The Original Battle Trolls
The Original Battle Trolls was a brand of action figures produced by Hasbro from 1992-1993. They were made in attempt to market the popular concept of troll dolls to young boys in the early 1990s.
Overview
Introduced in 1992 at $4.99 to $5.99,[1] the line featured various characters, many of them spoofs of famous ones. This includes Nunchuck (a ninja troll), Franken Troll (a nod to Frankenstein's monster), and Super Troll (costumed nearly identical to Superman). The trolls were marketed as “Big Haired Dudes with Bad Attitudes”[2][3] and were actually quite large at approximately 10 inches tall (including about 4 inches of hair). Each Troll featured a cut joint at the waist and included two handheld accessories. In association with their tough nature, many of them had facial stitches and their toes poking through their boots. Details would also be given on their cardbacks as how to properly take care of them, suggesting that the owner keep them in dark, smelly places and keep them "cranky, mean and ready to fight anything or anyone for years!"
While initially successful, the Battle Troll line failed to achieve the popular success that the 'original' troll toys enjoyed. Though much of the line consisted of references to classic fiction and popular culture, it was retired in 1993 after a third, much scarcer run with newer characters. A fourth series was planned but never produced. Prototypes were displayed at the 1993 New York Toy Fair but never released. This includes a line of villains called the Evil Horde as well as Joker, Swamp Thing, Alien spoofs, and one that looked like a hooded executioner. A photo of the latter can be viewed online.[4]
Characters
Battle Trolls were introduced in three series.[3]
Series 1 (1992)
- Count Troll-U-La
- Nunchuk Troll
- T.D. Troll
- Sgt. troll
- Trollaf
- Trollminator
- Cap'N Troll
- Troll-Clops
Series 2 (1992)
- General Troll - Veteran of the mother of all troll battles, the Persian Carpet War
- Sir Trollahad - His suit of armor can be used to deflect weapons, and fry an egg in 30 seconds flat (when the weather is hot)
- Trollbot - Part old soup cans, part personal computer
- Officer PaTroll - Voted "most likely to let a felon escape" in his class at the Troll Enforcement Academy
- Franken Troll - Horrible handiwork of a troll scientist - a gruesome assortment of spare body parts assembled in an ill-fated attempt to create the ultimate troll!
- Punk Troll - Drummer in the band Metrollica who damages his enemies' hearing, destroys hotel rooms, and worries that no one understands him
- Roadhog Troll - Trained to survive against all odds in an urban wasteland
- Super Troll - Faster than a speeding cockroach, able to leap small house pets in a single bound!
Series 3 (1993)
- Ace Troll
- Jack Coustroll
- Knock Out Troll
- Quick Draw Troll
- Slapshot Troll
- Thrasher Troll
- Troll-Timate Wrestler
- Wolfman Troll
Other (1992)
- Capture Net w/ Bulls-Eye Troll (Troll-Clops repaint)
- Trollasaurus w/ SvenTroll (Trollaf repaint)
External links
References
- ↑ Wanderer, Robert (March 1993). "Battle Trolls taking charge. (What's Selling)". Playthings. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ↑ "From the OTHER blog: Trollin' along, singin' a song…". Metal Misfit. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- 1 2 "Virtual Toy Chest's Battle Trolls Archive". 2003. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ↑ Cawiezel, Marc H. The History of Unproduced Alien and Predator Toys Members.AOL.com (October 29, 2006). Retrieved July 22, 2008.