Along with the 18 inch ALIEN figure, Kenner also released a (2 to 4 player) board game and a manually operated crank handle movie viewer. Among some of the curious features of note here is the cover of the board game which features a prototype of their 18 inch toy.

In this regard, it’s also notable the image of the Kenner toy on the box art has been censored, permanently disfiguring the image and concealing prominent evidence this figure was indeed a prototype, possibly a test shot. Conspicuously absent from the toy is the translucent nature of the head dome through which the glow in the dark paint application of the creature’s “evil brain” is normally revealed.

Artists modified the image and the head dome appears opaque on all samples of Kenner’s ALIEN product line merchandise and logos. Nothing remains of the telltale paint application visible beneath the dome that would even suggest a prototype of the figure was used.

The top of the head isn’t the only edited feature present on the figure appearing on the box top. Kenner also removed the creatures iconic death dealing tongue. It is believed Kenner edited these details for more than solely any aesthetic reasons. These details were considered too grotesque for children and as a result, they were subsequently airbrushed out. Thus an attempt was made to render the creature on the box top appear less intimidating for a family oriented market. While this meant the game was released with children in mind it meant the image of the Alien toy appearing on the game box was missing some of its signature features.

Fortunately, an original photograph source image used in the creation of the box top artwork exists and it’s possible to demonstrate how the details on this item were modified to make the box art more child friendly. Here are both the board game and the source image. The toy depicted in the photograph has a different, earlier pattern on the head than what the toy was actually released with. So we know this sample is actually a prototype of the toy, one Kenner frequently used throughout their campaign to promote the product line and it does differ from the final version of the toy distributed to stores in late 1979.

To further demonstrate how extensive this modification was made, below is the box top of the Australian version of the ALIEN board game. Of all the international versions of this specific product – and at least four different versions were published – the Australian TOLTOYS licenced edition is the only known uncensored version. For unknown reasons, the Alien’s head remains untouched and free of any airbrush work that has been applied to other editions of the game. Here, it is clear the image has not been tampered with and both the translucent head revealing the glow in the dark paint pattern and “gruesome” tongue are unmodified.

Not only did Kenner censor the box top of almost all versions of the board game but all of Kenner’s ALIEN logos appearing across all three of their product lines were modified in this same way. Here, for example, is the familiar Kenner ALIEN logo as it appears on the board game, the movie viewer and on the box for the original 18 inch toy. Variations of this logo can also be found on more recent ALIEN tribute products made by companies such as Medicom, Super7 and Gentle Giant and NECA. The deleted feature of the tongue and modified head covering are obvious.

Knowing that the Alien appearing on the logo and box top have been modified to be less gruesome, it does raise an interesting question: What would this logo have looked like had it not been censored by Kenner in the first place? 

Fortunately, unmodified samples of it exists on the sides and on the back of the Australian version of the ALIEN Board game. The ALIEN logos appearing on this product are the only known uncensored samples of the image made available to the public; but I am willing to accept the possibility the 18 inch figure and movie viewer licenced for sale in Australia by TOLTOYS may have also been similarly badged with this version of the logo on their packaging. It’s something I’ve been trying to find out.

Other versions of the board game also exist; and these too have had their details obfuscated in the same manner as the US version. This includes a bilingual English/French printing in Canada and a green box version printed in Italy.

Here is the box top for the Canadian edition of the game. Note it is very similar to the US edition with the Alien’s head edited and featuring text in both French and English.

The internal contents of these board game variants are common across all versions of the product but print material is published in the language of the country of their manufacture.

Nonetheless, below is the wonderful alternate green themed Italian version of the board game which prominently features modified versions of both the Alien toy and the ALIEN logo on the box top.

-Windebieste.