FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MONSTERPALOOZA
Legendary makeup artist’s figure and chair to be immortalized in 1/9 scale
NEW YORK, February 21, 2012 – EMCE TOYS, the brand that revived the classic MEGO style 1/9 scale “retro cloth” action figures of the 1970s, is partnering with the MONSTERPALOOZA convention to create limited edition handcrafted MEGO-scale exclusives for the April 2012 event in Burbank.
To honor legendary Universal makeup maestro JACK PIERCE, EMCE is creating a very small number of 8” tall figures of Pierce, complete with barber’s tunic and likeness-accurate head sculpt. An even smaller number of MEGO-scale replicas of Pierce’s famous makeup chair will be created as well.
Pierce’s head was sculpted by MIKE HILL, world renowned portrait sculptor and artist whose career runs the gamut from privately commissioned work to Hollywood blockbusters. MONSTERPALOOZA fans know Hill from his hyper-realistic statue of Boris Karloff being made up in Jack Pierce’s chair (on display at the 2009 show).
The chair is a replica of the brand of
barber chair that Pierce used throughout his career, digitally recreated by
EMCE designer CAROLYN SEYSTER, with hand-sculpted
fittings by makeup artist, sculptor and garage-kit veteran SHANE McGOWIN. Heads and chair replicas will all be cast,
assembled and painted by hand in the US at the EMCE workshop in Long Island,
New York.
“With six,
going on eight Mego-scale Universal Monsters we’ve designed for Diamond Select
Toys, this is the perfect unique addition to any collectors’ Mego Monsters
display,” said JOE SENA, president of Fourth Castle Micromedia, the parent
company of EMCE Toys. Diamond Select
Toys has released four EMCE-designed MEGO monsters: Frankenstein, The Wolfman,
The Mummy and Dracula. Two more, the
Bride of Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, were recently
unveiled at the New York Toy Fair.
Prototypes of the Bride and the Creature will be on display at
Monsterpalooza as well.
The Pierce figure is limited to 50 pieces and the replica of the chair is limited to 25 pieces. Photos of the progress on both items can be viewed on the EMCE Toys Facebook page (www.facebook.com/emcetoys) and also on the pre-order pages on EMCE’s sister company FearWerx – The Scary Mall (www.fearwerx.com/monsterpalooza). The Pierce figure is available for $74.99 and the chair replica is available for preorder at $199.99. Both items can be preordered now and can either be picked up at the Monsterpalloza event in Burbank April 13-15 or shipped directly from the EMCE warehouse.
ABOUT EMCE TOYS (www.emcetoys.com)
EMCE Toys was founded in 2006 by veteran pop culture marketer JOE SENA and PAUL “DR. MEGO” CLARKE to revitalize the classic 1970s MEGO style action figure. After helping to “Mego-ize” brands such as Star Trek, the Universal Monsters, DC Superheroes, Dr. Who, The Twilight Zone and others, EMCE now creates innovative products in multiple formats for fans of imaginative media.
EMCE Toys is a brand of Fourth Castle Micromedia (www.fourthcastle.com), a boutique media company which also produces the interactive Monster Channel, the FearWerx ecommerce shop, Cinefantastique Magazine and others.
ABOUT MONSTERPALOOZA – THE ART OF MONSTERS
For the past four years Monsterpalooza
has given its attendees an exclusive sneak peek behind the scenes of creature
creation for all to enjoy. Special
sculpting, painting and makeup demonstrations are conducted all weekend long,
allowing attendees the opportunity to see what goes into the artistry of
monster making. Presentations revolving
around iconic films of the past takes place around the clock, with artists,
directors and writers participating in panel discussions. The Monsterpalooza Museum hosts the work of
some the best three-dimensional artists in an atmospheric setting of stage
lighting and decorative elements, further enhancing the overall
experience. Each year celebrity guests
are invited to participate in the presentations as well as sit for autograph
signings. (www.monsterpalooza.com)
