Tech Deck Creatures (2002-2003)

As Duke said in the ad promoting the wide range of dudes and the creatures toy line, "WOOOOO THEY'RE UGLY!"

The Creatures have nails, but they sure don't look like fingers. They're technically Tech Deck Dudes and are listed as #101-112 in the Dudes numbering system.

Their short-lived line is riddled with canceled waves and a canceled appearance as the villains in the Bare Knuckle Grind game!

The Creatures were originally designed in sketches as giant thumbs with monster features. These came from an X-Concepts 2002 Toy Catalog: 

None of these original six concept art (done by someone on the X-Concepts team) ever came to fruition.

The final product no longer really resembles thumbs. Unlike Tech Deck Dudes, they do have a nail on the back of their heads. 

Here's all 12 from the old Tech Deck Dude website:

Note: Some colors changed from concept art by _____ to the actual figures.

Creatures Series 1 (2003, copyrighted 2002)

Series 1 are warriors with claws, weapons, and fangs who stand on 2 feet (minus Nemesis)

Creatures Series 2 (2003)

Series 2 Creatures were a lot weirder and wider.
Figures had odder elongated arm spans, and only half of them have legs/feet.

Compared to the last Series, wherein 4 out of 6 had accessories, only Voodoo holds a staff. 

UNRELEASED/CANCELLED: Creatures Series 3 (Would have released in 2003-2004)

Note: The bottom line is Spawn, Bone, and other comic/licensed toys from a preview.

Toxic Mom listed the following dudes in the then-upcoming Creatures Series 3. 

These figures never hit shelves, likely because of their complex ball joints, rotating parts, and additional articulation. 

I theorize the original two Creatures Series were likely financial losses since they were much more expensive to produce and sold way less than the Dudes or Skate Crew lines.

This likely incentivized X-Concepts to sever any additional series. 

1. VicotrVon

2. Jungor

3. Squirt

4. SuckerTongue

5. Muck Monster

6. Green Plant Monster

Concept arts of unreleased Series 3:

Victor Von:

Jungor: 

Squirt:

Suckertongue:

Muck:

Green Plant Monster:

Some of the Creatures are in Series 1 of the Dude cards in 2003.  

But, none were included in the Series 2 of Dude cards in 2004. 

For some odd reason, there are a couple of creatures in the 2006 clash cubes? This is so odd since the line ended in 2003, and they were absent in the trading cards from 2004 onward. Meanwhile, there are no Dudettes in the cubes?

Welp, that's The Creatures. I don't collect them and genuinely wish they never arbitrarily disrupted the numbering system with these figures being "dudes" #101-112. They aren't dudes or dudettes; they're twice the size & scale, have different boards, and are just big monster action figures that don't follow the consistent size and anatomy of the other dudes. 

But, if you like 'em, that's the fun of Tech Decks/X-Concepts skate toys. They made something for everyone to enjoy. From collab brand toys to Creatures/Grimm Dudes to the main Dudes line! 

Creatures Debuted at Toy Fair 2003 (Feb '03):

The Creatures Were Supposed to be in The Tech Deck Dude Video Game in 2004:

Turns out there was going to be a PS2/Xbox version of Bare Knuckle Grind (known by fans as TDD BKG) that would have featured the Dudes fighting The Creatures in boss fights (who I guess in the canon would've been the villains of Dudesville). This was NEVER released in Spring 2004. Instead, the Bare Knuckle Grind game was only available as a PC game (which plays like it is half-finished). The game also had no story/plot and no mention of The Creatures.

My theory is: this is why TDD BKG for the PC feels so lifeless; it wasn't a finished game. The game is mainly just a bunch of obstacle courses with no clear story, the baddies in the form of The Creatures were never put into it, and so they just turned the game into a "Digital Playset" with 4 PC discs to collect and threw in some free dudes.