Written By: Ken HulseySource: Jamie Russell - Morikami Museum
Alert the military!
Starting today the Morikami Museum, in Delray Beach, FL, will be overrun by over a hundred Japanese giant monsters.
Granted, most of these are less than a foot tall and made of plastic, but the danger is still very real.
To be specific, the private kaiju figure collection of Dr. James Levy, featuring everything from Godzilla and Ultraman to Kamen Rider, will be on display from June 1st to October 17th (2010).
After that, they will be rounded up and shipped back to their home on "Monster Island".
Included are rare pieces from the 60s', 70s' and 80s', so this should be a special treat for all of us who grew up watching Japanese monster films on late-night television.
Here is the press release:
Kaijū! Monster Invasion!
Monsters invade Morikami Museum this summer as vintage toys from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, inspired by Japanese tokusatsu films and TV shows, go on display in the exhibition, Kaijū! Monster Invasion! Classic Japanese tokusatsu eiga, or special effects films, typically utilized an fx technique called sutsumeishon (suitmation) in which monsters of colossal size, termed kaijū, were portrayed by stuntmen in rubber suits moving about on sets of miniatures. Beginning with the release of the film Gojira (Godzilla) in 1954, kaijū of all types have captured the imagination of legions of fans worldwide and have spawned a lucrative toy industry that endures to this day.
The exhibition displays over 100 figures from the extensive private collection of Dr. James Levy. Godzilla, the first Japanese pop culture phenomenon, along with several of the creatures he fought in the many sequels to the original film, appear in the exhibition, which also includes the outlandish opponents of Japanese television superheroes like Ultraman, Chōjin Barom-1, and Kamen, or Masked, Rider. Some kaijū are dinosaurian in appearance; others are based vaguely on insects, sea creatures, or plants; still others combine characteristics of all of these and more. All are included in the Morikami exhibition, seeming to give form to humankind’s deepest anxieties in an age dominated by nuclear, biological, and environmental peril.
Kaijū have been potent expressions of Japanese popular culture for over half a century. While most of the toys were originally marketed as inexpensive playthings, today they are highly sought-after by collectors and nostalgia buffs and command hundreds if not thousands of dollars each. In addition these vintage toys helped to create a worldwide art-toy movement that today embraces popular characters from many contemporary animated films and comic books.
Kaijū! Monster Invasion! runs to October 17. The exhibition is funded in part by the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation and the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation.
Here is the info for the Morikami Museum:
Address:
The Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
4000 Morikami Park Road
Delray Beach, FL 33446
(561) 495-0233
Phone Number:
561-495-0233
To reach a specific department, please see contact information page.
Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays and major national holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day, Easter and Fourth of July.
Admission Prices:
$12.00 Adults
$11.00 Seniors (age 65 and over)
$7.00 Children (ages 6 - 17)
$7.00 College Students (college ID required)
Children under age six are free
Website - Morikami Museum
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