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!

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

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:

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?!?!"