The Incredible Crash Dummies

The Incredible Crash Dummies is a line of action figures designed by Jim Byrne and Mike Riggs, styled after the eponymous crash test dummy popularized in a public service advertising campaign of the late 1980s, to educate people on the safety of wearing seat belts. The toys were first released by Tyco Toys in the early 1990s and discontinued in 1993. From 2004 on however, a new series of animated shorts involving the crash dummies was produced and the action figures subsequently revived under the Hot Wheels brand, another subdivision of Mattel.

The Crash Dummies are anthropomorphic action figures modeled after the mannequins used in automobile collision simulations. Each one generally has two "impact buttons" on their torsos that, when pushed, will spring their limbs from their bodies.

The toys mostly focused on a single body type, which featured two chest buttons- the top button caused the head and arms to separate, and the bottom button forced the legs to come off. Each arm and leg could also be separated further. This body type did have problems, however, in that the small metal clips inside the bodies which held the limbs on would sometimes break. Further, the tabs which held the limbs on the bodies were made from an unreliable plastic and, thus, were prone to breakage. Other bodies, however, focused on character-specific features and, while retaining the removable limbs (each would pull off at the midpoint), the button would activate some other feature (i.e. Daryl's spinning head, Spare Tire's "bug-out" eyes, ears, and tongue).

A set of vehicles was also released which could then be used to simulate the car crashes as seen in the ads of the original crash test dummies. Among others, these vehicles include cars, jeeps, motorcycles and even aeroplanes. Each toy can be destroyed in a similar manner as the Crash Dummies themselves and can then later be reassembled. Vehicles come equipped with appropriate safety features such as helmets, airbags, and working seatbelts to promote saving lives through their use.

The original line of Crash Dummy toys centered on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vince and Larry "spokes-dummies" and other characters. The concept and initial play pattern for action figures and crash cars evolved through collaboration of Brian Dyak and Lawrence Scot Deutchman of the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. as a key component of a national cause oriented marketing campaign designed by them and Leisure Concepts Ltd. Mr. Dyak and Mr. Deutchman hold the original inventor rights. However, licensing rights were given to Leisure Concepts and subsequently Tyco Toys shared in ownership. The campaign successfully went beyond the traditional television and radio public service announcements to give children and parents a hands on experience to learn the message "buckle up". Dummy suits used the characteristic solid colors and "caution" checkered stripes. The first generation was called "Vince & Larry, The Crash Dummies". Each toy was accompanied with a personalized biography card explaining the characteristics of each character. The first generation figures had the slogan "You Could Learn A Lot From A Dummy, Buckle Your Safety Belt!". After the first generation the slogan changed to "Don't You Be A Dummy. Buckle Your Safety Belt!". Later on as the characters developed, this line was added by the dummies saying, "And leave the crashing to us!" Deutchman developed the original style guide and Dyak led negotiations with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, eventually resulting in the flexibility to expand the line by discontinuing the relationship with the government. This catapulted the toy line into the popular culture as Leisure Concepts secured over fifty licensed properties on behalf of the campaign, including a Saturday morning television special.

...
Wikipedia