This figure hearkens back to the good old days of food tie ins. You could eat some cereal and send away for a "free" G.I. Joe figure. Six to eight weeks later, you'd get a little cardboard box in the mail with the figure inside. There was no greater feeling than seeing that little mailer with your name on it. Especially when you knew what was in there.
This Lifeline isn't seen all that often. Most people use the more common (and probably better) 1986 retail version of the figure. The subtle nuance of this variant, though, speaks to the morals of the company who sponsored his creation as well as the economics of toys into the early 1990's.
Sadly, the days of promotional items like this are long gone. It's been replaced, though, by the proliferation of online sellers. My kids know that Amazon or Wal Mart boxes can mean new toys. So, they get the same feeling. It's just in a different form that is much more efficient. Still, it's fun to remember coming home from a two week summer vacation and finding a mailer box or two strewn among the accumulated mail that the postman used to slide through the slot in our front door every day.
So, check out the sparse content I could find on this mail away Lifeline and enjoy the nostalgic rush.
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline Profile
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline by gijoe_for_fun
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline by Slipsteam80
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline at JoeADay.com
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline at Toys From the Past
1991 Rice Krispies Lifeline by thedustinmccoy
Absence of a pistol was understandable due to Kellogs being p.c. losers (haha) wanting to avoid controversy, but the lack of the oxygen mask was a bummer.
ReplyDeleteHey—I wrote that guest review on JoeADay!
ReplyDeleteBack when Hasbro was still willing to go the distance, even if the result was somewhat ho-hum. I have a Lifeline somewhere, not even sure if its this one or the OG.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't able to leave a comment on your Shark 9000 write-up but wanted to express my condolences to you about the loss of your younger brother.
ReplyDeleteI guess he doesn't want any condolences since comments aren't allowed on that post. Well, too bad, Mike, you have them. It's tough when some one that was part of your life for so long passes. Sympathies to you and yours.
DeleteI still have mixed feelings about my brother and he passed away over 20 years ago.
I appreciate the sentiments.
DeleteI wasn't in the space to really think about things last week. It was a hectic time. Things are getting back to normal, now. There's still a lot to unpack. But, it was good to see old friends who had many of the same conflicting feelings that I did.