Killer Toys, A Look Back at the Kenner Action Figures of the 70s, 80s, and 90s
I’m not at all ready to start work on this, but I woke up thinking about the idea of a book dedicated to the Kenner toys of the seventies, eighties, and nineties. I think there’s something to the concept and I’ll keep working my way through the possibilities. But as I thought this morning I took a few moments to throw together a concept for a cover.
This book could be both easier and more challenging than Transforming Collections, but I think it would absolutely be a lot of fun and it would be a welcome addition to my library.
I’m open to any thoughts you may have on the book idea. My current thinking is a dozen essays by a dozen authors, each essay accompanied by toy photos. Same format and size as Transforming Collections so that this would shelve neatly with that book. Hey, I seem to be starting a “BattleGrip Books” imprint accidentally!
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- 1992 Kenner Aliens Flying Queen Toy Commercial (battlegrip.com)
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- Kenner’s “Legends of Batman” 1995 Toy Commercial (battlegrip.com)
I would almost leave out star wars. Not because I don’t love it, but because it has been covered & covered to death. it would be pretty awesome…robocop, aliens vs predators, terminator, jurassic park, congo, swamp thing, batman, etc… What a great company!
I agree, Star Wars needs to be left out.
@Matthew M – See, I feel Star Wars should actually get two essays in the book. One on the vintage line and a second on the Power of the Force line of the 1990s. It feels to me as if we would be ignoring a lot of what made Kenner the company it was if we just say no to Star Wars.
Philip, I’m so excited about this project! It sounds like a lot of fun! These are just a few ideas, take ’em or leave ’em.
I think it’s impossible to talk about Kenner without covering the licensing aspect. They had so many TV shows and movies. Would it be possible to find someone from those days who worked there that could speak to how Kenner chose to “adapt” those properties into toys. Might lead into some neat behind-the-scenes from sculptors and artists.
And on the Star Wars issue–it’s worth keeping in there unless you specifically say this is “everything else”. Star Wars was THE #1 toy in the 80s and it’s what fed the Kenner machine. NOT mentioning it will appear as if you’ve been living under a rock! 😉 Maybe focus that chapter on how Star Wars was the ultimate sandbox toy and was a “gateway drug” for other Kenner toy lines. 😀
Finally, how many kids hacked up, blew up, or customized their Kenner figures? Might be some leads there for another non-traditional Star Wars angle.
I’d love to talk with Kenner designers who worked on different lines. Just have to see how things play out.
You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.
Hmm…very interesting. With regard to writers for the book, are you talking professionals or…?
@Matthew M – You can’t leave out Star Wars; it’s probably the line that Kenner’s most known for. That being said, though, it doesn’t need to take up the bulk of the book; there’s more than enough out there that’s been written about the line.
Writers: I’m not sure if “professionals” are needed, but I would like experienced writers. Toy bloggers would be the most likely contributors.
What might be fun is really short contributions from collectors and toy fans. Say something like a paragraph that’s one person’s memories of the line. Those could be boxed text or sections between the larger works.
I’ll have to complete one essay entirely so I have an example to show everyone.
I think Kenner’s work in acquiring the Batman license after Tim Burton’s film (after Toy Biz’s line) could begin a whole chapter on just how Kenner handled Batman and created the marketing strategy of multiple Batman’s, new paint scheme and accessory. That’s still one of the dominant action figure marketing strategies on the market. Chapters dedicated to Kennerized takes on R- rated films (or the cartoons that spawned them), movie that flopped (Waterworld, Congo), and even their resurgence with the Power of the Force could all work and be quite interesting. Heck, I’d love to see a chapter on the way Kenner implemented “damage” into figures, whether it was Dennis Nedry’s removable arms, “Dino Damage”, or the various Terminator figures that exploded. Those folks did some crazy stuff!
Not sure if my previous comment will show, but I’ll recap (comments not showing for some reason?). Anyway:
Star Wars is unavoidable. It was what made Kenner an international giant. I think the trick is to try and find a unique way of covering it. Maybe talk about the after-market customizing angle or how it was a “gateway drug” for kids to get into other Kenner lines.
That said, I think you could cover SW without it taking over the book and then spend the rest of it on other beloved lines. One thing that would be interesting is to talk about licensing in general and how Kenner adapted TV and movie properties into toys. Did they have a philosophy behind their approach? Was there a key artist or group of artists akin to the Four Horsemen that had an influence across lines?
Anyway, I’m super excited for you to work on this project!
Yes, sw put kenner on the map…but the vintage line is not indicitive of what kenner became. Most of their stuff was the 5 inch lines. That being said it would be really cool to have sw as bookend chapters. Vintage at the beginning &potf2 at the end. I do agree that the biggest thing kenner did, based on sheer numbers released, would be batman. I have tons of kenner stuff in my collection. I would love to contribute photos & possibly an essay or 2.
I really hope this becomes a reality. I’d love to own this. Please make it so.
Phillip…This is a great idea!!! You should collaborate with Danny Newman on this…he is a great blogger and his vintage toy photography is amazing….http://cantinadan.com
The more I think about this the more excited I am. This is a great idea.