FLASHBACK: ‘Alien’ toy commercial from 1979
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
It’s not quite as disturbing as, say, “Midnight Cowboy†Underoos or “Deliverance†trail mix, but there was a backlash in 1979 when Kenner made a fun plastic toy based on “Alien,†a movie that certainly earned its R rating.
I wonder if those kids ever made it out of the kitchen...
The 18-inch toy didn’t last long on shelves, according to Jay West, a world-class collector of “Alien†(and our “super-fanâ€contributor covering the alternate-reality game for “Tron: Legacyâ€) -- the outrage of parent activist groups sent the plastic creature into retail exile, which, as you might suspect, makes the toy even more coveted by today’s collectors.
Anybody who brings one of these to our “Alien†screening on Sunday gets a free poster of Darwyn Cooke’s amazing illustration for the Hero Complex Film Festival.
-- Geoff Boucher
RECENT AND RELATED
Next weekend: Ridley Scott with Nimoy & Nolan in L.A.
Ridley Scott: “Blade Runner†echoes in “a very special wayâ€
Ridley Scott on ‘Robin Hood’: ‘There’s a very strong destiny story’
“Alien†writer Dan O’Bannon remembered
Sigourney Weaver, back in space with “Avatarâ€
The original trailer for “Alienâ€
The greatest heroine in sci-fi? Ripley, believe it or not
“Alien†and the politics of horror
Ridley Scott rolls dice on ‘Monopoly’
Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.