Ah, it’s another one of those so-called “rare” 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figures all the cool kids are clamoring over for sale on eBay. This one is from Canada and it’s a “Buy Now” listing of Ca$2,000 (US$1,530). It includes the figure, the poster and a beat up old box. Those features alone don’t make it rare as boxed ALIEN figures appear on the service on a regular basis, almost weekly. Just wait. Another will appear soon. So frequently do they appear it’s almost like they are scheduled to do so. They are simply just not as rare as sellers will so readily claim. In which case, is it possible this listing may possess some other quality to justify this commonly overused claim of being “rare”? Let’s take a closer look at this sample for sale.
At least it’s all there – well, most of it, anyway – the toy, box and poster. Each of them show signs of damage or aging of some description. Nonetheless, it’s a great start to be complete in this regard and all three together makes them valuable. Of significance, this item is a non-standard version of the toy. This item is not only being sold in Canada – it was made there. This is important because most Kenner ALIEN toys were manufactured in the USA. This one wasn’t and there are differences present in all the component parts of the package. Unlike the US version, this box and poster are bilingual, printed in English and French. The toy itself will have about a dozen different variations including – but not limited to – being constructed of a lighter grey styrene, 1979 production details stamped on the side of the jaw trigger will be absent and glue residue will be present on the arms. All of these features are limited to the Canadian version of the toy. Other anomalies will be present too, but rest assured, this sample differs from its counterparts produced south of the border in many albeit small details.
These subtle differences mark the Canadian sample of the toy in many ways as a variant of the ALIEN toy and make it a piece worthy of attention. The box alone demonstrates clearly the use of French and English. You won’t see vintage boxes printed in the USA badged in this way. Importantly, the US version outnumbers the Canadian toy by a significant volume. My estimates are about twenty to one. For every twenty US samples that appear on eBay, only a single Canadian figure will be listed, approximately. You’ll see US versions appearing on eBay with astonishing regularity. Not so much this Canadian iteration being sold here.
This means loose samples of the Canadian toy appear on eBay about once every two months, or so. Boxed versions appear at a lesser rate, at around once every six months to a year. …and then there’s the very ephemeral and highly sought after poster included with this sample. Now, If you want to talk about rare production pieces, that double sided B&W sheet is rare. Very rare. It qualifies in ways that make other 1979 Kenner ALIEN toys found on eBay look as common as this year’s range of Funko POPS! We are talking, undeniable levels of scarcity in regards to that single item. Let me put this in perspective for you. I’ve been an enthusiast of the Kenner ALIEN toy for four decades and during the past six years since I commenced the HIDEOUS PLASTIC project, I’ve only seen one other bilingual Canadian poster like this one. One other. Now that is what I call rare.
So yes. Unlike other recently posted US made samples of the toy that are merely claimed to be “rare” (See my last two posts on the front page of this blog), this boxed Canadian sample is the legitimate deal, defined simply by it not being made in the US. The figure is rare. The box is very rare. The poster is extremely rare. The three items included together isn’t something you will see very often. If at all.
I’m not even interested in exploring the condition of these items as this sale represents a trio of legitimately rare items, and sure. At over US$1,500, the box, figure and poster are all in less than desirable shape and quality but when such items are at this level of scarcity, you might have to forgive them for being aged and beaten. If you do want to add a remarkable sample of this toy to your collection, you won’t find many like this one, in any condition.
I dismissively blow off all other casual claims of other 1979 Kenner ALIEN toys as being rare with a casual wave and contemptuous exclamation of “Bah humbug and nonsense. You don’t know what you’re talking about!” because as far as I am concerned in regards to this Canadian sample of the Kenner toy, box and poster available on eBay right now?
Yes. This is my definition of RARE.
-Windebieste.
