The Shadow Knows … It Had One of the Best Movie Tie-In Toylines of the 1990s
Plus: Rollin’ With Some New D&D Products
By 1994, Kenner was responsible for some of the decade’s most high-profile tie-in toys for blockbusters. Its portfolio included Terminator 2, Aliens, Jurassic Park, and even the Kevin Costner-led Robin Hood. (You may recall JP’s "Removable Dino-Damage Wound" features on the animals, which were slightly disturbing at best—yet iconic.)
It made sense that the studio behind The Shadow, an adaption of the 1930s pulp hero of radio dramas and comic strips, would tap Kenner for a similar treatment. Universal Pictures had high ambitions, after all, with plans for an entire franchise dedicated to the character. They unveiled an expansive Kenner toyline, Topps trading cards, and a Milton Bradley board game leading up to the film’s release. Beyond the film, they planned a video game adaption and even clothing lines that would bridge to the many sequels ahead.
But nothing made it past The Shadow’s theatrical run.
The movie—up against The Lion King, Forrest Gump, and The Mask during its summer run in the theaters—bombed. What we were left with, though, was an OK film and a great toyline. Just look at this spread, per a figure card:
One of the most impressive aspects of the line was the roster of The Shadows: a “Quick-Draw” version that raises his guns when his legs are squeezed; the transforming Lamont Cranston above; a clear “Ambush” version for emulating some of the film’s coolest scenes, including its strong introduction to our hero (below); and an inexplicably shirtless ninja variation. A deluxe version also had an electronic laugh and the same glowing eyes as a few of the others.
We’ve narrowed down to three components of this set that make it special:
Character Curation. We went into the strong line-up of The Shadow takes above. I’d also add the villains as a sign of Kenner’s curatorial prowess. They integrated Dr. Mocquino (a.k.a., Voodoo Master), who was a character from The Shadow’s other incarnations but didn’t appear in the film. He fits right into the noir-schlock of the line, though, complete with a little The Shadow voodoo doll.
Varying Vehicles. Transports are a vital part in world-building. And yes, it’s Batmobile-esque, but the Mirage SX-100 is a fantastic anchor vehicle for a set that also includes the cycle, the Thunder Cab, and the main villain’s own Serpent Bike. Each came with some kind of projectile function that upped the stakes of any chase.
Action Items. The “Quick Draw” function, though simple, is incredibly effective for a character who often finds himself in gunfights. Each of the character’s action abilities is in line with either their role in the film or in prior takes.
The Shadow wasn’t the only beloved pulp hero to not connect with film audiences that decade: In 1996, Paramount Pictures would find a similar fate as Universal when it tried resurrecting The Phantom, which crashed even more spectacularly. And they didn’t even get a cool toyline out of it. Street Players made only two figures for that movie: The Phantom with accessories and The Phantom on a horse. No baddies to fight. No friends for adventuring. Just a man and his horse.
Hasbro’s New D&D Dicelings Roll Into Mailboxes
Ahead of a new Dungeons & Dragons film in March, Hasbro’s released a new, Transformer-esque line of dice that transform into D&D creatures. We took the beyonder one for a test drive, and made a little animation below:
And ... that’s what it does! Hmmm. We’re not sure what else to say about it.
ALERT: New Speedrunning Trick Discovered
There’s been a major breakthrough for speedrunners of 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, with a trick that’s taken 25 years to discover. Recently, Dr4gonBlitz revealed that the makers of the game left in a debug code that saves 20 seconds (which is huge amount of time in speedrunning). The code allows an obstructing bridge to be destroyed by pressing the triangle button on another controller plugged into the Player 2 spot on a Playstation console.
Neat stuff.