Let's digg a little bit of on the past: MARS ATTACKS was a bubble-gum card set produced by "Bubbles, Inc." (an alternate company name for Topps) in 1962. The cards were the idea of Len Brown and Woody Gelman. Some of the early pencil roughs were done by Wally Wood, a well-known artist for E.C. Comics. The final cards were pencilled by Bob Powell, and the painting was done by Norm Saunders. Norm was one of the most prolific and creative artists of the pulp era. Len has recently retired after over 40 years at Topps.
The cards, according to Len Brown, were inspired by a combination of an old "Weird Science" comic book cover showing a large-brained alien coming out of a flying saucer and H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" story. Due to Brown and Gelman's earlier success with a historical but gory card set called "Civil War News" that the kids loved, they knew they had the formula for a smashing success. They would combine the sci-fi Martian scenario with the graphic gore of a kind of interplanetary civil war. Instead of North vs. South, it would be the Martians vs. the Earthlings. The Mars Attacks set consisted of 55 cards (54 pictures plus a checklist) depicting the invasion of Earth by desperate Martians, whose home planet was about to explode due to pressure building up in the planet's core. Although they had superior advanced technology, the Martians couldn't stop the inevitable destruction of Mars. Therefore, the Martians needed to find a new home planet. Their obvious choice: Earth!
After the release of his homage to the best bad director of all time, "Ed Wood," Burton was trying to determine what his next directorial effort would be. In conversations with Warner Bros., Burton came to encounter a trading-card series, "Dinosaur Attacks!," issued by the Topps Company in the late `70s. Warner Bros. had once owned the rights to the cards, which featured carnivorous prehistoric monsters returned from extinction to devastate contemporary cities . . . but the option had expired.
Something inside of Burton clicked: "After I saw the `Dinosaur Attacks!' cards, I remembered, `Wasn't there something else like it?'"
Indeed there was. Nearly two decades earlier, Topps had issued a series of cards under the title "Mars Attacks!" Created during the height of the Cold War in 1962, the trading cards depicted a War of the Worlds-style invasion of Earth by Martians. However, due to the nature of some of their images, the cards were never distributed nationally and were pulled from the market after only a few months. Over the years, the cards developed a cult status and currently bring high prices in the collectibles market.
Burton recalls, "Because the cards had come out and gone so quickly, I didn't know if it was a dream or something I made up. After rediscovering them, however, I couldn't get them out of my head."
Director Tim Burton and Warner Bros. Studios released the "Mars Attacks" movie on FRYDAY, December 13, 1996 in the U.S. (release in the UK was Feb. 28th, 1997, and in March in Japan). The film stars the following: Jack Nicholson, Annette Benning, Pierce Brosnan, Jim Brown, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Pam Grier, Lukas Haas, Tom Jones, Lisa Marie, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Martin Short, Sylvia Sydney, Rod Steiger, and Paul Winfield. WOW!
The flavor of the movie is akin to the campy sci-fi B-movies of the 50's.
Now, and after long tiem without seeing quality collectibles from this fantastic movie Hot Toys did again!!! Their license, composed actually by two 1/6 scale figures and their minicosbabys version, it is something that we cannot lose the chance to get!!!
Have a look to their releases:
         
1/6th scale Martian Soldier collectible figure
The Martian collectible is able to convey a range of emotions:- cackle , anger or fear etc, and it also features:
l Stands approximately 25 cm / 10 inches tall
l Bendable figure body with over 13 points of articulation
l Its movie accurate spacesuit with breathing apparatus
l Helmet with clear and movable shield
l Movable eyes **
l Movable jaw**
l Extendable tongue**
l Ray gun
l Collectible figure stand featuring Mars Attacks! movie logo and Martian Soldier nameplate
       
1/6th scale Martian Ambassador collectible figure
The Martian collectible is able to convey a range of emotions:- cackle , anger or fear etc, and it also features:
l Stands approximately 25 cm / 10 inches tall
l Bendable figure body with over 13 points of articulation
l Its movie accurate costume of red robe
l Helmet with clear and movable shield
l Movable eyes**
l Movable jaw**
l Extendable tongue**
l Ray gun
l Collectible figure stand featuring Mars Attacks! movie logo and Martian Ambassador nameplate
Mini Cosbaby 3 inches
Each cosbaby stands 3 inches/ 7 cm tall, featuring your favorite Mars Attack! -Martian troopers, Martian girl and Ambassador in baby form and its unique designs from the movie in special format.
Designs inclusive:
7 designs + 1 secret version
- Martian Trooper (Short Gun)
- Martian Trooper (Long Gun)
- Martian Ambassador
- Martian Leader
- Martian Girl (Human Head)
- Martian Girl (Martian Head)
- Martian Girl (Damaged Head)
- PLUS Secret (1 type)
Special features:
**Snap kits with joint articulations - 9 points of articulation
**Amazing detailed accessories
All these releases coming on 4th quarter, 2009, so don't reach late to the invasion!!!
Hot Toys Martian site
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