With 2023 being the 30th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park movie, Mattel is celebrating the franchise in a big way at San Diego Comic-Con. There will be two different Jurassic Park exclusives being sold at the Mattel Creations booth this year, including the first-ever action figure for director Steven Spielberg himself.
As Day 2 of Mattel's "12 Days of Fandom" event, IGN can exclusively reveal both the Steven Spielberg figure and a new Hot Wheels set featuring a tiny version of Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm. Read on to get a closer look at both sets and learn more about how Mattel is celebrating the Jurassic Park franchise in 2023.
Jurassic Park: The Hammond Collection - 'Man Creates Dinosaurs' Steven Spielberg Figure
First up is the Steven Spielberg figure, which is part of the collector-oriented Jurassic Park: The Hammond Collection line. You can get a closer look at the figure and the many accessories included in the slideshow gallery below:
In addition to the figure itself, this set includes various filmmaking accessories like a director's chair and camera, as well as a companion Dilophosaurus. The set even includes a life-size cardboard replica of the Jurassic Park clapperboard.
"We’re always looking at new ways to bring the films to life and SDCC gives us the ability to bring more out of the box offerings to life," PJ Lewis (Mattel's VP and Global Head of Action Figures) told IGN. "To celebrate the 30th, we wanted to honor the visionary that brought Jurassic Park to the big screen. Spielberg is a legend and we’ve never seen an action figure of him before, and he is just as much a part of the legacy as the dinosaurs and characters in the film. The team created the first-ever action figure of Steven Spielberg based on a behind the scenes photo from filming Jurassic Park."
The Steven Spielberg figure will be sold exclusively at SDCC at the Mattel Creations booth (Booth #2945), with limited quantities being sold online on the Mattel Creations website beginning on Friday, July 21.
Hot Wheels Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler & Dr. Ian Malcolm
Mattel's other SDCC exclusive is inspired by one of the most iconic vehicles in the original Jurassic Park. This Hot Wheels set features a 1:64 recreation of the Jurassic Park Jeep, complete with a tiny Ian Malcolm resting not so comfortably in the backseat.
Get a closer look at this exclusive in the slideshow gallery below:
This Hot Wheels vehicle features diecast components and packaging inspired by the iconic sequence where Malcolm and friends narrowly escape being devoured by the T-Rex.
"The decision to feature the Jurassic Jeep was a no-brainer for us," said Chris Colangelo (Mattel's Manager of Product Design, Hot Wheels). "We know we wanted to celebrate the 30th by focusing on arguably one of the most iconic pop culture vehicles of all time, the Jurassic Jeep. I don’t think there is a person alive who doesn’t know this vehicle, even if they have never seen the movie. We felt that, combined with a 1:64th Ian Malcolm figure, really encompassed some of the best fan favorites elements and scenes in the movie."
Like the Steven Spielberg figure, the Hot Wheels set will be sold at the Mattel Creations booth (Booth #2945), with limited quantities being sold on the Mattel Creations website beginning on Friday, July 21.
Mattel's Jurassic Park Plans in 2023
Both of these exclusives are sure to be among the more in-demand items at SDCC this year, but they're not the only way Mattel is marking the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park this year.
"We have a number of exciting product releases this year, to not only celebrate the 30th anniversary, but to bring the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises to life through play," Lewis said. "Last year, we released our collector segment, The Hammond Collection, which delivers on fan-favorite dinosaurs and characters with unmatched authenticity and detail, which we know is wildly important to collectors. This year we’ve weaved in dinosaurs including the Brachiosaurus, which is the first dinosaur we see in Jurassic Park, and characters like John Hammond, Ray Arnold and more into this line for fans to recreate their favorite scenes."
Lewis specifically pointed to the Brachiosaurus release as one that Mattel's designers are especially proud of, with the massive figure drawing on what may well be the most memorable scene in the entire movie.
"This is the largest item within the Hammond Collection to date and the first dinosaur introduced in the film, which has a special place in the hearts of fans. Capturing the authentic sculpting and articulation of such a large, unique dinosaur was definitely a challenge, but the execution is spot on. The team added a soft posable neck that really captures that screen authenticity."
Mattel is also focusing on Jurassic Park for its latest Mattel Creations crowdfunding project. The company is currently running a campaign for a Jurassic Park: The Hammond Collection - The Gates playset, which includes a motorized set of park gates and a Ford Explorer vehicle. Stretch goals include figures for Tim and Lex and a Lost World-style T-Rex.
"As fans ourselves, the team explores new ways to bring the films to life through play and display," Lewis said. "We know the Jurassic Park Gates are so iconic to the film, and we’ve been exploring ways to bring this to life within our toy-scale. Leveraging Mattel Creations with our first crowdfund for Jurassic was the perfect way to engage with the fan community and offer a fan-demanded item that we couldn’t distribute through traditional channels."
For more SDCC exclusive fun, check out Hasbro's amazing G.I. Joe Classified: Chuckles figure.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/sdcc-mattel-jurassic-park-exclusives-steven-spielberg-figure