The Marx Stegosaurus was first released in 1955 as part of Marx’s second wave of dinosaur toys, known as the Medium Mold Group, PL-750. The Marx Stegosaurus is based on the Stegosaurus painted by Rudolph Zallinger in his Age of Reptiles mural at the Yale Peabody Museum. So similar are they that the Marx toy even has an oddly placed forelimb just like on the painting. It almost looks like it was tacked on as an afterthought, not a part of the animal’s actual body. In reality it is supposed to look as though the limbs are splayed out, it just doesn’t translate well.
I must be honest here; the Marx Stegosaurus is one of my least favorite of the Marx dinosaurs. Part of it is because of those weird forelimbs. The head sculpt is also odd, being placed so low that it looks as though the animal is pushing in forward through the dirt, like a plow. The shape of the head is peculiar too, being triangular and flat, resembling a snake’s head.
All the Marx toys have weird eccentricities about them, that’s part of their charm, but they don’t really work for me in this case. The body is shaped how you would expect it to be for its age, being highest at the hips with a low-slung tail and robust limbs. The plates are nicely done and alternating. Marx could have been lazy about it and just sculpted a single row of them.
The Stegosaurus would also be re-released under the Revised Mold Group in 1959 but the differences between the two variants are minimal. The original Stegosaurus has off center mold circles on the feet with a large mold circle on the left forelimb. On the revised Stegosaurus the mold circles are evenly centered, small, or completely absent. This is one of the few instances where I have both variants and can compare them directly.
Detailing mostly consists of cross hatching on the body and limbs. Vertical striations are etched into the plates and skin folds are sculpted down the length of the tail and around the torso, and neck. Three toes are present on each limb. The name Stegosaurus is printed on the left side of the tail and a length of 20’ is printed on the right side.
Although not my favorite from the line the Marx Stegosaurus still has that same vintage charm that all the Marx toys have and I still think of it fondly. For fans of the genus this toy is also significant, being the first mass produced plastic Stegosaurus ever made.
The Marx Stegosaurus sells for about $7-10 on eBay but Marx toys are commonly sold in lots where you’ll get them at a better value. Beware of cheap, painted knockoffs, and the deceptively similar MPC toys when seeking out authentic Marx dinosaurs. For a closer look at Marx toys, and comparisons with their variants and MPC counterparts, I recommend checking out dinosaur-toys-collectors-guide.com
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It’s a charming little figure, but it definitely doesn’t have the same “splendid” air of character as the later Invicta or Sinclair figures. Someone had to set precedent, though, and the Marx is certainly iconic in its own right.