Deformed All Monsters

5.10.2023

Before there were X-Plus Defo Real Godzilla figures there was the Kaiyodo Deformed Monster All-Out Attack (デフォルメ怪獣総進撃) series. Super deformed, also referred to as “chibi,” is “an artistic style in which a normally realistically proportioned character is rendered in a shorter, rounder form, often with a big head and short limbs, somewhat resembling a caricature of themselves as a tiny yet plump toddler.”¹ Super deformed and chibi Godzilla has a long history. The first Godzilla vinyl figure, although not super-deformed was stylized in design based on the Aurora model kit, which was a stylized KinGoji design. Super deformed incarnations of Godzilla can be traced back to the Showa era where he made appearances in children’s magazines. But these figures took off in the Heisei series that continued a direct appeal to children as well as adult Godzilla fans. Godzilla has been rendered in kid friendly and appealing figures, manga and television anime for a very long time. Today’s Gojiban and ChibiGoji have Godzilla-Kun, Godzilla Island and the television series Godzilland² to thank.

Growing up I had little interest in stylized and super-deformed Godzilla characters and figures. I wanted my Godzilla figures to look like they stomped right out of the tv screen onto my shelf. Godzilla garage kits were out of my reach but Bandai figures scratched my itch for suit-accurate figures. Over the years chibi figures found their way into my collection as incidental purchases. Today, they are everywhere and very appealing to Godzilla fans of all ages.

Only in recent years my appreciation for the super deformed Godzilla has grown as their designs have evolved into a movie accurate style. For this reason I started collecting X-Plus Defo Real figures because they combine suit-accurate designs with super deformed features. The scale is perfect for display and their detail is great for toy photography. Super deformed Godzilla is in an abundance and readily available in a variety of products such as banks, books, candies, clocks, erasers, humidifiers, keychains, figures, manga, model kits, plush toys, puppets, t-shirts, remote controlled monsters, stamps, video games and much more from many manufactures that include Bandai, Banpresto, Funko Pop, Mash Deformer Art Project (MDA), West Kenji, X-Plus and more.

One day on social media legendary modeler Hitomi Hayashi posted a spread of deformed Toho monsters he modeled for Kaiyodo. His deformed Godzilla figures were part of the Kaiyodo Deformed Monster All-Out Attack (デフォルメ怪獣総進撃) garage kit series released from 1983-84 as part of a bigger series that include Ultra kaiju, Gamera and Daimajin. These cool little kits are some of the earliest super deformed Godzilla figures.

I was shocked when I found an old set on Buyee Japan for sale. These are wonderfully creative and whimsical creations. Who wouldn’t love Jet Jaguar’s super smile and Varan’s side-eye stare. These are some of the earliest Godzilla garage kits as well as super deformed figures. They have so much Godzilla toy history to tell. I’m elated to have these relics and artifacts in my small collection. Learn more about these amazing Kaiyodo kits on KaijuKits.com.