Skeleton Warriors/October Toys

* Skeleton Guard and Skeleton Soldier
* Grimskull
* Prince Lightstar
* Talyn

## Collectible Information

### Status

Lost (Prince Lightstar and Talyn)Found (Skeleton Guard, Skeleton Soldier, Grimskull, and Baron Dark Statue)

### Location

Albeit unreleased, the prototypes for Skeleton Guard, Skeleton Soldier, Grimskull, and Baron Dark's statue are presumably kept in the collection of the artist who sculpted them.

## Product Information

### Year(s)

2014

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of *Skeleton Warriors*, independent toy company October Toys set out to do a line of 5" action figures based on the characters, though only a few of the goals they promised were ever met.

## **Summary**

On June 2nd 2014, George Gaspar and his company October Toys announced a Kickstarter campaign to produce an independent line of action figures based on the 1994 cartoon *Skeleton Warriors*, which already had a toyline by Playmates when it first came out yet never got to do a planned Series 2 due to internal problems regarding the show. While those figures were sculpted around the traditional 3" 3/4 format, October Toys proposed a revamped version of the Skeleton Warriors that measured 5" tall, were fully painted, and would've used the Glyos system, patented by Onell Design; with 17 modular pieces and 26 points of articulation. They would be packaged in full color collectors window boxes and came with removable swords, capes, loinclothes, and arm guards for a total of 21 pieces. The fi First revealed with the Kickstarter were the Skeleton Guards, distinguished by their red loincloth and viking-horned helmets; the Skeleton Soldiers, distinguished by their blue loincloths and ridged helmets; and the main villain Baron Dark, who was the only figure made 5" tall as everyone would be sculpted under a height of 3" to emphasize he tall he was over the average human. Also added to the project was a Titan Skeleton, a 5" sized articulated unpainted PVC action figure that was intended for army buildings and had at least two alternate versions: glow-in-the-dark and Kickstarter exclusive Lightstar Crystal Translucent Blue. Also added was the 2.75" PVC Traveller Skeleden by Matt Doughty who was featured in the Passcode game *Dungeon Traveller* and came with an axe accessory; the first melee weapon for Pheyden.  The October Toys *Skeleton Warriors* prototypes were showcased at San Diego Comic Con and DesignerCon in 2014 where they were accompanied by the original maquettes that Goddard Film Company lent them to begin work on the series.   The number of add-on prices for each figure were $20 for Baron Dark (the Lightstar Crystal BLue exclusive was $25), the Bone and Glow Titan Skeletons were $10 (the Lightstar version was $13), and to collect 13 of them at once for Troop Building was $120. The Skeleden, meanwhile was just $10. The Baron Dark and Titan Skeleton figures were officially released in April 2015,  though now we must discuss what happened to the rest of the series...

## **Making Promises You Can't Keep**

Even though the Skeleton Guards and Soldiers were among the first of the prototypes to be shown in 2014 and were next in the "Stretch Goals" with an add-on price tag of $60,000 and $70,000 respectively, they were never released for reasons unknown. Had they been released, the next figures they would've made would include protagonists from the Legion of Light including Prince Lightstar with an add-on price of $95,000, Grimskull with an add-on price of $120,000, and Talyn with an add-on price of $145,000. Grimskull's prototype was made as he was shown at SDCC and Son of Monsterpalooza in 2015; along with being lent to Pixel Dan for a preview video, though Lightstar and Talyn only exist as concept art.   Had Grimskull's goal been met when it was first announced in October 2015, it would've come with an accessory figurine in the shape of one of his pet wolves named Stalker. When the Kickstarter was first announced, October Toys decided to show patrons a sneak peek of a collectible resin statue that was sculpted by Owen Oertling and limited to only 10 pieces. The item, in quesiton, was a 15" replica of the Baron Dark statue that could be seen in the final two episodes of the *Skeleton Warriors* cartoon. Only a picture of the unpainted prototype was shown so its unknown if it was ever finished, though the description says it would have been painted to resemble stone like it did in the finale and it already looked pretty rustic in the photo, but I digress. The statue, like everything else in this section, was never released.

## **Final Verdict**

October Toys ceased operation as a business in 2016  and while some of their employees went on to do better things, not further progress has ever been made on the goals originally set for the *Skeleton Warriors* Kickstarter with their last post being written on June 4th 2021; which had less to do with the figures and more so on a campaign being worked on by George and Roger Lay, Jr.; the director of a *Skeleton Warriors* documentary, called *1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!*: a retrospective on the films that came out that year.

Despite their amibitous goals and vowing to make a toyline greater than what came before, October Toys realized a problem that Playmates never had when it came to their toylines: people wanted the skeletons more than the humans, though as to why the Skeleton Guard and Soldier were never finalized remains a mystery.  While the prototypes for them, Grimskull and the Baron Dark statue can be considered: **FOUND** as they likely still remain in the studio of where they were sculpted in, the chances of them ever being released remains very slim. Considering that these two only exist as concept art, which is likely also being kept in safe hands, both the Litestar and Talyn figures will remain: **LOST** due to not being produced as a prototype.

## **External Link**

* Gaspar, G. (Last updated 2021, June 4). *Skeleton Warriors Glyos Compatible Action Figures*. Kickstarter. Project funding page.

## **References**

1. ↑ bill. (2014, June 2). Skeleton Warriors Resurrected by October Toys. *Kastor's Korner*. Online article.
2. ↑ *Skeleden* on Glyos Wiki.
3. ↑ *Skeleton Warriors Bone Dragon Maquette* by Toy Break/YouTube
4. ↑ *OAFE*. (2014, November 9). The unproduced Skeleton Warriors Dragon. Online article.
5. ↑ Baron Dark and Titan Skeleton Review by Pixel Dan
6. ↑ Skeleton Warriros Grimskull Reveal by Pixel Dan
7. ↑ Skeleton Warriors Grimskull FIRST LOOK by Pixel Dan
8. ↑ The official October Toys website. (Retrieved 2021, November 26).
9. ↑ *Who Is To Blame For The Epic Failure of Skeleton Warriors?* by Toy Galaxy