Prototype Toys: What Collectors Should Know
What are prototype toys? A prototype in the toy world is a pre-mass-production sample or model of a toy that is created during the design phase. Prototypes are made and used by toy companies to test the structure, safety, aesthetics, and mechanics of a toy before the final manufacturing run.
Many of these are 3D printed and hand painted as they are incredibly rare and just test runs of the real toy before it is produced. Others are working models that include all of the internal functioning parts
Prototypes are highly sought after by collectors for their rarity and uniqueness. Since prototypes are test-runs, they are sometimes remodeled or changed for the final manufacturing run for mass-production. These prototypes are often even more rare since the actual toy appears differently. Follow along in our blog with us to see more on prototype toys and what collectors should know.
Join Us in Seeing What Collectors Should Know About Prototype Toys
Join us throughout our blog to see what collectors should know about prototype toys. We will dive into how someone owns a prototype toy since they are not meant for production. Along with this, we will mention the different kinds of protorypes, authentication, and market demand.
How People Get Their Hands on Prototype Toys
People can get their hands on prototype toys in a few different ways. One of the main ways is through having a personal connection to former industry insiders. Since toy prototypes are not a part of the mass produced toyline and are merely tests that aren’t released to the public, they are incredibly rare and very difficult to get your hands on.
It can often take a connection and unique circumstances to own a prototype yourself. Sometimes, former toy company executives personally sell these prototypes as they saved the unique pre-production toys from getting destroyed but no longer want them.
Along with this, there are other more available ways to get prototypes. These include purchasing prototype toys from specialty dealers or at auctions. Once collectors purchase a prototype, many resell them for a profit later on or when they go to sell their entire collection. This makes prototypes more readily available and in circulation on the toy market for collectors.
Many auctions and specialty sellers get prototypes directly from estates or past employees of toy companies which are then resold to collectors. For instance, our toy shop, Wheeljack’s Lab, buys and sells some prototypes. Check out our store to see what we are currently selling!
Some other prototypes are sold second hand, this is often when a collector goes to sell their prototype for another collector to purchase. These happen sometimes on social media or most widely on eBay and other similar websites.
Types of Prototype Toys
Conceptual Prototypes
These are prototype toys that are not actually physical items yet. It includes a drawing or picture of what a toy might look like before the company ever starts their design process. This type also includes the most basic of physical models which the toy company or designer may use random materials to make a mock image of what the toy might end up looking like. Most of the time, these are not sought out by toy collectors and are not available for purchase.
Engineering and Functional Prototypes
This is where the 3D printed and rapid models come from. Toy companies take their CAD digital designs of their toy and turn it into a SLA or FDM 3D printed physical item. These help to actually see the toy in person in scale and be able to make any changes before moving on in the design and production process. These often test the joints, articulation, aesthetics, and basic structure of a toy before printing the real item.
With these, rapid models are working models that often include the internal electronics that allow the toy company to test for safety and see how any electronics and motors work. This type of prototype gives toy companies the chance to see how the toy may appeal with children's interactions and if they need to change any of the internal abilities.
Aesthetic and Detailed Prototypes
Some of these prototypes are handmade or use wax and resin. They are the first highly detailed structure of the toy that is made where the toy company and designer can see more closely what the toy will actually look like. The point of these prototypes is to see the exact texture, physical form, detail, and character likeness of the toy that will be made.
Other prototypes in this category are the first test shots where they use the actual factory molds. The purpose of these prototypes is to make sure the mold works well and that all of the pieces for the toy fits together. Many of these prototypes release with different colors as the toy companies use whatever they have.
Prototype Packaging
The last type of prototype we will mention is not the toy itself but the packaging for it. These packaging prototypes are physical versions of the toy’s packaging to test that the toy will fit.
Packaging prototypes also test to make sure they look right. This may include any detailing on it such as images, title, name, pattern, and colors. It also checks to make sure any custom inserts are made well and fit the toy correctly.
The prototype packaging is made to see if there are any design flaws or incorrect sizing with the packaging. It also allows the toy company and designer to see how the toy’s packaging will appear to consumers on the shelf in retail stores.
The prototype packaging is for boxed toys, boxed with window toys, and bubble cardbacked toys. No matter what the toy gets sold in, the packaging matters greatly for marketing and collectibility so toy companies want it to look just right.
Documentation and Authenticity
Since prototypes are not mass-produced, they are the easiest to fake. When searching for the authenticity of a prototype, it is important to do research first to see if it is a known surfaced prototype. Along with this, researching the prototype seller is also important. This helps to see the seller’s background as well as the validity of the prototype listing.
Gaining documentation of any authenticity for prototypes is incredibly difficult since the manufacturers never intended to sell it. When looking at authentication, hard copies of toys will not have any copyright markings. Most of these also won’t have peg holes on their feet, only the mass-produced toys.
Another thing to watch out for are paint washed fakes. These are the mass produced toys that have their paint removed by a chemical that makes them look like a prototype. These can be shown by leftover paint in crevices, plastic breaking down, and less detail.
Many prototypes are made with a different material from the actual toys. Measuring the weight and material used on the toy will help determine if it is a true prototype or not.
It is also very easy for people to make their own figures from creating a mold with the mass produced toy and using resin to resemble a prototype toy. It is important to look out for these factors when purchasing a prototype toy and to do research on authentication so you get exactly what you pay for.
Valuation and Market Demand
Market demand and perceived value is crucial when it comes to prototypes. While a mass produced action figure may sell for $75 dollars to a collector, a prototype of the same figure can skyrocket to thousands of dollars! If someone is willing to pay the money for it, the value rises.
Likewise, the more collectors that desire to own a specific prototype will send the demand to increase. When the demand increases, the value also increases as the potential buyers all want to own the same item and are willing to pay more money to get it.
Contacting an expert to get a valuation of the prototype will also help see what the true value of it may be. A toy expert or specifically a prototype toy expert often has knowledge and experience to accurately tell how much something is worth by just knowing it and doing research in the right places.
Final Thoughts
Though prototype toys are difficult to find and harder to authenticate than mass produced toys, collectors search for prototypes to add to their collections. Prototypes are high in demand among collectors. They are rare, unique, and stand out in a collection.
Experts help to valuate and authenticate prototype toys. Some resell them to other collectors and can be found online through toy shops such as our own. Search prototype toys on our online vintage toy shop to purchase your own or contact us with any questions, valuation needs, and selling items.
Do You Have Old or Used Toys?
Don’t let your collection sit in storage gathering dust—turn it into cash! At Wheeljack’s Lab, we specialize in evaluating and buying vintage and used toys, from single standouts to entire collections.
Our friendly, expert team has decades of hands-on experience in collectible toys, so you can expect honest evaluations and a smooth process from start to finish. Ready to sell? Call us at 888-946-2895 and let’s get started.
About the Owner, Chris Ingledue
Chris is the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. His vision has always been to reconnect collectors with the toys and pop culture that shaped their childhoods—sparking memories, nostalgia, and imagination along the way.
Each day in the “Lab” feels like Christmas year-round. From scouring the internet for the next great treasure—much like flipping through the Sears Catalog of years past—to eagerly awaiting the postman’s arrival like Santa himself, Chris lives and breathes the thrill of the hunt. Helping collectors around the world experience their own version of Christmas is what makes being a vintage toy buyer an absolute joy.