Mattel and WWE are set to officially introduce a new No Holds Barred two-pack of action figures at the San Diego Comic-Con next week.
The 1989 movie featured WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan as Rip, and the late Tiny Lister as Zeus. The movie coincided with Zeus’ involvement in the storylines that year with Hogan and WWE Hall of Famers Randy Savage and Brutus Beefcake.
The new figures will be available at SDCC beginning on Wednesday, July 20, and online starting at 12pm ET on Friday, July 22 via MattelCreations.com. The two-pack comes with VHS-style packaging, Zeus and Hogan figures, accessories for both wrestlers including the winged-eagle WWE Title belt for Hogan, three different heads for Hogan, two different heads for Zeus, a total of 7 hands for Hogan, and a total of 4 hands for Zeus.
PJ Lewis, Mattel’s global head of action figures, helped launch the WWE – Mattel partnership more than a dozen years ago. He spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and said this new No Holds Barred product captures the magic of WWE.
“WWE is one of the most culturally relevant IPs in our industry, and in entertainment, and we take great pride in tapping into their superstars’ iconic moments,” Lewis said. “We thought this would be a wonderful one to do. There is this wonderful opportunity to create fun products, and we’re lucky to have such an incredible partner in WWE. Their talent is always so interested in working together. We’re particularly proud of what we’ve done for kids and collectors. We want to resonate with fans of all ages. That’s reflective of their brand, and we have specific designers that are WWE fans.”
Bill Miekina, key lead designer at Mattel, also played an important role in the creation of the new No Holds Barred item. He was asked how many times he re-watched the movie during the creation of the two-pack.
“Let’s say I did watch certain parts of the movie quite a bit,” Miekina said. “I wanted to make sure to capture all the details of Zeus’s entrance and make the in-ring look as accurate as possible. And of course, making sure to freeze on just the right frame to capture the ‘What’s that Smell?’ expression at the height of Hulk Hogan’s disgust.”
Miekina continued and commented on how the various departments came together to pull this project off, noting that they have the best packaging team in the entire toy industry. Miekina said his very high expectations were exceeded with the final packaging.
“I think all departments—design, marketing, and packaging—just knew from the outset that any execution of these two figures together needed to replicate the face-off seen in the movie poster,” Miekina said. “And I personally feel we have the best packaging team in the entire toy industry working on our brand, so I was not surprised when they exceeded my very high expectations for the final package.”
Miekina added, “When you see the final product and look at a miniature Hulk Hogan as Rip flashing his signature hand gesture at an enraged Zeus in his full entrance regalia, there is such a feeling of accomplishment. And a giddiness and excitement over how people are going to react when they see this for the first time.”
The WWE SDCC presence at SDCC next week will also include a panel with Cody Rhodes and Zelina Vega, and a few surprises, among other happenings.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more. You can see photos of the new No Holds Barred two-pack below:
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