Gre-Gory the Vampire Bat 🦇

He's the bat you love to hate! Press his back! See "blood" flow in chest! Shake him and his wings flap!

Like most kids, I went through a “gross toy” phase. If a toy was scary, gross, or vaguely monstrous, I wanted it. I had two older sisters, and like many younger siblings, I believed it was my solemn duty to try to scare them. Always in the back of my mind was what could I get that would result in the perfect scare? So when a local store that sold toys, put Gre-Gory the Big Bad Vampire Bat on clearance, I made it my mission to get one.

Gre-Gory, released by Mattel, hit stores in either late 1979 or early 1980 and had some memorable comic books advertising to support it. These were full page color ads with Gre-Gory hovering menacingly on a yellow background with his transparent innards ready to fill with “blood.”

This was the main gimmick, he had a clear chest panel and when you pushed the buttons on the back, blood would pump and flow into the chamber. It was very similar to a toy that came before it, Pulsar and a toy that would follow it, Mosquitor. For a kid of this era, it was the height of spooky gross-out rubber monster technology. Seeing is believing, so picture yourself opening a comic and seeing this.

The thing about comics is that they get collected and reread for years after they are initially released. So long after Gre-Gory was out of stores, kids were still discovering him, and I am sure running to stores only to be disappointed that he was no longer available.

I landed in a sweet spot between the release of Gre-Gory and his final bow. Maybe I spotted him in the comics first? But my first memory of him was walking into our local Five-and-Dime store and seeing him on the shelves next to the model planes. With box art like this, it was love at first sight.

And that was just the front of the box. The back of the box, with its red, black, and white color scheme, might be even more impressive.

The blood-pumping action combined with solid design turned Gre-Gory into a hit toy, and you could find him in stores for years after the initial release. Not bad for a rubber bat. I would cross paths with Gre-Gory when he was in decline. The store I would eventually get him from often stocked slightly older toys at discount prices, so it was a favorite place for me to shop. It took me over two months to get the five dollars I needed to buy him. I was so excited to get home and open the box, I just about broke into a run.

Frequently a toy does not live up to the hype, but this seemingly simple bat did not disappoint. He was well-made, had solid wing-flapping action, and that transparent chest panel with the blood-pumping action, worked great. I just needed to figure out how to use it best to scare my sisters.

I had decided on dangling it right inside the door to my one sister’s bedroom. She would open the darkened door and this terrifying bat would greet her at eye level. I thought of nothing for the next few days as I tried to figure out how to hang Gre-Gory. Unfortunately, before I could pull off my great prank, tragedy struck.

You know who else loved Gre-Gory? My dog. I made the mistake of leaving Gre-Gory on the floor and when I came home one day my mother told me I needed to clean up the mess the dog had made in my room. I didn’t know what she meant until I saw the blood. Well, the fake blood. It was on the carpet, as was what was left of Gre-Gory. I was distraught, but I couldn’t do anything at this point. So I cleaned up the mess and the torn remains of Gre-Gory went into the trash.

I tried saving up for a new one, but by the time I had enough money, they were sold out.

Gre-Gory was a great toy, but unfortunately, a carelessly placed rubber bat is too attractive for a dog to pass up. A few years ago, I attempted to buy one online, but the prices went up too quickly and at this point I have been priced out of owning one. If you are in the market, be aware that these toys are old and the blood effect you remember might not hold up anymore. That said, it is still a cool, memorable toy.

Personally, I will keep my hopes up that one day I will stumble upon a Gre-Gory in some bargain toy bin. In the meantime, I will have to make due with my brief memory of ownership while continuing to be reminded of it in the ads I spot while reading old comics.