40 Years of Phoning Home: Celebrating E.T.’s Anniversary in the Toy Aisle

An early sneak preview from the September 2022 Fall Toy Preview edition of The Toy Book, out Sept. 20. Print subscribers can look for it in their mailboxes in the coming days.

The collection of iconic moments and imagery from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is extensive, and for many, deeply resonant. It takes little more than a glowing finger, a red hoodie, a full moon, or a handful of Reese’s Pieces to evoke the memory of watching the classic film from director Steven Spielberg. But we cannot forget the movie’s many toy-centered moments — from the Speak & Spell that helps E.T. phone home and Elliott’s iconic flying bike to the large pile of stuffed animals that help hide E.T. from the grown-ups.

The story of E.T. is, after all, one of childhood and growing up, which makes it fitting that, as the movie celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, there is a robust new lineup of E.T. toys, games, and collectibles to commemorate the occasion. According to David Voss, senior vice president of global design for toys and hardlines at Universal Brand Development, the Universal team was excited to tap into those iconic visuals and moments when selecting toy partners for the anniversary collection. “E.T. felt like an extra-special moment for many of us on the team, as we all grew up with this film as a core memory,” he says.

The first idea? Partnering with Kuwahara to launch a (pre-sold-out) replica of Elliott’s bike. Then, Universal filled out its licensing roster with a wide range of partners, including Mattel, TOMY, NECA, The Noble Collection, Basic Fun!, Hallmark, Funko, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Numskull, Ravensburger, Wow! Stuff, and Posh Paws.

Each of these partners is putting its unique stamp on products inspired by the movie’s most well-known scenes and appealing to a wide spectrum of consumers, from long-time fans who saw the movie during its initial theatrical run to young kids who are just being introduced to E.T. and Elliott for the first time through play. 

The Noble Collection, for example, is offering a BendyFig posable collectible of E.T., which comes with a flower pot accessory. The 5.5-inch figure is designed for kids ages 7 and up, but would be equally at home on a collector’s shelf. 

“By focusing our range on iconic scenes, we are able to tap into adult nostalgia while inviting younger fans to celebrate what we know will be magical movie moments they will remember as they grow older,” says Julian Montoya, senior vice president at The Noble Collection. The company is also offering multiple collectible E.T. plush and a Toyllectible Treasure diorama, which recreates the iconic bicycle scene.

While these Noble Collection items offer fairly photo-realistic versions of the movie’s titular extra-terrestrial, that isn’t the case for every E.T. 40th-anniversary toy. In fact, fans can collect multiple different visual interpretations of E.T. this year. 

“I think we all recognize fans today love to see new expressions of characters they love,” Voss says. “Working in partnership with the tremendous team at Amblin and our incredibly talented internal design team, we found toy partners to help us create multiple new expressions of E.T. As you might imagine, it was a journey that included a lot of creative experts focused on delivering the best possible designs to celebrate this beloved character.”

In some cases, companies got to recreate E.T. in their signature styles — as a Funko Pop! collectible, as a Fisher-Price Little People figure, and as an itty bitty plush from Hallmark. Mattel also created what Voss calls “one of the cutest E.T. plush of all time.”

“We went through dozens of sketches and stylizations because we wanted to make sure that we captured E.T.’s sweet, child-like innocence through the sculpt.  Aside from making his proportions even cuter with a larger head and smaller body, we put a lot of emphasis on his eyes,” says Jan Jauregui, manager of product design at Mattel.

TOMY also made a plush E.T. as part of its Toomies line. Designed for kids as young as age 1, the My Best Friend E.T. Interactive Plush features a light-up beating heart and more than 25 sounds and phrases from the movie. “We wanted to capture and recreate the iconic bond between E.T. and Elliott from the movie, take those key feelings, and put them in a toy that captures the child’s imagination,” explains TOMY Senior Marketing Manager Nicoleta Becheanu.

That bond, and E.T.’s emphasis on human connections, is why Becheanu believes the movie still widely resonates after four decades. “It celebrates extraordinary things happening to ordinary people, with great storytelling that brings wonderment through the eyes of a child,” she says. “Multiple generations have grown up with these iconic characters and today, more than ever, people want to reconnect with things that bring them joy.”

In the spirit of that joy and nostalgia, the E.T. 40th anniversary toys are hitting shelves through the rest of this year. The toys may be just one section of the movie’s larger anniversary licensing program, but they are undoubtedly one of the most indelible, capturing the heart of this beloved ‘80s classic.