UofMUSCLE.com – M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures from Mattel

In August of 2004, almost a full year before Toyfare #99, M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors were given hope that the hobby was poised for growth. There were two M.U.S.C.L.E.-centric entries in the 83rd issue of PlayStation magazine.

The first entry was related to the upcoming release of Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle. The magazine game with a playable demo on an attached disk. The game was released in companion to the launch of Ultimate Muscle which included new figures and a Saturday morning cartoon. The Ultimate Muscle products were closer to original Kinnikuman than to M.U.S.C.L.E. figures.

The video game ultimately had mixed reviews. Much of the praise that the game received came from two reasons: (1) collectors were happy to receive any new M.U.S.C.L.E.-centric item; and (2) the game was an improvement over the original M.U.S.C.L.E. video game.

The second entry was much more specific to the M.U.S.C.L.E. collecting community. It was a letter to the editor about the, at the time, shocking sale of a SHA for $422. In November of 2016 a headless SHA sold for $273. The hobby has certainly changed since 2004.

Arguably, with the benefit of hindsight, the most interesting part of the magazine for M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors might be the comments from the magazine’s editor. Clearly the comments were meant for comedic effect, but they certainly represent the reaction collectors have seen from many sellers. These sellers learn of one high-priced sale and imagine M.U.S.C.L.E. figures will be their get-rich-quick savior.

For more M.U.S.C.L.E. articles and publications that don’t fit into a perfect category take a look at Literature 500 – Other M.U.S.C.L.E. Publications. And for all your M.U.S.C.L.E. ephemera needs take a look at Literature.