A new line of toys from Oscar-winning special effects master Stan Winston (Terminator, Aliens, Jurassic Park, Batman Returns) is planned for October. The line is based on a relaunch of Creature Features -- the Samuel Z. Arkoff monster and science fiction movies of the 1950s. The launch of Stan Winston's Creatures will be simultaneous with the airing of a series of movies on HBO/Cinemax in October. The introduction of the Creatures line represents the first time that the F/X artists responsible for the monsters in the films are also behind the sculpting of the action figures based on the movie.
There are five figures in the initial series of Stan Winston's Creatures, which have an MSRP of $14.99. A second line of toys based on a Stan Winston property -- 'Realm of the Claw' -- is also planned.
'Sea Creature'
The bad news for most retailers is that the initial launch is going to be exclusively through Toys R Us. According to a Stan Winston representative, 'There are more products planned and that should open up to specialty stores.' Since these products are obviously directed at an adult collector market, it would make sense for the company to do that sooner, rather than later. One can speculate that Toys R Us letters of credit were used to finance manufacturing, and that shipping to one customer is easier than shipping to several, but once those start-up issues are resolved, this new toy company will need to find its customers where they shop now, rather than trying to lure them into the big box.
