Monsterland Toys

Above, Kevin and Frances Ratliff.

The holiday season is just around the corner. That means giving that kaiju fan something to put under their Christmas tree or stocking.

One place to consider purchasing that kaiju gift is Monsterland Toys. Here is a spotlight article on Monsterland Toys I wrote for G-FAN magazine a few years ago:

If you thought Monsterland was somewhere out in the South Pacific, guess again! There is a Monsterland, but it is located in Kimper, Kentucky. The Monsterland we're talking about is Monsterland Toys.

One would never expect a kaiju toy dealer in the land of race horses and "My Old Kentucky Home," but that is where Kevin Ratliff has set up shop to provide the latest and vintage Godzilla and kaiju collectibles to the rabid collector.

Kevin started his business in 1998 after G-CON '98 under the banner of Kevin's Sci-Fi and Toy Collectibles. His intent at the time was to sell toys part-time to support his own hobby of collecting kaiju toys and movies. Kevin and his wife Frances run their business as a web-only company, although they attend as many shows as they can. The business is run out of their home but Kevin hopes to open a store in the near future. They've attended such shows as G-FEST, Adventure Con, AFFE, Wonderfest and Creature Fest.

Kevin says he has been a fan of sci-fi and monster movies "as far back as I can remember. As a child growing up in Eastern Kentucky in the mid-1970s, the only exposure I had to the world of monsters was through Famous Monsters of Filmland and Chiller Theater, a late-night show that was broadcast out of Huntington, West Virginia. I spent every Saturday night glued to the television set watching the Wolfman, Frankenstein, Creature From the Black Lagoon, King Kong and other classic horror/monster movies, but my favorites were the Japanese monster movies. Especially Godzilla!"

Kevin points to a pivotal point in his life during a period after he moved to Florida in 1992, where he discovered some Bandai figures in a local comic book shop. Until then, "the only Godzilla/kaiju toys that I even knew existed were the Shogun Warrior (by Mattel) and the old Monogram model kits. Later, I discovered Jim Cirronella and Club Daikaiju, which was also the time I discovered G-FAN magazine. To say the least, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!" He then later attended G-CON in 1995, 1996 and 1998.

"At the beginning," Kevin says, "most of our inventory was Star Wars-related items. However as time passed and the business grew, we began carrying such items as Batman, Spiderman, Pokemon, Universal monsters, kaiju toys and a variety of sci-fi/monster movies." At the end of 2000, Kevin and Frances changed the business name to Monsterland Toys and specializing in monster-related movies and toys, especially kaiju-related items. In January of 2001, they officially became Monsterland Toys and their website became an official domain, Monsterlandtoys.com.

Most of their inventory today is all monster/kaiju-related, but they still do offer some Star Wars and other collectible action figures. The business is no longer a part-time support of a hobby. It has grown into a full-time, seven-days-a week consuming business. "I love it dearly and I don't ever plan on stopping," Kevin adds.

"I would like to thank Mr. J. D. Lees for having us at G-FEST and for his dedication to G-fandom, Mr. Carl Craig for all of his help, support and friendship and a special thanks to Jim Cirronella for his advice and help. A tremendous THANK YOU to all of our customers! Without you, guys, there would be no point to this. And, last but not least, thanks to God. Without him, none of us would be here."

Kevin tries to carry as many items as possible and make as many people happy as they can. Monsterland Toys accepts money orders, personal checks and credit cards through Paypal.com. His mailing address is 810 Hurricane Road, Kimper, KY 41539. Telephone (606) 631-1085. His email address is sales@monsterlandtoys.com. Give Monsterland Toys a try today!

Monsterland Toys is also a dealer carrying The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

They have a website that makes shopping for that kaiju fan much easier! They are located at www.monsterlandtoys.com.

Kaiju Fandom and 9/11

While we're reflecting on September 11, 2001 today, many things have come to mind. Some of these are in the relationship between 9/11 and kaiju fandom in the days and weeks following the attacks.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, some speculated that 9/11 would spell doom to kaiju fandom. Some thought that images of collapsing buildings at the claws of giant monsters would be "too disturbing" for people to handle by reminding them of 9/11. In fact, some previously-scheduled television screenings of Godzilla movies were canceled allegedly for this reason.

Others, including news reporter talking heads, remarked that images of fleeing crowds of people from the massive debris clouds from the collapsing twin towers reminded them of giant monster movies (as in "life imitating art").


Another thing that comes to mind were the reactions of some people to a little banner J. D. Lees included on the top of the cover of G-FAN #53 (see image at right). The words on the banner read, "We Stand With America" and were flanked by the Canadian (G-FAN is published in Canada) and U.S. flags.

In letters to the magazine in following issues, several writers took issue with the inclusion of the banner for varying reasons. (Remember, emotions were at a fever pitch following the initial shock of the attacks.) Some felt it "inappropriate" to "inject politics" into a monster fan magazine and others felt that they read the magazine to "escape" from real-life. Lees wanted to express a little jesture of Canadian-U.S. international solidarity with the banner. The negative reactions by a few were a surprise.

Fortunately, as time went on, cooler heads prevailed and fans were still able to continue to enjoy their giant monster movies, and still do. People aren't as dumb as some media harpies try to portray them to be. People know the difference between fantasy special effects films and reality. If this weren't the case, then Cloverfield could not have been made (successfully, I might add), especially since the action in the movie takes place in New York City.

Thankfully, fandom of giant monster movies is still alive and well.