The Alternate Bulette Challenge

Among those versed in the history of roleplaying games, it's well-known that several perennial mainstays of the Monster Manual - the Bulette, Rust Monster, and Owlbear - were inspired by monsters included in a set of cheap plastic dinosaur toys owned by Gary Gygax. Sometimes the Umber Hulk gets lumped in with them, but it's these three that seem the most definitive.

From Tony DiTerlizzi's article on the subject

What's less well-known is that these strange creatures were most likely bootleg toys of kaiju (giant monsters) from the popular Japanese tokusatsu (live-action with heavy use of special effects - the same genre as the Godzilla movies, or other superhero series like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, which you may know for its American remake, Power Rangers) television series Ultraman. The bulette has been variously identified as either of two monsters from the original 1966 Ultraman series - Gabora, from episode 9, or Skydon, from episode 34.

While Gabora does more closely resemble the modern Bulette, both the monster's classic depiction and the toy it's based on seem more likely to be based on Skydon to me.

Also, this is a clip from the Skydon episode.
No, you do NOT get context.

The Rust Monster is a bit harder to place, but the leading theory is that it's based on another monster from the original Ultraman - Kemular, from episode 21. Although the head is more reptilian than insectoid (as seen in the toy, either through poor sculpting, the need to dodge rights-holders, or both), the tail and the posture are a close match.

The Owlbear is a little bit different - while it's also based on a kaiju from a tokusatsu TV series, it seems to be Totsaurus from a different, non-Ultraman series, 1972's Go!! Godman. The smash hit success of Ultraman spawned a boom of kyodai hero shows (those featuring giant-sized superheroes fighting kaiju), which would give our friend the Owlbear the dubious distinction of being a bootleg of a bootleg of a bootleg.

An aside: Knowing that Gygax and his associates had access to (at least bootleg merchandise of) various works of Japanese popular culture, I'm also convinced that the Beholder was inspired by the character Backbeard from the 1960 manga GeGeGe no Kitaro, but as far as I know, this has never been confirmed.

So at long last, we have the answer to a mystery that has confounded gamers for generations. But there's something else here. What fascinates me the most about this story is how D&D as we know it could have been very different - and now, it's time for me to reveal I'm a nerd about more things than just TRPGs, history, and mythology.

See, Ultraman and its various spinoffs have been running, with the exception of a short break between 1981 and 1996, for the better part of six decades. As with many long-running tokusatsu franchises, every year, the series introduces a new hero, a new supporting cast, and of course, new enemies. Couple that with the need to bring in a different monster each week, the franchise has developed a deep rogues' gallery of kaiju and aliens over the years.

What if whichever manufacturers made the infamous dinosaurs set had chosen other Ultraman kaiju? Would the Monster Manual include menacing lobster-men? Eel-dragons? Whatever the hell this thing is?

Fellow minds of the TRPG blogosphere, I propose what I'm calling the Alternate Bulette Challenge. The concept behind it is simple. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to design a new monster based on a different Ultraman kaiju.

Here's how you can get started:

• Go to the Ultraman Wiki's Kaiju category.
• Pick an entry at random. Yes, I know there's no random page function, but use whatever method you like. If you want to go for full authenticity, you may want to only use kaiju from series that aired before when D&D debuted in 1974, but that isn't a requirement.
• Look only at the monster's visual design. Don't look into anything about its powers or backstory. Pretend you're a geeky Midwesterner in the 1970s who has never heard of Ultraman or tokusatsu, and whose only experience with kaiju is maybe watching reruns of old Godzilla movies on public television channels. You only have the design to work with.
• Stat up a monster for your favorite TRPG system based on that design. Anything beyond visual appearance is up to you; after all, Bulettes don't breath fire, and Rust Monsters don't feed on uranium (although a Rust Monster variant that only eats radioactive metals is a tempting thought for a killer DM). They don't have to be kaiju-sized - in fact, it's better if they aren't, since then they would of course be out of scale next to your medieval soldier miniatures.
• When you're satisfied with your creation, post it for the world to see!

Hopefully, we can create a fascinating look into the D&D that could have been, were it only for a few different decisions made along the way. Either way, we'll get those creative juices flowing and come up with some fodder for games. That can never be a bad thing!