Menko Cards

1 3/8  x  3 1/2 in.

When my daughter brought these cards back from Japan as a gift for me, I had no idea what they were except for being some kind of trading card. What were all these symbols on the backs of the cards? More that just trading cards. Even though these two are from different sets, they share similar symbols on the back. I imagined that these were there to play a similar game but in different ways.

I eventually found out they were Menko cards. They are usually made from heavy paper to heavy cardboard and be many shapes. The images are often from the pop culture of the times, whether it be from sports, anime or manga. They were popular from the 50's to the 70's. There was an even older form of cardboard trading cards called Karuta form a Japanese card game called Obake Karuta of early 19th century featuring monsters from Japanese Mythology.

I think the Menko cards were the precursor to the popular Pokemon card came. The Instructions I post below for playing the Menko game, I got from the net. Why don't you delve into it further as there are many other examples of Menko as well as Karuta cards to be be found. 

2 1/4  x  3 1/2 in.

Players do "Jan-ken" (rock, paper, scissors) to determine who goes first. All players, except the one whose turn it is, lay down one of their menko on the ground.

The first player tries to flip one of the menko over by throwing his own menko at it. If a menko on the ground is flipped over, the thrower keeps it and the loser is out of the game. If no menko flips, the next player gets a turn. Rules vary. In one variation, a circle about one meter in diameter is drawn on the ground. Menko knocked out of the circle are taken. In another variation, players take turns, and whoever flips over a menko first gets to keep all of them on the ground.

Some menko have extra details on them, such as images that represent Rock, Paper, or Scissors. "Gu-choki-pa” (AKA Rock, Paper, Scissors) marks on the back of the menko are played as the classic game of RPS. Players would take out one of their menko to compare with their opponent's simultaneously following a given signal. If they won, they win the opposing menko.

Another extra is "Fighting Numbers". Playing with "Fighting Numbers" is largely the same as Gu-Choki-Pa; trying to outnumber your opponent's menko on certain digits. For example, one player might have a Fighting Number of 58786 on his particular menko and the other might have 96587 on his. If they were dueling with the last digit, then the player with the 7 as his last digit would win and again get the other boy’s menko. There were many more ways to play with Fighting Numbers, but this is just one example.

Monster Magic Action

    I have'em but I still can't believe'em! Wow, these things are nuts. From the 60's some time after 1963, maybe mid 60's? There is about 24 monster cards. I don't have them all so I can't say for sure. Having to place the plastic lenticular lens over each of the cards separately to watch the monsters blast, shake or eat the little people is so weird. Seeing the cards without the lens and movement is even weirder due to the areas that are supposed to be in motion and it's as if someone had rubbed out the color  in spots.  

     A copy of a display sign where you bought the cards and lenses separately I am going to assume. Sometime before 1963, before the 8-card pack above for 39 cents and before the variety 4-card pack below for 10 cents. In 1963  the company traded hands from Abby Finishing Corp in Brooklyn NY, to Knight Toy & Novelty in Freeport NY which was headed by a Bill Falk.

 

Cosmic Creatures - They Need You

     Every now and then I like to sculpt things. I had some gold and silver metallic Sculpty sitting around for years and the color reminded me of these 2 inch plastic figures I used to get out of Shreddies cereal (made by Nabisco......which used to be National Biscuit Company)  in the seventies. So I thought of making some blobby creatures with my minimal skill level. Six is all I got done. They sat hidden away for a couple years until I made a box package to put them in.

 

     This is a box package I made for them that I designed and silk screened myself in 2008. Each box contains one original figure and a whole set of six 'trading' cards of all the Cosmic Creatures with their powers. There are six of these packages that each have one original sculpted figure. There are no reproductions. I have 3 out of the 6 to sell. Or I could sell you a empty box or I could sell you a set of the trading cards because I printed a lot more of those. 

    

  

Zethra - A tree spirit with command of air.

Gana - Can transform to liquid anything

Datoid - Can speak to all inanimate objects

One - He is the One - $150 with box and cards

Komodan - A time master - $100 with box and cards - 

This one is slightly damaged which I fixed. 

Enata - Whips up black holes - $150 with box and cards