Imaginext
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Imaginext System is a brand of role-playing, adventure toys designed for kids 3 or older made by
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
, under the label of
Fisher-Price Fisher-Price, Inc. is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York, East Aurora, New York (state), New York. It was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression ...
.


History

At the time of its introduction at the 1998 Toy Fair,"Hottest Toys for 2002", Beststuff.com
the Imaginext System included only two themed worlds:
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
and
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
venues. The original medieval line attempted to capture the action of battle with its fortresses, dungeons,
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
s, wizards, and
dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
s and featured the Battle Castle play set as well as several knight and wizard action figures sold separately. This line quickly expanded to incorporate the Wizard's Tower and Goblin's Dungeon play sets. The other Imaginext line that was released in 2002 attempted to capture life in the big city with a focus on emergency and rescue figures and play sets. The Imaginext Rescue Center was the initial lead play set of the rescue line which, like the medieval line, quickly expanded. The rescue world soon included a police station and sea rescue center with a number of additional figures and accessories—a mounted police officer, an EMT, and a deep sea diver to name a few. Compared to the medieval line, the Imaginext rescue world was rather short-lived. In 2003, however, it would be supplemented by a construction-themed world.
Construction worker A construction worker is a person employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definitions By some definitions, construction workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers ...
and mechanic figures and accessories complemented the rescue world's urban theme. In 2003, the Imaginext brand released a pirate (or sea) line. The line was popularized by its two lead playsets: Pirate Raider and Buccaneer Bay. A glow-in-the-dark Pirate Crew figure pack (also released in 2003) became so popular that an entire phantom line was developed and released in 2004. In contrast to the pirate line, the phantom figures were all glow-in-the-dark and had skeletal bodies. In 2005, a
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
world was added to the Imaginext repertoire. In Fall 2006, the Imaginext brand was renamed Imaginext Adventures, marking a shift in design and production of Imaginext toys. A number of Imaginext playsets were redesigned to feature figure-activated buttons and switches that with various functions (a pirate figure, when placed on one such site on the Pirate Raider, can be used to extend the plank or lower the sails). Several of these playsets could even be purchased fully assembled. The new figures appeared rather larger than the original figures. In 2008, Imaginext released new figures such as Superman and Batman as well as many other DC universe characters. New playsets like the Batcave were created. By 2011, Imaginext no longer released Superman but continued to release new Batman play sets that included villains and vehicles. Imaginext also produced adventure sets that included knights, dragons, and castles, similar to its original sets.


Dinosaurs

In 2004, the Dinosaurs line was introduced. Following in the footsteps of the castle line, the Imaginext dinosaurs were divided into rival sects: the predators—whose goal is to wipe out the world's natural resources—and the ecovores—who fight to preserve the land. In later iterations of the line, this narrative was rejected. The Dinosaurs line consisted of traditional Imaginext playsets, as well as motorized, battery-operated dinosaurs that walked and roared when a button was pressed. Spike the Ultra Dinosaur, an interactive
remote-control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...
toy, was released in 2008. Spike was a green "ultra dinosaur" with a long, sauropod-like neck, as well as stegosaur-like thagomizers on his tail. The toy came with a plastic remote shaped like a rock that could be used to control Spike, as well as plastic balls and a
bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
. Spike the Ultra Dinosaur was followed up by Spike Jr., a smaller version of Spike that worked more similarly to the other motorized dinosaurs. A red version of Spike was exclusively sold at Target stores. Spike was discontinued in 2011. A game for the iXL, a Fisher-Price handheld gaming console, was released in 2010. Simply titled "Imaginext", the game was themed around the Dinosaurs line. In 2011, the Dinosaurs line went through a redesign, with the dinosaurs being given futuristic equipment. Another change occurred in 2015, with the futuristic aesthetic being rejected and the original "primitive" aesthetic from 2005 returning. The Dinosaurs line was rebranded into '' Jurassic World'' in 2018, coinciding with the release of '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom''.


Bigfoot the Monster

Bigfoot the Monster was released in 2010. Similarly to Spike, he was an interactive remote-control toy designed to resemble the cryptid bigfoot.


Worlds

The Imaginext Worlds include, but are not limited to, DC Super Friends, Dragons, Robot Police, ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'', and '' Jurassic World''. In 2011, the Samurai world was created. Previous worlds include Jungle, Forest, Castle, Pirate, City, ''
Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...
'' and ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...
'' (2015-2018) (now owned by
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
).


DC Super Friends

One of the most popular divisions in the line is " DC Super Friends". Although its name is similar to the 1970s and 80s TV series simply called '' Super Friends'', it is not directly connected to it. This world has 27 sets (not including exclusives):
Batcave The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...
, Planet Oa, Motorized
Batmobile The Batmobile is the fictional land vehicle driven by the superhero Batman, used both to patrol Gotham City looking for crime and to engage in car chases or vehicular combat with the city's criminal underworld. The Batmobile is one of a suite o ...
, Joker's Fun House, Batwing, Batboat, Batcopter, Batmobile,
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
Jet, Riddler Car,
Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them are List of Batman family enemies ...
, Batmobile with Lights, Penguin Sub, K. Croc,
Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
& Flash, Two-Face, The Riddler, Robin Cycle, Batcycle, Arctic Batman, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, The Joker,
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, and
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
. A Gotham Jail, Bat-Jetpack, New Motorized Batmobile, and a new Joker Tank, were planned to be released in summer and late spring. In May 2008, DC Comics produced an ongoing monthly comic book series based on the toyline, which ran for 29 issues. In 2010, an original video animation based on the line named ''The Joker's Playhouse'' was included on a DVD packaged with toys. Directed and produced by Ciro Nieli (''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'') and written by Brandon Auman ('' Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!''), the story involves the Joker taking over the Hall of Justice and the Super Friends running the gauntlet to reclaim it. The main theme for the show is the same as '' The World's Greatest Super Friends'' and the opening sequence borrows from the original '' Super Friends'' series and '' Challenge of the Superfriends''. In 2012, Imaginext released new DC Super Friends figures and play sets to be sold for the release of '' The Dark Knight Rises''. This includes Bane, Bruce Wayne, Gotham City, Gotham City Jail, The Motorized Batmobile and Mr. Freeze's Headquarters. In 2013, Imaginext began to introduce females into its toyline featuring Catwoman,
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
and Harley Quinn. Imaginext also began producing toys based on the DCEU such as Superman,
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
,
Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Commissioner Gordon. In 2015, Imaginext released a host of new sets and figures. This includes Sinestro,
Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
, Firestorm, Man-Bat, Solomon Grundy and Captain Cold. Imaginext still continues to sell new toys of classic DC Comics characters and is thriving well to this day.


Animated series

From 2011 to 2012, a series of 7 episodes were released direct-to-video and online. In 2013, a new webseries was released with new characters entitled ''Imaginext Adventures'', this series had only 4 episodes.


Imaginext Adventures (2013-2014)

# Through the Crystal Eye - 9/12/13 (story: Kevin Mowrer, teleplay: Thomas Pugsley) # Hot Time in the City - 10/14/13 (story: Kevin Mowrer, teleplay: Thomas Pugsley) # Dino Might - 2/12/14 (story: Kevin Mowrer, teleplay: Marty Isenberg) # All Are One - 4/9/14 (story: Kevin Mowrer, teleplay: Thomas Pugsley)


References


External links


Imaginext

Fisher-Price

Imaginext Figure & Playset Database

DC Super Friends and Justice League Figure Guide
{{Superfriends series Fisher-Price Mattel Action figures DC Comics action figure lines Products introduced in 1998