Contrary to popular belief, the original 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy isn’t rare. Kenner made so many of these old toys, you can always readily find anywhere upwards of a dozen of them available on eBay at any time. What’s genuinely rare, however, is any print material Kenner produced to promote the toy. Listed on eBay today is one such item. Promotional brochures like these were provided to prospective retailers seeking information on (what was at the time Kenner’s unrevealed) eighteen inch tall movie inspired ALIEN toy. These brochures promoted and provided basic information to stores to aid in its wholesale interest for the toy to be stocked on store shelves in late 1979.

It’s a great item, too. Full colour on both sides and folded down the middle to become a large four page leaflet. One of the interesting features of this vintage document is it lacks any image of what retailers were being asked and expected to stock on their shelves in large numbers in 1979. There are no images of the ALIEN toy present on the brochure. At this stage of the movie’s pre-release life when this item was published and distributed, 20th Century Fox made no reveal of the creature at all, cannily and consciously concealing it’s identity from audiences until the release of the movie. This was done to achieve maximum shock value when the movie was released. This practice also extended to all commercial licence holders wanting to take advantage of the movie’s release. Curiously, within the interior of its folded page, this alert appears “CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS PREVENT US FROM REVEALING THE AWESOME SECRET OF THE ALIEN OR ITS FULL CONFIGURATION AT THIS TIME” making it a promotional brochure distributed without any images of the toy it was intended to promote. It’s difficult to imagine how retailers were inspired to stock these toys in any number under these conditions. They were just expected to do so following the runaway success of Kenner Star Wars merchandise that had previously wildly outsold all expectations.

A truly curious marketing relic. Bidding starts at US$9.99. CHEAP! …but not for long.

-windebieste.

Ah! This is my favorite kind of eBay auction. One where listing features a 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy with auction bidding starting at US$0.99. One lousy dollar. Not bad if no one else bids on this item. That won’t last long, though. Nonetheless, the extremely low starting bid means the final value of the item is a more genuine reflection of the item’s true value. Despite a few issues, this looks like a great piece, too.Oh, this one dirty piece of vintage popular culture prestige right here and it looks like he’s spent 40 years under the house or inside a dog kennel. He is coated in dust and grime and thorough clean will be required. This sample is also incomplete, with the head dome missing. Nothing unusual about that. Around 90% of all Kenner ALIEN toys today are missing this piece. Significantly, the dorsal crest that sits between the shoulders of the toy is present. That’s extremely welcome! The upper left quad appendage is rotated out of alignment which means it is internally broken from the mounting plate inside the figure. At least it’s still mounted in place. The other parts in question that may (or may not) be present are both halves of the tongue. At least one is present, probably the lower half. That’s a good thing. There are no images showing the mouth open so it’s hard to determine what’s present but at least one piece is visible in the mouth. Other than these issues, this piece will polish up nice and spruce. All of the limbs are attached, there’s no breakage on the arms, legs or tail and he appears to stand independently. A nice item for someone looking to do some minor restoration work to bring it up to display worthy condition. A fantastic project item!

I’m looking forward to seeing how high bidding will reach on this item. US$0.99! Wow! I’ve heard stories of how these toys were disposed in enormous quantities after failing at stores and toy shops. They were (allegedly) stacked high on display in a remaindered stock and clearance outlet to be sold to interested retailers for the low wholesale discount price of US$0.99 for each figure in a box, back in 1980.

-windebieste.

It looks like someone has found a Kenner ALIEN toy and decided to tear it down, listing all the loose parts on eBay. A good variety of parts are available including some items conveniently being sold in pairs. Listed are a pair of arms, pair of legs, a torso with tail and dorsal quad appendage set; and a loose head. None of the more highly sought after pieces have been listed. There’s no head dome, both parts of the vac plated tongue are absent and the ever elusive dorsal crest are not listed. Not a problem. There’s still some pieces here someone will want. Let’s take a closer look.

US$90 – Pair of legs. Minor scratches on surfaces that connect to the torso but the flanges are complete and unbroken. Both legs need a clean and have minor scratches, otherwise good average condition.
US$70 – Head. Some deformation to the ribbed detail along the right side of the head. Mouth trigger appears to operate. Some blemishes to the glow paint but the paint is otherwise unscratched. Both upper and lower sets of teeth are present and in reasonable condition. No tongue parts. No dome. Again, needs some cleaning.
US$80 – Pair of arms. Missing both rubber anchors needed to attach these severed limbs to the torso. Both hands have mutilations to the fingers to varying degrees. Elbow spurs are both complete and unbroken. In need of a good clean.
US$70 – Torso with tail and appendages. Tail is attached to the torso and is unbroken. All four quad appendage pieces are still attached to the mounting plate. The shoulder slot for a dorsal crest is clean, square, straight and unbroken. Also present and unbroken on the torso are the 8 support pins located inside the shoulders which are needed to keep the arms from collapsing within the torso.

A nice selection of parts, all in clearly used condition and needing at least some attention to clean them. Nothing a good soak in warm, soapy water and the generous application of an old toothbrush can’t improve. Seller will only post within the US.

-windebieste.

Let’s talk about some rare 1979 Kenner ALIEN goodies! No. Not the Alien toy itself. That thing is as common as stripes on a zebra. I do enough talking about it as it is. It’s certainly more common than most people appreciate. Anyway, this time I’m referring to this original unfolded double sided single sheet colour ALIEN flyer which appears to be in mint condition. These print materials were available as free handouts from retail outlets back in 1979 to promote the toy. These things don’t appear on eBay very often.
It is rare by any definition of the word you may choose to use. And it’s in surprisingly good condition, too! The seller claims this is an uncirculated sample and never been offered to the public before. How much does he want for it? You can safely bet this item’s final sale value will be impressive. The item has been listed for sale on eBay for a few days now; and the bidding is currently sitting at US$280, with another 2 days to go before the auction ends. How much will you pay for a 45 year old flyer extolling the virtues of a toy that didn’t sell very well back in 1979? I’m pretty sure someone has a box of these old things stashed away, somewhere. The contents of that box will be worth more than my car.

-windebieste.

A small selection of 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy limbs has become available on eBay. Three pieces in total, all listed individually including a right arm and both legs. Perfectly fine pieces if you are looking for parts needed to complete a sample of the toy currently missing these parts. All pieces appear to be clean and complete with some wear from normal use. Here’s a few links if you are interested in purchasing either or all of these parts.

US$59.99 – Right arm. All six fingers are attached and the rubber anchor appears to be unbroken. The blunt elbow spur is also present. These features can all be damaged but they’re all good here.
US$44.99 – Left leg. Complete with the spindle needed to attach it to the toy’s hip in good and unbroken condition
US$44.99 – Right leg. As above. Complete with unbroken spindles in good condition.

-windebieste.

This nice pair of vintage ALIEN items is available on eBay right now. If you’re looking for a bargain, then up for grabs in a single listing is a 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy and a 1999 AMT ERTL ALIEN kit. Bidding starts at US$200 or you can buy both now for US$275. The older Kenner toy is lacking the commonly missing parts, head dome, dorsal crest and the lower part of the tongue. Nothing new there. He’s a little dusty but his jaw activation still works. Arms are loose but still attached. The arms float a little outside the shoulder sockets; but just having the arms attached either by original rubber anchors or via third party repair method doesn’t detract from them being present and seated in place and not missing altogether. A generally nice figure that could benefit from a good clean with soapy water and a toothbrush. The 1999 AMT ERTL ALIEN kit also included in this offerieng is new and still wrapped in original shrink wrap. It is a re-release of the original 1979 MPC ALIEN kit and is a relatively common and easy to find item. Nonetheless, an unopened sample is a worthy addition to any ALIEN collection. Well, both of these figures would be welcome. A great pair of items and priced to sell quick.

More information regarding the AMT ERTL kit can be found here on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

-windebieste.