The Most Terrifying Toy In The World!

In this video we take a look back at the fascinating history behind Kenner's 18 inch tall Alien action figure that was released in 1979. Who makes a toy based on an R-rated movie??? Well, stay tuned to find out.
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[@georgeaitken2719]

The most terrifying thing about this figure is the price

[@BanthaPooDoo64]

I picked one up at cheap flea market for 6 bucks about 8 yrs ago, no box just the figure

[@brettlinthicum6649]

@@BanthaPooDoo64please stop lying for attention

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

PARENT: That's a scary toy, not fitting for kids! KID: Coooollllll!!!!

[@da_ghoul9432]

I had one as a child, he was the perfect villain for ROM the Space Knight to fight against, since he, also, had no other toys in his line.

[@NotMorganFreeman.]

I watched Alien at 13 and wanted the large kenner Alien figure so badly that it was the one and only thing I asked for for christmas that year. Now, 45 years later I'm in the process of building and painting a beautiful screen accurate 2ft custom 3D printed one on my desk beside me.

[@ultrablue2]

I remember in 1979 going into a large toy store and seeing a wall of these Alien figures on display. Even sitting inside their blue and red boxes, they looked frightening, not knowing anything about the movie. Now I wish I had a Time Machine to go back and buy them all.

[@Larry]

I dunno, that Aunt May figure that looked like Gary Bucey was pretty horrific!!! :D

[@torquetheprisoner]

aunt bucey can't hurt you

[@AnalogToys]

Hahaha

[@StarTrekDoor]

@@torquetheprisoner Therapist: 'Aunt Bucey's not real'.

[@Its.Chad.]

The Xenomorph design is so timelessly awesome. Let’s get a Time Machine and go back for 100 of these

[@georgeaitken2719]

I wouldn’t bother I just go back in time and get all the carded Australian jungle fighters and roboskulls

[@martingainsford3225]

Never found one as a teenager at the time. I’d seen it mentioned in US Sci-Fi magazines. I did however pick up a complete loose version about 25 years back and he is still a centrepiece to my collection. Fantastic video as ever. Thank you.

[@LewisChristisonVids]

Good luck on your Japan toy hunts! Feel free to drop as many videos on your trip as you want; and make them as long as you want. I love that kind of stuff.

[@AnalogToys]

Thanks! I've got a bunch of videos in the pipeline.

[@roycampsall2179]

Another great video Tony, keep them coming.

[@simonslee73]

Still have mine with the box, a prize possession in my toy collection

[@3POAPodcast]

Another great video, Tony! Keep leveling up!

[@BigDaveC74]

Good video Mate. Good luck in Japan getting it!

[@thomasbarbour1976]

I got one for Christmas that year, I screamed for it not because it was scary, but I loved the character. Also, this is the only toy I never took out of the box, and I still have it today.

[@platformerfailure3257]

Quite the legendary gaff on Kenner's part. Thank goodness there's (generally) more communication between studios and merchandise companies in today's information era. "Hmm... I'm sure that this man-eating monster with two sets of jaws, an exposed skull, and a phallic-looking head and tongue will be kid-friendly."

[@arctrooper999]

I like the part where Kenner had to keep the look of the Alien secret, cause I was hyped for the 1998 Godzilla movie but then I saw the toys at Walmart the Wednesday before opening weekend and said "oh shit. Please no" 😅😅😅

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

Lego gave away some plot aspects of the Star Wars prequels before the movies came out.

[@Taraka1]

Fun story i like to share. My mom used the original Alien movie to scare me into going to bed on my own. And i was terrified of it for my early years until i was about 5. That's when the Aliens toyline debut. And while the toys creeped me out well enough, it was seeing boys having fun playing. So i puffed my chest up and asked my mom for Aliens toys. She had this look on her face of pure evil and said "okay dear." And within the next few minutes we were at Montgomery Ward and she bought EVERYTHING except the vehicles. The first and only time she ever bought me that many toys and it wasn't my birthday or Christmas. She told me years later she thought they'd keep me in line. But instead it made me a little braver. Then I started watching Alien and Aliens on my own (hiding behind the couch when it got too scary.) but i was then and to thos day a hardcore Aliens fan. Predator followed shortly because again the Kenner toys and I found the awkwardly titled Aliens vs Predator Booty comic and got the idea the Predators were good guys. Then mom showed me Predator...

[@JurassicRod]

Had they released the toy a few years later after the film was out on VHS and TV for kids to have access too it would have sold far better. The 90s Alien toy line seemed to do well. I was too young to see the trilogy at the cinema but watched them all on TV when they premiered and loved them! Had great fun with the 90s toy line.

[@Gideon0297]

Good Luck in Japan Brother 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 & thanks for your Amazing Content!!!

[@turcolanas]

Amigo fantástico video. PURA DIVERSIÓN

[@mworrelljr]

LOL! I love that old commercial. It is up there with the kid who just yells WOMPA! Every couple of seconds. Came close to getting this once, but the price scared me away.

[@stephens4175]

Back in 94 I bought that figure at my lcs that I still go to today, I got it for around 200 and it was complete but without any box, it was awesome and stood so tall on my counter, I sadly sold it in the late 90s due to money constraints, wish I still had it. It was really cool with those vac-metal teeth that came out from pushing the well hidden button under the head in the back. Thank you for this, it brings me back

[@RyanStimo]

Perfect timed video. I have just started collecting the Aliens figures as I had a few as a kid.

[@bobahicks]

I always wanted one. Great video 👍🏻🏆

[@michaelmetler6315]

I had that!😢

[@tyrannozilla]

I respect Kenner for having the balls to make that toy and loved that we were able to get more Alien toys later in the 90s. I miss that era in time when R-rated films could get a line of action figures. I mean, yes, it does kinda exist today with collectables from Neca and Hot Toys, and I don't want to take anything away from those as I think they're great, but there was still something magical of that period in time.

[@J-T-A]

Tony and the Alien, Saturdays on NBC! Tune in to see two big chaps living it up in sunny Australia!

[@AnalogToys]

Hahahaha

[@MichaelJShaffer]

This was great! A toy worthy of grail status. Looking forward to the (fingers crossed) follow-up video after January. Kenner must have liked R movies for toys. They tried it again with RoboCop.

[@jeremykerr3871]

Like you, at a young age, I ran across my dad's stack of Fangoia magazines. After that, I would have flipped out if I could have gotten one of these as a kid. Unfortunately, I didn't even know it existed until I was well into my thirties. Great video, sir, and good luck in Japan.

[@ChuckWCoulter]

I had one. I had the Gabriel Marx Lone Ranger/Tonto, and I had one of these. These were strange collections. The xenomorph was alone. I remember its tail vividly. It was so well-made, so very well-made. The dome was lost. The back did not break. The jaw was unreal. It made me think that nothing like it existed anywhere else; I even lacked a reference point to the film then. I would draw Giger designs to little reaction, as a child, before 1986, when the franchise changed.

[@bandicootcollector]

Tony, I've lived in Japan for 5 years! If you're going to Osaka I'd love to take you to some vintage toy spots!!

[@StarTrekDoor]

Another excellent video Whenever I think of Alien, soup comes to mind. 'Why is their ship named minestrone?' 🤔 hehe 😄. I loved the first film. It was mysterious and frightening. Brown trousers 💩. Thank goodness for washing machines. Then when they made more films it became less and less scary as there is no longer a mystery. The first film was excellent as it showed only tiny pieces of the alien. It's the fear of the unknown. LLAP 🖖🙂

[@Ksknight100]

My god, I never even knew these Alien figures existed back then!! I LOVE the original film and the ensuing two, but I never seen these figures before!! damn, I would love one of those! As always, an excellent video mate and an education. Got to find one of those now with the second teeth set. Awesome video mukka.

[@punisherxs6654]

The most beautiful designed creature to ever hit our screens and what a great looking toy to have, I have the Hot Toys version.

[@cliffoliveira1402]

Happy toy hunting in Japan Tony. I hope you find your prize.

[@ToySurprisevintage]

I have this, paid next to nothing for it back in the day before the toy boom. LOVE this figure

[@P3SS3SSOd]

Not widely known, but there were Tsukuda and Halcyon remakes of the Kenner toy as model kits, albeit missing the action gimmicks, but still poseable and had a wired tail. Had the Halcyon one as placeholder in my collection for the last 30 years or so..

[@YvanWESTLAURENCE]

It seems that the Halcyon soft vinyl figure was based on the Alien toy. I've found the Kenner Alien Figure in France during a Flee market years ago, incomplete (no transparent skull) but in a quiite fair condition. I even had the opportunity to present it in a musuem 15 years ago. :)

[@TimelordUK]

What did it retail for at the time? Was it considered a premium toy even then? With all that detail and the size I would imagine it was very expensive, another reason it wouldn't have sold well

[@glennwilson786]

I recall some years ago seeing an Alien play set for kids in a large toy store in Langley BC Canada The kids on the box looked petrified lol

[@doberg3191]

I remember being in the department store when they announced a blue light special for the Alien toy, but being only 16 I did not have the money to make the purchase.

[@davidz2016]

I still have my Alien complete with inner teeth,dome, and back spine. As well as a Rom space knight and my original Kenners R2D2 , C3-PO and Vader all complete two jawas but no gun. The only toys i could fit in a semi medium box . My brother and i did not have many toys growing up, but we kept these toys very close and very dear to us. Yes, im old .

[@CW-hh8yz]

I received one for Christmas as a kid. I'm sure I gave my younger cousin PTSD with it. My folks eventually pressured me into giving it away to a different cousin because they disliked it.

[@Aqua-Marine-UK_1991]

I do find it funny that during the mid 80s early 90s that different cartoon shows would make a reference to the Xenomorph alien. ace venturea pet detective, captain simian and the space monkeys, chip n dale rescue rangers, 1987 TMNT attack of the killer pizza. Even DragonBall and DragonBallZ had characters that look similar to it's design (minor features or straight up a wanna be) Good luck finding that rare Xenomorph in Japan

[@JurassicRod]

Finally someone else who remembers Captain Simian! Seems a nigh on forgotten cartoon.

[@6DireWolf9]

Definitely my favorite toy growing up.

[@simonholmes5223]

I remember seeing the original large figure in the shops in the USA in 1980, while on holiday from the UK. My older brother had seen the movie the year before, so I knew what the Alien was. What I remember is that the back of the box had what looked like movie stills showing the aliens on Earth.

[@kevinschmith9379]

I had all of the toys you showed at the beginning, and I for sure had the alien toy. It was one of my favorite toys has a glow-in-the-dark on its head. I used to use it as a is a ventriloquist dummy you take the tongue out and you could make it mouth talk I love that toy

[@petertarry2320]

Got two from new back in 1980 from the zodiac toy shop in Croydon! One was my cousin’s so grabbed that off him after a couple of months and have held on to them ever since

[@happiaxxident]

Held this toy, in box, when I was a kid. Found it at a Goodwill while shopping with mom. At the time, I figured the size of the toy would command a price too big for my mom to say yes to a purchase, so I didn’t bother asking. After we left I told mom about it and she said she liked the movie and would’ve bought it for me had I asked. D’oh!

[@destinycaptain247]

It was a great figure. My cousin got one. Loved going over to his house to play with it.

[@Caje-zf8md]

Almost 15 years earlier model manufacturer Aurora released their "Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors Guillotine" model kit. The kit actually worked like the real thing and came with a condemned prisoner that would lose it's head when the plastic blade came down. Parental objection forced the company to remove it only after a few months from it's initial release.

[@dariusq8894]

I recently came back from Tokyo and do remember seeing the Kenner "Alien" at Nakano Broadway. I don't remember the price though because I was too busy looking for Japanese treasures. 😂

[@NewMessage]

I VIVIDLY remember seeing that in KMart at around 6 or so, and begging my mom to get it. No go, of course.. but I returned to the store by myself about 7 times, hoping desperately that some nice old lady would just.. up and buy it for me.

[@InsaneIltis]

Even the mouth fully works like in the movie - I would have gone crazy about this toy as a kid! Good luck with finding one in Japan.

[@wesleyhendricks2486]

Really liked alien and aliens when I sew them as a teen but never thought about the toys. The 79 alien would of made a great playtime monster to fight the rancor, Volton or even Earthcore. Even the 90s cartoon based toys would of worked well with POTF2 star wars. Alast when POTF2 come out they were the only toys on my radar.

[@TheDidit]

I had a bunch of the alien toys not the big one but the ones from Aliens I used to play with them with my Joes damn those were some great toys and great times

[@horrorfan1455]

I love Alien parent groups got so worked up over nothing great video Tony 👍

[@hw2577]

A former Kenner employee who was supposedly in the know said that there was never an Aliens animated series in development. The toy line was created just as a toy line. The idea of an animated series for children to sell toys was just a rumor.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

That is correct. Years ago Will Meugniot debunked the animated series rumor. The screenshots that people thought were from a series were actually from unused animated segments intended for use in the toy commercials.

[@chrisbellon3739]

In 80's and 90's cartoons based on r-rated movies was odd too

[@andrewtaylor940]

I so wanted this back in the day. I even had Dad talked into it. Mom veto'd the purchase on the way to the cashier. She would not allow something that awful in the house. A week later they were all pulled from shelves because of mothers outrage. I cry now all we have for Alien toys is mostly NECA. Bleah! Even the Mafex on is kind of a horrid silicone skinned monstrosity with a squeaky metal endoskeleton.

[@dennissmith5807]

I still have my original Kenner Alien In a beat up box.

[@Degro76]

That damn alien was in my cousins laundry room and I was scared to death to go in there. It stared at me!!!

[@Thehumblecollectoruk]

It may been terrifying but it was so cool

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

I remember a cousin had that Alien figure back in the day. It used to scare the poop out of me.

[@Kracviking]

I had a friend that had this toy, it was really cool

[@the6ig6adwolf]

I would suggest the most terrifying toy is Talisac from the Tortured Souls line released in 2001.

[@mouthofmania]

My older brother had the Alien figure. I definitely broke it a bunch of times. I was 5 and I got the Alien movie projector. 😂

[@robertsinfiniterealms1308]

It’s funny cause yes, this movie wasn’t intended fr children yet where I grew up this movie and the Thing were two of the films kids talked about the most (due to cable TV and parents not paying attention to what kids were watching). There were others but those two really stood out for me. Anyway when this was in the stores I had no idea what it was and passed. I only kinda remember it now vaguely. In fact when I saw alien I never made the connection until many years later.

[@Kevin.King71]

I remember a friend brought this to show and tell when we were in 2nd grade.

[@Hedgehobbit]

I had that toy as a kid. Sadly, over the years, the plastic has degraded and it has fallen apart.

[@wimvanderstraeten6521]

Rambo is another R-rated franchise that isn't exactly kid friendly, yet I vaguely remember watching a Rambo cartoon during the Eighties.

[@ronniesan9805]

You forgot one, GI Joe Classified Lt. Falcon! 😆😆

[@superbubsymariobobcat1097]

its a shame the original Kenner Alien didnt sell well, imagine if Kenner made a 18 inch Predator figure later down the road to scale with the Alien figure, they did make Alien Vs Predator figures in the 90's after all

[@oddball6992]

I had one of them back in the day

[@maddestmax6522]

New gameplay/previews for the Indiana Jones game has dropped. Will you and retro blasting do a video talking about it?

[@robertbeard8207]

Could of bought the Alien from Zodiac toys in the Arndale Centre Wandsworth South London in 1982. They were selling it at a silly price to shift them. £2.99 I seem to remember. Definitely one massive regret for me!

[@Blackedoutewoks]

My mate got one in London around 1980! So they were sent to the U.K. and maybe 🤔 Italy???

[@masudashizue777]

It's always like this. Whenever there's a toy misfire, you can get your bottom dollar that that toy will become the future holy grail? So why don't I wise up and corner the market on these things? I have.no idea!

[@ultramaximusreviews]

They need to reissue this figure

[@JONNYSORENSEN_AU]

In space nobody can hear you empty your wallet. 😮 The 90's Kenner toys just had a sceapped TV ad with some animation (like joe and TF ads) the was never made, and never a real project. It became a false rumor post year 2000 when the storyboards from the ad went on sale on ebay. FOX also confirmed it was never an actual TV project, but Kenner did design the art in toon/comic style with input from Dark Horse comics who produced the pack in mini comics.😊 Thanks for thr big chap retrospective.

[@garybuder4645]

Years ago I bought 2 missing the Dome for $50 USD at a local swapmeet

[@StigmaNYC]

Good luck on your search. Be careful of the acid blood.

[@Rebelxstudios]

The voice of hicks in that commercial sounds an awful lot like veteran voice actor Rob Paulsen.

[@Taraka1]

That's because it was!

[@JurassicRod]

I recognized him too.

[@theimperialgrunt1831]

I had this!!

[@cyberfrank-bx2nv]

good toy story video Tony my bro yeah, I somewhat recall this monster, it would have made a great 12' AT threat, ha, ha certainly better than the primitive ape men that were offered. it just so happens.... I saw a new alien line that fits my classified, and I have Gung ho with the appropriate weapon, ha, ha. ok, it ll be just one, at $64 + tax that ll be enough! but yeah, a cool contender for my ancient ruin Cobra fighting arena with bio lab! Dr mindbender is already excited at the prospect to study the specie... Duke had it easy in MASS against a barbarian... an alien should be much more challenging! in any case, the final boss will probably be those 2 22' sentinels I plan on getting. doing dios was the best idea I had for those figures, I really have my money s worth now. I find it very funny to mix different 6' characters and make scenes ex ; I bought sw palpatine - dart sidious, and don t collect sw at all... he s now a homeless man, on my urban bar dio, sleeping in the thrash, between the cans, he has a cocktail molotov in right hand, and lady death s syth in the left, ha, ha it flashed to me the other day that he d do a great 'death' figure, the way he s dressed. and yeah, good luck in your hunt for an alien Tony! I want to see that face you make when you re impressed, ha, ha it s worth waiting for, as you have respect and are grateful. so now you know... God bless America and world peace good show bro

[@MonstersOfTheUniverse]

I had a decent copy the box wasn’t perfect but the figure was unplayed with and was practically perfect I unfortunately sold it about 10 years ago

[@noakesy316]

1979! When.a true legend was born! Oh wait, it was just me!! Carry on 😅

[@williams4434]

I had one in early 80s

[@2tone209]

STILL GOT MINE IT'S IN THE GARAGE SOME WHERE

[@ezarhon1002]

Good Luck buddy! Hope you find one. Enjoy the sushi!

[@Dragonette666]

all R rated really means is you have to have an adult to get in. My mom used to get me and my friends into movies all the time but she didn't stay, and probably better that she didn't or it might have ended lol

[@asantiago704]

Good luck and good hunting.

[@TCHorwood-xq7mw]

"You know ... for kids."

[@elcowabungahe-man6156]

I think if they made more figures and the ship I believe it could have done better

[@davidpyott3710]

👍🤘

[@andrewpowell1734]

At 18 inches tall, that thing will kill your G.I. Joes.

[@rex-rant4322]

Have they reproduced this one since the two foot one?

[@prouttralala]

well for me the most terrifying toy in the world is the 50's science kit with real uranium

[@justinthomas7222]

And, I showed up in the world in 1979!

[@DavidNeal-mf9ky]

And if you get hold of the 18"Alien 👾 put it with the action men. Or create sifi uniform for,2 action men who haven't uniforms