Cool Stuff: Mattel Is Giving Director Steven Spielberg His Own Jurassic Park Action Figure
For better or worse, you can thank "Star Wars" for the myriad merchandising opportunities that blockbuster movies have taken advantage for decades now. If there's a big, four quadrant movie that the whole family can enjoy, you can bet there will be action figures, lunchboxes, T-shirts, coffee mugs, socks, and maybe even toilet paper.
While all the heroes, villains, creatures, vehicles, and much more from major motion pictures have gotten all the merchandise glory, the filmmakers behind them have mostly been left out in the wind. Sure, we've gotten Funko POPs of filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfred Hitchcock, J.J. Abrams, Ava Du Vernay, and Jordan Peele, just to name a few. However, most filmmakers have never been immortalized in plastic, including the legendary Steven Spielberg. But that's about to change.
Mattel has revealed one of their exclusives being released at San Diego Comic-Con this month, and it's a Steven Spielberg action figure inspired by the filmmaker's look while directing the modern classic "Jurassic Park." Life ... found a way.
Action!
God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man, Man destroys God, Man creates Steven Spielberg action figure.
For the 30th anniversary of "Jurassic Park," fans at Comic-Con and at home will have a chance to purchase this action figure of filmmaker Steven Spielberg, sporting his signature beard, wearing a baseball cap, and donning a T-shirt featuring dinosaur pop art. And before you ask, yes, this exact outfit is something Spielberg can be seen wearing in a photo from behind the scenes of "Jurassic Park."
Steven Spielberg directing Jurassic Park in a dino t-shirt. That's all. 🦖 pic.twitter.com/KgQAKKEJAj
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) September 22, 2021
Also included with the Steven Spielberg action figure, which is scaled to the 3.75 inch Hammond Collection toyline from Mattel, you'll find a director's chair, a camera, and a dilophosaurus for him to direct. If you want other figures for Spielberg to direct, you'll have to get the other toys in the collection.
Mattel
Within the packaging, there's also a cardboard replica of the clapboard from production of "Jurassic Park." While it would have been nice to have a higher quality replica, since this action figure set is only $30, there had to be some corners cut somewhere.
Make action figures for all directors!
PJ Lewis, Mattel's VP and Global Head of Action Figures, spoke to IGN about the exclusive collectible and said:
"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. 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."
Mattel
Spielberg joins fellow filmmaker and longtime friend George Lucas on toy shelves, after the "Star Wars" creator was given his own Stormtrooper action figure a couple years ago. Now we just need a Martin Scorsese action figure, and we'll be happy. Then maybe a Michael Bay figure that's also a Transformers Autobot. Okay, now that we think about it, we just might want to see all of our favorite filmmakers get their own action figures.
The Steven Spielberg figure will be sold exclusively at SDCC at the Mattel Creations booth (Booth #2945), and limited quantities will also be sold online on the Mattel Creations website beginning on Friday, July 21 at 12:00 PM ET. Don't forget, there's also a big crowd-funded "Jurassic Park" gates collectible project in the works at Mattel Creations, too.