Don Post Masks
1100 Line
Planet of the Apes fans were in for a treat in 1974 when the first Don Post Planet of the Apes Masks went into production. I recall seeing these in the local "Magic Shop" at Woden Plaza Canberra, Australia and they were not cheap! I recall a price of $100 AUD and that was very hefty in the day!
Before I saw them in the store, I had seen ads in Monster Magazines and in the Curtis (Marvel) Planet of the Apes Magazines. As with so many Planet of the Apes items we Aussies were left to dream about ever owning them.
Above is a copy of a dealer brochure advertising the line. I believe Zira was only offered in the 1100 line. I cannot confirm why but the generally accepted reason is poor sales in a male dominated market, and of course there is such a small difference between this and the Cornelius mold that it makes sense to sell one.
Above is a close-up of the mouth of a Series 1100 which is where I always look first when I want to identify the series. The teeth came separately and they were glued on. Even the really expertly attached teeth are fairly obvious and look more chunky to the naked eye than the teeth on later models.
Above is a tag from an 1100 series mask that is unique to this series. Nearly all of these tags are now missing so don't expect to find one all the time! Nearly all Planet of the Apes Official Vintage Merchandise is Copyright 1967 Apjac. Don't be fooled this is not a release date. This is the date A P Jacobs (APJAC) received the Copyright for Planet of the Apes. Big warm thanks to John Krizan for providing this tag.
800 Line
The 800 Line offers the economy version of the deluxe 1100 line. They are easily identified by the lack of hair and the teeth are part of the mold, not provided separately to be attached by the buyer. There is no Zira in this line.
Above is a copy of a dealer brochure advertising the 800 line. Thanks to Blog of Monstermasks for this!
Interesting fact I also found at Blog of Monstermasks by "Lee" on April 1 2015 (hmmm - suspicious date!):
"An interesting tidbit is the photos in the ad are of the original sculptures. They didn't have the time to get the prototype copies done before they had to shoot the photos."
Above is a magazine ad for the 800 line. Thanks again to John Krizan for providing this.