Erik's Chickow

I recently received an email from Erik, along with his recollections on the Chickow and a picture too!

"Hi,  As my eye roved across my messy desk just a few minutes ago I spied my chickcow. It is the last of maybe five of them that I originally had. Noticing the Steven Mfg embossed on the leg I thought it was a good time to see if I could scare up anything on these.

It was back in the 80s, living in Boston and along the way to a bar where we used to go eat sometimes we stopped in at a hole in the wall junk store that was open. On the counter was the box of mixed up animals and this is what caught my eye, particularly the chickcow. These, to me, stood out for some reason and I picked out and bought all of them. The shop owner, seeing my selections, burst out laughing and told us that the last time he had a box of these someone also bought all the chickcows!

 I really don’t know why I only have one at this point but I’m glad I do. A few more would be better, of course but that’s the way it goes. To think about it I can’t imagine deciding that I have too many chickcows, one is enough. Did some friend or housemate taking a casual poke through my stuff think hey that’s cool, he’s got a few of them, he won’t miss one and so on?

No, I have to say that at this point I really am of a mind that to have as many chickcows as possible would be a worthwhile endeavor.

Cast iron flies are more plentiful but that’s another story for another time."

Thanks for the awesome Chickow memory, Erik!

My MUZA Collection

I've had a full set of MUZAs for a year or two now, but I've never photographed them all together. I only have one of each animal, since I have done a lot of trading to get the ones I have, and I have gladly given up doubles so others could try to complete their collections too. I'm proud to have a few in package (a rare sight) - Kittiorse, Liolope and Kangaboar, as well as a tagged example: Ostraphant.

I'm extremely proud of this collection, due in no small part to the fact that zero information on these toys existed on the internet before I took up my mad quest to track them all down.

All thanks to this silly guy right here - the one that sparked my imagination over 30 years ago when I first encountered him and again about ten years ago when I took up the quest to find him again: The Rabbagator:

Thanks to every one who helped me find info and the figures themselves throughout the years! And if you have your own MUZA collection you want to share with the world send me an email and I'll get them on the blog!

Boglárka's MUZAs for sale

I was recently contacted by Boglárka who has a Liolope and Dachsheer for sale:

"There is not so much mystery behind the scene: I'm living in Romania, and I'm obsessed with flea markets and second hand shops. One of my favorite "goldmines" is selling things from The Netherlands. I found an attractive, big box full with vintage plastic figures, soldiers, cowboys, an astronaut, and 2 really funny looking guys...I got really curious, that's how I luckily came across your blog.

I'm happy that they are appreciated so much, so I would love to sell them to someone who would take good care of Dasheer and Liolope."

Thanks Boglárka! Great pictures, and it's really neat to know MUZAs are being found all over the world!

If you are interested in purchasing these MUZAs from Boglárka (and are in or near Romania) contact thistlelittle@gmail.com

The Mother of all MUZA Collections - and it's for sale!

I just received an email from newest MUZA Collector's Alliance member Mike M. and OH MY GOD!

Ten years ago Mike attended a toy convention in the Chicagoland area (only a few hours from Hermann MO, where the Mixed Up Zoo Animals originated!) and came away with an original Mixed Up Zoo Animals display box - full to the brim with minty fresh 15 cent tagged MUZAs!

And the best part is THEY ARE ALL FOR SALE (including the box!) - contact Mike at mike.mccann91@yahoo.com if you are interested!

I think it is safe to say that no one's MUZA collection is as complete as Mike's. He has the freaking display box! Possibly the only one still in existence!

I am so honored to present Mike's pictures and to be able to look upon the original box for the first time since buying my humble Rabbagator over thirty years ago.

I'm almost positive this is how they were displayed when I purchased my first Rabbagator back in the late seventies. Unlike the packaged examples, I do remember mine being unwrapped and in the presence of many of its cronies. Of course this now leaves the question: how were the packaged figures sold/displayed? The world may never know.

But just imagine walking into your local dimestore back then and BAM you are eye to eye with this box of awesome!

And the cartoony box art. Oh Em Gee I LOVE IT!

Look at that Rabbagator right there - no wonder that's the one I went home with that fateful day!

Hahaha Dachseer is chasing Catagator as Chickow and Giraphant look on.

Uh oh, looks like Sealag and Liolope are gonna have words!

NOSTALGIA BOMB!!! Now that right there is some GLORIOUS seventies box art.

And look how crisp and minty they all are:

To paraphrase 2001: A Space Odyssey: 'My God, it's full of MUZAs!'

This discovery also cements the accepted but never before actually proven theory that there were only ten MUZA designs. Comforting, since I will be getting the last two I need from Mike, and once they arrive I will finally have completed a full MUZA set!

I am so jealous right now, but also so very thankful to see that someone out there had the presence of mind to preserve this wacky toyline's retail box. What an awesome discovery - thank you so very much to Mike M. for sharing these with us!

Dave's Kangaboar

I recently received an awesomely enthusiastic email from Dave S. telling me about his discovery of MUZAs and my blog.

Dave also included pics of his one and only (so far) MUZA, the Kangaboar!

Dave said "I have hartland horribles & more , & all i do is think about toys, so I got a kangabaor by accident, & now my mind is blown , completely by these mixed up zoo animals, I seriously cant believe how cool they are."

I share Dave's enthusiasm for MUZAs and toys in general. Welcome to the club, Dave!

Recent MUZA sightings

The following Catagator and Kangaboar were recently sold on eBay for ten bucks each. Too rich for my blood but a fair price in my opinion.

Mariano's MUZAs

I was recently contacted by a fellow named Mariano, who wanted to share his MUZA collection with us all! Thanks for the pics Mariano, and welcome to the Alliance!

These last three (Sealag, Ostriphant and Rabbagator) are in an image titled 'for trade,' so if you want to talk to Mariano regarding trading for these let him know at: mariano_franco@hotmail.com

More Packaged MUZAs Spotted

A recently ended eBay auction turned up which included SEVEN packaged MUZAs! Not since the few I received last year had I ever seen them packaged, and here seven show up in one auction.

They are out there folks!

By the way, if you are the proud new owner of these guys, say "Hi" in the comments section! I noticed the seller did not quote from my blog so they didn't know what these guys were, and I am curious if the buyer knew beforehand or if they are new to the world of MUZAs as well.

Who watches the Dachsheer?

This Dachsheer just sold on eBay for $5.50. I was watching it and bid up to five bucks, but since I have a better Dachsheer specimen I wasn't willing to go higher. Congrats to whomever bought him!

Jetjimbo's MUZAs

I recently received an email from Jetjimbo, which led me to his Flickr account with tons of awesome pictures of epic toys, including a few MUZAs! Aw Yeah!

Welcome to the MUZA collector's alliance, Jetjimbo!

Sam's MUZAs

Reader and newest MUZA collector alliance member Sam sent over a link to a photo of a couple MUZAs he received as a Christmas gift from his inlaws, found at a toy fair in Philadelphia!

Cool!

Packaged MUZAs!

I received an email the other day from Naomi of Sassie's Estate Sales & Antiques. Naomi said she had come across some MUZAs at a home FULL of stuff that she was prepping for an Estate Sale.

Naomi had found my blog while researching the odd little critters and was wondering if I'd be interested in the MUZAs she had found. I of course said "yes" and offered to buy them from her, but Naomi decided instead to give them to me as a gift!

Naomi immediately popped them in the mail to me and they arrived today.

Not only are the MUZAs she sent me in mint condition, but (a first for me) they are all still sealed in their original packaging!

So not only do I now have three new MUZAs so generously given to me at no charge, but I have the first images for this blog of individually packaged Mixed-Up Zoo Animals!

I've seen a lot of loose MUZAs since I started this blog, and sometimes they pop up with little name/price tags wrapped around them, but this is the first I can recall ever seeing packaged MUZAs. Certainly the first time I've seen them in person.

As with the tagged MUZAs, these individually packaged Mixed-up Zoo Animals sold originally for 15 cents. I can't help but wonder if they came in an assortment box with a fold-up lid like so many dime store toys of the seventies. Maybe someday something like that will pop up too.

Each individually sealed MUZA has his/her name in large blue letters across the middle (in this case it's our old friend Kittiorse,) the 15¢ price in the upper right corner, and the following manufacturer info on the bottom:

Steven Mfg. Co., Hermann,
MO. 65041 ©MCMLXXII

Liolope was packaged "upside-down." Now that's a truly mixed-up Mixed-up Zoo Animal!

And here's a minty fresh Kangaboar.

It's simply amazing to see these guys still sealed in their plastic, untouched by human hands since they were plopped in and hermetically sealed sometime around 1972. These guys are older than me!

Tremendous thanks go out to Naomi - who I shall now dub an Honorary Member in the MUZA Collector's Alliance!

If you live or ever visit the Chicago area be sure to swing by one of the Estate Sales run by Naomi and Sassie's Estate Sales & Antiques - and you can find listings for Sassie's Estate Sales at EstateSales.net

When it Rains...

Tracking down MUZAs is tough business. Sometimes I can go months without seeing any (or without actually looking, for that matter.) Then sometimes they seem to pop up all over the place. Well not really "all over the place," but in more than one place at the same time. And for an uber-obscure toyline like the Mixed-Up Zoo Animals, that's no small feat!

I was recently searching through toys on eBay and came across a pile of cows. My eyes fell on one in particular. To quote Sesame Street, "One of these things does not belong here, one of these things just isn't the same!"


So I bid ($1.25) and won and now have a second Chickow (and a bunch of random cows) to add to my collection.

Then I'm looking at the trade boards of a toy forum I frequent a few days later, and four MUZAs appear in a pile of otherwise worthless (to me) plastic figures! Sadly (for me...hey, it's MY blog!) someone beat me to the punch and got these guys for .25 each! But happily they went to the newest member of the MUZA alliance, Patrick, who had been following this blog for a while.

Patrick scored Kangaboar, Catagator, Dacheer, and my personal favorite, Rabbagator! These are his first MUZAs. Congrats Patrick, and welcome to the club!

Meanwhile, my cow collection has been commandeered by my daughters. All but Chickow of course, who is being eyed by someone else entirely:

Three more in the hands of the MUZA alliance

Fellow MUZA collector Justin (Weirdo Toys) scored another bunch of these slippery fellows tonight by winning an eBay auction for three mixed up zoo animals!


Justin scored Kangaboar, Giraphant and Ostraphant (complete with name/price tag!)

Justin had called "dibs," spotting the auction first, and since all of his competition (namely, me) was un-dibbed, he got them for a song! Congrats Justin!

Note to would be MUZA eBayers: email Justin or I before wasting your money on eBay fees. We're the only ones who care. Or at least give us a heads up about your upcoming auctions. That way we can coordinate based on the characters we still need in our individual collections. :)

Beef or Chicken?

Why not both?


My first new MUZA in a long long time comes in the form of Chickow!


I got a good deal on three MUZAs from eBay - and since there's only one human being on the entire planet who is willing to reveal himself as a fan of these guys besides myself (Justin of Weirdo Toys fame,) we've started a two member MUZA collector's alliance and the redundant Dascheer and Kittiorse are on their way to him! Someday he'll return the favor and send a couple redundancies my way. At this rate, we should both have a complete collection sometime in the year 2036.


The MUZAs of my collection have come out in full force to welcome their new genetically altered friend.

"WTF?!?!"

...and another one down...

Another eBay auction has come and gone.


These three guys popped up on eBay a couple weeks ago and were purchased by an unknown MUZA fan.

The people who put up these auctions are obviously finding this blog and using the info contained herein to sell their MUZAs...but strangely enough the buyers never pop in to say hello.

Who are you people?

Another One Bites the Dust!

Another eBay auction ended today for a lot of four Mixed Up Zoo Animals.

It included Chickow, Giraphant, Ostraphant, and Dachsheer.

These four sold for a modest, but still surprising amount, at about $30 with shipping.

I didn't bid high enough to win, but gladly a fellow blogger and Weirdo Toy lover appears to have been the high bidder! Congrats!

Goooo team!

Another auction ends

I was recently watching an eBay auction that just ended: $32.00 for three Mixed Up Zoo Animals!

The auction used the information I've discovered about these toys (almost verbatim) and I am glad they did - it makes me feel like I've contributed to the cyber world in some small way ;)

I can't help but wonder though, is there some underground collector's cult for these guys? There were 14 bids on this little set of three! And at $32.00, that's more than $10 each! (Me am smart! ;) )

So if you're someone who is collecting these toys, or bidding on them, or looking for them, or if you have them all, say "hi," leave a comment, or email me with pics of your collection. I'd love to hear from other mixed-up collectors ;)