucks. The new frames were covered with sponsor stickers similar to NASCAR. The Feld monsters looked like they were searching for corporate branding opportunities rather than cars to flatten. Feld made sure that their trucks offered a family-friendly look, whereas the original Grave Digger looked like it was about to beat you up, and take your lunch money. This was what I felt was missing in the modern format, and most new builds. It wouldn’t hurt to see them return to their roots, and maybe put a coffin in the bed. That’s what I think anyhow. Do you think the macabre and motorsports work together? I mean would a goth NASCAR design work? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; where did the Capcom giants come from?

Sometimes my biggest series are very short, if you love fighting game giants then Bookmark This Page.

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 1…

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 2…

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 3…

Did you have a favorite giant fighting game character? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; Art, graphics, and aesthetics in fighting games

Video game players sometimes use the word graphics, when instead they mean the aesthetics, or art style of the game. If you want to learn about some of the most unique looking fighters then Bookmark This Page.

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 1…

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 2…

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 3…

The Style Files, Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer & Goketsuji Ichizoku aka Power Instinct

The Style Files, Psikyo and the aesthetic copies

The Style Files, Daraku Tenshi: The Fallen Angels, part 1

The Style Files: Daraku Tenshi The Fallen Angels, part 2...

Did you get a chance to play any of these fighting games? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The monsters in my sketchbook

I had been doing a monster truck deep dive over the past month. I talked about losing my collection of books, and magazines, and the journey of rebuilding over more than a decade. I also talked about how Feld Motorsports pushed the Bigfoot Team out of the spotlight at the start of Monster Jam, and how Hot Wheels helped bring them back. I even talked about collecting some old monster truck toys for my work desk. Today I would like to share some of my favorite monster illustrations

Rebuilding my library was a slow, and steady process over the 2010’s and 2020’s. When I couldn’t find any books, or magazines to collect I would draw instead.

The passion that I had for those massive trucks never went away. I would spend my lunch breaks at work doing some of the best ink illustrations that I had ever done. I would make up trucks sometimes, and other times I would draw actual vehicles.

I would alternate between drawing old school monster trucks, which were notorious for injuring the drivers, and new school trucks which could perform amazing stunts.

I tried different drawing techniques. Working on exaggerated proportions to make my drawings more cartoonish.

Focusing on angles, and action helped break me out of my comfort zone.

As I managed to pick up rare issues I would be inspired to draw favorite trucks. These often had unique properties. Such as the Silver Bullet which had a jet engine under the hood.

Or I would try drawing realistic effects, like the smoke coming out of the diesel-powered Brodozer.

I made this illustration before finding out that Dave “Heavy D” Sparks was a full MAGA supporter. I lost so much respect for the Diesel Brothers in the past few years because of their politics.

The one thing I would never lose was my love of all things monster trucks. I really should start drawing more, as I haven’t done anything new in the sketchbook in very long time. Was there anything you loved to collect, and draw? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; how ARIKA turned an April Fools joke into a great fighting game

Many of the people that created Street Fighter II left Capcom, and founded ARIKA. If you want to find out about how they teased a successor to Street Fighter EX then Bookmark This Page.

Teasing the next Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer, part 1

Teasing the next Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer, part 2

Teasing the next Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer, part 3

Speculation on ARIKA's unnamed Street Fighter EX successor, part 1…

Speculation on ARIKA's unnamed Street Fighter EX successor, part 2…

Speculation on ARIKA's unnamed Street Fighter EX successor, part 3…

Speculation on ARIKA's unnamed Street Fighter EX successor, part 4…

Did you have a favorite ARIKA fighting game? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; the great fantasy fighting games

I love fighting games of all types, some of the most unique were fantasy inspired. If you want to learn about some of the best then Bookmark This Page.

Golden Axe the Duel, the great fantasy fighting games part 1...

Dragon's Heaven, the great fantasy fighting games part 2...

Warzard, the great fantasy fighting games part 3...

Asura Blade Sword of Dynasty, the great fantasy fighting games part 4...

Asura Buster Eternal Warriors, the great fantasy fighting games part 5...

Chaos Breaker - Dark Awake, the great fantasy fighting games part 6...

Battle Fantasia, the great fantasy fighting games, final part...

Did you get a chance to play any of these fantasy fighters? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Collecting modern monsters

In a previous blog I talked about how Hot Wheels stopped producing Monster Jam toys in 2018 to create their own line. Mattel also partnered up with the Bigfoot Team, and a few independent monster truck owner / drivers to bring an arena show to fans. Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live was now in its eight year with no sign of slowing down. This change of toy companies allowed me to focus back on something that I had been a fan of all my life. As long as Feld Entertainment controlled Monster Jam, and the majority of monster toys then I couldn’t bring myself to collect anything. Once I had an alternative it would be easy to start again. As with everything in my collection I had to be very selective. I had a budget I couldn’t go over, and very little space in my home to display anything. This meant that I could only collect a handful of trucks that really meant something to me. I’m going to feature them today.

I’m going to start with the most obvious toy. Bigfoot was the original monster truck, and the one that I grew up with. I was a fan from day one. I was also a fan of the owner Bob Chandler, and various Bigfoot drivers for decades. The next one I added to my collection was for the missus. When Bigfoot started gaining popularity in movies, and TV Bob’s wife Marilyn asked why he should be having all the fun. So he built her a baby blue Ms. Bigfoot. It was almost identical to the original Ford F-250 that he used for Bigfoot. He even kept it on 48-inch tires which was what the original Bigfoot drove around in before Bob put it on 66-inch tires. I covered Marilyn as the first female monster truck driver, and the truck on a previous blog. It was important for me to have the Chandlers at the start of my new collection.

The next two trucks were also complimentary for a different reason. The Grave Digger was always a tough competitor. Despite the feelings I had for the Feld company, I had nothing but respect for Dennis Anderson, and his family. He built his own truck, and legacy in many early competitions. Plus the Grave Digger had a fantastic look often imitated, but never duplicated. It earned its spot at the top of the collection. Note that the version I got was a classic design. The skull, cemetery, and haunted house were similar to the "Grandma" version with the words Grave and Digger on top of each other, as opposed to side-by-side. Right next to it was the Bone Shaker. Larry Wood’s iconic Hot Wheels design was every bit as brutal as the Grave Digger. There was a reason why it was the star of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. The old school hot rod-turned-monster truck was just too cool for words.

The next truck was actually a fictional rival to Bigfoot. Snake Bite debuted in 1991, it was the first monster truck to have a custom 3D character body. Underneath the snake-shaped shell was actually a rebuilt Bigfoot IV. This allowed Chandler to run two trucks in shows, and competitions. The team really committed to the rivalry. They said the truck came from Cobra Creek, Colorado (which didn’t actually exist). They also had the drivers wear snake-patterned airbrushed masks. Veteran Bigfoot drivers like Andy Brass, Dan Runte, Larry Swim, Chris Norman, and a few others played the characters Colt Cobra, Ricky Rattler, Vic Venom, Kris Kopperhead, Andy Anaconda, or Sid Sidewinder. Hot Wheels was on board the rivalry, and made some popular toys featuring both trucks. The Carolina Crusher was another formidable competition monster truck. It was built, and driven by Gary Porter for years, and years. He stepped away from racing for a while. He returned in 2014 to drive once more for the 30th anniversary of his truck. He eventually sold the rights to Paul Shafer, who later sold those rights to Pace Motorsports which became Feld Motorsports. Despite all this I still held Mr. Porter, and his truck in high regards.

The next truck in my series was created by Rosalee Ramer, and her father Kelvin Ramer. Kelvin built, and drove the Time Flys truck. Rosalee grew up learning how to fix trucks alongside her dad. There were pics of her as a little kid doing repairs. By 14 she was driving competitively. Making her the youngest professional monster truck driver ever. Her truck was called Wild Flower, and was easily one of the most unique trucks ever built. Next to it was King Krunch. It was an old-school truck that also represented generations of competitors. It was originally built by Scott Stephens from Texas way back in 1982. He toured the country for years, and his son Colt Stephens became a driver as well. Scott also built two of my favorite trucks, the jet-powered Coors Brewser, and the Coors Light Silver Bullet. Those trucks would never be made into toys, so having a King Krunch was as close as I could get.

The next two trucks embodied the spirit of the early monsters. Those trucks were literally inspired by ancient monsters, and cryptids. The first was the Cyclops. It was a 1969 Chevrolet C-10 built by brothers Fred and Gary Dykman out of Arizona. It was similar to the Grave Digger in that it was a famous mud truck that got coverage in the 4x4 magazines, and later become a monster truck. The Dykman brothers were very committed to the Cyclops gimmick. They had a giant animated eye hidden under the hood. It would pop out, and look around before starting a run. I remember seeing this live as a kid, and the audience went crazy when it happened. The Michigan Ice Monster was a 1983 Chevrolet C-10 by Brett Engleman. It was only in competition for a few years before Mr. Engleman stepped away from the sport. This was also one of the old school trucks that I saw live for the small window it toured originally. There was a smaller version of the truck called the Michigan Ice Monster Jr. It was built from a 1975 Chevrolet Blazer, and owned by Jesse Birgy.

The next two trucks represented the smaller owner / drivers that carved out their own path, and became successful. Titan was an awesome 1972 Chevy C-10 truck owned, and driven by Donald Epidendio from Lower Lake California. He drove as a member of the Straight up Racing team, and took part in the Monster X Tour. He also competed in several Monster Jam World Finals as well. There was something about the old school square body trucks that I thought could never be topped. Bigfoot, Cyclops, King Krunch, Titan, Giant, and a few more were all square bodied classics. The next monster in my collection was easily the most successful to feature a car body. The Avenger had a 1957 Chevy Bel Air body. It was owned, and driven by Jim Koehler from Columbus Michigan. He owned, and operated Team Scream Racing, and ran in the Monster Truck Throwdown Tour. He had an outspoken personality, and knew how to fire up the crowd whenever he got on the mic. He was possibly the greatest ambassador the sport had ever seen.

The next truck owner / driver Dave “Heavy D” Sparks was half of the Diesel Brothers alongside “Diesel Dave” Kiley. Sparks fell out of favor in my eyes for a number of reasons which had nothing to do with his arrest, and release either. It was more about his outspoken defense of immigrant Mexican laborers while also revealing he was a MAGA Trump supporter. Rather than waste my time on this glaring contradiction I would rather talk about the Brodozer. The Ford Super Duty truck was one of the first modern diesel trucks to compete in Monster Jam. I wrote about it years ago. The next truck belonged to an owner / driver that was a tough competitor. Joe Sylvester out of Canton Ohio played by his own rules, and had a truck that reflected that. My favorite version of Bad Habit featured a Jeep Gladiator body. There was a build with an Escalade body but I thought it was too bland. Mr. Sylvester held the records for both the fastest truck in the quarter mile, and furthest jump. 

The next truck in my collection was the Lucas Stabilizer, which was driven by Cynthia Gauthier. It was the only truck owned, and operated by Feld that I collected on purpose. I did so for two reasons; because Ms. Gauthier was an exceptional driver who had been competing for years with different trucks, and different teams. She had long since earned a truck of her own. The other reason why it was in my collection was because it was a callback to the classic Peterbilt monster trucks like Big Pete, and Super Pete. I also had a truck that was featured in the first few years of the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Tour. There was a WWII airplane-themed square body truck called the V8 Bomber. It looked hyper-American. On tour it was driven by Stevie Snellen, and built on a version of Basher with a vinyl wrap. Mattel realized in hindsight that maybe it wasn’t a good look to have a truck like this on tour that glorified war machines. This was especially true as they took the tour international. So they came up with a different theme.

I did collect one vehicle that wasn’t based on a specific truck. That was the Cremator, a hearse-bodied monster. There were other hearse monsters in the past, and I would like to talk about them one day, but this was a Hot Wheels original. The last monster truck in my collection was Wreckreation. It was an RV monster truck which was run by Tomfoolery Motorsports. The Pagliarulo family out of Florida owned and operated many trucks including the classic Michigan Ice Monster, and Excalibur, as well as the newer Jester, Kraken, and Missfire. Matt Pagliarulo was a veteran driver, and his children Michael, Nick, and Brooke were competing alongside him. The trucks they owned were cool, however they didn't appeal to me as much as this RV. Wreckreation captured the essence of everything I loved about monster trucks. It had a classic square body, a solid color, and a very strong visual theme.

The trucks that told a story were always the ones that I gravitated toward. Wreckreation could have come from the actual first generation of monsters. There were pics of early trucks such as Bigfoot, and King Kong with camper shells on the bed. Remember that Bob Chandler, and Jeff Dane would take camping trips using their actual daily driver trucks? They would hit the trails, and mud bogs as weekend warriors. Wreckreation was carrying on that tradition. It was possibly the last of the working man's monster campers. By contrast I never cared for the trucks with animal, zombie, or robot bodies. Those weren't cohesive themes. They didn't tell a story, they were just gimmicks.

Of course I needed a place to store my trucks when I wasn’t playing, I mean, when I wasn’t studying them for reference. Hot Wheels released a Bone Shaker Monster Mover in 2018, the same year that they released the Bone Shaker monster truck. It could store a dozen models. How amazing was this?! I put the most important trucks to me in the carrier, in case I ever cleared enough space in the home to display them. You’ll have to guess which ones those were.

So this wrapped up my look at the monster truck toys I currently had. Were there any toys that you collected because they meant something to you? Tell me about them in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; the abridged history of the brawler

There would be no fighting game genre without the advent of the brawler. If you want to learn about the history of beat ‘em ups then Bookmark This Page.

The Abridged History of the Brawler, a pre-rumble...

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 1

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 2

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 3

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 4

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 5

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 6

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 7

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 8

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 9

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 10

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 11

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 12

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 13

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 14

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 15

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 16

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 17

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 18

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 19

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 20

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 21

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 22

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 23

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 24

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 25

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 26

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 27

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 28

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 29

The Abridged History of the Brawler, Part 30

Were you a fan of the brawler? Did you have a favorite title? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; the Games Workshop series

I love games of all types, even the tabletop games that existed before video games were created. If you want to learn the history of one of the most influential companies ever then Bookmark This Page.

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 1...

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 2…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 3…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 4…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 5…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 6…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 7…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 8…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 9…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 10…

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, part 11...

Building a gaming legacy, the Games Workshop series, final part

The passing of a legend, remembering Wayne England.

Why limited-edition tabletop game items are so cool. A 1UP classic...

Bungie drops something very familiar - A 1UP classic from November 29, 2012 

Freeblade, one of the best mobile games ever made... 

Freeblade, the elements of great game design...

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How Bigfoot got revenge on Monster Jam

The past few weeks I had talked about how I rebuilt my monster truck library after a series of rainstorms destroyed it. I shared being a lifelong fan of Bigfoot, and some of my favorite toys as a kid. I also reflected on the early days of monster truck competitions in the ‘80s, and how Feld Entertainment pushed Bigfoot out of the spotlight in the ‘90s. By the 2000’s Monster Jam, which was operated by Feld had become a part of mainstream culture. Monster Jam products flooded the aisles of every store. Monster Jam shirts, backpacks, lunch boxes, skateboards, remote control cars, bikes, and toys were everywhere. The big chain retailers like Target, and Walmart carried all things Monster Jam. Even bookstores like Barnes and Noble carried Monster Jam products. In my opinion there hadn’t been any quality 1:64 monster toys since the Super Chargers by Matchbox. This was 15 years before all of these new toys popped up. I wasn’t in a rush to buy anything from the company. I was still upset with how Feld had pushed Bigfoot out of their platform. Worse yet that they made it appear that they were the authority on all things monster truck. As a lifelong fan of off road culture it was hard to find things to collect that didn’t have the Monster Jam branding. The company seemed to crank out more unique monster truck toys in a single season than had ever existed for the entire duration of the Matchbox Super Chargers from 1986-1994.

I would never bash the quality, or selection of the toys themselves. Just as I would never say a bad word about the teams, and drivers for the company. The Monster Jam models were very well made. They were highly detailed. They were also more accurate in scale, and proportion to traditional toy cars, and would be the envy of any toy collector. If I were born in the ‘90s there was no doubt that I would have been bought everything Monster Jam throughout the 2000’s. In addition to the sheer number of available trucks it was their playsets that really caught my eye. At first they were built around the traditional stadium shows, with ramps, cars, and even magnetic sand that you could shape. Later on there were the playsets that had their own original themes. Dinosaurs, zombies, dragons, and more. These were things that appealed to the kid in me. It turned out that there was a reason for these fantastic sets. Mattel produced the Monster Jam toys from 2000-2018 under the Hot Wheels banner. The same creative minds at Hot Wheels were putting their talents into making the best Monster Jam playsets.

Having the Hot Wheels team on board also explained why every season saw a rapid release of new trucks. Mattel released around 50 new, and 130 variant Hot Wheel models every year. Some years they created even more. Coming up with a fraction of those numbers for Monster Jam would be simple by comparison. Kids of all ages could enjoy the vehicles, and sets coming out of Mattel. The quality, and diversity of products had always been held to a high standard. Everything seemed to be great for collectors. For almost three decades Mattel had cornered the toy car market. I want you to remember that in 1997 Mattel purchased perennial rival Matchbox. The company had a stranglehold on the best cars, and tracks around. Suddenly in the summer of 2018 Monster Jam announced that they were ending their run with Hot Wheels, and giving the license to Spin Master toys. The collector forums lit up. This was a multi-million dollar property! What was the reason for the change? Was there a falling out with Mattel, or did Monster Jam buy their own toy manufacturer?

Mattel announced that they were producing an entirely new toy line called Hot Wheels Monster Trucks. The vehicles were similar in build, and scale to those of Monster Jam. Kids, and collectors would be able to put the trucks side-by-side, and not see major differences. The Hot Wheels monster tires were a couple millimeters narrower, but also a couple millimeters taller. In this way Mattel could technically market them as having bigger wheels. The most important part to me was that Hot Wheels would feature Bigfoot at the launch. A few months later they announced that they would also be producing an arena tour. In one quick motion Monster Jam was put on the defensive. Feld had to get an entirely new company to produce toys to the same standards set by Mattel. Then they had to figure out how many customers the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Tour would be taking away of the Monster Jam tour. It didn’t take long for collectors to notice how much Spin Master was poaching the ideas from Hot Wheels. 

Mattel had been developing playsets that told stories for decades before they made monster trucks. In the early days their playsets were fairly standard. They might feature a city center, car wash, parking lot, or construction site. Any kid would be happy with those. Then Mattel challenged their designers to make sets more creative, and interactive. They were essentially creating theme parks for their toy cars. It was not uncommon to have a set based on a haunted house, exploding volcano, rampaging robot, or giant shark. This approach worked for their regular car line, as well as for Monster Jam. Spin Master had to keep the over-the-top feel going, or risk losing customers in the process. Only sales figures would say if they managed to keep up. It didn’t seem to be a big problem for a company with deep enough pockets. There was no independent monster truck organization, or team that could compete with the billions that Feld Entertainment was worth. Not even Bigfoot Inc. had that kind of cash, influence, or connections. Mattel on the other hand was a massive corporation. They were worth twice as much as Feld. In fact the Hot Wheels brand alone was worth billions. It had been a household name for generations, so they didn’t have to try hard to introduce themselves to customers.

Mattel had a very smart marketing strategy with this rollout. They wouldn’t be trying to produce a television series, or put on a stadium show on the scale of Monster Jam. So the logistics, marketing, and overhead were not going to be as expensive. Hot Wheels also had a more targeted approach to the community, and the fan base. It was something that the company had learned during their Hot Wheels Legends Tour, where they created a type of mini car show at every town. So they knew how to target their core audience, while also making a unique event for casual fans. Similarly Monster Trucks Live would be performing in local arenas. Every major city had a venue large enough to host them. Since the arenas were indoors then they could have a show regardless of the weather. Mattel didn’t have to rent out a stadium, haul tons of dirt in, or sell a massive amount of tickets in order to recoup the cost. Recently Monster Jam was having difficulty selling out the bigger venues. This was especially true in a sinking economy. Mattel changed up the format of the show, it wouldn’t just be a rehash of Monster Jam with different trucks. They brought in junk cars, and painted them in bright colors for the monsters to smash. This detail went back to the roots of the sport.

It was something more exciting for fans like me to watch rather than the dirt ramps used by Feld. An arena show ensured a more intimate experience. Seats were closer to the action. The sights, and sounds of car crushes was more intense. Plus smaller shows gave Hot Wheels the ability to host two or three events every weekend instead of a single massive show. Making the transition from Monster Jam to their own toy line was relatively simple for Mattel. The speed in which Hot Wheels was ready for their own tour was unprecedented. Team Bigfoot did the majority of the heavy lifting, but they were joined by other trucks including Holman's Beast, Son of Beast, Basher, Heavy Hitter, and more. Contrary to popular belief Bigfoot did not retire once it had been pushed out of Monster Jam. In fact it had been on tour nonstop for 50 years. It appeared on TV, and movies, but also independent monster truck shows, car shows, county fairs, and other sponsored events.

Bob Chandler had been steadily building newer, and better trucks all the while. This allowed him to run three, four, or more versions of Bigfoot trucks simultaneously. The most recent build as of 2025 was Bigfoot #24. They even had an all-electric Bigfoot (#20). The team had a dedicated crew of mechanics, trailers, and drivers. This allowed them to tour coast-to-coast, and even overseas as well. Mattel was able to work with them, and a handful of other indy monster truck teams to decide which toy trucks would get full size counterparts. Best of all those smaller teams would be able to cash a check from Hot Wheels without breaching any contracts they had with Monster Jam. The trucks that normally appeared on tour with Monster Jam would never appear on the Hot Wheels shows as they had a completely different name, and body. Mattel wouldn’t actually be building an entire fleet of trucks, but instead just creating bodies to place over existing trucks. A traditional truck shape would get a vinyl wrap, making it appear like a specific Hot Wheels model. More unique body shapes like robotic rhinos, neon dinosaur skeletons, tiger sharks, and fire trucks would be created as well. 

Mattel would create the illusion of having a fleet of monster trucks, enough to rival Monster Jam. Each season they could introduce entirely “new” trucks, which were actually just new bodies. They could ensure that the most popular trucks would always be available for a venue, even if they had to swap chassis. It was great for marketing. A relatively low cost for them to undercut Monster Jam, while reaping all of the rewards. Gen-Xers like me grew up with Bigfoot, there were millions of kids that had never seen the truck up close. It made me happy knowing that that the tour would create an entirely new generation of fans. Not only that but kids would be encouraged to find a favorite truck to cheer on. It was a genius move to use the Bigfoot, and other independent fleet of trucks with custom Hot Wheels bodies. At the same time Mattel was looking at the long run. The company heads knew that Bigfoot would always be owned by the Chandler family. So they needed to create their own co-star. In this way if Mattel ever decided to retire the tour then they would still own their new stars. They just needed to figure out who was going to headline alongside the king. The company had thousands, and thousands of Hot Wheels bodies that they could have used. The first one they settled on was a genius choice.

The Bone Shaker was one of the baddest-looking trucks of the past 20 years. It was part rat rod, part street pirate, and all attitude. I’m glad that Hot Wheels didn’t try to create another truck clone. There were dozens of active monsters, with traditional body shapes. Most of them were touring in independent monster shows all across the country. There were some nice ones, but in all honesty the majority were forgettable. Mattel needed something with a unique look, and a solid name. Something that would be remembered long after the tours ended. Most important they needed a ride that would be easy to identify on the toy shelves. Of the thousands of Hot Wheels models they could have selected Mattel definitely chose the best one. They didn’t just build an adequate co-star for Bigfoot. They built their response to the Grave Digger. They sent a shot across the bow of Feld Entertainment. The origins of the Bone Shaker went back decades. It was a descendant from the very roots of hot rod culture itself. A period where nothing was impossible, no build was too outlandish, no motor was too big or too loud. A time when alien-shaped show rods, and Rat Finks were warping young minds, and building a new automotive culture.

Larry Wood was an icon in the toy industry. He first worked at Ford designing cars, but thought he could do something more with his talents. So he left Detroit, and moved to Los Angeles. He ended up at Mattel designing Hot Wheels from 1969 to 2019. He created hundreds of models, and tracks during his career. My brothers, and I had owned many of them. As we got older we would gift them to our cousins, nieces, and nephews in the US, and Mexico. They in turn passed many of those surviving toys onto their children. I don’t think Mr. Wood realized that his influence was not only generational, but also multicultural. The cars he created had been in my family, or extended family for 50 years! What was astounding about the designs of Mr. Wood was that he managed to capture the spirit of the era. His cars in each decade worked for the period, but still looked cool to this day. I dare you to find a toy from the ’70s that would still resonate with kids today. This body of work was something that very few designers in any field had managed to achieve. I would argue that he reached perfection in the 2000’s by harkening back to the cars that influenced him.

The Bone Shaker was first introduced in 2006. It became an instant hit. Kids, adults, and even casual toy fans were drawn to it. It had the perfect mix of real world performance-meets-fantasy that defined the Hot Wheels brand. Over the next decade it was reproduced, recolored, and repackaged again, and again by Mattel. I think the success of the car was because it was a callback to the hot rods that Mr. Wood had grown up with. The Ford Model-T was not known for its performance, but because it was the first mass produced American car. After the 1920’s there were plenty of surplus Model-T bodies collecting dust in garages, and junkyards. They would become the platforms for automotive mad scientists. Modified Model-T’s aka T-Buckets were among the first hot rods. They had their hoods, and fenders removed to shave weight. They also had an exposed souped-up engine. The same things were also done with Ford Model-A, and Model-B bodies from the 1930’s.

The Bone Shaker was styled closer to the Model-A rods. Mr. Wood was growing up when young Americans were creating an entirely new automotive movement. Hot Wheels had made many types of rods over the years, but the Bone Shaker was different. It wasn’t a rat rod either, whose bodies covered in rust, and patina added to their character. The Bone Shaker told a unique story. One that was more of a vibe, rather than a specific time. Mr. Wood used his Hot Wheels magic to make his idea come to life. He chopped it, gave it an intimidating stance, painted it a solid color, with a pirate motif, and added a gigantic chrome skull at the front. These elements were all in varying proportions, and it took somebody with a lifetime of experience to find the right balance.

The Bone Shaker was so revolutionary that it became one of the very few models produced by Mattel that could be transferred to different platforms. First they went with a Baja race truck, then they went to a monster truck. They even produced an “Experimotor” version aka a ‘toon version called the Skull Shaker. In every case the Bone Shaker looked amazing. It was around this time that Mr. Wood decided he was ready to step away from Mattel. The Bone Shaker monster truck toy debuted in 2018. The real life monster truck came out in 2019, the same year that Mr. Wood retired. It was a legacy that he should be proud of. It was important to me as well. Hot Wheels left Monster Jam behind, and put Bigfoot back in the spotlight. I could start collecting again. I’ll highlight the trucks I picked up on a future blog. Were there any companies that you didn't care for that got some karmic justice? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!