Cosmix

Cosmix (Cosmique -cosmic- spelled in the likes of Asterix), is a famous bootleg keshi (such as the popular M.U.S.C.L.E. and Monster In My Pocket) composite line released in France around the late '80s, early '90s. The Cosmix were licensed by El Greco "Un hellenistic crafts S.A.", un Greek manufacturer, to Action GT (Action Games & Toys Inc.) a North American company and imported to France by Idéal Loisirs S.A. a famous French toys distributor.

Ideal Loisirs mixed two different imported keshi lines to create its own franchise. Around the same period, the Cosmix line was marketed in Italy as Exogini by GIG Spa.

History

The models and even the leaflet catalogues were identical, however the package and character names were totally different. The gum colors and types were also distinct to each line with the exception of the generic "salmon matte" type. The Cosmix had less gum variations than the Exogini line and a third keshi series appeared in the Italian line.

Falsely marketed as a unique extra terrestrials line, the Cosmix were actually, decent quality, model replicas taken from three distinct keshi lines made of galactic wrestlers and ninjas. The superchery was reveiled by collectors a decade after the Cosmix sale out.

Kinkeshi series (1987)

The first line is the most looked after by collectors for it is a selection of fourty Kinkeshi ("Kinnikuman series 1984-87" aka M.U.S.C.L.E.), whose are keshi based on the popular Kinnikuman Japanese comic book and anime TV series created in 1979. Several generations of video games helped to popularize the franchise worldwide. The Kinnikuman TV anime series was dubbed and broadcasted in France, on the public channel TF1, as Muscleman ("muscle" being the french translation for kinniku) a couple of years before the Cosmix line appeared in the market.

All characters names have an "or" suffix, even though or-ending words are common in English, and were introduced in the Middle Age as phonetical deformation of Old French eur-ending words (honneur/honor, valeur/valor, navigateur/navigator, etc.), the "or" suffix doesn't exist in French. However, a wave of or-suffixed action/horror Hollywood blockbusters and B-movies spred in France in the '80s including Exterminator, Terminator, Predator. Not only or-ending words sounded scary and "cool" by that time, but were also fully understandable ("exterminateur", "prédateur", etc.).

1st series

Cosmix catalogue 1A

• No.01 ...or
• No.02 ...or
• No.03 ...or
• No.04 ...or
• No.05 ...or
• No.06 ...or

Cosmix catalogue 1B

• No.07 ...or
• No.08 ...or
• No.09 ...or
• No.10 ...or
• No.11 ...or
• No.12 ...or

2nd series

Cosmix catalogue 2A

• No.13 ...or
• No.14 ...or
• No.15 ...or
• No.16 ...or
• No.17 ...or
• No.18 ...or
• No.19 ...or
• No.20 Meteor
• No.21 ...or
• No.22 ...or
• No.23 ...or
• No.24 ...or
• No.25 ...or
• No.26 ...or

Cosmix catalogue 2B

• No.27 ...or
• No.28 ...or
• No.29 ...or
• No.30 ...or
• No.31 ...or
• No.32 ...or
• No.33 ...or
• No.34 ...or
• No.35 ...or
• No.36 Mercuror
• No.37 ...or
• No.38 ...or
• No.39 ...or
• No.40 ...or

N.I.N.J.A.S. series (1988)

The second Cosmix series was made of N.I.N.J.A.S. which was a distinct line of ninja-themed keshis also imported and renamed by Ideal Loisir.

Cosmix catalogue 3A

• No.41 ...us
• No.42 Pognardus
• No.43 ...us
• No.44 ...us
• No.45 ...us
• No.46 ...us
• No.47 Brutus
• No.48 ...us
• No.49 ...us
• No.50 ...us
• No.51 ...us
• No.52 Tournus
• No.53 ...us
• No.54 ...us
• No.55 ...us
• No.56 ...us
• No.57 ...us
• No.58 ...us
• No.59 ...us
• No.60 ...us
• No.61 Metalus

Cosmix catalogue 3B

• No.62 ...us
• No.63 Dragonus
• No.64 ...us
• No.65 ...us
• No.66 ...us
• No.67 ...us
• No.68 ...us
• No.69 ...us
• No.70 Gropius (Walter Gropius)
• No.71 ...us
• No.72 ...us
• No.73 ...us
• No.74 ...us
• No.75 Satirus
• No.76 ...us
• No.77 Bicephalus
• No.78 ...us
• No.79 ...us
• No.80 Vandalus
• No.81 ...us
• No.82 ...us
• No.83 ...us
• No.84 ...us
• No.85 ...us
• No.86 ...us
• No.87 ...us
• No.88 ...us

Fistful Of Monsters series (1989)

Instead of the Kinnikuman and N.I.N.J.A.S. characters, these erasers were insect/crustacean-like characters. It was actually a selection of eraser-toys made in China and taken from the American Fistful Of Monsters line. This keshi line is exclusive to the Exogini.

Plutonian: Blue Exogini (Plutoniani: Exogini Blu)

• No.01 Vandalo
• No.02 Coriolano
• No.03 Rocker
• No.04 Fetonte
• No.05 Maciste
• No.06 Ira
• No.07 Nemesi
• No.08 Scheletro
• No.09 Sultano
• No.10 Sciacallo

Martian: Red Exogini (Marziani: Exogini Rossi)

• No.11 Bruto
• No.12 Ercole
• No.13 Minotauro
• No.14 Medusa
• No.15 Octopus
• No.16 Cerbero
• No.17 Gigante
• No.18 Spaccaossi
• No.19 Sei Braccia
• No.20 Panico

Venusian: Green Exogini (Venuziani: Exogini Verdi)

• No.21 Fauno
• No.22 Araknos
• No.23 Scarabeo
• No.24 Sgorbio
• No.25 Vulcano
• No.26 Tenaglia
• No.27 Ingordo
• No.28 Vendicatore
• No.29 Tallone
• No.30 Aspirator

Superalien: Exogini (Superalieni: Exogini)

• No.31 Mefisto
• No.32 Il Monaco
• No.33 Tremoto
• No.34 Orco
• No.35 Fobos
• No.36 Rombo

External Links

• Exogini fan site