Today I expanded and updated an older article appearing on HIDEOUS PLASTIC dedicated to one of Kenner’s companion pieces to their notorious 18 inch tall action figure. Kenner’s ALIEN board game was published and released in a number of variants in 1979. 
The expanded article dedicated to exploring international variants and design anomalies of the vintage children’s ALIEN board game can be found here.
-Windebieste.
It would appear not all card backs for blister packaged products are created equal. Superficially, this goes without saying; but over at the Kenner Aliens Toy blog, Eric Fischer has researched the curious nature of how Kenner used graphics content appearing on the backs of some cards to feature dioramas on a select few ALIENS product line items of the 1990s. 
It’s a fascinating read with the exploration also delving into how NECA has recently emulated a similarly constructed and lit diorama to help promote their Kenner ALIENS tribute product line. Go visit the Kenner ALIENS Toy blog and read all about diorama’s appearing on limited versions of ALIENS card backs… and elsewhere.
-windebieste.
Ah, some of my favourite bootleg & knock off ALIEN items were deliberately intended to be confused with more official products of their day. Take 1996’s Wing Sang Toys’ extremely dubious Extraterrestrial, which is clearly intended to be confused with Kenner toys ALIENS range of action figures released that decade. The Extraterrestrial was released in different colours with blue and red being the most common. A version was also released featuring a pair of circular clip on wings. It’s a wild item but it doesn’t end there. The toy also included a variety of weapon accessories, too.
Somewhere, in the offices of Wing Sang’s marketing department, some bright toy designer figured it would be a great idea to have an attractive blue and silver painted knock off ALIEN toy fitted with circular red and silver wings. They also determined it should be armed with gold vac metal plated weapons including what appears to be a powerloader grabbing power claw and crossbow. I did not make this nonsense up. Honest.
Anyway, if you want to know more about this WTF curiosity, it has been added to HIDEOUS PLASTIC’s section dedicated to Bootleg & Knock-off ALIEN toys.
Man, there’s some weird stuff in there now.
-windebieste.
It’s New Year’s Eve and what’s a delightful lad with a joyous, charismatic personality and a heart full of adventure like myself going to do, tonight? Not much, really. I’m not in a social mood and will just stay at home and mess about on the internet. Maybe I’ll check out some 1979 Kenner ALIENs currently for sale on eBay. Here’s one for US $1,275. This is worth staying home for, right? ...right? 
Awright. So the truth is I have no social life. So what? Let’s check out this fellow. It looks like a decent figure, complete with all body parts present, maybe a little dusty but this coating is nothing some warm, soapy water and an old tooth brush couldn’t remove. The arms are loose at the shoulders on this old toy but that’s standard considering these sought after vintage toys are now in excess of forty years old and the anchors used to fasten the arms in place are made from neoprene rubber.They’ve long deteriorated and loosening is expected.
A box is included in the sale and it shows some clear signs of aging along with a little wear and tear that can’t be avoided. At least the red insert card is present. That’s a welcome sight as these internal features that aid in holding the figure steady inside the box are often missing. There’s a wonderful piece of documentation affixed to the front of the box in the form of a “LIONEL UNADVERTISED SPECIAL” discount price sticker displaying the original price of US$14.97 reduced to US$7.91.That’s almost a full 50% off the original recommended price. Such price stickers are often present on these toys as retailers attempted to clear huge volumes of unsold stock that nobody wanted four decades ago.
In this regard, it’s kind of crazy to think these old items can now sell for one hundred times the original recommended retail price. Had this box been in better condition and included the poster, then sure. It could easily sell for US$1,497. Doesn’t it make you wish you had the foresight and bought up an entire end-cap pyramid of these unpopular toys from K-mart in 1980 when they were discounted and retailing for less than US$10?
Anyway, Happy New Year to all my friends throughout the world. This past year has been kind of crap. Next year has to be better. Peace to all. 🙂
-Windebieste.
It’s been a few weeks since one of these head pieces for a 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figure have been available on eBay. One is available now, listed for US$299.99. This is a genuine, much sought after piece being offered here. Nonetheless, if you are balking at the prospect of spending three hundred US dollars on a forty year old piece of plastic for a toy that failed miserably at retail, feel some consolation knowing the seller is willing to accept your Best Offer.
Kenner produced an estimated 150,000 18 inch ALIEN toys in 1979, expecting to match the dizzying sales of their previous 3.75 inch Star Wars range of action figures, two years earlier. A target that fell well short of any sales targets and killed off any future for the ALIEN production line, including a proposed production of run of 3.75 inch ALIEN action figures. Most of the surviving 18 inch tall ALIEN toys have since lost these domes with around 90% of them lacking this distinct feature.
These loose domes frequently fetch prices in three figures. This item will end up selling for an amount that will make non-collectors respond in head scratching wonder where the value lies. It’s not a perfect piece, either. Mild and light scratches are present and one of the tabs intended to (inadequately) hold the feature in place has been broken. So, while it’s not in perfect condition, it is still a significant piece that will contribute to fully realising the potential of bringing someone’s currently incomplete Kenner ALIEN toy to 100%.
-Windebieste.
If you are looking for a 1979 Kenner ALIEN along with a box – but you don’t care too much about the box condition or whether it’s genuine or not – one has become available on eBay. The seller has started bidding at US$49.95. While this listing does include all three critical components – the ALIEN toy, a box and a poster – it’s important to note that only the figure itself is original; and even that item is significantly removed from being in perfect condition. Let’s take a closer look at what’s on offer.
Starting with the figure, because it’s 100% the real deal without any reproduction parts present, it does display a variety of flaws but the welcome presence of critical features such as the dome and the dorsal crest add significant value to the figure regardless of any problems it may have. But these flaws are definitely present and it’s worth being mindful of them. Continue reading
Original double sided B&W posters for the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy appear on eBay frequently. One has just been listed on the service for US$139.99. These posters are ideal additions to a collection, regardless of the condition they’re in. This listing is a perfect case in point. It is certainly less than perfect condition but its flaws can still be made to highlight its value.
This sample is far from perfect. At more than forty years old now, it’s showing age and displaying marks you’d expect from a document of this vintage. Prominent watermarks, blemishes, stains and other degradations are present throughout the document. While this item is a long way from being considered desirable, this poster can still be displayed to take advantage and maximise its imperfections. After all, the poster lacks tears and other physical alterations. The clear signs of aging may be used to enhance the fact this is a genuine item, especially if mounted on black backing board and placed inside a window frame. Take advantage of this poster clearly showing its age and bring these imperfections to the fore. It then becomes an art object, a scarred survivor worthy of being hung on a wall, to be shown off as an obviously genuine relic of its era. That’s got to be a preferred fate to being stuffed inside a box once again. It is after all, an imperfect organism. Nonetheless, a survivor. Unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of its collectible status.
-Windebieste.
Dirty, broken and missing parts, this rough condition 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy is being auctioned on eBay. The seller has commenced the sale at US$125. This item is priced accordingly as much of the figure is either damaged in some way or lacking in features. Nonetheless, at this price, the four decades old toy will sell without too much problem.
This rough looking Kenner ALIEN may need some attention but there’s a good figure buried beneath all of his many issues. Sure, he’s missing the usual parts. The dome, shoulder crest and both halves that comprise the tongue are all absent. His poor condition extends well beyond these missing features. The paint on the head and chrome teeth are all scratched and damaged. Not much can be done about those but other areas can hold hope to be addressed. For example, the dust can easily be washed off the figure with a kitchen sink filled with hot water and a toothbrush. Other issues are more significant. Continue reading
Looking for an instant vintage Kenner ALIEN and Star Wars collection? Up for sale on eBay right now are samples of our eternally endearing Alien friend along with a pair of 12 inch buddies, Chewbacca and Darth Vader. Despite the condition of each of these toys being less than perfect, the price tag of US$250 is still damn fine, especially taking into consideration each of these toys are sought after items from popular properties. 
Briefly, Chewbacca’s arms are both severed and he’s missing other accessories. At least the left arm is included in this sale. You could probably hunt down a right arm and re-attach them both with little effort. The Alien is likewise features severed arms but again they are easy to return to the figure; which is also missing the ever elusive translucent dome and shoulder crest parts. It’s still an easy repair that will make a display worthy figure despite various other minor flaws including the missing left elbow spur. Darth is simply missing his light saber but includes his black cape, which is often missing from the figure. A great trio for someone to land. Maybe you would choose to be bold and attach the Alien arms to Chewie instead of the bio-mechanical torso they hail from? After all, the longer Alien arms would look quite menacing on the brown furred figure and can be fixed in place with as much effort. Xenowookiee, anybody? I’d love to see a Kenner Wookiee Alien, 2022 edition. Like their 1993 Gorilla Alien, only 16 inches tall.
-Windebieste.
During the 1990s, Kenner released a series of ALIENS toys that frequently boasted accessories such as 16 page mini comics. Other ALIENS product lines around the world would have different inclusions such as trading cards. A fascinating post has just been made over at Kenner Alien Toy Blog documenting the entire set of “Bio Data” trading cards available to European and US releases. 
These cards would often feature art images only barely passing for any resemblance to the character/toy they were documenting. For example, both the Bull and Scorpion Alien cards feature the Dog Alien from ALIEN 3, with the Bull Alien version being notable as it has its horns clearly airbrushed on (images above). Many of the cards, particularly those appearing in Series One, display other anomalous features worthy of mention… Bishop with air brushed helmet and visor… That weird Lt. Ripley.
The art is simply all over the place. The weird and wonderful complete set of rare and hard to find trading cards is completely worth checking out. It looks like Kenner really liked that Dog Alien, too, as it also decorates the Gorilla Alien card. Thank you, Eric Fischer for posting this great item.
-Windebieste
Not all Kenner ALIEN toys are equal. That’s for sure. Take this forty plus year old vintage sample currently being sold on eBay for US389.99. At first glance, he looks like a nice clean toy without too many problems. A closer inspection reveals many issues making this sample an average condition item at best. 
It has all the common pieces missing that help to define this sample as “average”. Gone are the dome, both tongue halves and the crest between the shoulders. Unfortunately, it’s deficiencies don’t end there. This item has been removed from its original condition in a variety of other ways. Let’s check the list. Continue reading
If you’re planning on acquiring a vintage 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy in a box including the all elusive poster for under US$400, you’re in luck! For your consideration, one such item has become available on eBay for US$375. At this price, it is definitely going to attract some attention. This offer has to be too good to be true, right? Yep. You got it. If you are looking for an item in immaculate or even very good state of preservation, you might like to look elsewhere; but if you really want one on a budget, this is an OK purchase. 
What exactly is included in this listing? Starting with the figure, it’s in a rough and incomplete state. It’s missing the usual pieces, the dome, dorsal crest and both tongue parts. The upper teeth have collapsed inwards but are likely to be recoverable. As to whether the jaw mechanism still works, it’s impossible to say. Remove and refit those teeth and it may still function. The left arm is loose and appears to be have been re-attached. The tail and legs look to be in decent condition. A little work is needed here, but the figure can certainly be made to become more presentable, albeit incomplete. Continue reading
Looking for a substantial discount on your next Kenner ALIEN purchase? Well, bad luck. You’re forty years too late. This vintage Kenner ALIEN toy still inside it’s unopened box is now worth a lot more than what it was originally sold for back in 1979. It is now being offered by its seller on eBay for a respectable US$1999.99. 
This is a fabulous item wearing its curious four decades old Kenner ALIEN toys history prominently on the upper right corner of the box. The discount price sticker displayed on this sample attests to how these children’s toys were originally intended to be sold for US$14.97 only to be later marked down and sold for the discount price of US$4.97 each. The substantial ten dollar clearance sale reduced the original sale figure of the toy down to under five US dollars. This would have occurred sometime during late 1979 (or early 1980s) and is documented on the label. Such discounts were common for these grotesque Kenner toys when they failed to live up to the sales figures of their exceptionally more popular Star Wars brethren. Tens of thousands of these ALIEN toys were sold in this manner mark down sales to clear dead stock forty years ago. My, has their valued climbed once again to lofty heights! Continue reading
Are we having fun yet, kids? How about checking the price on this forty year old B&W ALIEN poster from 1979. Currently, it is for sale on eBay for the hilarious price of US$274.99. Wow. Now that’s funny, hey! It’s got to be a joke, right? Probably not; but it’s worth a giggle if nothing else.
Personally, I find this expectation on part of the seller very amusing. While this item is for sale in the US, let’s see how much it translates into currency where I live, in Australia. hmmm… The international currency exchange rate is in an outstandingly bad situation right now, so let’s have a good laugh here… Continue reading
I’m currently in the middle of a large scale toy rebuilding exercise involving disassembling and cleaning dozens of neglected Kenner ALIEN toys. This task has has taken me about 20 hours and is now complete. As part of the process, I have been adding to my collection of broken neoprene rubber anchors. Kenner used this method to hold both arms in place and give them flexibility at the shoulder joints. I don’t throw anything out, so these artifacts from multiple tear downs of the toy now only serve as testimony to how easily these arms can break off, leaving these anchors sitting inside the torso. These items are broken and now of extremely limited use. 
It’s beaten up, broken, coated in dust and showing its age but it’s going to sell. Even in this condition, these old toys can pull good money. This one for sale on eBay started at auction a couple of days ago with a starting price on the clock of US$60. Since then, it’s ticking down with keen purchasers expressing an interest with 13 bids already pushing it to the US$100 mark. There’s still five days remaining and you can bet these bids haven’t stopped yet. Those last few seconds will be very interesting. Not bad for a derelict, four decades old toy that isn’t really all that rare. It’s the old toy’s reputation working those dollars on the clock.
It’s broken at the neck with severed arms and missing the dorsal crest from its back. Dirty, scuffed and definitely showing its age. It’s still a great piece and all of its problems can be resolved with a little effort. These toys are easy peasy to dismantle, address all of the problems present in this sample and reassemble it. The head can be fitted back to the neck nub with a few screws and a custom made plate (or just glue it). The arms can be fitted back in place with some bungee cord and a pair of short lengths of sturdy wire (I like to use material extracted from wire coat hangers). As for that missing piece on its back? Yeah. That too. If you can find one on eBay, if you’re lucky and fit that back in place, too. Placed in the right hands, given a good clean and a timely makeover, this rough looking item could still easily become a prize possession in someone’s collection.
-Windebieste.
Looks like Kenner ALIEN toys are ramping up in value once again. Or appear to be, anyway. Well, that’s what some sellers would like to have you believe. Here’s an average condition sample of the toy for sale on eBay right now with an unjustifiably high price tag of US $575.75. It is incomplete, a little scuffed and assuredly overpriced with no “Best Offer” option present. You just have to wonder what some people expect from these old toys.
Sure, it’s now a vintage item with a reputation (rather than scarcity) being the driving force behind the value of these notorious old play things originally marketed to five year olds. That doesn’t justify a price tag of this magnitude. This item is incomplete missing the head carapace and tongue parts. These three critical absent pieces severely reduce the value of the figure. For US$200 less, you can purchase a 100% complete with all of those parts present. At the price of US$500, you may even be lucky enough to score one in a box. Although I must add, the box itself will not be pristine condition and likely to be rough around the edges to say the least. At he end of the day, the seller for this toy will most likely need to revise their expectations (and price) before this item sells. Unless you really want to spend over five hundred US dollars on a forty year old toy missing valuable parts, I’d say look elsewhere. These things aren’t all that rare and if you are looking for one on eBay, about a dozen options are available right now.
-Windebieste.
Sometimes there’s a threshold of expectations that gets crossed which is so out of touch with reality you have to wonder what the thinking behind the action actually is. Take this grossly incomplete 1979 Kenner ALIEN being auctioned on eBay right now. It’s missing the dome, both tongue parts, dorsal crest and the left arm. No less than five pieces are missing from this sample and the seller still commences the auction at US$199.99. 
These are common pieces missing from these toys today and while the dome, crest and both tongue halves are considered the most valuable parts of this vintage toy, I feel it’s when the limbs go missing it becomes degraded at its most. After all, missing tongue parts don’t affect the appearance of the toy as they are concealed within the elongated head. The dome goes missing so easily but is compensated by having the glow in the dark detail of the head constantly exposed. Losing the crest on the back is annoying but at least it’s on the rear of the figure and its absence is not apparent when viewed from the front. Continue reading
Sure, it’s a little battered and worn, missing the front window pane but if you want just the box for your Kenner ALIEN toy, this one is now listed on Ebay. Bidding started at just US$1.00, which is really a fair price. After all, it is an empty box. No could possibly want to spend too much on a beat up old box, right?
Bidding now sits at a comfortable $127.50 with three days to go. 
Bidding started at just US$1.00 for this mutilated package item. There are significant tears and other deformations throughout the box but it does include the red insert card. No figure or poster is included. It’s just the empty box being offered for sale. Nonetheless, these four decades old vintage boxes are in high demand. How much will this item eventually sell for? It could easily sell for well in excess of US$200. It will be interesting to watch and see how much this item escalates during bidding and is notable to gauge for determining what the value of one of these boxes actually is. Even if it is empty and in the decrepit and substantially less than desirable condition this sample certainly is.
-Windebieste.
If you’re looking for a Kenner ALIEN toy right now and not too interested in a couple features missing but still want it to be reasonably presentable, this sample being auctioned on eBay right now might just fit the bill. Bidding started today at the fair base value of just US$1.00. Figures in this condition are relatively common and are listed frequently on eBay.
It’s an average condition toy. No box. No dome. Missing its dorsal crest. Other than that, it looks very good. Nonetheless, the starting price of US$200 will attract solid attention from bidders. This sale of an average condition figure will serve as a measuring guide of what one of these vintage toys is worth now. How much will it eventually sell for? It could certainly sell for in excess of US$250. This is well within reason as dictated by those who are prepared to spend money on an average quality, ugly, forty year old toy that no one particularly thought was a good idea back in 1979 – but therein lies the value behind these old toys.
-Windebieste.
