• Year: 1979
• Size: 6×9 inches.
• Product Line:  Unproduced by Kenner (General Mills).  Later served as inspiration for FUNKOxSuper7 ReAction figures, released in 2013.

Had Kenner’s 3.75 inch ALIEN action figure range not been cancelled, this line up of toys would have been released in a card mounted blister pack presentation similar in format to the extremely popular Star Wars toys Kenner was already producing at the time. Here we have images of a mock up sample of what would have been the backing card for the 3.75 inch Dallas figure made by an independent contract design firm working on Kenner’s packaging in 1979.

This is the final design for the card as approved by Kenner and is exactly how it would have looked had production on their range of pocket size ALIEN figures continued and been released for mass market distribution and sales. The mock up backing card is constructed in a series of layers as is evident in some images; and in particular can be seen clearly in the close up image of the card frame in the gallery at the bottom of this page.

The card closely resembles the extant designs Kenner had already established for their range of ALIEN products featuring the famous ALIEN toy logo along with the signature blue within blue window and red color scheme. The card consists of a front face only and has no rear facing. The range of toys was cancelled before any such rear facing design was completed. Notably, the range of figures were deemed to have been suitable for ‘AGES 4 AND UP’ and while no date exists on the card, these action figures were intended to be released in 1980.

Mock up cards like this one featuring a hand glued blister with hard copy prototype mounted inside were intended to be displayed at the New York Toy Fair event in 1979 but the toy range was cancelled shortly after shipping to New York before the event opened.

2 sets of cards were constructed with the second set intended for back-up purposes in case the original mock ups were damaged during shipping. This 2nd set of items also served as samples for artist’s portfolios and this card is from that duplicate set. It is possible other mock up cards like this one still exist but this is considered to be highly unlikely. This Dallas item has been the sole item to have publicly surfaced in over 3 decades and other such samples are simply unknown to survive.

One thing is for certain. This single surviving mock up sample sets the tone, design elements and composition of what the backing cards for all the figures in this line unproduced would have been like had it seen a full series production run. Also of particular note is the fact this exact mock up card has been featured in books and magazines, notably Tomart’s Action Figure Digest.

Eventually, in 2013, Super7 would adopt this retro themed design for their 2013 release of their line of tribute ALIEN ReAction figures.

See more Image Galleries of Prototype figures.

Images courtesy of Steve Dwyer.