For Christmas the girlfriend got me one of my holy grails. The 79 Kenner Alien with box. Its in nearly perfect condition, nothing missing, nothing broken. We got into a conversation about this guy and wondered how much this thing cost when it came out. Couldn't really find any info on it.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/f612cb5b0ed0b2e4fc540f92cbbc9397/e36f6d5551589180-8b/s1280x1920/ce0c94434bfea693d27834743c27a85f944bb673.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/0e9129a5a97c92b062ce5e4644ef9666/e36f6d5551589180-31/s1280x1920/8f8a00b62c60d3a7a0344e0dade800b95c265ff8.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/b9c9556b3739fbb550c067fd75c97d06/e36f6d5551589180-be/s540x810/b51fa8c1076ca755f30089fd19bf8ae34cc393b3.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/e46ba9770ad19228fd75a3d198c9ac27/e36f6d5551589180-1d/s540x810/e4e17ba37090e2549e9108a6b8da054d51da7b7b.jpg)
Incredible gift! Thank your girlfriend. It goes for as high as $1,500 in mint shape. I'm not sure what the list price was, but Toys'R'Us sold them for $14.99 back then. I'm sure they were 20 to 25 bucks in higher end stores. Parents complained about it being too scary for kids, so it disappeared from shelves after Christmas 1979. I hope that helps.
J. C. Penney 1979 Christmas Catalog .
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/691/mnkP17.jpg)
I remember seeing piles of them in toy departments back in 1979-80. While I had really enjoyed the movie, the toy was of no interest to me even though I had already embarked on re-amassing the comics and cards I'd had as a kid.
:-\
Count Z is enjoying an incredible Christmas gift from his girlfriend, and all you can add is your lack of enthusiasm for it. That's a sh*tty thing to do. Some comments need not be made.
Congrats man, that's freakin' awesome!
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 28, 2019, 10:02:31 PM
J. C. Penney 1979 Christmas Catalog .
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/691/mnkP17.jpg)
Oh wow! Good find! So 14 bucks back then was like...what 50 bucks nowadays? I see toys at Target this big go for that much.
Quote from: Count Zachula on December 29, 2019, 04:11:22 PM
So 14 bucks back then was like...what 50 bucks nowadays?
Right on the money! :)
Quote from: Mord on December 28, 2019, 10:46:38 PMCount Z is enjoying an incredible Christmas gift from his girlfriend, and all you can add is your lack of enthusiasm for it. That's a sh*tty thing to do. Some comments need not be made.
Not what I meant. I was highlighting the phenomenon of how we so often don't appreciate something until it's no longer available. Back in 1979 the Kenner Alien struck me as a bit strange for a kids' toy. Now they're a highly prized collectible.
It's the old "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on December 30, 2019, 10:29:21 AM
Not what I meant. I was highlighting the phenomenon of how we so often don't appreciate something until it's no longer available. Back in 1979 the Kenner Alien struck me as a bit strange for a kids' toy. Now they're a highly prized collectible.
It's the old "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."
:-\
Sorry, I misunderstood. It always seemed so unique (size & sculpt quality), that it stood out from the rest. I now know what you mean.
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 11:31:09 AMIt always seemed so unique (size & sculpt quality), that it stood out from the rest.
Yes, it was so unique when it came to size and quality that it stood out from other kids' toys.
Moreover the movie wasn't intended for kids and kids were actually restricted from attending the movie in some locales including Ontario. As a result I was actually surprised to even see such an impressive representation of the Alien as a kids' toy.
But then again Topps also put out a set of gum cards based on the movie so evidently it must at the time have been a hot property with kids anyway.
:-\
Quote from: Hepcat on December 30, 2019, 12:56:31 PM
But then again Topps also put out a set of gum cards based on the movie so evidently it must at the time have been a hot property with kids anyway.
:-\
I think that hopes were high, but most products failed (which explains the current demand). The Topps cards were very disappointing. There were only a few cards that actually featured the Alien.
Did kids actually get to see the movie and like it? Or did they just want it because it seemed like a cool adult thing? Kind of like a Robocop or Jason Voorhees situation.
Quote from: Count Zachula on December 30, 2019, 02:03:25 PM
Did kids actually get to see the movie and like it? Or did they just want it because it seemed like a cool adult thing? Kind of like a Robocop or Jason Voorhees situation.
That's the thing, kids DIDN'T see the film. It was rated R and was not kid-friendly. Kenner got the license because it was a sci-fi movie and Star Wars was all the rage. They dropped the ball on Star Wars by not having any toys ready when the movie first came out. They didn't want to make the same mistake with Alien. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit with kids (hence, the lack of products and demand from collectors & fans).
Count Z...that's an INCREDIBLE gift and it goes without saying that your girlfriend is a keeper! For those interested and may not know, NECA just came out with an 18" Big Chap in retro-style packaging similar to the original Kenner version, and it is unbelievably cool! You can find him on BBTS for $125 or so, and he is well worth every penny! Get him before he disappears and shows up on eBay for 2-3 times the price.
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 03:41:22 PM
That's the thing, kids DIDN'T see the film.
Sure they did. They just had to be accompanied by an adult.
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 30, 2019, 05:02:38 PM
Sure they did. They just had to be accompanied by an adult.
An irresponsible parent?
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 01:03:47 PMI think that hopes were high, but most products failed (which explains the current demand). The Topps cards were very disappointing. There were only a few cards that actually featured the Alien.
True. But then again, the Alien was actually in only a very few frames of the movie. The cards I acquired about twenty years ago. I keep them in a binder for Monster/Horror cards (not including ones drawn by Jack Davis which have a binder all their own)! ;)
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 03:41:22 PMThat's the thing, kids DIDN'T see the film. It was rated R and was not kid-friendly. Kenner got the license because it was a sci-fi movie and Star Wars was all the rage. They dropped the ball on Star Wars by not having any toys ready when the movie first came out. They didn't want to make the same mistake with Alien.
I think Kenner must have got the licence for
Alien long before the movie hit theatres.
:-\
Quote from: Count Zachula on December 30, 2019, 02:03:25 PMDid kids actually get to see the movie and like it? Or did they just want it because it seemed like a cool adult thing? Kind of like a Robocop or Jason Voorhees situation.
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 03:41:22 PMUnfortunately, it wasn't a hit with kids (hence, the lack of products and demand from collectors & fans).
I think the movie was a "hit" with kids even though very few got to see it in theatres precisely because of the forbidden fruit aspect.
The fact that I didn't bother to pick up one (let alone a bunch) of the Kenner Aliens in 1979-80 still irks me though. Like I say, I was already seriously collecting vintage comics and cards and a pile of Kenner Aliens was on display at Silver Snail Comics. So why did it not occur to me that the Kenner Alien would in just a few years be considered a "must have" classic? I mean I could see that in representation it was a cut above the other stuff being marketed to kids at the time. But I simply wasn't into collecting toys or even model kits for another three years.
:-\
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 30, 2019, 05:02:38 PMSure they did. They just had to be accompanied by an adult.
I had heard nothing whatsoever about the movie when I decided to take in a showing at a grand old movie house on Bloor Street just west of the uptown area in Toronto. The newspaper ads were cool and had caught my eye. When the movie was done I remember shaking my head and thinking "Wow! That was really something and a cut better than any other horror/sci-fi flick I've seen before!" And ever since I've wished that I could have taken my very old school father who'd been born in the old country in 1911 with me that day. I think he would have been stunned!
;)
Quote from: Joseph_Baeza on December 30, 2019, 04:57:20 PMCount Z...that's an INCREDIBLE gift and it goes without saying that your girlfriend is a keeper!
You bet! Put her away immediately in your best cabinet with your most highly prized collectibles.
;)
Quote from: Hepcat on December 30, 2019, 06:09:41 PM
I think Kenner must have got the licence for Alien long before the movie hit theatres.
:-\
Absolutely. I'm sure they had no idea it was going to be an R-rated "adult" movie. Btw, MPC put out an Alien model at the time (exactly half scale to the Kenner figure).
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 07:27:34 PM
Btw, MPC put out an Alien model at the time.
I bought it when it came out. Long gone, now.
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 30, 2019, 09:08:05 PM
I bought it when it came out. Long gone, now.
You're right. Wait...you bought something that wasn't The Creature? I'm shocked.
Quote from: Mord on December 30, 2019, 09:31:23 PM
Wait...you bought something that wasn't The Creature? I'm shocked.
Mord . . . (http://imageshack.com/a/img923/7826/lmIsEe.jpg)
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 30, 2019, 10:09:53 PM
Mord . . . (http://imageshack.com/a/img923/7826/lmIsEe.jpg)
...if he had hair.
I remember the tv commercial for it.
Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNTI8EOODgI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNTI8EOODgI)
8)
Quote from: Mike Scott on December 28, 2019, 10:02:31 PM
J. C. Penney 1979 Christmas Catalog .
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/691/mnkP17.jpg)
Hmmmm, interesting! It seems that the Kenner Alien Blaster Target Set that retailed for $9.98 in 1979 is the one that's really tough to find these days. All I can find on Ebay including completed listings is a
near complete boxed one listed for $850:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Kenner+Alien+Blaster+Target+set&_sacat=0 (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Kenner+Alien+Blaster+Target+set&_sacat=0)
:-\
Man, you guys really overpaid for yours. Mine only cost $8 -- marked down from $12.99:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49307048533_4ecb605453_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2i86vGr)
Of course, that was in 1979 and after Christmas as I recall. I got it at a store called Venture. Basically, Target's main competition back in the day. And I can't find a clip online, but Siskel & Ebert -- mostly Siskel -- did a show on horror movies, and Gene trotted out the Kenner doll, complaining how "sick" it was that they dared to make toys based on a R-rated movie. Well I, for one, am glad they did!
Quote from: Doh! on December 31, 2019, 08:28:47 PM
... Siskel & Ebert -- mostly Siskel -- did a show on horror movies, and Gene trotted out the Kenner doll, complaining how "sick" it was that they dared to make toys based on a R-rated movie. ...
Probably spurred sales for both toys and tickets.
How about more toys based on X or NR17 movies - camera accurate sculpts, of course.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on December 31, 2019, 11:40:21 PM
Probably spurred sales for both toys and tickets.
How about more toys based on X or NR17 movies - camera accurate sculpts, of course.
Adam, there were some porn star figures (females) a few years back. They were incredibly detailed for their size (approx 7"...no jokes, please)., and feature removable plastic undies. I kick myself for not picking a few up. My NECA Leatherface, Freddy, and Jason need a little lovin', too.
Quote from: Joseph_Baeza on December 30, 2019, 04:57:20 PM
Count Z...that's an INCREDIBLE gift and it goes without saying that your girlfriend is a keeper! For those interested and may not know, NECA just came out with an 18" Big Chap in retro-style packaging similar to the original Kenner version, and it is unbelievably cool! You can find him on BBTS for $125 or so, and he is well worth every penny! Get him before he disappears and shows up on eBay for 2-3 times the price.
Thanks! I'm definitely keeping her, haha.
Didn't Gentle Giant do a remake figure also?
(https://i0.wp.com/needlessessentialsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1001260_10151984702307695_1187483224_n.jpg?fit=630%2C394)
And Super7 did a mini version:
(https://cdn.poppriceguide.com/guide/itmimg/1659_Alien-Metallic-.jpg)
I love Neca's tribute to the Kenner figure! The problem for me, though, is that I bought their last version of pretty much the same figure. Getting this new one would just be for the box art. A little too pricey for that.
Here are a couple good articles on the controversy surrounding Kenner's release of the Alien figure in 1979:
Kenner's Coolest Controversy (https://medium.com/(*at*)clectaverse/kenners-coolest-controversy-1979-alien-action-figure-42a977206aa1)
The 1979 Alien Toy - 13th Floor (http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2015/10/26/the-1979-alien-toy-that-was-too-terrifying-for-kids-to-play-with/)
8)
Quote from: Hepcat on January 02, 2020, 12:32:34 AM
Here are a couple good articles on the controversy surrounding Kenner's release of the Alien figure in 1979:
Kenner's Coolest Controversy (https://medium.com/(*at*)clectaverse/kenners-coolest-controversy-1979-alien-action-figure-42a977206aa1)
The 1979 Alien Toy - 13th Floor (http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2015/10/26/the-1979-alien-toy-that-was-too-terrifying-for-kids-to-play-with/)
8)
Good reads! Thanks Hep!
One thing that the TV commercial fails to mention: the skull also glows in the dark!
Count Zachula - you have got a great girlfriend!!!
By 1984 I had started collecting old toys, and a friend and I were in his car on Route 202 heading towards Lambertville NJ and spotted a roadside garage sale... with a Kenner ALIEN prominently displayed on a table. I regret that we didn't stop, and on the way back, it was gone! :'(
Quote from: Count Zachula on December 28, 2019, 06:41:02 PM
For Christmas the girlfriend got me one of my holy grails. The 79 Kenner Alien with box. Its in nearly perfect condition, nothing missing, nothing broken. We got into a conversation about this guy and wondered how much this thing cost when it came out. Couldn't really find any info on it.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/f612cb5b0ed0b2e4fc540f92cbbc9397/e36f6d5551589180-8b/s1280x1920/ce0c94434bfea693d27834743c27a85f944bb673.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/0e9129a5a97c92b062ce5e4644ef9666/e36f6d5551589180-31/s1280x1920/8f8a00b62c60d3a7a0344e0dade800b95c265ff8.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/b9c9556b3739fbb550c067fd75c97d06/e36f6d5551589180-be/s540x810/b51fa8c1076ca755f30089fd19bf8ae34cc393b3.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/e46ba9770ad19228fd75a3d198c9ac27/e36f6d5551589180-1d/s540x810/e4e17ba37090e2549e9108a6b8da054d51da7b7b.jpg)
Incredible gift.