King Hiss of the World 🐍

King Hiss, the “dreadful disguised leader of the SNAKE MEN,” was produced in Spain, Malaysia, and Argentina. By removing the arms and chest plates, King Hiss transforms into a seething mass of serpents.

The initial King Hiss, made in Malaysia for the USA market, was released in 1985. The figure is marked © MATTEL INC. 1985 on the torso, chest plates, and weapons. The arm armor is marked © M.I. 1985. All three King Hiss country variants use this same mold with minor modifications.

Both the Spain and the Malaysia figures are marked the same. The main differences between both are the colors. The Malaysia has brighter tones, such as the chrome, bright green chest snake symbol, and bright brown boots. The Spain has more muted tones overall. Spain also tends to have buggier eyes, in that the eyes are painted larger, and the pupils are painted smaller. This particular paint detail can also be seen with the Spain Clamp Champ. Curiously, the belt on the Malaysia is painted a dark red, while it remains unpainted on both the Spain and Top Toys.

The Top Toys has a distinct torso paint app in that the top of the chest armor is unpainted (as opposed to chrome), while the snake symbol is painted chrome (as opposed to green). The boots are a distinct brown as well. The Top Toys figure has brighter greens and reds, and the figure has an erased COO.

Color differences can be appreciated between all 3 figure staffs. While the Malaysian staff is mid-green, the Spanish staff is a very bright green. The TT is a darker green. The Malaysian staff is marked MALAYSIA. Spain has two variants: an erased COO staff and a variant Taiwan-marked staff. The Top Toys has an erased COO. 

Similarly, the Spain and Malaysia shields have a Malaysia mark, while the TT is erased. The TT is the brightest, followed by the mid of the Malaysia, and the darker Spain shield. The Spain shield is notoriously brittle and more rigid than the other two.