It’s April 26th—Alien Day! And to celebrate, I’ve launched a new YouTube video where I craft a line of Underoos based on the often-imitated 1979 sci-fi horror classic Alien. As a bonus, you can download these custom templates to design your own Underoos here.
It may seem odd to create a children's product based on a rated-R film, but this was a real thing in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
So today, I’m going to present five of the most egregious toy lines based on films clearly not made for kids.
From gory horror flicks and ultraviolent action fare to raunchy adult comedies, nothing seemed off-limits when it came to marketing products to children in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
The most notorious was, of course, Alien. Kenner infuriated parents with the premier of the 12” Alien xenomorph action figure. In addition to this nightmare-fueled monstrosity, Kenner also manufactured an Alien Movie Viewer and board game. Their proposed line of 3.75-inch action figures never made it past the prototype stage until the line was eventually brought to life years later when Super 7 launched their Reaction figures line.
But Kenner wasn’t the only company to tap into the Alien fandom. Rack toy manufacturer HG Toys produced an Alien jigsaw puzzle and Target practice set, and Topps created a line of wax pack trading cards.
Toy companies clearly didn't learn their lesson because the rated-R kid's products kept coming.
Number 5 - Police Academy
This adult comedy features an unruly band of police cadets, successfully softened up and presented as a line of wacky cartoon characters complete with a line of action figures from Kenner.
Kenner also tapped into the role-playing angle with a series of humorous dress-up police equipment gear. In addition, Tiger electronics offered up their handheld Police Academy video game.
Number 4 - Robocop
By toning down some of the violence and social commentary from the original Robocop with the animated adventures of Robocop, Kenner could create a line of action figures and playsets slightly more appropriate for kids. Marvel Comics got into the action with their official comic book adaptation, followed by a Robocop NES game from Data East and dress-up kits from Toy Island.
Number 3 - The Toxic Avenger
Toxi was also given the animated treatment with Toxic Crusaders. Playmates took a cue from their popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line and released a collection of colorful day-glow action figures that felt right at home with the turtles. This successful rebrand resulted in a Colorform set, a Super Nintendo game from Ban Dai, and who could forget Toxi’s Toxic Waste barrel of slime.
Number 2 - Rambo
Rambo too got into the animated action with a Rambo-The Force of Freedom cartoon. Coleco produced the action figure line while LJN offered us a line of motorized Water Guns. Not surprisingly, Rambo brought us a whole lot of toy guns, the most impressive of which was Arco’s assemble-yourself modular M-60 machine gun Target game.
Number 1 - Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy fever was in full swing, and not even a slasher flick was off the table when it came to kids' toys. We saw everything from Matchbox’s Talking Freddy doll to Entertech’s Freddy Fright Squirters and LJN’s squishable Freddy figure. There was even a Freddy Yo Yo from Spectra Star.
But the ultimate Freddy toy, in my opinion, was Matchbox’s Freddy Max FX doll, which featured a special effects artist who could adopt the frightening persona of Freddy himself.
And there you have it, my top 5 Greatest R-rated movie kids products from the 70s, 80s, and 90s! But hey, what do you think? Do you agree with my list, or do you know of some that I left out? Let me know by leaving a comment.
Before I sign off, I do have a limited number of Alien Underoos Prototypes on my website. If you are interested, get them before they're gone. As always, my Patreon has an archive of all the project files I’ve created, including all four Alien Underoos designs. Join us today!
That's all for this month. Until next time, keep making awesome stuff!
Awesome stuff Scott! My wife's parents went to see Alien in the theater when my mother in law was pregnant with said wife, and she actually went into labor during the screening. So, when we started dating, I think my first nickname for her was "My little chestburster." I think my favorite r rated adaptation for kids was the "Swamp Thing" cartoon, and I didn't watch it but I recall there was a Coa=nan cartoon in the 90's too. May the 4th be with you!