Kenner Jurassic Park: Complete History and Anniversary Review
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Join us as we dive into the fascinating history of the Kenner Jurassic Park toy line from 1993! We'll explore the origins of this iconic collection, showcase all the action figures, dinosaurs, and playsets, and share some unique behind-the-scenes stories. Don't miss this nostalgic journey through one of the most beloved toy lines of the '90s!
A big thank you to:
Tim Effler: timeffler.com
Jurassic Park World Collector: / @jurassic_prk_wrld_col...
Jurassic Toys The Museum: jurassictoys.net/
All you viewers! - Zábava
The warm colors of the JP artwork will always be part of my core memories. They had a sense of mystery that really struck me.
The JP design in general is very comfy and nostalgic, it instantly takes me back to the early 90s. The Lost World also has a specific aesthetic I feel.
Love the video bro! I’m so happy to have been a part of this😀
You are the best Dustin! Thank you for all your help, you're too kind!
@@trevorc4380no problem man!
There's no denying Kenner made quality toys. I've collected the JP and TLW lines over the years, but I'll never forget receiving the Chasmosaurus back in '97.
Great to hear you're collecting the old Kenner figures! That Chasmosaurus does bring back a lot of memories... I loved that TLW Packaging!
And they had the best toy commercials.
I god I had every single one of that series. Probably the most amazing toys ever made.
As you say it in the video: what an incredible time to be alive. I’ll never forget these toys, they were my favourite, so much so that i still dream with them sometimes. It makes me feel sad that kids today really don’t have a toy line (or a film for that matter) to be this passionate about. Thanks for the awesome video!
Thank you for your comment and compliment!
I agree, it was such a magical toy line and just seeing the figures gives me those nostalgic feelings. I have this thought in the back of my mind... will the kids of today look back at the Mattel line in 20-30 years and have the same feelings we did about the Kenner line?
I recall my grandfather boiling the Red Rex’s tail to soften the material and he successfully removed the kink.
My father got model paint and painted the “rims” of the Explorer to better match the film.
This was a great video. Thank you for putting it together.
I loved this retrospective, but in regard to the Jurassic Park logo, I feel like I've got to mention, graphic designer Chip Kidd, who's work on the novel's original jacket cover, was the inspiration for Tim Effler's iconic logo. He performed one of my favorite Ted Talks, where he went into great detail, on how he came up with that jacket and how that design still continues to be used and recognized. Thank you, Trevor, and especially thank you Mr. Effler. Your contributions to pop culture, will continue to burn a hole in my pocket, till the day I die!
Hey! Thanks for your comment. That's a great point and after reading your comment, I don't know how I missed that about Chip Kidd. I remember watching a video of him talking about how he was created the logo. Thanks for the reminder and for stopping by!
The coelophysis 2 pack was my first JP toy. Picked it up at Kmart before I had seen the film. I was so impressed with the realistic skin, my imagination ran wild as to what dinos we'd see in the movie. The toys really added to the hype. The dino card that had the biggest impression on me was the one with the Stegosaurus being wrangled in the field. There was just such a realism about it. It's really cool how the toy department came up with the official logo. Most iconic film logo in history next to Batman.
Very cool to hear your story and it's awesome the Coelophysis was your first JP toy.
I agree, the Batman logo is so iconic. Even just seeing that logo brings back so many memories.. I'm a HUGE Batman fan.
Thank you for sharing this. Great and informative video! It certainly was a great time to be alive as a kid.
Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed it and comments like these always motivate me. Thank you.
As a massive fan of the line...this is good stuff.
Completely agree!
I got the electronic red rex for Christmas one year it still stands out as one of my all time favorite gifts.
Thanks for your comment! I hear ya, that feeling of opening your gift and seeing that huge red box and rex.... hard to beat that!
The OG cap from 1993 would be cool to own
I was 11 when the movie came out. It really was a fun time to be a kid.
This is exactly what Ive been waiting for! No idea how this hasnt been done in this sort of fashion this is STELLAR!!!
Hi! Thanks so much for your comment and feedback. I can't tell you how motivating it is to read comments like this. Thank you and i'm glad you enjoyed it!
Sadly most toy channels are run by gen X’s who hate anything that didn’t come out during the 80’s and sneer at the JP line. It’s so nice to see it get some love. Great video! Did not know that about the logo!
Well put together video, very informative and professional. Keep up the good work!
I had most of the toys in this line! In fact, I still have most of them. The nephews play with them now.
That's awesome that you kept them all these years and can relive the experience with your nephews!
I enjoyed that you went in depth with history of the Kenner Jurassic Park line, It's crazy how I never knew the origin of Jurassic Park famous logo was born thanks to Kenner and giving the sculpt artists and former Kenner employees credit. As well as mentioning how they were able to think outside of the box at the time when all that was being produced were basic hard plastic dinosaur figures. It would be awesome if you continued with S2, TLW, and Chaos effect leading up to Kenners fallout. Amazing in depth history video, probably one of the best ones (Since barely anyone attempts to touch on this history).
Hey Dodgson! Thanks so much for your comment, it's appreciated and motivating for me to hear your feedback.
You made me remember Ii got a ton of these in the 90s growing up. Still got a Big deluxe Electronic raptor.
Hi! Happy you got a trip down memory lane. It's pretty cool when reminiscing about certain old action figures lines... I get the same feeling as I had as a kid. Thanks for your comment.
It's incredible how much you researched into this. Thorouhly enjoyed how you presented all of this. My entire family was watching this!!! "SON , WIFE ..... STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING, TREVOR C RELEASED A NEW VIDEO!"
Thanks Jessey! I'm glad the whole family can enjoy my content.
These toys were incredibly important to me. Almost every one of mine ended up with bits missing, or just becoming worn out, but I wouldn't change those hours playing with the plants of the garden acting as jungle for the world.
Countless hours of enjoyment! It was the perfect time to be a kid.
The fact that they were worn out means you have a fantastic time with them. Thanks for your comment!
I absolutely Loveeee the JP Legacy Ford Explorer! I bought a few just out of pure movie nostalgia!
I agree! Love that explorer and I gotta get at least 2 of them!
Just finished my dinosaur collection from both Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park the Lost World, amazing video!!!
Hi! Thanks for your comment and I'm happy you enjoyed the video.
It's so awesome to hear fellow collectors complete their collection. The JP and TLW lines are my favorites, super cool that you completed your collection!
Great video! I grew up with the Lost World and Chaos Effect toys, I really hope you plan to cover those as well just to see what ones I missed out on, I always wanted the "High Hide" but it never seemed to be in stores lol
Very fun watch, thx.
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
I feel very lucky to have the large base and a bunch of the dinosaurs still with me and working from my childhood.
My big red rex has the bend in the tail.
Christmas ‘93 always has a special place in my heart. My dad was in the Air Force and at the time we lived in Germany. He got orders to Luke in Arizona and so we had to move during the holidays. We didn’t have a place yet so we spent Christmas at Luke AFB in biliting, kind of like a suite hotel. All our stuff plus the Christmas tree decorations etc were being shipped. My parents managed to make it work with a tree from wal mart and some decorations that we put up, including a big red ribbon on the door. That Christmas season was also the first time I actually went up to see Santa at the Metro Center mall (where they filmed Bill&Ted) I asked him for Jurassic Park toys especially the compound. My mom was kind of against it due to the PG-13 rating and me only being 6 (she didn’t like the Dino damage gore). Unbeknownst to me my Sister and Dad had convinced my mom Jurassic Park was a ok and that I’d seen worse in the Indiana Jones movies (Kali Ma!). On Christmas Eve I went to sleep with my stuffed Montgomery Ward Rudolph. Morning came and I was uncertain anything Jurassic Park would be there. As I opened the presents the first one was Alan Grant then Tim then the electronic Dilophosaurus. Then a big box was there. I opened it and there he was (or she) the Electronic T-Rex (red Rex). I also got other Dinosaur merch as Dinosaurs were in. I looked around and realized that was it, unfortunately there was no compound. I said “I guess that’s it” even without the compound it was a great impressive haul. My dad who later told me he couldn’t wait any more as he saw a hint of disappointment on my face jumped up and said “wait a minute what’s this back here?” Then he pulled out a big box that was hidden behind the end table. I knew instantly what it was, I don’t think I’ve ripped wrapping paper off something faster than in that moment. In almost disbelief I starred at it for a minute looking at the Jurassic Park compound. All day I was making the T. rex tear down fences, flip the jeep and of course eating figures. Thanks to my parents Christmas’93 even though we had to move, change schools and didn’t have our usual Christmas they still managed to not only make it work but I think of it as one of the best.Even today I still have all of them compound and all. As I write this I’m looking at them on the shelves plus a ton of other Jurassic Park/World toys I’ve collected over the years. Thank you for the great video highlighting these awesome toys.
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your story. As I read that, I could picture what it was like and that must've been the best Christmas ever! Your parents really did everything they could to make it memorable.
We're around the same age and I went through similar experiences as you. I can't believe my parents let me watch Aliens, Terminator 2 and Robocop at that time haha. Thanks again for sharing, reading these stories really brings a smile to my face.
Amazing video. Would love to see another video covering the other Jurassic park lines
These toys are so nostalgic, I wish I collected more of them back when I was a kid. Great job on the video! So much research as always, and the new graphics were a neat touch
Thanks Kaz! You know, it's never too late to start collecting again...!
Born in 2005, I missed the area of when the Kenner line was in stores, but even then the toys still hold a HUGE amount of nostalgia, and I even remember seeing and buying small Jp3 toy packs from Toys R Us.
Even today, the Kenner line still holds up greatly, and I still think that it was essentially the peak as far as dinosaur toys goes.
Hasbro butchered the Jurassic line for the 2015 film, so was happy to hear Mattel picked up the mantle. And while Mattel's toys are utterly fantastic, I'd say they're still not the same as the greatness that was Kenner's original Jurassic Park toyline.
I've been able to collect a small handful of Kenner figures over the years, but I can't imagine how AWESOME it must've been to be a kid in the 90's when the toys were avalible.
Thanks for your comment! I share the same sentiment as you regarding all those lines you mentioned. It's great to see someone from the younger generation love these old Kenner figures. Thanks for stopping by!
I remember grow up I would get so happy to go to the flea market to find old Jurassic park toys. The way I would check if they were Jurassic park is if I recognized it it saw the JP mark . I was like 5 when I started doing that it was 2009 so it was kinda rare when I would find them.
Very cool to hear someone from the younger generation hunting these figures at Flea Markets! I hope you're still collecting?
Toys back in the day were so good it was unreal.
Partly because kida were all internet robots but also because there were so many great lines.
I'm sad that we never got a John Hammond figure and a Genaro.
I missed out on the Dr Ian Malcolm figure
I hear ya! Yeah i'm surprised they never released a John Hammond, but I guess every figure at that time had some kind of capture gear and it was hard for them to imagine how to get some action feature on an older guy!
Nice video. We had the entire set of the original toys. Hunted them down in blockbuster stores of all places
Thank you! That's very cool! I never knew Blockbusters sold these figures, that's a really good note!
Had no idea that the Red Rex was molded from Stan Winstons maquette. Nice detail!
Yeah! It's pretty cool if you have the Red Rex to have a bit of Stan Winston history.
Great video! I remember the Series II figures being much more difficult to find in stores.
Thank you! I appreciate that.
Oh man I hear ya on series 2. I don't think I ever saw the Carnotosaurus or Jr. Rex of series 2 in stores.... must've been a low run!
Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it 😊
Hi! Thank you so much for your comment, I very much appreciate it. It's inspired me to think about making more of them! Hope to see you around!
I picked up the whole diecast line for a pound each back in the day as a kid, i had the full toy line and i came across the diecast in a hardware store. What a find, it had me thinking was more JP things out there that continued the illustraed pack in cards.
Great find! I'd definitely jump on them if I found them at a flea market. The card art is amazing, I hope you got them all!
Look for the mark of Jurassic Park! Only on official Jurassic Park merchandise. If it's not Jurassic Park, it's extinct!
God, I still remember all the ads
I read your comment in that advertisers voice! Great nostalgic memories, thanks for dropping by!
One of my all time favorite toy lines. I never realized I owned almost all of it as a kid; besides the helicopter, the red jeep, the red raptor, and the Malcolm figure. The junior T-Rex remains one of my favorite toys I ever had and the best T-Rex toy ever made in my opinion. The bigger red rex was cool, I had both, but not nearly as cool to me. Also, the command center computer voice lines are burnt into my brain 😂
6:40 Ah! I remember that toy. It brings back memory.
Truly excellent overview!!
Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun researching, hopefully I can make more videos of the Kenner line in the future!
I was 25 in 1993 and read the book in two days before seeing the movie on opening night. As for the toys, at 25, I only got the red rex. Now I totally regret that and have the whole line, thanks to eBay and I'm now getting boxed versions. That Carnotaurus from Series II in the box was NOT cheap!!!
Thanks for your comment!
Oh man, that series II Carno in box is the holy grail! I was recently looking at prices and they've certainly gone up!
I was in TRU when the original JP toys hit. Went home with all of them
Oh man that must've been some great memories! Awesome that you got to complete collection, must've had a blast playing with them!
I need a retrospective of everything after this up until Jurassic World
Thanks for your comment! I'd love to do it. I guess it's research time for me!
Mattel is knocking it out with f the park ! But Kenner always my 1st love
Oh man, this was my childhood! This is what my channel is all about. I love seeing fellow enthusiasts. I hope I spelled that right.
Mine too! I took a peak at your channel and you have a ton of great pieces, awesome to see another enthusiast as well. Love your profile pic btw, that was my favorite image as a kid.
Im 28, and i miss the original Jurassic Park toys that i grew up with.
Thanks for the watch! I hope you get a chance to start re-collecting them again!
The JP toy packaging must have inspired the Genesis video games, because that "palm tree sunset" look is my ultimate, core memory from Jurassic Park. If they ever make a Jurassic movie with that fiery, ominous (yet beautiful) style, I will be a very happy camper.
It's funny how the Chaos Effect Raptor/Archaeopteryx hybrid turned out to be a pretty accurate version of the velociraptor we know of today
Thanks for your comment! I looked up the Archaeopteryx and you're right! Does look like a much more accurate Velociraptor. Now I want to get it haha!
One thing that absolutely caught me off guard was how much of these original Kenner designs were carried over into future iterations of the franchise, such as the Bush Devil Jeep's configuration with the extendable seat like one of the ones from The Lost World, or my favorite coloration of a Ceratosaurus in an ostensibly throw away die cast design. You can really tell the respect future artists and designers had for these original works.
Would really love a follow up video about The Lost World line, those absolutely blew my mind and still hold up to this day. My mom just moved and I had to go through the slightly saddening moment of deciding which toys to hold onto from my past and which ones to donate, suffice it to say, many of them that I kept were those Kenner Jurassic Park and The Lost World figures.
Thanks for your comment! That's a great point about the longevity of the designs, they still hold up so well and have carried forward into future parts of the franchise. I could be wrong, but I felt like people's creativity at that time was off the charts.
Thanks again, I hope to do more Kenner JP videos!
I remember having the velociraptor, electronic dilophosaurus, electronic t rex, grant with the net, ellie and the command center playset
I didn't grow up in the 90s but I wish I did I do not belong in this era but do own some Jurassic Park kenner toys I have 3 figures Alan Grant, Ellie Satler hope I didn't butcher her last name and Robert Muldoon. I also have the bush devil tracker AKA the Jeep no Dinosaurs sadly but im trying.
I also want to collect Jurassic Park 3 toys I know there not everyone's favorite but I like some of the designs of the Dinosaurs.
Very cool to hear your appreciation for this line even though you didn't grow up in the 90s! It should be a fun hunt for you to eBay some of these, best of luck!
@@trevorc4380 thank you.
fantastic.i do love these deep dive videos especially related to old jurassic stuffs.
Hi! Happy to hear you enjoyed the video!
When I get into something, I love to deep dive to find out about the behind the scenes. Thanks for your comment!
Absolutely wonderful trip down memory lane. I had never heard the story about the logo before. ❤
Hey! Thanks for viewing it and I appreciate your enthusiasm! I've been super nostalgic lately and it was a ton of fun putting this together.
When I was a kid, my grandma got me this small hand held jurassic park video game shaped like a t Rex head. The screen was in its open mouth.
Thanks for your comment. I just looked that up and wow! I've never seen that before. Would've been really cool to play as a kid.
@trevorc4380 if I remember correctly you played as a pterodactyl and flew around trees and stuff
I had both those screamers loved them had a buddy with the big trex i was so jealous haha
I'm so lucky that I still have all my jp toys. I've looked at the new ones and I miss the rubber skin. My favourite is the Bull T-Rex from the lost world
Awesome to hear you still have them all! The Bull was incredible, such a big and imposing toy with a cool play feature!
I still have the red Rex and it still stomps and makes noises when yelling. I also replaced the battery. It sits on top of my fridge with a sombrero these days and I wipe him down every time I clean the kitchen. He is in great shape and people love him.
Excellent vudeo
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Having fallen in love with the first movie, I had nearly every dinosaur and human toy from Series 1 with the only things missing being the Stegosaurus, Jungle Explorer and the Command Compound, all of which I acquired years later from eBay and I also learned of Series 2 approximately during that time. To say that the toys captured my imagination would be an understatement. So overall great job from the crew at Kenner responsible for the toy line and a wholehearted thanks to all of them for contributing to my childhood memories.
I hear ya! It's awesome to hear you were able to complete your collection all those years later.
Excellent video 👌❤️
Thank you so much! Very much appreciate your feedback!
I remember the stan winston T-Rex at the back of the box, I was thinking OMG that is photo realistic, I really wish I get this toy. But when I finally saw the red Rex in toy shop, it wasn't the same. I was very disappointed and it was very expensive so I gave it up and never had it. But, almost 30 years later, I saw the Hammond Collection T-Rex, and that is so good looking, very comparable to the original stan winston Rex and highly articulated too. The HC Rex is now on my shelf and I'm so happy to look at it every day.
I’m a hard. Core collector of Jurassic park and love this video
Thank you so much! Makes me happy that you enjoyed the video!
Mattel should make this unmade Stan Winston model maquette t-rex.
Make it real feel rubber.
That would be awesome!
I miss the 90s I had the gray jeep
I miss it too!
look at the Alan grant series 1 card, it's concept art from the studio with Harrison Ford as Grant (he turned it down)
Blood sample missile will never not sound hilariously over the top.
hahaha I know right? I didn't think about it until making this video, but like... how would that work? Haha thanks for your comment.
From the box art, it looks like a huge rocket propelled syringe, which would probably be “non-lethal” to a Braceo
Nothing says '90s toys branding more than using the word "Deluxe". Haha. Only JP merch I ever had was a watch from MacDonalds during Lost World's debut. Good times. Also what's with Dennis losing 200 pounds in the figures? Haha.
It's funny you mention those watches, I was literally looking at them online 2 days ago!
Haha I agree, looks like Dennis was hittin the Gym in series 1.
Well done! It’s just unfortunate that they decided not to keep using the 4.5 inch figure. Now the newer figures are too small in scale
Thank you for your feedback! I completely agree, I loved those 4.5 inch human figures, they seem to fit in scale a lot better IMO.
I had all of these including the park play set. Sadly I sold them all to a poor kid at my moms garage sale for $10. He’s probably grown now and they are in the landfill somewhere.
That's very kind of you to sell it to those less fortunate... I hope whoever bought them still treasures them!
I had a bunch of JP toys as a kid. I even had some of the other JP merchandise like a few of those books with the dinosaurs on the front. I had a whole binder full of JP cards which I now wish I had kept. I had the compound, and the box was full of JP toys. The big red Rex the juvenile tan Rex. The tour vehicle. All the human figures. I was 8 years old when I saw JP in June 1993. I even read the novel shortly after seeing the movie. The JP toys were great. I even bought a few of the JPTLW toys though I mostly just collected them. I think all the toys released for the later movies just weren't as great. I remember seeing the JP3 toys in stores and thinking they were kind of lame.
Hey! Thanks for your comment, we're pretty much the same age, so we must've had similar experiences with Jurassic Park and these Kenner figures.
I agree, it was around JP3 that I felt like the toys took a slight dip... I remember thinking "Why are these dinos so small?".
@@trevorc4380 They were also made of hard plastic. No more realistic dino skin.
Neato.
I had that screaming `Dilophosaurus.. sadly i lost it :(
Buy it again. Even in box they are not that hard to find.
Very cool! I hope you get a chance to grab another one, it's always fun to rediscover old toys!
nice vid
the style of the figures were more inspired by the book then the movie... in development they had more book infos then few pictures of the movies.... thats why theere is also the young T Rex and celophysis like in the book (they were not sure if it appaers) or dennis Nedry. also the whole style was a mix of book and movie ... they corrected the likeness in Serie 2 like u mensioned
Absolutely! It was such a different time back then. Nowadays we'll get figures that look exactly like the movie/game/cartoon...it's interesting to me that they allowed the released these figures that didn't even look like the characters in the movie! Thanks for your comment.
I’m remember the commercials for these with the tagline at the end if they don’t have the JP there extincti
That talking computer never shut up.
The movie logo was made by concept artist Sandy Collora. Does that mean he worked for Kenner?
Hi! Thank you for your comment!
I just looked up Sandy and it does say he created the shapes and typeface, which is quite interesting!
I'm going to try to find some time to dig a bit further and hopefully get in touch with Sandy to get his insight.
As always, I want to give the most accurate information in my content! If I find out anything, I'll be sure to pin that comment to the top of this video! Thanks again for your comment.
This is a wonderful video and I really hope your channel grows, but the use of some AI generated images in here is quite off putting. No hate to you or your content but there would of been artists happy to draw or edit some of these for you
Hi! Thanks for your comment and your encouragement, means a lot!
I appreciate your feedback. I hope the channel grows, and if it does, I'd love to commission artists to add to the story telling. Thanks again.
The dino skin is what made the figures what they are today. It's so annoying to see the new ones filled with screw holes and three piece bodies.
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5:02: Well clearly this woman has no taste if she doesn't want a reusable dinosaur cup!
I know right? I've been trying to find them on FB Marketplace recently! They've got such great artwork on them.