However, an interesting company that needs greater research, preferably from one of the Spanish collectors? The real reason for the interest is that their logo - Yolanda in a TV screen shaped frame - is to all intents and purposes the same as the logo's of Comansi and Novalinea. As the company is Spanish (believed to be based in Barcelona), the inference is that it was the TV/Movie merchandising arm of Novalinea, who were themselves the re-birth of Comansi?
Here we have a robot which I believe to be a character from MazingerZ (also known as TranzorZ), a Japanese kids TV cartoon in the Animé/Manga mould. Next to him is a DragonBall Z character, they are both around 30mm.
Three of the four Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Hero-Turtles, these are 25mm and with no name on the figures I haven't the faintest which one is missing!Yolanda also made figurines for Barrio Sesamo (Sesame Street, large scale), Inspector Gadget (60mm) and The Phantom (150mm?), along with various 10cm Manga Figurines. These latter figures are all factory painted, I believe the smaller ones were 'collectables' in gum capsules or Sobres, or Kinder type chocolates. The Turtles were given away - in the UK - in TMNT Lucky-Bags, with a few generic boiled sweets/lollies and some sort of interactive paper shite such as a puzzle or sticker set and a few collectors cards.
Can any of our Spanish collecting brethren shine more light on them or their relationship with Comansi/Novalinea?
Hi, I just found this blog by chance. It seems to be very interesting and that's why I joined as a follower. I found this article very curious since I own these same figures. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Yolanda, but I'll make some research, and I'll publish something in my blog (which is written in "pedestrian" english). A friend of mine has written a couple of reviews about spanish plastic figures (Yolanda, Comic Spain, Comansi...)
ReplyDeleteAbout the figures in your article, the first one is part of a Mazinger Z series, I own a green Aphrodite. Son Goku should be an eraser, it was some kind of prize you could win buying Matutano chips around 1992. Almost every kid in my class had one of those.
And the ninja turtles, as far as I can remember were also a prize you could win buying chewing gums. Some stickers were marked with the word "Premio" (Prize), and could be exchanged by these figures.
Hope that helps!
If you feel like visiting my blog I'd be pleased to receive you! I talk mostly about figures from the 80s and 90s, because I guess I'm younger than you are :) but since you seem to love toy figures, I think you could enjoy my blog as well.
Best Regards!
Juan/ toysfromthepast.blogspot.com
Hi Gog, only just found this comment, I have - by now - linked to you and we've had the odd comment on each others blog's but I like to answer every comment, so thanks for tying the figures in to their products.
ReplyDeleteH
Hi H,
ReplyDeleteYour welcome!
I haven't forgotten this entry, it's just the figures are at my parent's, and I couldn't get them yet. I think I'll be able to provide you pics of many plastic figures, similar to these ones you're showing here.
And, by the way, thanks for following my blog! I'll prepare more articles about plastic figures.
Just give me two or three weeks :)
Juan
Hi Gog
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to send me pic's, you've got a blog of your own!! But it would be nice to see some of them on there eventually...I am interested in what you think of my guess/theory re. Yolanda being an 'arm' of Novalinea?
The logo's of both companies are so similar (and virtually the same as the original Comansi), it seems they must be connected...
H
Hi, about Comansi/Novalinea they are the same company. Yolanda seems to be a subsidiary of Comansi. I have two ideas. One (most probable), Yolanda was an independent toy-maker acquired at some point by Comansi, or two, Yolanda was founded by Comansi as an independent company for some reasons. For example, it is known, that during the post-war years (40s to 60s) metal and other products were rationed by the government, and the most powerful toy-makers like Exin used to handle with other smaller toymakers to get an extra quantity of those raw materials. I have read that Exin also founded "ghost" companies to get everything double, but I have to re-read that book, in order to confirm what I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI have bought in the last two days a great amount of Yolanda figures that I will show soon. Not every pic will be in my blog, since my policy so far is to show only 100% complete (or nearly complete) toys (or toy-series). I'll wait a bit with the series that I have not completed yet, but you'll see the pics first.
Regards,
Juan