Great video! Thank you! "Dino-Riders" has more far-reaching impact on pop culture than most people realise. Rex from "Toy Story" was heavily based on the T-Rex from the line, and even his backstory about being made by a company that was bought by Mattel is the same. Add to that the fact that some of the creatures from the line were considered so accurate, they were repackaged and straight-up sold at museums and other stores under the Smithsonian banner was the best endorsement the line could ever get. And now, Creative Beast Studio (which does PHENOMENAL dino sculpting) is reviving the line in spirit with the Cyberzoic line.
Glad you enjoyed it! I never realized how far this series reached in popularity until I made this video. Always amazing to see dinosaur media reach these levels of influence
I'm glad that you mentioned Creative Beast Studio. I was a little surprised that at the 1:18:06 mark, that their limited-edition Dino-Riders inspired T-Rex, only got a screen shot of its head and not one of its entire body. I barely collect action figures anymore, but it was the closest I was ever going to come to getting a T-Rex that is scientifically accurate in structure and D-R cartoon accurate in color (green top side, orange underside and red eyes). For a Dino-Riders fan, it was a must have. Now I'm hoping that they'll release an orange Triceratops to go along with it.
@@honesto4696 Yeah, I've been following Creative Beast Studio since the very beginning, and have been utterly blown away by everything they've done so far. I'm just sad that I never had the spare cash to buy everything they've ever made. And yeah, their Dino-Riders T-Rex was amazing! Of all their pieces, though, the most sorely-desired one for me was the "Steelhorn" Tricetatops. Would've loved to have gotten that one and turned it into a full Bionatops for my MOTU Classics collection.
The dinosaur "personalities" actually sound pretty good as long as they _don't talk_ . If they depict their personality entirely through actions and maybe some exposition from the humans I can totally see a Diplodocus specimen being "fuzzy and fiercely maternal" a particular Deinonychus mount being over-confident, etc.
Yeah that was definitely a good idea, but the lack of creativity in the presentation where the critters would have to talk is what sank it. Hell you can even bypass the no-talking rule slightly with the Valorians' telepathic power by having a character translate the body language if it's thought to be too subtle. "What's with the Diplodocus?" "She's worried, can't you tell?"
Same. I really like the idea of Gunner naming his dinosaur "Sarge" or Krulos even though his is an automaton having a certain affection towards his "Little Tyrant", little because despite their size difference he's actually the BIGGER tyrant. People do this with dogs and horses, do it with the dinosaurs.
I LOVED Dino Riders. I was 8 in 1988 when the show and toy line dropped. I was amazed. I was already in a long standing dinosaur phase, like begging to go to gem and mineral shows on the weekends to spend my allowance on trillobyte fossils, so this line was made for me. These were THE most beautiful dinosaurs I had ever seen when I was 8, but they STILL are the best commercial dino toys I've ever seen. I wish the toy line and series would have been better recieved. The truth of the matter was the toys were expensive for the time. Back then you could get a new GI Joe figure for $2 and a mid size Transformer for $10 to $12. Any of the mid to large Dino Riders were way more expensive by comparison and even though they had smaller options of just figures or very basic small dinos, kids didn't want those. Everyone wanted the T-Rex, that I never got because it was too expensive, not the basic offerings. I did have the bronto and triceratops plus pretty much all the small ones. The worst part about the toyline is that the larger, more collectable dinos, did not hold up over the years. It is so hard to find any of the large toys in decent shape as the "skin" and moving parts turned to dust over time. If you ever find any of the line in decent shape pick it up if it's a decent deal. They are a great piece of history and just look and feel so good in hand. Thanks for the video that really took me back. A great, in-depth job as usual.
yea, the dinoriders toys were cheaply made in comparison to other toys. I loved the show and the toys as a kid but even 7 year old me could tell the lack of quality.
Dino-Riders was one of my all time fave things growing up, I was obsessed with the toys and show. I also adore Dr. Bakker, so finding out he had a hand in Dino-Riders just made my day! Sad that he had to leave because people were too stubborn lol. Excellent video as always!
I remember during 2012 or 2013 as I kid since I was born in 2006, I remember discovering a VHS tape with dinosaurs on it with only a few episodes and I was super amazed with it, wishing there was more but unfortunately there wasn’t. I hope we do get a new Dino Riders tv show with the type of animation from Gravity Falls. And even a new live action movie as well but I’d want the movie studio behind it to actually care and give it the care it needs. Like giving it an enough budget like 95 to 115 million dollars with the use of animatronics. And also a good director, doesn’t have to be someone famous but someone who has talent and experience such as Neil Blomkamp.
I like at the start how the creators strived for scientifically accurate depictions of prehistoric animals for the time. Not making them silly or evil looking. Especially the comment on how "kids would know" This is so true! Kids who are truly into dinosaurs will point out this stuff! They are not stupid. This is why I kinda hate the trend of making bad looking dinosaurs *cough* Jurassic World *cough* with the excuse of it's "just for kids" as if they are to dumb to know any better. Great video on DR history. There's a lot here that i did not know and I'm checking out that website!
Jurassic World is more of a continuity thing rather than a make them look inaccurate for other reasons. It's also a nod to the view that none of the dinosaurs there are actual dinosaurs...
Agreed entirely. I remember spotting continuity errors in old cartoons as young as six and it always irritated me. Suspension of disbelief is important, and kids are imaginative, I probably could have dealt with the dinosaurs being fantastical, talking, breathing fire, being godzilla size, whatever. But if you try to make them realistic you have to adhere to that VERY closely.
Dino-Riders is my second favorite dinosaur toyline, after Kenner's Jurassic Park toys (of which I own a sizeable collection). They definitely put a lot of effort into making them as close to what dinosaurs were presumed to look like by paleontologists at the time as was reasonably possible, and they looked a lot better than most dinosaur toys released even a decade later. Though I find it kind of funny that they spent so much time making sure the dinosaurs looked accurate because they knew kids would noticed if they didn't look right but apparently didn't consider anybody questioning dinosaurs who lived tens of millions of years apart apparently existing together (because that is definitely something that would bother kid-me, though less than the dinosaurs not looking accurate). Granted, if they had just stuck with late Cretaceous dinosaurs they would have had to leave out multiple iconic ones like stegosaurus and diplodocus.
Y'know, I got to thinking about that. It annoyed me at the time, too. But as I was watching this video retrospective, I thought: Well, if the Valorians and Rulons went back in time, and were able to open a portal forward to the Pleistocene Ice Age . . . what if there were unintended side-effects of that time-travel? What if OTHER portals got opened to different eras, portals that allowed the Jurassic and Permian creatures to come through into the Cretaceous? With the nature of time travel, the portals could open up BEFORE they were created, so (for example) a Diplodocus and Stegosaurus could be on site when the Valorians and Rulons crash in the Cretaceous, but the portals themselves wouldn't actually be generated until near the end of the story, when they were trying to get their time machine up and running again? They could attempt to open a portal, only to have it whiz away down the timestream like an eddy in . . . well, a stream . . . and before you know it, Dimetrodons and Placeriases rubbing elbows with a Brontosaurus and some Deinonychuses. Okay, Mattel . . . NOW HIRE ME, AND LETS GET THIS MADE! 😉
“We created a toy line with super realistic dinosaurs.” “But what if they talk.” “They don’t.” “But what if they did.” “They wouldn’t.” “But what if they could.” “They can’t.” “Okay. But could we make them talk?” “No.” “Alright, but maybe we should.” “No.” “What if we did.” “No.” “It would be helpful if they could talk.” “No.” “What if there was a reason they could talk.” “No” “How about some of them talk.” “No” “What if there were ones that talk.” “No” “It would be funny if one talked” “No” “Here’s another idea, they could talk.” “No” “Alternatively, they could talk.” “No” “I want to make them talk” “No”
Amazing video! This must be one the most exhaustive feature about not only the toyline and merchandise, but behind the scenes stories as well. I think one notable visual aspect of the toyline that don't get featured often, at least in my own personal opinion, is how unique the armors, guns and equipment is for each side and sometimes to the specific dinosaur. Valorians have smooth and sleek armor and guns in blue and silver with red highlights, while the Rulons have angular and spiky armor and guns in purple and grey with red highlights. I think the most standout for me is the Edmontonia and the Kentrosaurus because of how opposite their armor deisgns are (they both get pitted against each other in an epsiode, too).
As a massive Dino Riders fan, thank you! This was such a well put together history of my favourite toy line as a kid. I think it’s fair to say the story didn’t quite match the epic nature of the toys which unfortunately caused it’s extinction. Would love to see it resurrected one day. Thanks again 🤩 🍿 🦖
I vividly remember having the diplodocus but I find myself doubting my memory because I don't recall playing with it much and don't know what happened to it. And while I tended to be sorta careless with my toys, that's a huge set to just vanish on me. I know for a fact that I had the Mind Zei action figure, though.
Ive only ever had a handfull of episodes i dont think the rest got dubbed, but to this day the image of Dinosaurs packed with weapons fighting aliens that enslave them with the aliens that talk to them through their minds has NEVER left my brain. I still have the old DInoRiders VHS and would actually not mind digitizing it (if possible) so i can upload the dub. Also i was NEVER aware of the game, granted it doesnt look the best but for a free fan game it gets a small pass, really feels like a missed opportunity to not have gotten a game out of the franchise offically. Also ALSO PROPS to the super fan its been a LONG time since ive seen such a nicely designed and actually interesting to look at website Great and informative video thank you for this.
Something that doesn't get talked about in this show is the music. I love all of it, especially the Valorian theme when they're just communing with the dinosaurs. I would love to hear someone cover some stuff from the OST, or better still for someone to find the soundtrack somewhere.
Back in the early 2000s, I really got into collecting dinosaur toys, with my main focus on collecting the Kenner Jurassic Park and The Lost World lines. Somehow, I found out about Dino-Riders. The Protoceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, and Struthiomimus were my favorites, and I still have them to this day. Despite their now inaccurate sculpts, those toys were ahead of their time and continue to hold that nostalgic charm.
Fun fact: Rex from Toy Story was based on the Dino-Riders T-rex (he even mentioned the company that made him was bought by Mattel during an auction). The short Toy Story that Time Forgot even featured armor for Rex and Trixie that are based on Dino-Riders.
Diego there's something you missed one of the developers wanted to have an aquatic spinoff. He was quoted as saying "all I want is sharks, with frickin laser beams attached to their heads"
This series was both a staple in my love of dinosaurs as well as what made up the majority of my toys based around the prehistoric reptiles. Loved the hell outta this franchise!
It was really a unique series, but I do feel the formulaic nature of the cartoon made it having less of an impact in popular culture (like, I know cartoons like these are made to sell toys, but the moment is too obvious they just want to sell, the people won't be impressed)
Honestly, Dino Riders needed some other form of mainstream popularity, like a movie or video game to really help it with that. Transformers was in the same boat, but now it's a huge franchise, a lot of it due to the content that was made after the 80s cartoon
Not gonna lie, I actually remember watching this back in the day. But since no one else seemed to remember it, I thought I hade just dreamed it all up.
It sounds like the writers who thought they could only give the dinosaurs personalities by making them talk is stupid Real animals have personalities without talking, there are ways to give the dinosaurs personalities while still keeping them realistic
Yeah I don't think the writers even considered that idea. Sounds like they wanted just straight up dinosaur cartoon characters in the generic 80s style
@@DinoDiego16 yeah and tbh this was kinda before they’d have writers or directors with that ugh enthusiasm, or even the budget for it, Something like primal would just be harder to pull off for a cartoon like this lol
20:52 Let's just pause for a second and think about that someone "having no imagination" was the boss of toy company Oh, and btw... 37:47 WAS THAT THE BITE OF '87?!
If Dino-Riders ever get a revival, they should use fossil accurate designs as we know them now. It is only right considering it's creators were pushing for accuracy of their time.
look up cyberzoic, the guy making it is a dino riders fan and a toy / figure designer, the paleo accuracy would make the og toy designers proud. stuff isn't cheap though.
Dino riders got me into dinosaurs for sure. I kinda wanted this monster/Dragon like toy from a He-man toy series, and my mom didn't really know what it was (or didn't find it) and got me the monoclonius from dino riders. I fell madly in love with the toy, and wanted more and more dino riders, and started to get Dinosaur books from the library and from my family. this was 35 years ago now.
Thank you for the deep dive! Very informative, especially the look at development. I still have my Dino-Riders dinos and use them for Trunk-or-Treat, and they're a big hit. The T. rex even walks still! (Well, shambles anyway.) Not only did they hold up, but they are so much better quality than most of the dinosaur toys made in the last 30 years. The passion for scientific accuracy really shows, and coming from a company that made model trains and cars, it makes perfect sense.
I love theses cartoons when I was little. I bought the hell out of the toys.I had the hard to find t-rex an the bracosaurs an brontosaurus that had the medal pods on its sides.They was they reason I love dinosaurs to this day.I became a paleontologist because of theses guys.
I really wish that Mattel had continued the battlepacks because there was supposed to have at least one other one. There was a pretty neat wargame that people put together using the battlepack to make a starting point.
I don't think we had any of the toys here in Finland, but this series was well known and sold on VHS around 1991-1992, with 2 or 3 episodes per tape (dubbed into Finnish, but I have later seen the entire series with the real audio). The two-part finale was always my favorite, that was the one revolving around the Brontosaurus. Officially there was one more episode after that, with the Ice Age theme, but it had no connection to the other 13 episodes.
Really strange that there aren't more comics for the series. It's perfect for that kind of story. It offers a lot of opportunity for beautiful art with dinos and sci-fi weapons. Especially these days when pretty much everything that isn't a success otherwise is continued as a comic.
23:30 Corporate espionage is no joke in the toy industry. Still goes on today, and it can cost a company hundreds of millions of dollars. There's not a single big company that doesn't paly dirty whenever they see and opening.
These and the Kenner Jurassic Park Dino’s were some of my favorite toys. I was so upset the day we called Toys R Us and they told us the toy line was discontinued. I pronounced it ‘Dye Oh Nike Us’ - I think that was the way to say it at the time. One of the worst parts of getting back into dinosaurs with my kids now is that so many dinosaurs are pronounced differently now! But it’s good to see the original ‘Raptor’ get some love. I feel like most books and shows would highlight Deinonychus before Jurassic Park made the Raptor cool
Man the b roll. The cheap plastic t rex. Some of the artwork from childrens' books. The stop motion puppet video. This was my childhood.🥲 I had Monoclonius with Mako because what is cooler than a hammer head shark riding a dinosaur.
I hear so little about this series/toy line that I was sometimes inclined to thinking it was just a fever dream. Great to see someone covering it. Shame I don't have any of the toys anymore, though.
What a big shot of nostalgia! I still have my deinonychus but I've lost the rider somewhere. Maybe he's hidden away in a moving box I have yet to unpack. Big envy for my sister >3> She found an absolute TREASURE TROVE of the toys earlier this year, and gave it to her two boys, who unsurprisingly are big dino fans too. omg at 24:22, I had that stegosaurus as a kid, except deep green! My sister had a T-Rex!
Remember seeing the cartoon paired with RoboCop on my local CBS on Saturday mornings around 7AM. The filler content hour before the station started playing their syndicated Saturday morning content. Never got any of the toys myself and I can't say I was interested enough to have wanted them. As for the the 2021 set. It looks like an idea that, 1. Would test the waters and see if there was an interest in the toy set for today's kids and collectors. 2. Was meant to be a table top game for the market that had seen growth during the Covid lock down.
I already mentioned in a previous comment, how Creative Beast Studio released a limited-edition T-Rex, that featured Dino-Riders cartoon colors. But I forgot to mention, that they also sold a limited-edition Monoclonius, that featured colors from the original D-R figure. On top of all of that, both of those pieces came in boxes that imitated the original toy packaging. That even went as far, as featuring art from one of the toylines, original box artists, Ezra Tucker. Can ya' tell I'm in love with this franchise?
Fun random fact. One of the toy sets (the triceratops one) served as a prop in a Polish educational series "Nie tylko Dinozaury" (eng. Not only dinosaurs). It was a series dedicated to dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. It ran on polish national TV in the early nineties. The propt was used to play one of the co-hosts of each episode, a triceratops recounting important information about dinosaurs. For a long time I thought it was lost media, but recently it was uploaded here on youtube: ua-cam.com/video/RGPx5lhfA1U/v-deo.html Just putting it out there as an interesting piece of trivia. :)
I was very much a dinosaur kid when I was little too. I found Dino Riders as a show before I knew it was a toyline, let alone also a comic series. I'm making an even more fantastical scenario myself in my Biostorica project, dinosaurs and natural magic in a big speculative biology crusade.
Really enjoying your channel. You put in a lot of research and construct it in an entertaining way. I know that content creators being passionate about their material isn't exactly unique, but you have this perfect balance of passion and child-like enthusiasm. Entertaining and often heart-warming content that stokes the inner child in all of us.
They were cool toys, I feel like they could have done a better job at the backstory though. I feel like He-man really hit the nail on the head with how to write backstories for kids shows, just be as creative and absurd as possible, it worked well for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it worked well for Thundercats, it worked well for Transformers. The guys who wrote the He-man story just came up with it on the fly, they made the toys first and built the backstory from there, and it worked a charm. Keep it absurd but still easy to follow, be creative, a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, focus on the characterisation, imagine the kids playing on the carpet creating worlds in their own head.
I personally enjoyed the Dino Riders. It's one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons. Well, the closest we're getting to a comeback is a spoof of it called Dino Wars in the anime The Adventures of Anya & Quentin. That's right. It has that scene with Anya Forger sitting on a couch depressed about the death of her parents being killed by the Utahraptor pack, so she decided to watch some TV and watch Dino Wars and still says that same line "I like this show", but she knows that they're gone.
i love how the toy designers were so suborn on keeping the dinos accurate at least for there time, and some how media producers messing with the designs and ignoring Robert T. Bakker does not surprise me at all considering how most dinosaur media is treated outside of documentaries and even there're we got issues. also it just hit me Dr. Bakker is like 78 now... F46k i'm old lol.
There's probably not enough info to do an hour long video, but how about "Bone Age"? It was a toy line where cavemen rode dinosaur skeletons that could also transform. How did they move? Who knows, maybe the substitutiary locomotion spell.
i picked up a massive lot of dinoriders from a yard sale almost complete set just missing some weapons and the bands. been going down the rabbit hole trying to find out more, this video answers just about everything thanks for the post.
That Diplodocus set was bad ass, with the giant siege capsules that opened up & the throat missiles. I dreamed about owning it every day until my birthday.
But seriously, there were at least a few Graphic Novels during the “Chariots of the Gods” craze featuring futuristic peoples visiting or crash-landing on prehistoric Earth. I remember them because I was not allowed to buy them, and I sadly can’t even remember their names now.
I remember back before AOL thinking I was the only person that still remembered these. What a different world we live in now. I hope these make an large scale official return someday. Great video btw
Just want to give a shout out to my Friend and fellow artist Ezra Tucker for illustrating the amazing box art for Dino Riders! He also great friends with Thomas Blackshear and has taught us his techniques behind the amazing colors and firing effects!
My personal favorites...not including older stuff i grew up on and with (Looney Tunes, classic Hanna Barbera, Battle for the Planets and so on). Dino Riders. Inhumanoids. Visionaries.
I still have my T-Rex. I lost the armor at some point, I think enough parts broke that I just tossed them. I thought it was funny that there was a "This guy's not coming home" post, the guy with hardly any armor cover right center of mass in front of the Rex's chest with just a couple grip arms. I figured Krulos just assigned that post to whoever he was mad at and didn't want to see again.
In 2018, Lanard made a sub line of their Corps called "Jurassic Clash" in Europe, "Primal Clash" in North America. It featured a Dino Rider type concept with a humanoid action figure riding a dinosaur or mammal with weapons. The closest we have got to the real thing since 1990 I think. However, I'm waiting for the official comeback of Dino Riders with much hope. Perhaps in 2028 if Mattel wants to commemorate it's 40 year anniversary? 🤞
I had Dino Riders on a video tape and I used to watch this everytime when I felt like it and I loved it. I love the green T-rex looked so cool wih its red eyes and laser. The way the human speaks to the dinosaur and dinosaur helps them to build is something I wish if dinosaur were alive in our time maybe we could be friend with them and they can help us wih daily routine. Ofc would be problem with carnivore dinosaurs and we might not be able to contain them like a big Brachiosaurus is just impossible as they are too big too heavy and too dangerous. Tho it would be cool like u see a long queue line of Elephants and u like Wow those are big animals the biggest land mammal but then u see a big Brachiosaurus even bigger than the Elephants. Now that would be a cool sight to behold.
I still have nearly all the Smithsonian editions of the dinosaurs, they are a major factor in me working towards being a Paleo artist / creature concepter.
My guess is that when was Dinotopia publish back in 1992, it pretty much killed any chance "Dino-Riders" had, when it featured similar theme. Now with the Dinotopia TV show, animated movie, and games, and products made under that branding, it feels like Mattel sort of made a silent agreement with them not to push Dnio-Riders. But it would be great to see a " Dnio-Riders in Dinotopia" crossover.
I had, and saw, only the first episode on VHS, and I LOVED it. It even had the cheesy toy commercials, even involving toys that had nothing to do with Dino riders 😂
At start of video you showed Playmobil among the early 80's toys competing against Tyco. Today one of Playmobil lines is Dino-Rise, presenting dinosaurs with armor and weapons with humans riding them
Damn!! That whas the most epic Scifi Paleontólogy Worldbuilding Lore i ever heard!! Is like Proto Aliens vs Dinosaurs but mixted with Transformers, He-man and GIJoe! Personaly i love those Marvel Comics deep Wacky expansión plots!! Trully needs to had a properly return Reboot! if they do that, i cant wait to see how Realistic they Will be in comparation with the modern Paleontólogy of today! What a Review! Thank you so much! 👽🦕🛸🦖🦣
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video! Thank you!
"Dino-Riders" has more far-reaching impact on pop culture than most people realise. Rex from "Toy Story" was heavily based on the T-Rex from the line, and even his backstory about being made by a company that was bought by Mattel is the same. Add to that the fact that some of the creatures from the line were considered so accurate, they were repackaged and straight-up sold at museums and other stores under the Smithsonian banner was the best endorsement the line could ever get.
And now, Creative Beast Studio (which does PHENOMENAL dino sculpting) is reviving the line in spirit with the Cyberzoic line.
Glad you enjoyed it! I never realized how far this series reached in popularity until I made this video. Always amazing to see dinosaur media reach these levels of influence
@@PoochieWooch Yes!
I'm glad that you mentioned Creative Beast Studio. I was a little surprised that at the 1:18:06 mark, that their limited-edition Dino-Riders inspired T-Rex, only got a screen shot of its head and not one of its entire body. I barely collect action figures anymore, but it was the closest I was ever going to come to getting a T-Rex that is scientifically accurate in structure and D-R cartoon accurate in color (green top side, orange underside and red eyes). For a Dino-Riders fan, it was a must have. Now I'm hoping that they'll release an orange Triceratops to go along with it.
@@honesto4696 Yeah, I've been following Creative Beast Studio since the very beginning, and have been utterly blown away by everything they've done so far. I'm just sad that I never had the spare cash to buy everything they've ever made.
And yeah, their Dino-Riders T-Rex was amazing! Of all their pieces, though, the most sorely-desired one for me was the "Steelhorn" Tricetatops. Would've loved to have gotten that one and turned it into a full Bionatops for my MOTU Classics collection.
They still have that piece in stock, for $149.99. It's not cheap, but I don't think it's going to sell out soon either.
I love Dino-Riders. It is a series that should have been more successful, but left a lasting impact in a lot of media and pop culture.
Imagine an instant
Total War : Dino-riders
The dinosaur "personalities" actually sound pretty good as long as they _don't talk_ . If they depict their personality entirely through actions and maybe some exposition from the humans I can totally see a Diplodocus specimen being "fuzzy and fiercely maternal" a particular Deinonychus mount being over-confident, etc.
Get Genndy Tartakovsky (Primal creator) on the line!
Yeah that was definitely a good idea, but the lack of creativity in the presentation where the critters would have to talk is what sank it.
Hell you can even bypass the no-talking rule slightly with the Valorians' telepathic power by having a character translate the body language if it's thought to be too subtle.
"What's with the Diplodocus?"
"She's worried, can't you tell?"
Same. I really like the idea of Gunner naming his dinosaur "Sarge" or Krulos even though his is an automaton having a certain affection towards his "Little Tyrant", little because despite their size difference he's actually the BIGGER tyrant. People do this with dogs and horses, do it with the dinosaurs.
I LOVED Dino Riders. I was 8 in 1988 when the show and toy line dropped. I was amazed. I was already in a long standing dinosaur phase, like begging to go to gem and mineral shows on the weekends to spend my allowance on trillobyte fossils, so this line was made for me.
These were THE most beautiful dinosaurs I had ever seen when I was 8, but they STILL are the best commercial dino toys I've ever seen.
I wish the toy line and series would have been better recieved. The truth of the matter was the toys were expensive for the time. Back then you could get a new GI Joe figure for $2 and a mid size Transformer for $10 to $12. Any of the mid to large Dino Riders were way more expensive by comparison and even though they had smaller options of just figures or very basic small dinos, kids didn't want those. Everyone wanted the T-Rex, that I never got because it was too expensive, not the basic offerings. I did have the bronto and triceratops plus pretty much all the small ones.
The worst part about the toyline is that the larger, more collectable dinos, did not hold up over the years. It is so hard to find any of the large toys in decent shape as the "skin" and moving parts turned to dust over time.
If you ever find any of the line in decent shape pick it up if it's a decent deal. They are a great piece of history and just look and feel so good in hand.
Thanks for the video that really took me back. A great, in-depth job as usual.
Yeah. I had the diplodocus. He stopped walking after 6 months. Crap quality and very expensive toys.
The 80's had some of the best toys.
yea, the dinoriders toys were cheaply made in comparison to other toys. I loved the show and the toys as a kid but even 7 year old me could tell the lack of quality.
Dino-Riders was one of my all time fave things growing up, I was obsessed with the toys and show. I also adore Dr. Bakker, so finding out he had a hand in Dino-Riders just made my day! Sad that he had to leave because people were too stubborn lol. Excellent video as always!
Low key, imagine a dark apocalypse now dino riders reboot? Would be metal as hell
I think it was called Dinosaurs and Cadillacs
Give It to the people Who animated skull Island and some good writers and boom
I'd rather no one ever touch Dino Riders. They'd completely ruin it.
@@burntrap123fuck yeah!
are you an american?
i remember getting a copy of a hardback annual/comic book type thing from my uncle from this series. This has unlocked a core memory.
I remember during 2012 or 2013 as I kid since I was born in 2006, I remember discovering a VHS tape with dinosaurs on it with only a few episodes and I was super amazed with it, wishing there was more but unfortunately there wasn’t. I hope we do get a new Dino Riders tv show with the type of animation from Gravity Falls. And even a new live action movie as well but I’d want the movie studio behind it to actually care and give it the care it needs. Like giving it an enough budget like 95 to 115 million dollars with the use of animatronics. And also a good director, doesn’t have to be someone famous but someone who has talent and experience such as Neil Blomkamp.
I like at the start how the creators strived for scientifically accurate depictions of prehistoric animals for the time. Not making them silly or evil looking. Especially the comment on how "kids would know" This is so true! Kids who are truly into dinosaurs will point out this stuff! They are not stupid. This is why I kinda hate the trend of making bad looking dinosaurs *cough* Jurassic World *cough* with the excuse of it's "just for kids" as if they are to dumb to know any better.
Great video on DR history. There's a lot here that i did not know and I'm checking out that website!
Jurassic World is more of a continuity thing rather than a make them look inaccurate for other reasons.
It's also a nod to the view that none of the dinosaurs there are actual dinosaurs...
Too*
Agreed entirely. I remember spotting continuity errors in old cartoons as young as six and it always irritated me. Suspension of disbelief is important, and kids are imaginative, I probably could have dealt with the dinosaurs being fantastical, talking, breathing fire, being godzilla size, whatever. But if you try to make them realistic you have to adhere to that VERY closely.
Only 14 episodes? Damn. Loved this show. Mom even got me the toys one Christmas. I swear I thought it was like hundreds of episodes!
Dino-Riders is my second favorite dinosaur toyline, after Kenner's Jurassic Park toys (of which I own a sizeable collection). They definitely put a lot of effort into making them as close to what dinosaurs were presumed to look like by paleontologists at the time as was reasonably possible, and they looked a lot better than most dinosaur toys released even a decade later. Though I find it kind of funny that they spent so much time making sure the dinosaurs looked accurate because they knew kids would noticed if they didn't look right but apparently didn't consider anybody questioning dinosaurs who lived tens of millions of years apart apparently existing together (because that is definitely something that would bother kid-me, though less than the dinosaurs not looking accurate). Granted, if they had just stuck with late Cretaceous dinosaurs they would have had to leave out multiple iconic ones like stegosaurus and diplodocus.
Y'know, I got to thinking about that. It annoyed me at the time, too. But as I was watching this video retrospective, I thought:
Well, if the Valorians and Rulons went back in time, and were able to open a portal forward to the Pleistocene Ice Age . . . what if there were unintended side-effects of that time-travel? What if OTHER portals got opened to different eras, portals that allowed the Jurassic and Permian creatures to come through into the Cretaceous?
With the nature of time travel, the portals could open up BEFORE they were created, so (for example) a Diplodocus and Stegosaurus could be on site when the Valorians and Rulons crash in the Cretaceous, but the portals themselves wouldn't actually be generated until near the end of the story, when they were trying to get their time machine up and running again? They could attempt to open a portal, only to have it whiz away down the timestream like an eddy in . . . well, a stream . . . and before you know it, Dimetrodons and Placeriases rubbing elbows with a Brontosaurus and some Deinonychuses.
Okay, Mattel . . . NOW HIRE ME, AND LETS GET THIS MADE! 😉
“We created a toy line with super realistic dinosaurs.”
“But what if they talk.”
“They don’t.”
“But what if they did.”
“They wouldn’t.”
“But what if they could.”
“They can’t.”
“Okay. But could we make them talk?”
“No.”
“Alright, but maybe we should.”
“No.”
“What if we did.”
“No.”
“It would be helpful if they could talk.”
“No.”
“What if there was a reason they could talk.”
“No”
“How about some of them talk.”
“No”
“What if there were ones that talk.”
“No”
“It would be funny if one talked”
“No”
“Here’s another idea, they could talk.”
“No”
“Alternatively, they could talk.”
“No”
“I want to make them talk”
“No”
Honestly, this series needs a revival! I mean, these ideas were really cool!
Or a spiritual successor
Amazing video! This must be one the most exhaustive feature about not only the toyline and merchandise, but behind the scenes stories as well. I think one notable visual aspect of the toyline that don't get featured often, at least in my own personal opinion, is how unique the armors, guns and equipment is for each side and sometimes to the specific dinosaur. Valorians have smooth and sleek armor and guns in blue and silver with red highlights, while the Rulons have angular and spiky armor and guns in purple and grey with red highlights. I think the most standout for me is the Edmontonia and the Kentrosaurus because of how opposite their armor deisgns are (they both get pitted against each other in an epsiode, too).
As a massive Dino Riders fan, thank you! This was such a well put together history of my favourite toy line as a kid. I think it’s fair to say the story didn’t quite match the epic nature of the toys which unfortunately caused it’s extinction. Would love to see it resurrected one day. Thanks again 🤩 🍿 🦖
Omg I had the triceratops toy when I was a kid! I got it for stopping chewing my nails. 😂 Loved that show!
I vividly remember having the diplodocus but I find myself doubting my memory because I don't recall playing with it much and don't know what happened to it. And while I tended to be sorta careless with my toys, that's a huge set to just vanish on me. I know for a fact that I had the Mind Zei action figure, though.
Ive only ever had a handfull of episodes i dont think the rest got dubbed, but to this day the image of Dinosaurs packed with weapons fighting aliens that enslave them with the aliens that talk to them through their minds has NEVER left my brain. I still have the old DInoRiders VHS and would actually not mind digitizing it (if possible) so i can upload the dub.
Also i was NEVER aware of the game, granted it doesnt look the best but for a free fan game it gets a small pass, really feels like a missed opportunity to not have gotten a game out of the franchise offically.
Also ALSO PROPS to the super fan its been a LONG time since ive seen such a nicely designed and actually interesting to look at website
Great and informative video thank you for this.
Something that doesn't get talked about in this show is the music.
I love all of it, especially the Valorian theme when they're just communing with the dinosaurs. I would love to hear someone cover some stuff from the OST, or better still for someone to find the soundtrack somewhere.
The sound design was amazing in that show
@@stevendorries it really was!
Back in the early 2000s, I really got into collecting dinosaur toys, with my main focus on collecting the Kenner Jurassic Park and The Lost World lines. Somehow, I found out about Dino-Riders. The Protoceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, and Struthiomimus were my favorites, and I still have them to this day. Despite their now inaccurate sculpts, those toys were ahead of their time and continue to hold that nostalgic charm.
Fun fact: Rex from Toy Story was based on the Dino-Riders T-rex (he even mentioned the company that made him was bought by Mattel during an auction). The short Toy Story that Time Forgot even featured armor for Rex and Trixie that are based on Dino-Riders.
There’s a recent comic book called “Dinosaur Warrior” that you would probably be into. 🦖
It’s made by Markosia I think
Diego there's something you missed one of the developers wanted to have an aquatic spinoff.
He was quoted as saying
"all I want is sharks, with frickin laser beams attached to their heads"
Amazing
isnt that, the same, what Dr. Evil said in one of the Austin Powers Movies? XD
@@Kenichi2002 yes it's from Austin Powers, the shows developer didn't actually say that.
I was making a joke
Strange how he didn’t mention that Rex from Toy Story is based on the Dino Riders T-Rex.
But *I* did. 😉
This series was both a staple in my love of dinosaurs as well as what made up the majority of my toys based around the prehistoric reptiles. Loved the hell outta this franchise!
I love Dino Riders, it was my favorite toy when I was a child, I think it's a shame that there are no games, films or toys like it today!
Another awesome video! I think this and having the Generation 1 Dinobots from Transformers were definitely highlights from my childhood
It was really a unique series, but I do feel the formulaic nature of the cartoon made it having less of an impact in popular culture (like, I know cartoons like these are made to sell toys, but the moment is too obvious they just want to sell, the people won't be impressed)
Honestly, Dino Riders needed some other form of mainstream popularity, like a movie or video game to really help it with that. Transformers was in the same boat, but now it's a huge franchise, a lot of it due to the content that was made after the 80s cartoon
Not gonna lie, I actually remember watching this back in the day.
But since no one else seemed to remember it, I thought I hade just dreamed it all up.
It sounds like the writers who thought they could only give the dinosaurs personalities by making them talk is stupid
Real animals have personalities without talking, there are ways to give the dinosaurs personalities while still keeping them realistic
Yeah I don't think the writers even considered that idea. Sounds like they wanted just straight up dinosaur cartoon characters in the generic 80s style
@@DinoDiego16 yeah and tbh this was kinda before they’d have writers or directors with that ugh enthusiasm, or even the budget for it,
Something like primal would just be harder to pull off for a cartoon like this lol
20:52
Let's just pause for a second and think about that someone "having no imagination" was the boss of toy company
Oh, and btw...
37:47 WAS THAT THE BITE OF '87?!
If Dino-Riders ever get a revival, they should use fossil accurate designs as we know them now. It is only right considering it's creators were pushing for accuracy of their time.
no one wants a t rex with feathers
@@Trev794 i do, or at least a reasonably good reason not to have feathers such as only juveniles have feathers. a chonky emu t-rex wouldn't suck
look up cyberzoic, the guy making it is a dino riders fan and a toy / figure designer, the paleo accuracy would make the og toy designers proud. stuff isn't cheap though.
@@Trev794 Skill issue
Dino riders got me into dinosaurs for sure. I kinda wanted this monster/Dragon like toy from a He-man toy series, and my mom didn't really know what it was (or didn't find it) and got me the monoclonius from dino riders. I fell madly in love with the toy, and wanted more and more dino riders, and started to get Dinosaur books from the library and from my family. this was 35 years ago now.
Thank you for the deep dive! Very informative, especially the look at development. I still have my Dino-Riders dinos and use them for Trunk-or-Treat, and they're a big hit. The T. rex even walks still! (Well, shambles anyway.) Not only did they hold up, but they are so much better quality than most of the dinosaur toys made in the last 30 years. The passion for scientific accuracy really shows, and coming from a company that made model trains and cars, it makes perfect sense.
I love theses cartoons when I was little. I bought the hell out of the toys.I had the hard to find t-rex an the bracosaurs an brontosaurus that had the medal pods on its sides.They was they reason I love dinosaurs to this day.I became a paleontologist because of theses guys.
I really wish that Mattel had continued the battlepacks because there was supposed to have at least one other one.
There was a pretty neat wargame that people put together using the battlepack to make a starting point.
As soon as I saw the notification I said "oh boy I hope it's an hour!" And you exceeded my expectations thank you for this!
This one was great, i remember having a 90s version of this, probably early 93, after my father had visited the states.
I don't think we had any of the toys here in Finland, but this series was well known and sold on VHS around 1991-1992, with 2 or 3 episodes per tape (dubbed into Finnish, but I have later seen the entire series with the real audio). The two-part finale was always my favorite, that was the one revolving around the Brontosaurus. Officially there was one more episode after that, with the Ice Age theme, but it had no connection to the other 13 episodes.
Those were my very favorite toys as a kid. I never had many of them, but they were the best.
Really strange that there aren't more comics for the series. It's perfect for that kind of story. It offers a lot of opportunity for beautiful art with dinos and sci-fi weapons. Especially these days when pretty much everything that isn't a success otherwise is continued as a comic.
23:30 Corporate espionage is no joke in the toy industry. Still goes on today, and it can cost a company hundreds of millions of dollars. There's not a single big company that doesn't paly dirty whenever they see and opening.
These and the Kenner Jurassic Park Dino’s were some of my favorite toys. I was so upset the day we called Toys R Us and they told us the toy line was discontinued.
I pronounced it ‘Dye Oh Nike Us’ - I think that was the way to say it at the time. One of the worst parts of getting back into dinosaurs with my kids now is that so many dinosaurs are pronounced differently now! But it’s good to see the original ‘Raptor’ get some love. I feel like most books and shows would highlight Deinonychus before Jurassic Park made the Raptor cool
Harness the Power!
DINO RIDER'S!
Man the b roll. The cheap plastic t rex. Some of the artwork from childrens' books. The stop motion puppet video. This was my childhood.🥲
I had Monoclonius with Mako because what is cooler than a hammer head shark riding a dinosaur.
I hear so little about this series/toy line that I was sometimes inclined to thinking it was just a fever dream. Great to see someone covering it. Shame I don't have any of the toys anymore, though.
What a big shot of nostalgia! I still have my deinonychus but I've lost the rider somewhere. Maybe he's hidden away in a moving box I have yet to unpack. Big envy for my sister >3> She found an absolute TREASURE TROVE of the toys earlier this year, and gave it to her two boys, who unsurprisingly are big dino fans too.
omg at 24:22, I had that stegosaurus as a kid, except deep green! My sister had a T-Rex!
Remember seeing the cartoon paired with RoboCop on my local CBS on Saturday mornings around 7AM. The filler content hour before the station started playing their syndicated Saturday morning content.
Never got any of the toys myself and I can't say I was interested enough to have wanted them.
As for the the 2021 set. It looks like an idea that,
1. Would test the waters and see if there was an interest in the toy set for today's kids and collectors.
2. Was meant to be a table top game for the market that had seen growth during the Covid lock down.
I already mentioned in a previous comment, how Creative Beast Studio released a limited-edition T-Rex, that featured Dino-Riders cartoon colors. But I forgot to mention, that they also sold a limited-edition Monoclonius, that featured colors from the original D-R figure. On top of all of that, both of those pieces came in boxes that imitated the original toy packaging. That even went as far, as featuring art from one of the toylines, original box artists, Ezra Tucker. Can ya' tell I'm in love with this franchise?
Fun random fact. One of the toy sets (the triceratops one) served as a prop in a Polish educational series "Nie tylko Dinozaury" (eng. Not only dinosaurs). It was a series dedicated to dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. It ran on polish national TV in the early nineties. The propt was used to play one of the co-hosts of each episode, a triceratops recounting important information about dinosaurs.
For a long time I thought it was lost media, but recently it was uploaded here on youtube:
ua-cam.com/video/RGPx5lhfA1U/v-deo.html
Just putting it out there as an interesting piece of trivia. :)
Cool fact
CyberZoic is the DinoRiders comeback.
Dino Riders is why Deinonychus was my favorite dinosaur growing up. I had the Rulon version, and loved it to death.
I was very much a dinosaur kid when I was little too. I found Dino Riders as a show before I knew it was a toyline, let alone also a comic series. I'm making an even more fantastical scenario myself in my Biostorica project, dinosaurs and natural magic in a big speculative biology crusade.
Really enjoying your channel. You put in a lot of research and construct it in an entertaining way. I know that content creators being passionate about their material isn't exactly unique, but you have this perfect balance of passion and child-like enthusiasm. Entertaining and often heart-warming content that stokes the inner child in all of us.
Comments like these genuinely make my day. Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you like the content!
Tye definitive video on the history of Dino-riders. Really well done, you clearly put a lot of effort into this!
They were cool toys, I feel like they could have done a better job at the backstory though. I feel like He-man really hit the nail on the head with how to write backstories for kids shows, just be as creative and absurd as possible, it worked well for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it worked well for Thundercats, it worked well for Transformers. The guys who wrote the He-man story just came up with it on the fly, they made the toys first and built the backstory from there, and it worked a charm. Keep it absurd but still easy to follow, be creative, a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, focus on the characterisation, imagine the kids playing on the carpet creating worlds in their own head.
I personally enjoyed the Dino Riders. It's one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons. Well, the closest we're getting to a comeback is a spoof of it called Dino Wars in the anime The Adventures of Anya & Quentin. That's right. It has that scene with Anya Forger sitting on a couch depressed about the death of her parents being killed by the Utahraptor pack, so she decided to watch some TV and watch Dino Wars and still says that same line "I like this show", but she knows that they're gone.
I had the VHS video tape of the first episode, it impressed me greatly as a kid
Dino riders and the inhumanoids were my jam! I had so many toys and all the vhs tapes
i love how the toy designers were so suborn on keeping the dinos accurate at least for there time, and some how media producers messing with the designs and ignoring Robert T. Bakker does not surprise me at all considering how most dinosaur media is treated outside of documentaries and even there're we got issues. also it just hit me Dr. Bakker is like 78 now... F46k i'm old lol.
This is the most wack dinosaur toy line I’ve ever seen and heard
And I love it
There's probably not enough info to do an hour long video, but how about "Bone Age"? It was a toy line where cavemen rode dinosaur skeletons that could also transform. How did they move? Who knows, maybe the substitutiary locomotion spell.
i picked up a massive lot of dinoriders from a yard sale almost complete set just missing some weapons and the bands.
been going down the rabbit hole trying to find out more, this video answers just about everything thanks for the post.
That Diplodocus set was bad ass, with the giant siege capsules that opened up & the throat missiles. I dreamed about owning it every day until my birthday.
I love the dino riders concept. Dinosaurs blasting away with laser cannons. Can you get more 80's?
But seriously, there were at least a few Graphic Novels during the “Chariots of the Gods” craze featuring futuristic peoples visiting or crash-landing on prehistoric Earth. I remember them because I was not allowed to buy them, and I sadly can’t even remember their names now.
I was just randomly thinking of this show. I used to watch it on a VHS tape we had.
I remember back before AOL thinking I was the only person that still remembered these. What a different world we live in now. I hope these make an large scale official return someday. Great video btw
You should talk about Xenozoic Tales (aka Cadillacs & Dinosaurs) next. I believe that deserves more attention.
Dino riders were awesome, only got a couple small ones but they were (and still are) awesome ones!
Nice. All encompassing info on something I loved as a kid.
edit: 1:17:00 Damn those could have been put into a miniature war game.
Omg, this is one of those series I watched as a child but forgot about it until now. I even recognize some Dinos, because I had the toys.
Just want to give a shout out to my Friend and fellow artist Ezra Tucker for illustrating the amazing box art for Dino Riders! He also great friends with Thomas Blackshear and has taught us his techniques behind the amazing colors and firing effects!
and still i didn't finish any of it
Thanks for putting in the effort for its history!
I owned all these as a kid.
Kept the dinosaurs much longer than all the figures and weapons harnesses which were pretty fragile.
My personal favorites...not including older stuff i grew up on and with (Looney Tunes, classic Hanna Barbera, Battle for the Planets and so on).
Dino Riders.
Inhumanoids.
Visionaries.
This show was THE BEST !!!!! and the one with the Dinosaurs in space
I still have my T-Rex. I lost the armor at some point, I think enough parts broke that I just tossed them. I thought it was funny that there was a "This guy's not coming home" post, the guy with hardly any armor cover right center of mass in front of the Rex's chest with just a couple grip arms. I figured Krulos just assigned that post to whoever he was mad at and didn't want to see again.
Some of my favorite toys for sure.
Thank you for making me aware of the Toyland and Dinosaur Collectibles! books! I had no idea these existed. Also thanks for this in-depth video!
Awwww yeah....can't wait to watch this whole video. Huge Dino-Riders fan. I'll be back....
In 2018, Lanard made a sub line of their Corps called "Jurassic Clash" in Europe, "Primal Clash" in North America. It featured a Dino Rider type concept with a humanoid action figure riding a dinosaur or mammal with weapons. The closest we have got to the real thing since 1990 I think. However, I'm waiting for the official comeback of Dino Riders with much hope. Perhaps in 2028 if Mattel wants to commemorate it's 40 year anniversary? 🤞
The Jurassic Park franchise should just shift to Dino-Riders since it’s getting crazier and crazier with every movie 😂
That T-Rex was a superb toy! It destroyed many LEGO citys... xD
Also, the walking Triceratops was awesome!
I loved Dino Riders! The toys were great and the cartoon series was too short
I had Dino Riders on a video tape and I used to watch this everytime when I felt like it and I loved it. I love the green T-rex looked so cool wih its red eyes and laser. The way the human speaks to the dinosaur and dinosaur helps them to build is something I wish if dinosaur were alive in our time maybe we could be friend with them and they can help us wih daily routine. Ofc would be problem with carnivore dinosaurs and we might not be able to contain them like a big Brachiosaurus is just impossible as they are too big too heavy and too dangerous. Tho it would be cool like u see a long queue line of Elephants and u like Wow those are big animals the biggest land mammal but then u see a big Brachiosaurus even bigger than the Elephants. Now that would be a cool sight to behold.
I still have nearly all the Smithsonian editions of the dinosaurs, they are a major factor in me working towards being a Paleo artist / creature concepter.
They made dinosaurs into giant mechas... and an over the top movie hasn't been made of it?
Now that Dino Riders is covered, Dinosaucers might also be up there in the queue lol
My guess is that when was Dinotopia publish back in 1992, it pretty much killed any chance "Dino-Riders" had, when it featured similar theme. Now with the Dinotopia TV show, animated movie, and games, and products made under that branding, it feels like Mattel sort of made a silent agreement with them not to push Dnio-Riders. But it would be great to see a " Dnio-Riders in Dinotopia" crossover.
It's funny how it was only 14 episodes but felt like a lot more when I was a kid
Damn I remember Dino riders I was hooked
I had, and saw, only the first episode on VHS, and I LOVED it. It even had the cheesy toy commercials, even involving toys that had nothing to do with Dino riders 😂
At start of video you showed Playmobil among the early 80's toys competing against Tyco. Today one of Playmobil lines is Dino-Rise, presenting dinosaurs with armor and weapons with humans riding them
Kinda reminds me of Zoids. I loved building those models and series.
That's freaking cool there should be a video game
Damn!! That whas the most epic Scifi Paleontólogy Worldbuilding Lore i ever heard!! Is like Proto Aliens vs Dinosaurs but mixted with Transformers, He-man and GIJoe! Personaly i love those Marvel Comics deep Wacky expansión plots!! Trully needs to had a properly return Reboot! if they do that, i cant wait to see how Realistic they Will be in comparation with the modern Paleontólogy of today! What a Review! Thank you so much! 👽🦕🛸🦖🦣
I gotta say, I would LOVE for Dino Riders to make a comeback somehow. I’d be broke, but I’d love it 😂
Great video 👍
I loved Rasp's voice.