Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla



Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla (Jumbo Zaurus Gojira)


 Updated 2019.10.08 with variant info below.

The original Jumbosaurus Godzilla made his (her?) debut in 1978 - this is just prior to the Mattel Godzilla release in 1978. I'm not quite sure why Mattel decided to change the overall design specs on the "US Godzilla" but well, there you go. The original Popy design has the same approximate height as the US and is a fairly accurate representation of Godzilla as he appeared in 70's era movies like Godzilla vs the Thing. This is a friendlier Godzilla that was looked at as more of a force of nature instead of a diabolical monster. The overall proportions of the Popy version retains the squat stature and long tail - this version also has the fins characteristic of Gojira and has the power to "bark" - you can pull a string using a plastic hoop at the back and the sound came from a chest speaker. The toy is quite impressive and I would guess it made quite a splash in Japan.

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Side

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Fins

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Back

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Side

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Top of Head

We also discover that the US Godzilla owes its firing fist to the original Popy as the left fist fires. The speaker and pull-string are replaced by the "tongue" of flame and lever for the US version.

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Chest Speaker

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Firing Fist

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Head Detail

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Firing Mechanism

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Foot Detail

 Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Chest Speaker

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Tail Instructions

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Feet Detail

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Mouth Detail

 There appears to be figure variations, mostly in paint but there are at least two different mold variants - the earlier I believe (not confirmed) had a sticker with the Popy information on the bottom of the right foot. The second variant has the same details embossed.

Popy Jumbosaurus Godzilla Right Foot Detail - Variations

Of course it's difficult to see the differences between the Popy and US versions without some direct comparisons...

Godzillas - Comparison

Godzillas - Head Comparison

Godzillas - Fist Comparison

Godzillas - Fist Comparison

Godzillas - Fist Comparison

Godzillas - Fist Comparison

Note that while the US Godzilla firing fist will work in the Popy version, it sticks out too far and doesn't look right.

All Mattel images and captions are copyright Mattel, all Popy images and captions are copyright Popy/Bandai and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2019 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton, by clicking here.

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