#124 Fox Man

The fox

If the big letter “F” on his forehead or the the “Fox” spelled out on his left hip didn’t give it away, many may argue the identity of Fox Man as he’s found in his appearance in the M.U.S.C.L.E. toy series since his face doesn’t quite look like an obvious fox. However, he is in fact one as while his details were lost for the rebranded Mattel line imported from Japan and formed after the original keshi toys. His origins actually lay in an expansive character rich manga universe known as Kinnikuman created by a famous pair of creative friends under the combined identity as Yudetamago.

Visually distinctive, but a very minor role character in the long-running manga and anime series. He may not be a central character in the story arcs as a supporting background form but his animal themed design made him a fan favorite to many. Appearing primarily in tournaments or large conflicts his typical wrestling concept physique lent him as a great fill in combatant for various scenes.

Often dawning a mischievous or sly expression and personifying the traditional folklore around foxes among the Japanese history conveying agility over brute power. Contributing as yet another memorable motif of character design amongst the hundreds of creative characters that populate the fictional environments.

When Mattel imported the toy series to the new markets opting to leave their character identities behind to instead call them the Millions of Unusual Creatures Lurking Everywhere rather than licensing more than the character likenesses. They probably didn’t imagine what a hit they would still become, and now that the nostalgic fans are beginning to find the depth in the characters they came to love from their origins in Japan. It’s no wonder the series is still popular and produced by the same duo that created them originally here over 40 years later.