Vintage Kustom Kulture Hot Rod Monster Models by Mouse

Stanley Miller was born in San Francisco where his father worked as a staff artist for Disney Studios before moving to the Motor City where Stanley grew up, which is home to Motown Records and Detroit Iron and where people have an affinity for both. Stanley was quiet and always drawing in class, this and the fact his father was a Disney artist earned him the nickname Mouse in the seventh grade. He’d become known for his sketches of monster-driven muscle cars and soon he embraced his new nick-name and began signing drawings with his new pen name MOUSE, he became instantly famous at thirteen.

Stanley found a niche in the Detroit hot rod culture by pin-striping and detailing paint jobs on vehicles, until no quality hot rod in town could be seen without a Mouse pin-striping job. Soon after, he began applying his favorite subjects to T-shirts with an airbrush, later creating a booth to travel state fair and custom car show circuit. His unique style and imaginative designs fueled a lucrative family mail order business too, which was known as Mouse Studios where he sold his T-shirts, pin-stripped glasses, drawings, decals and hats, pointed hats, “Hill & Country Crash Helmets” to be specific all sold with well placed ads in hot rod magazines and comics books, through catalogs and of coarse on the road..

By 1964 the Kustom Kulture craze was in full swing which was born out of the hot rod culture of Southern California of the 1960s. Kustom Kulture is an American neologism which has been used to describe the vehicles, artwork, hairstyles, and the fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the US from the 1950s through today.

The trailblazing Kustom Kulture car designer Ed Roth was working with Revell in 1962 to make models of his custom cars and also from 1963 to 1965 Revell manufactured plastic models of many of Roth’s monsters. In 1964 Mouse signed on with Monogram Models to release three kits of his own Kustom Kulture Hot Rod models with his character Fred Flypogger. The models were “Flip Out” the best surfer of them all, “Speed Shift” fastest shift in the west and “Super Fuzz” the friendly lawman and his super-charged prowl rod. Which brings us to the subject of today’s HubPage the Fred Flypogger Monogram Model Kits by Mouse.

Greetings earth people, hip cats and cool chicks my name is Fred Flypogger the good groover. Natch, all cool cats will go for one of these “Happy Monsters” like Chauncy built. Latch onto one yourself, easy to put together and real fun and laughs from start to finish. Take your pick “Flip Out” the best surfer of them all, “Speed Shift” fastest shift in the west and “Super Fuzz” the friendly lawman and his super-charged prowl rod. 6.5″ in. tall each only $1.00

Towards the end of the 1950s, as the Kustom Kulture creeps in model kits began to veer away strongly from stock presentations and focus on customizing, hot rodding, and racing. The 1960s solidified this direction with almost infinite variations in how a kit could be built. As the 1960s progressed, Monogram and Revell squared off as rivals in the scale model market. While companies like AMT and MPC focused almost exclusively on cars, Monogram and Revell were always diversified into aircraft, naval craft and other military vehicles. When the Kustom Kulture craze emerged model companies started to hire big name Kustomizers to create new and striking designs. George Barris and Darryl Starbird were working with AMT, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was working with Revell. Hawk Models would use Bill Campbell’s “‘Weird-Ohs” like “Davey” the wild motor-bike rider and “Digger” the dragster, and later, Monogram would hire designer Tom Daniel. In 1964 Mouse was asked to submit drawings for his character three model kits.

506 Prizes – 6 for Winners – 500 for Losers
You’ve seen Fred Flypogger, the comic strip character and Happy Monster brain storm of the MOUSE !, both as he is and as he pretends to be – Super Fuzz – Flip Out – Speed Shift.

Contest Rules

(1). Tell in 25 words or less what you think this cat is really like … or … what you would like to see him doing next. Dig these suggestions, then write your own idea.

“I think Fred Flypogger like one of the Happy Monsters is real cool and a big laugh because he reminds me of some people I Know”

“I would like to see Fred Flypogger as a sports car bum or as a happy-go-lucky truck pilot hoggin; the road.”

(2). Pick up your writing tools and swing. Use your own language or make it groovy and way-out if you like. Enter as many times as you wish with each entry on an official entry blank or a reasonable copy, but only one prize will be awarded to one person.

(3). Everyone- boys, girls, adults – is eligible to enter this contest except Monogram employees and agents and others engaged in the sale of Monogram products and members of their families. Entries will be judged for originality, sincerity and aptness of thought. The decisions of the contest judges will be final. In the event of ties duplicate prizes will be awarded. Entries are not returnable and become the property of Monogram Models Inc., to use as they choose. This invitation to enter the contest is void in state where such contests are prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

(4). All entries must be postmarked before midnight May 31, 1965. Winners of the main prizes and loser awards will be notified shortly after the close of the contest and prizes will be mailed to them. Be sure to include complete and correct address on your entry blank.

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