Regional Exclusives and International Variants Explained

Regional exclusives and international variants are terms that demonstrate different versions of toys. These terms are not normally understood unless you have experience with them or have done research. An international variant is a foreign release of a toy that features slight modifications than the toy’s first release in its country of origin.

Regional exclusives are similar but have differences that set them apart from international variants. Regional exclusives are specific figures or entire toy lines sold only in select regions for various reasons. Follow along in our blog with us to see the differences explained between regional exclusives and international variants. 

Join Us as We Explain Regional Exclusives and International Variants of Toys

Join us in our blog to see what regional exclusives and international variants are. Stick around with us as we also dive into some of the toy lines and toy companies that released each of these types of exclusive and variant toys. See the value some of these hold as collectors search for them to add to their collections.

Regional Exclusives

Regional exclusives take multiple different forms. One of these includes test market toys. These toys are released only in a small region to test consumer interest before widespread global mass production. Sometimes these test market toys don’t launch and only a small amount release which makes them highly collectible and rare. 

Another regional exclusive type are retailer specific releases. These are toys that are released only by retail chains such as McDonald's exclusive toys in a certain region. Other retail stores such as Toys R Us have partnered with toy companies such as Hasbro and Mattel to carry a color variant or character that only that retail company could release.  

Some other regional exclusive toys come from strict toy safety laws which require them to make toys a bit differently only in that certain region. For instance, accessories and projectile features may need modification to meet the guidelines along with specific language on packaging that create different exclusives in specific regions. 

Before global media synchronization became widely spread, toy companies often produced regionally exclusive action figures and other toys when comics or cartoons were popular only in certain areas. Similar to international variants, many of these regional exclusives are highly sought out by collectors for their rarity and unique factor. 

LEGO

LEGO has made many regional exclusives in past years for specific locations, theme parks, and promotional purposes. One of the locations for regional exclusive LEGO sets includes the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. Here, Lego released sets such as the LEGO House, Tree of Creativity, I heart Billund, and the Fabuland Tribute. These LEGO sets are only physically sold at the LEGO House, thus making them incredibly rare. 

Other regional LEGO exclusives include theme park exclusives. LEGOLAND theme parks release theme park-specific sets that are only sold at LEGOLAND theme park locations and on their LEGOLAND Exclusives online store. 

LEGO has also released “Bricktober” sets which included seasonal and limited edition LEGO sets that were localized to certain international markets such as the Asia-Pacific. For these, the Lunar New Year Chinese sets were highly popular but only sold to the Asia-Pacific region. 

LEGO has also been known to release LEGO Inside Tour sets exclusive to people who take the official multi-day tour through the factory in Denmark. Other regional LEGO exclusives can only be found at retail specific locations such as Target, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart exclusives.

Star Wars

Regional Star Wars exclusive releases include convention and theme park exclusives as well as specific international releases. The San Diego Comic-Con, for example, shows exclusive items that are only released there at that location for a very limited time. These exclusives come out for many toy lines, Star Wars being one of them as has shown in past and recent years. 

Other Star Wars regional exclusives are those found internationally. These include Blokees Star Wars Galaxy Version model kits exclusively sold in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and South Korea. Asian market brands such as Bandai Tamashii Nations and S. H. Figuarts also produce Star Wars figures exclusively through these regions and rarely hit US and European contexts unless imported. 

More Star Wars regional exclusives were never released at standard US retail but did release in specific international regions. One of these includes the most famous Star Wars regional exclusive, Yak Face. This action figure was only released in Canada, Europe, and Australia on Power of the Force cardbacks. Another international Star Wars toy, Vlix, only released in Brazil.

Theme park exclusives such as themed merchandise and toys are sold only at select locations including Tokyo’s Disney Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Star Wars: Galaxy Edge at Disneyland. 

Barbie

Mattel released the first Barbie back in 1959 and, since then, there have been so many popular Barbie dolls to release. Along with these well-known Barbies, Mattel has also released many regional exclusives in past decades. 

For instance, Mattel released their “Dolls of the World” line which featured culturally specific Barbie dolls that sold mainly in their respective regions of the world. Some Barbies were also exclusively released in Japan such as the Teddy Bear Barbie and JAL Barbie which both released in 1997. Along with this, the Happy New Year/ Oshogastu Barbie released in 1995. 

Mattel released many Barbies in Japan but also sold in many other regions around the world. In the UK, a blister pack of Barbie and Shelly released in unique, never-before-seen outfits. One of the most recognizable regional exclusive Barbies is the Pink Ice Barbie that was released through Toys R Us as a retail-chain exclusive.

Hot Wheels

For decades, Mattel has also released regional exclusive car models and colorways for select regions, pop up events, or retail chains. In the 1970s, Mattel partnered with CIPSA in Mexico to manufacture toy hot wheels cars.

These are highly desired by collectors as they feature unique enamel paint and rare variations of the same vehicle. Mattel also released rare variations of their popular rechargeable Sizzlers line by CIPSA in Mexico. These featured different car molds and color options. 

Europe also released regional exclusive Hot Wheels in the 1990s. Some of these Hot Wheels exclusives include the special 5-packs, vintage style packaging, and unique cars that were not sold in US markets. Other Hot Wheels exclusives released in Japan in the early 2000s such as ones included in the Official Hot Wheels Japan Fan Club.

International Variants

International variants happen when major toy brands can’t always export their toys directly to other countries due to factors such as shortages in material, local trade laws, and high import taxes. Because of this, the toy companies end up licensing toy molds to local toy manufacturers in other countries. 

Since these toy companies in other countries use their own materials using the molds licensed to them, these variants end up with unique features and colors that are different from the originals. Sometimes, the molds are all the toy companies have to work off of and they have incomplete instructions on how to make them or different machinery. From these factors, many common themes are shown.

One of the most common noticeable features from an international variant is the text on the toy’s packaging that shows the country’s language rather than the language of the toy’s original origin. Another notable feature found on international variants is differences in paint application.

On international variants, the colors may appear different from the originals. The international toy company may have also missed putting paint on a spot that typically has paint. From international toy companies using what they have for the toy molds, some toys release with entirely different materials such as an action figure releasing with a hard head versus a soft, rubbery plastic head as the country of origin made them. 

Many of these variants are rare on the vintage toy market and are highly desired by collectors. Those remaining in their original packaging and in mint condition reach the highest values. Some of these international variants reach high values and are more desired than the mint condition standard US toy counterparts. The uniqueness and rarity of different colors, materials, and packaging on international variants sparks the attention of many collectors as they search far and wide to pay high amounts of money for these desired items.

Top Toys He-Man MOTU

The toy company, Top Toys, in Argentina released many He-Man MOTU international variants that featured some hard headed figures along with different color schemes. For instance, the King Hiss of this World figure was released with different shades of green in Argentina. This figure was also released with the neck portion of the figure’s clothing in a green color rather than silver. 

Another He-Man MOTU figure, Faker, released as a first edition figure with a soft head while other figures released with a hard head. The figure, Jitsu, was also released with three different hand options in Argentina by Top Toys. These include the Fisto fist, Opaque hand, and Standard hand. There is also some slight variation shown in the boots of this figure between adding gold to the top or just leaving the whole boot black. 

From Top Toys, many different versions of Prince Adam were also released. Some of these released in different sizes with some standing taller than others. Also, some of the Prince Adam figures had black shorts while others had purple and came with slightly different colored accessories. 

Moss Man in Argentina also released short hair and long hair versions. They also released with different colored torsos and shorts molds before the fuzz for the hair was placed on top. Lastly, Top Toys in Argentina was the only one to release the Kobra Khan Kamuflado figure. This specific figure came out in three different mold variations. 

One of those showcased regular arms with muscular legs and the KK gun as the accessory. The second one featured claw hands with muscular legs and the Clawful mace. Then, the third one included claw arms with regular legs and the Buzz Off axe.