JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING remains one of my top-five favorite films of all-time. The horror classic starring Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, and Keith David still holds up to this day. Everytime I see the defibrillator and blood test scenes it still scares the shit out of me. However, the film is so much more than just a simple alien invasion/body horror flick. It's a gripping examination of paranoia, anxiety, and survival. It's also the film Guillermo del Toro often sites as the movie that made him want to be a director. In addition, it's the only film I can think of that features Wilford Brimley without a mustache.
THE THING is of course an 80s film, having released in 1982. One of the staples of Hollywood during the Me Decade were the toy lines that inevitably accompanied a movie. STAR WARS famously had a series of toys from Kenner. Tim Burton's BATMAN, Gary Goddard's MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, and David Lynch's DUNE all followed suit. Hell, even Mark L. Lester's COMMANDO starring Arnold Schwarzenegger had a toy line! But have you ever wondered what a line of toys involving R.J. MacReady, Childs, Windows, and the rest of the fellows from the doomed Antarctic outpost might look like? Well wonder no longer.
The following video imagines what it would have been like if JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING had a Hasboro series of toys based off the characters from John Carpenter's horror classic. Check it out:
Now listen, I'm 99.9999% certain this video is not in any way legit, but rather the work of a genius with too much time on their hands. However, the 1980s touch is dead on, everything from the high pitched voice that goes deep towards the end, to the intercut film clips, to the keyboard heavy music. Honestly though if these toys were available for purchase I would 100% scoop these suckers up in a heartbeat. Budget permitting of course.
So what about you guys? Would you buy these toys if they were available? Do you love JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING? Do you think Blair's action figure would come with a bowl of Quaker Oats? Let us know in the comments below!