Aliens Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. ??? No. 65715 Manufacturer:Kenner Includes:n/a Action Feature:Spikes pop out of head Retail:$5.99 Availability: ca. 1994 Other: Working name "Razorback Alien"
Collectors of the time did not appreciate the likes of the Wild Boar Alien. Kenner took a number of movies that appealed to adult fans, thanks in part to their R-Ratings, and whittled them down to colorful kid-friendly toys with action mechanisms that were about as authentic to the movie as Kenner's old Star Wars Mini-Rigs vehicles. That is to say, they often felt like something that could be "off-camera," but weren't true to the movie. If you wanted a film-accurate Xenomorph, Kenner wasn't in a big rush to give you the most authentic Big Chap that they could - they'd rather make weird, colorful, animal-inspired creations like this. Given the era, I think they made the right call. Kids still played with toys in the 1990s, and thanks to horror icons like Freddy and Jason, elementary school kids were always wanting to see those movies for big kids and adults - this results in toys that were aspirational while remaining deeply childish.
The first batch of Aliens toys saw the creatures - the Gorilla, Scorpion, and Bull Aliens - in short supply because fans wanted them. Colonial Marines languished on the shelves, and it looked like "game over, man" for the line until Kenner course-corrected, dumped the final Marines overseas, and replaced the decent Marines with the way-more-exciting creatures inspired by Predator. It ran for a few years, delighting toy weirdos of the time and infuriating adult collectors.
This was a big one - most of the figures were chunky, but this one filled up the plastic bubble - and it was an oversized egg-shaped bubble. I've had this guy for years, and I remember looking around for it as it was one of few black creatures in this line. The black overspray covers a mostly green exoskeleton with silver teeth and red accents on the banana-shaped dome which was clearly ridged for her pleasure. The sneering drone had articulated legs, with the back two able to move freely while the front two were geared to a neck mechanism. Move the legs forward, and the head swings forward while black and red spikes spring from the dome. This big bug stands about 6-inches tall at its highest point, and mine's a little wobbly. The legs are skinny, but it'll stay standing. It does not have foot pegs.
The toy definitely hits all the high marks of peak 1990s boy's toys - exaggerated or "extreme" proportions, action poses, limited fealty to the source material, and a design that's generally built out of an action feature. It's sturdy and relatively cheap on the secondary market, as are quite a few 1990s action figures. I'm not saying you should throw down the big bucks to get one, but if you want something weird on your desk after buying Lanard's newer, cheaper line as they fight with Spin Master for the new champ of 21st century kid action figures, you could do worse. I like mine still, I'm surprised Kenner never repainted it as an exclusive and so far, NECA hasn't remade it for its modernized line.
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