Sorry for the long title, but a set this cool deserves a full introduction! This is a first shot prototype for Kenner’s Banana-To-Go Squeaks monkey and car toy. This was a part of the Littlest Pet Shop The Cartoon Series. A first shot is when the factory tests the steel production molds using whatever color plastic they happen to be running through the injection molding machines at the time. This tends to create some interesting color combinations.
Some additional pictures of the first shot:
Next up is an unused sample card for the set. These cards are also sometimes referred to as proof cards. Proof cards or sample cards can serve many different design purposes including things like final approval of the packaging or mock-up packaging for presentations. This example came directly from the printing vendor, and was most likely taped on a box or pallet as a way to identify the printed cards.
Finally we have the production toy itself.
It’s always fun to be able to pull together items that show multiple stages of the same toy. Having new pieces turn up can also help you figure out what a toy even is. This first shot sat on my shelf for years without me having any idea what it was from. Thanks to a friend giving me the unused sample card, I was finally able to identify the little monkey!