In Brian Barry’s book Movies In Miniature, the story of action figures based on R-rated films takes some unexpected turns that reveal how public attitudes slowly shifted over the decades. What began as a source of strong backlash eventually grew into an accepted part of the collecting world.
The First Attempt Met Strong Public Resistance
The earliest effort came with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien. Kenner produced a large twelve-inch figure of the title creature that captured its screen appearance with careful sculpting and articulation. A television commercial showed two boys playing with the figure, which only added to the attention once parents familiar with the movie spotted it. The film carried an R rating because of its taut suspense, strong language and graphic death scenes. Many saw the toy as inappropriate for children. Kenner felt the pressure immediately and removed the figure from stores. Plans for the smaller three and three quarter inch versions of the human characters and the alien were quietly canceled. This incident stood as a clear reminder of the careful lines toy companies had to walk in those earlier years.
Rambo Opened A Small Door Through Animation
A few years later, the box office success of the Rambo films created another opportunity. After First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part Two, Coleco wanted to bring the character into figure form. Direct figures based on the violent R-rated movies still seemed too risky for the industry at the time. Instead, a kid-friendly cartoon series called Rambo: The Force of Freedom aired in 1986. The animated show avoided the graphic content of the live-action films. This opened the door for Coleco to release a figure line tied more closely to the cartoon. Even so, the toys would likely never have existed without the original R-rated movies that built the characters’ popularity.
Robocop And Commando Tested New Boundaries
By 1988, attitudes appeared to be softening. Kenner released the Robocop Ultra Police three and three quarter inch line based on the 1987 movie. The film itself was so intense that it needed re-editing to secure its R rating after an initial X rating for extreme violence. The figures included over a dozen characters, three vehicles and the enemy robot ED 260. Kids could load caps into the figures’ backs and fire them by pressing a lever, which matched the movie’s heavy action tone. Around the same time, Diamond Toys offered Commando figures featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Colonel John Matrix in three and three quarter inch, six inch, and sixteen inch sizes, along with several villains. These lines earned decent sales and avoided the kind of public backlash seen with the earlier Alien attempt.
The Nineties Brought Wider Acceptance And Creative Freedom
The nineties saw even more movement. Kenner created figures for Terminator 2: Judgment Day that included inventive variants never shown on screen, such as the Techno Punch Terminator, the Exploding T 1000, the Battle Damage Terminator and the Power Arm Terminator. They also extended the license with a separate T2 Future War series. Later, Kenner obtained rights for Aliens, the 1986 sequel to the original film and released figures and vehicles more than a decade after that movie’s debut. Other R-rated properties received treatment, too. Mattel produced Demolition Man figures with Stallone and Snipes characters, plus vehicles. Galoob made five-inch figures and micro-scale battle packs for Starship Troopers, highlighted by a massive ten-inch electronic Warrior Bug with moving parts and jaws.
McFarlane Toys Raised The Standard For Horror Icons
During this decade, artist Todd McFarlane left Marvel and started his own company. His Spawn figures set new benchmarks for sculpting detail, articulation and paint work. McFarlane then turned to horror with the Movie Maniacs line running from 1998 to 2004. It featured iconic characters including Norman Bates from Psycho, Brundlefly from The Fly, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare On Elm Street, Jason from Friday The Thirteenth Michael Myers from Halloween and Ghostface from Scream. These figures appealed strongly to older fans and horror enthusiasts. They moved the entire category forward by offering greater accuracy to the screen characters and actors.
Modern Lines Balance Detail With Mature Marketing
In more recent years, figures based on R-rated movies often sit in separate store sections or come as limited editions. This placement signals they are meant for mature collectors. Larger formats, more detailed paint applications and smaller production runs help them feel like true collectibles rather than everyday toys. The approach respects the original films while giving dedicated fans accurate representations of the characters they connected with on screen.