Some of the most fascinating ALIEN products are those not associated with the property at all. Some are backhanded unlicenced tributes that share some tangential association at best, they are tributes or have some form of suspicious connection to the property. Take ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ by Playmobil, released in 2022. This is a curiosity worth a closer look. Let’s do that now.
There’s a few details here which are worthy of note. The mustard colored suit worn by the Playmobil figure bares at least a passing resemblance to that of executive officer Gilbert Kane as seen in ALIEN; and it may be considered a coincidence. Also of passing coincidence is the default sky blue color choice that appears on the Playmobil package. It also carries a passing resemblance to the color choice of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy packaging. Yeah. That’s just a coincidence, too. Right? Of course it is. All Playmobil products display this color on their packaging. Now, what about the ‘Special Operation Agent’ numerical designation and product number, 70600? It very closely resembles the product number appearing on the aforementioned Kenner ALIEN toy box, 70060. That’s got to be a coincidence, too? Right? RIGHT???
It’s interesting then, these multiple design choices assembled in a single unit could be labeled as a ‘coincidence’. It’s more likely that ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ is a tongue in cheek Easter Egg tribute as these design elements come together so perfectly on this product. There’s no doubt in my mind someone at Playmobil was having a fun time dreaming up this retail item, knowing too well there’s a slight undercurrent of subversion at play here, making it a wily tribute to Kenner’s infamous vintage toy.
Both Playmobil and LEGO are owned by the Brandstatter Group. Playmobil’s ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ may be the closest we will ever witness in regards to official ALIEN content, that is an R-rated movie, be produced by either Playmobil or LEGO. Especially considering Playmobil is consciously marketed to a younger age group, children ages “4-10”. Notably, a similar age rating is printed on the 1979 Kenner ALIEN box, “AGES 5 AND UP” and appears in a matching location on the upper right corner of the box. No doubt, just another coincidence of convenience. Just like the “WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD” badging obliquely and unintentionally references Kane’s encounter with the facehugger.
On the other hand, LEGO have produced sets for The Lord of the Rings and more recently, for STRANGER THINGS. So, maybe we’re yet to see genuine LEGO ALIEN product at some point in the future. Come on LEGO. We, the adults who purchase a lot of LEGO for our own collections, would love some genuine licenced LEGO ALIEN play sets and minifigs.
-windebieste.
