Of Lucasfilm’s two major franchises, Star Wars is the biggest when it comes to merchandising. Though the films have a cross-generational appeal, children have always been a key target demographic, so Star Wars has always been a gold mine for toy companies. However, the world of Indiana Jones hasn’t been neglected on this front. For decades, Lucasfilm has been striking deals to produce action figures based on the popular adventure films. Around the time Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was coming out, the studio decided to collaborate with LJN. Unfortunately, while several figures were planned, some of them never saw the light of day. Now, fans have an opportunity to own a bit of scrapped Indiana Jones history.
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Available to bid on Hakes is an unpainted prototype of LJN’s cancelled Short Round action figure. As of this writing, the current bid is $1,075. This Short Round is just one of the unproduced items LJN had planned for its Temple of Doom line (per The Toy Collectors Guide). The company also pulled the plug on a Willie Scott figure and an Indiana Jones (Mine Cart Version) figure. LJN released only three Indiana Jones action figures: Mola Ram, Giant Thugee, and Indiana Jones.
Why Lucasfilm Worked With LJN to Make Indiana Jones Toys
In the 1970s and 1980s, Lucasfilm partnered with Kenner to make toys based on the original Star Wars trilogy (that collaboration dated back to the infamous empty box campaign of Christmas 1977). Considering how successful those Star Wars toys were, it was only natural for the two parties to work together again for Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, according to The Toy Collectors Guide, Kenner “opted out of their contract in 1984” due to “slower than expected sales.” In retrospect, it isn’t all that surprising Indiana Jones toys didn’t sell as well as Star Wars. Though Raiders of the Lost Ark is rated PG, it skewed towards an older audience. The film was beloved, but there wasn’t as much demand for tie-in toys.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, of course, is a much darker film that was responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating. As such, toy companies were hesitant to make a deal with Lucasfilm. LJN, a “small toy company” (The Toy Collector‘s words), saw an opportunity to secure a major license and signed a contract. Things evidently didn’t go as planned, as LJN eventually cancelled multiple figures they had planned for unknown reasons. It’s possible that the “small toy company” overestimated what it was capable of and ultimately realized it didn’t have the resources to mass produce all of its figures.
The LJN prototypes still exist, however, and though you can easily buy an official, painted Short Round figure now (the first one of those was released in 2008), the prototype being auctioned at Hakes will surely be a coveted collector’s item. It’s a fascinating piece of Indiana Jones history that has some cool backstory behind it. The fact that people are willing to pay so much for the unreleased figure (the minimum bid was set at $500, and the estimate is set between $1,000 and $2,000) is a testament to the franchise’s enduring popularity. The films may not have sold many toys back in the day, but they garnered a passionate fan base.
The Indiana Jones franchise has an uncertain future after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny bombed at the box office. No new projects are coming through the pipeline, as planned TV series have been scrapped. But one thing’s for certain: fans will always be willing to spare no expense when it comes to bidding on valuable Indiana Jones items. Harrison Ford’s fedora from Temple of Doom was auctioned for $300,000 a handful of years ago.
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