When the Monster Mailman came knocking on your door after a grueling 4 to 6 week wait in 1966, it was almost certainly not one of Don Post’s lovingly sculpted spooks, with their finely ghoulish paint jobs and carefully styled hair, that was lurking in the box. No, for most young FM readers the legendary Don Post “Super-Deluxe Latex Rubber Whole Header Monster  Masks” would remain an elusive dream (or nightmare). What was waiting in the box was a far more humble, if no less terrifying, mask from a company whose name would remain largely unknown during the monster craze of the ’60 and 70’s. Of course I am talking about Topstone. The name may not have been a household word with monster fans, but the familiar Topstone faces remained mainstays of monster magazines and comics for decades.

Dating back as far as the late ‘50s, and continuing throughout the heyday of classic monster magazine and comic book advertising, Topstone offered a whole spooky spectrum of allowance friendly alternatives to the “Professional Custom Hand-Painted Hollywood” masks that were priced well outside what mom and dad could be begged into shelling out. These where masks that young readers could actually sink their claws into, and so the wages of freshly mowed lawns, cleaned rooms and shiny dishes were exchanged for the anticipation that in just a few short (impossibly long) weeks they’d be the terror of the neighborhood.

The ads begin appearing in Famous Monsters as far back as the earliest issues and with their characteristic line drawings touting their latest creepy creations they were impossible to ignore. Provocatively named, masks such as “Horrible Melting Man”, “Screaming Skull” and “Savage Cannibal” placed a strangle hold on the imaginations of the young readers, and would become a staple of Halloween during a time when all things monstrous enjoyed popularity that had never been seen before (or since). Although there is little “official” information known about Topstone, the one name that is forever linked to their legacy is that of veteran advertising illustrator Keith Ward. We can assume with a fair degree of certainty that the most iconic of the ad drawings where done by Ward as they reflect the skill and fun of much of his more well-known ad work. Its also been suggested that Ward sculpted many of the mask as well since many of them bear the stamp “A Keith Ward Creation”, and it should come as no surprise, the multi talented Ward was behind some of the most lasting images in 1950’s advertising, including Both Elise the Cow for Borden and the cow head for Elmer’s Glue, which I find a bit ghastly in itself, suggesting it’s the happy cows hooves in the bottle! In addition to advertising and mask making, Ward’s work can also be found in children’s books including the classic “Dick and Jane” stories as well as the intriguingly titled “The Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox”, which provided the inspiration for Disney’s Robin Hood film.

Without the constraining red tape of major studio licensing and rigid standards imposed by the strive towards screen accuracy, the designers at Topstone where able to let their creativity run wild, and chart courses into whatever depths of horror they could dream up. The results where dozens of masks that run the gamut from one end of spookdome to the other delivering monsters, witches, zombies, ghouls, vampires, mummies, pirates, weirdoes and all manner of freighting freaks, all for only a few bucks piece.

Looking over the ample vintage advertising material from the day it becomes clear that although Topstone had their own unusual takes on the classic stable of monsters, they didn’t just rehash those same familiar faces over and over. The gorgeous full color 1960 Topstone catalog available for viewing at Monster Mayhem finds the disembodied heads of a somewhat familiar Frankenstein’s Monster, Mummy and Creature (the first mask ever based, albeit loosely, on the Creature from the Black Lagoon) side by side with the more generic, but no less appealing Girl Vampire, One-Eyed Cyclops, Spasms, Gorilla Monster and even a few Pirates. As time passed new monsters where added to the fold in addition to some humorous and just out right strange designs, there was something for even the most eccentric tastes.

However, it is one mask in particular that has done more to keep Topstone in the mind of collectors and nostalgic horror fans over the decades then any other. One fiendish face that has become a symbol of the ‘60s monster craze and Famous Monster magazine, of course I’m referring to the legendary Shock Monster! (or is it Horror Zombie?, or just plain “Horror”?) Whatever you call him, this mask holds a special place as not only the most instantly recognizable and unforgettable of anything Topstone would ever produce, buts its uniquely bizarre design and over the top personality has ensured it a place in the monster mask hall of fame along side the best from Post. The image of the Shock Monster has been seen on t-shirts, key chains, album covers and any number of other places (never credited to Topstone or Ward or course)

In the end, just like the monster craze that it helped usher in, the company inevitably faded into obscurity. The quality of their masks, always aiming first at affordability, would eventually fall to paper-thin pulls with quick and unforgivably shoddy paint jobs. Since the masks where bought to be worn and seldom with posterity in mind, vintage copies where usually tossed in attics, basements or the garbage and few examples from the companies heyday survive today. However, in 2000, over two decades after the last vestiges of the monster boom had been swept away, Topstone received an unlikely resurrection. In a third floor storage room of an old, forgotten building that had once been their headquarters the entire history of the company lay hidden away, just waiting to be found. When George Ligouri first laid eyes on the rows and rows of masters stacked on plywood he could scarcely believe what he was seeing and after laboriously hauling them down three flights of stares (in the middle of the summer mind you) and loading his truck to capacity, he begin what would be the second, and much deserved, life of the ghouls of yesteryear. Finally treated with the respect and appreciation they never received in the past, talented and dedicated mask makers such as Justin Mabry and Darrell Viduari and Aaron Lewis begin offering quality masks from the vintage masters. Making thick castings and giving them inspired paint jobs the Topstone masks that we have today are the best these beasts have ever looked and will ensure that the Topstone name remains the vital part of the history of the hobby that it deserves.

This retrospective was written by long time mask and monster enthusiast, Josh Bright. Thanks so much, Josh!

To get in contact with any of the above mentioned mask-makers who currently offer Topstone castings, here is a list of links / emails:

George Ligouri : honey041@aol.com

NightOwl Studios: http://www.nightowlpro.com

Darrell Viduari: vxxfx@hotmail.com

Monster Mayhem: http://www.deathstalkerstudios.com/