M.U.S.C.L.E., (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere), was a toyline of 2-inch tall monochromatic PVC gum wrestling figures produced in the United States from 1985 to 1988. The story involved intergalactic wrestlers fighting for supremacy of the universe. The toy line itself was straight forward and collectors continue to make the line a viable hobby. The US line included 236 official figures, a boardgame, a NES game entitled M.U.S.C.L.E., a championship belt figure holder, and a wrestling ring playset. The figures were distributed in clear, blister-packed random 4-packs, semiopaque garbage can 10-packs, and boxed fixed sculpt 28 packs.
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The M.U.S.C.L.E. figures were based on the Japanese toyline
called kinkeshi. Kinkeshi
were based on a manga and anime called Kinnikuman, and some figures were based
on anime-only characters. The main hero was Kinnikuman, who, in the US, was "Muscle
Man" and was the leader of the "Thug Busters." He was described as
the greatest wrestling champion. The only other named figure in the
US line was Buffaloman, who was renamed "Terri-Bull,"
and said to be the leader of the "Cosmic Crunchers."
Some of the figures were sculpted to resemble popular wrestlers who
had competed in Japan such as Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Abdullah
The Butcher, and Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
The first shipment of figures were all a 'bubble-gum pink' color the collecting community calls 'flesh.' The second shipment was a half-and-half mixture of flesh and either dark blue, red, or purple figures. The third shipment contained no flesh figures, only dark blue, red, purple, magenta, salmon, lime green, neon orange, and light blue. Five figures came with the boardgame in an exclusive Grape or Light Purple color.
In addition to packs containing only figures, there was a mail-away poster, a "Battlin' Belt" display case, and two games released that made use of the M.U.S.C.L.E. figures.
The "Hard Knockin' Rockin' Ring" game was a plastic wrestling ring with two small clamps for figures and that played much like Rock'em Sock'em Robots. The M.U.S.C.L.E. board game was a unique battle-royal style game where teams of five figures of two different colors fought.
The "Hard Knockin' Rockin' Ring" came with two exclusive flesh figures not released in the regular line of toys, a slightly smaller version of #141(Muscleman) and a Terri-Bull. The Board Game also included the same sculpt of Terri-Bull in lime green.
The Kinnikuman toy line in Japan was not limited to small PVC figures as it was in the United States. It also included many other sizes and styles of figures and toys.
Although the toy line lasted for only two years in the US, the Kinnikuman toy line is still in production in Japan. New toys, comics and TV shows are released regularly.
In the United States, the sequel to Kinnikuman, Kinnikuman NiSei was translated by 4Kids Entertainment in 2002 and aired from 2002-2004 on Saturday mornings. It was re-aired summer of 2006 as Summer Filler. It enjoys a dedicated following in the 14-30 age group. Figures, both 6.5" articulated and 1.5" M.U.S.C.L.E.-sized, based on the Ultimate Muscle storyline were released sporadically in 2003, as well as a collectible card game entitled Ultimate Muscle Battle Card Game. Viz Media currently publishes the translated Ultimate Muscle manga.
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M.U.S.C.L.E. | Table of Contents
| Walkthrough
| M.U.S.C.L.E. | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | TOSE |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai |
| Japanese title | キン肉マン マッスルタッグマッチ |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Wrestling |
| System(s) | Famicom |
| Players | 1-2 |
M.U.S.C.L.E. (which stands for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere) was a toyline of 2-inch tall monochromatic PVC gum wrestling figures produced in the United States from 1985 to 1988. The M.U.S.C.L.E. figures were based on the Japanese toyline called kinkeshi. Kinkeshi were based on a manga and anime called Kinnikuman, and some figures were based on anime-only characters. The story involved intergalactic wrestlers fighting for supremacy of the universe. The main hero was Kinnikuman, who, in the US, was renamed "Muscle Man" in the US and was the leader of the "Thug Busters." He was described as the greatest wrestling champion.
Originally released in Japan for the Famicom as Kinnikuman Muscle Tag Match, the NES title was a basic wrestling game in which 2 of the 8 representative characters from the Kinnikuman series challenge another 2 fighters to a match. Each level consists of 3 rounds which last 30 seconds. A fall is awarded to the wrestler who depletes one of the opponent's energy, thus scoring a victory for his team. The first team to win 2 falls out of 3 wins the match. Although panned in the United States as a poorly made game, it was actually the fourth best selling Famicom game released in 1985, selling approximately 1,050,000 copies in it's lifetime.
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Contents |
: Use the direction pad to
direct your currently tagged in fighter around the ring.
: Press the A button alone to
throw a punch.
: Press the B button to jump
forward.
: Press Start to pause the
game.M.U.S.C.L.E. Man (or Kinnikuman) is prince of the Kinniku
People, later became the King. Like all other Kinnikumen, if he
removes his mask, he must be killed. Could fly by farting early in
the series. His special move is the Kinniku-Driver. After
collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, stand behind your opponent,
and press .
Terry Man was the American stereotype of the series, and has the
Kanji for "American" on his forehead. It's hard to read, though,
and looks more like a simple dent. His special move is the Calf
Branding. After collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, face your
opponent, standing very close, and press .
Ramen Man's favorite food is Ramen noodles, for which he is
named. He was so popular in Kinnikuman, that he had his own spinoff
manga and anime series based in Feudal China. His special move is
the Leg Lariat. After collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, press
and then when you are near your
opponent.
Robin Mask appears to be a representative of England, and was
actually the defending Chiyoujin Olympic champion from the previous
years. His name is a play on Robin Hood. His special move is the
Tower Bridge. After collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, stand
behind your opponent, and press .
In the American M.U.S.C.L.E. toyline, Buffalo Man was renamed
"Terri-Bull," and cast as the main "Bad Guy," and the head of the
"Cosmic Crunchers." His special move is the Hurricane Mixer. After
collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, face your opponent, and
press .
Wars Man only spoke once in the entire series, and that was to
thank Kinnikuman for not killing him. He also dies more than
anybody else in the series. His special move is the Screw Driver.
After collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, face your opponent,
and press .
Legends say he is the reincarnation of the Hindu Goddess of
Warfare, Ashura. He was the only Akuma Knight to survive the
initial fight. His special move is the Ashura Buster. After
collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, get behind your opponent,
and press when you're close.
Geronimo man was Brocken Jr.'s replacement in the American
version of M.U.S.C.L.E. He was an Apache, and was the "Heart of
Fire" for his tribe. His name is a reference to the native legend,
Geronimo. His special move is the Apache Tomahawk. After collecting
the Booster Ball from Meat, face your opponent, and press .
Brocken Jr. was removed from the American version of the game
due to his common depiction as a "good Nazi." Since Nintendo of
America banned all references to Nazis, he was removed and replaced
with Geronimo. His special move is the Red Rain of Pain. After
collecting the Booster Ball from Meat, face your opponent, and
press .
M.U.S.C.L.E./Table of Contents
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