The Jurassic Park toys that got cancelled

Posted on 1 Comment

Needless to say, Jurassic Park was a huge hit in 1993, crushing box office records. Many companies were riding on the wave of Spielberg’s success by releasing a wide assortment of toys, collectibles, games and much more. One of the companies that hit the home run with their merchandising was Kenner.

Kenner started production on their 1993 toy line even before the script of the film was finalized, resulting in dinosaurs and action figures resembling nothing like their counterparts on the silver screen. But with their second Jurassic Park toy line in 1994 – dubbed series II – they tried to set things straight by retooling action figures and adding more dinosaurs to continu their winning streak. It’s unknown why but not all toys that were announced in toy vendor brochures or printed on card backs were actually released. Did interest in the Jurassic Park toys dropped after the movie’s release? Were vendors reluctant to stock up on toys that were not inspired by the film? We’ll never know. We do have evidence of the toys that never made it to the toy shelves.

Scrap Davis

One of the Evil Raiders that got away. Scrap Davis was going to be one of the non-movie inspired figures. He would have come with a new Dimetrodon hatchling and a mechanical arm that could be swapped out for a spring-loaded launcher.

Scutosaurus, Estemmenosuchus and Ornithosuchus

Official catalogue photo by Kenner, scanned by Jurassic Toys

These prehistoric weirdos were never released in 1994 but got a second chance in 1997 for Kenner’s The Lost World toy line, albeit in different colors.

Gulper T-Rex

Official catalogue photo by Kenner, scanned by Jurassic Toys

Before the Bull T-Rex from Kenner’s 1997 The Lost World line, there was… Gulper T-Rex! Just like the Bull T-Rex could it swallow small dinosaurs and be retrieved through an opening in the belly.

Jungle Explorer and Bush Devil Tracker

Official catalogue photo by Kenner, scanned by Jurassic Toys

The popular vehicles from the 1993 line were supposed to be re-released but painted in jungle colors.

Which of these toys would you have loved to buy back in they day? Leave a comment below!

1 thought on “The Jurassic Park toys that got cancelled

  1. Could the reason main reason why these toys got cancelled is because they’d be too expensive to sell?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.