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= B. Bonanno Guide Class
= B. DeMars Guide Grade
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Tune you up
When the Kinnikuman toy series was introduced for the English-speaking markets by Mattel in 1985 rebranded as the Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere, aka M.U.S.C.L.E. they didn’t include character identities. So, while audiophiles might have guessed the character design for the figure of Player Man, most of us knew him by whatever name our imaginations delivered.
Originally created by a talented pair of friends in Japan who became collectively known as Yudetamago, who excel at bringing everyday things and adaptations for parody. The character represents an anthropomorphic concept combatant with a humanoid record player that includes a record for a head and the player needle as an attached hand weapon.
Not a top-tier contender or primary character in the story arcs but contributes to the overall enormous roster of imaginative characters found in the Kinnikuman universe. A visually creative opponent with signature moves like the Hit Record Turn Swing, or the Meokyoku (“Masterpiece“) Record Turn Swing he serves as filler opponent and background presence to the story lines more prominent heroes.
Fans of the Mattel versions that were based on the original Japanese keshi toy lines but offered in a tougher material and different color variants, wouldn’t have known these details. So “that blocky guy” or similar identity was often given to figures by the millions of people who made memories with their likeness in their own ways.
Recognizable and to some a favorite among the figures that made their way to new markets in the M.U.S.C.L.E. toy line. They’re also often one of the most numerous produced figures of the series making them among the most common, but their simplicity is as appreciated as their depth an imagination can assign.
Bizarre to macabre, the Kinnikuman character library still grows today with the same pair of creators steering the stories and remaining immensely popular still today.