Debuting in 1967, the British avant-garde science fiction television series The Prisoner remains a continuing influence on the genre more than 50 years later. Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner features the exploits of a retired British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village.

Aside from a licensed DC Comics miniseries, no merchandise of the show has been produced. All that changes when indie toy company Wandering Planet Toys launches its first Kickstarter campaign to produce officially licensed retro action figures based on The Prisoner.

Check out the details below from the official press release, and stay tuned to The Beat for an interview with the co-founders of Wandering Planet Toys Gavin Hignight and Chris “Doc” Wyatt on Monday, April 19th, 2021, when The Prisoner retro action figures Kickstarter campaign officially launches.

Wandering Planet Toys is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first-ever officially licensed action figure line based on The Prisoner, the cult classic television show starring and created by Patrick McGoohan. The campaign will launch later this month, ahead of PortmeiriCon 2021, the annual celebration of The Prisoner which will be held virtually this year on Saturday, April 24th and Sunday, April 25th.

In 1967 the cult classic TV series, The Prisoner burst onto the screen. The series, about an unnamed British intelligence agent who awakes to find himself trapped in an idyllic seaside village, was not only an instant hit with viewers at the time, it went on to be watched and re-watched obsessively by fans, quickly gaining cult status. And while there have been several collectables released over the decades, The Prisoner has never received a line of officially licensed action figures… until now. Wandering Planet Toys, appointed by ITV Studios, will bring to life 4-inch retro style action figures that celebrate Patrick McGoohan’s brilliant series.

“The Prisoner is quintessential cult TV,” said Wandering Planet Toys co-founder and Emmy nominated writer Chris “Doc” Wyatt (Marvel’s Rocket and Groot). “Depending on the viewer it can be seen as a stylish spy drama, an allegorical social commentary, a paranoid conspiracy thriller, or even a piece of avant-garde filmmaking. Our Wave 1 toys are dedicated to the idea of honoring the series and contributing to its fandom.”

Wandering Planet Toys’ campaign features multiple tiers:

NUMBER 6 FIRST EDITION features the iconic black jacket with white piping, and the classic 6 badge.

The Prisoner retro action figure

NUMBER 6 KICKSTARTER-EXCLUSIVE “ARRIVAL” EDITION features the Prisoner’s all-black outfit, as seen in the episode “The Arrival” and in the opening credit sequence of each episode.

The Prisoner retro action figuresNUMBER 6 “Six of One” MEMBER EXCLUSIVE. Formed in 1976, SIX OF ONE not only runs PortmeiriCon, but also hosts local events, and publishes ORANGE ALERT, the Prisoner fan magazine. Wandering Planet Toys is proud to have received permission from SIX OF ONE: THE PRISONER APPRECIATION SOCIETY to offer this exclusive “Six of One” logo LIMITED EDITION CARDBACK of NUMBER 6 for its members.

NUMBER 6 “CHECKMATE”  EDITION. This edition of NUMBER 6 figure sports the multi-colored cloak worn in during the living chess game in the episode “Checkmate” complete with the chess staff.

NUMBER 6 – LIMITED EDITION ROVER PACKAGE. No discussion of THE PRISONER is complete without mention of the Village’s spherical guardian and menace, ROVER. In order to evoke the iconic moment of NUMBER 6 pushed up against the gelatinous side of the guardian, Wandering Planet Toys has created a Limited Edition plastic packaging unit depicting our hero in the belly of the beast. This package is a resealable clamshell so the figure can be removed for display, then reinserted.

“FREE FOR ALL” TWO-PACK SET. This 2-figure set features NUMBER 6 and NUMBER 2 (as played by Eric Portman). The accessories include NUMBER 6’s hat, bullhorn and election poster from the episode, as well as phones from NUMBER 2’s office.

“SCHIZOID MAN” TWO-PACK SET. This 2-figure set features NUMBER 6 as well as his doppelganger NUMBER 12 (also played by Patrick McGoohan, but with a color-reverse white jacket with black piping). The accessories include two fencing foils, two fencing helmets, and two marksman pistols, and miniature versions of NUMBER 24’s psychic testing “Zener cards”, so that you can hold your own contest to determine which figure is the real NUMBER 6.

DEGREE ABSOLUTE – The “ALL IN” PLEDGE including an EXCLUSIVE Wandering Planet designed THE PRISONER T-Shirt. In addition to the full Wave One product line, backers will also receive an exclusive THE PRISONER T-SHIRT designed by Wandering Planet Toys.

“Wave 1 of The Prisoner action figures are far along in development,” said Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Gavin Hignight. “The figures have been sculpted, the packaging has been designed, and approvals have already been granted by our partners at ITV Studios. As longtime fans of The Prisoner, we are so excited for fans and collectors to see these toys and the detail we’re putting into them, but that can only happen if the campaign is funded.”

The Wandering Planet Toys campaign concludes May 26, 2021. For updates, follow Wandering Planet Toys on Twitter.  For more information about SIX OF ONE, and details on how to join the society, check out their website at: http://www.sixofone.co/

To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderingplanettoys/the-prisoner-retro-style-action-figures

1 COMMENT

  1. This definitely isn’t the first “Prisoner” merchandise. At the time the show was broadcast, Dinky Toys produced a model of the “Village” Mini Moke vehicles used in the show, and various clothing items and accessories have been produced.

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