Ecologini Figure Foto

Toy Line: Ecologini

Sculpt Name: Volt

Color: Dark Green

Collector's Note: I have to thank my mate, Nano Fatato, for hooking me up with this hard-to-come-by Ecologini figure that he was magically able to track down. Be sure to check out Nano's awesome Ecologini entry at his wonderful mini-figure site, Rubber Fever!

I couldn't decide which image I liked more above, so I decided to post both. XD

Ecologini

Name of Toy Line: Ecologini

Production Company: Partner SPA

Distributor: Amico Giò

Years of Production: 1990

Countries/Regions Available: Italy

Size/Scale: 1"-1.5"

Figure Trade Markings: None

Approximate # of Figures: 12

Details :

Thanks to an awesome and fortunate find, finally we have been able to uncover the details of this italian toyline. Produced by Partner SPA for the toy stores chain Amico Giò in 1990, these figures were available only as a free giveaway if a certain amount of money was spent in the store.



Unfortunately I don't remember the exact amount but I can guess, judging by the year, that it would have been something between 5€ and 10€.
The gimmick of these figures is the ecology and the defense of our enviroment, a theme commonly used by toys at that time (Captain Planet comes to mind), each one has a special ability like eat smog, oil, garbage and litter or absorb TV radiations or noises.




There are 12 different sculpts in the line casted in a deep shade of green, inside neat little cardboard boxes, featuring strange forms, bizzare proportions and protuberances.
The sculpting style of the figures seems to resemble (in a not so subtle way) another toyline: G.E.R.M.S., a nice and colorful collection of gigantic real germs in test tubes, you can see and read more on the Dork Dimension or at Bogleech.

Here's the advertisement published on kids magazines at that time:



And the traduction:

ECOLOGINI
The nature-saviours little geniuses.
Children, run to Amico Giò. There are the ECOLOGINI for free. Make friendship with each one, learn their strange names and you'll see how fun they are! Flip the page and you'll find your Amico Giò.

Some comparison shots, these guys fit very well with any kind of monocolored figures!

Ecologini

Credit Stunner76.

Name of Toy Line: Ecologini
Production Company: Unknown
Distributor: Unknown
Years of Production: 1993
Countries/Regions Available: Italy
Size/Scale: Unknown
Figure Trade Markings: Unknown
Approximate # of Figures: 10

Details: As you can see, I have very little information about these figures. I first saw them at the LRG forums when member Stunner76 posted images of them there. He and Toypedia contributor nanoFotato, both Italian collectors, identified them as Ecologini. Unfortunately, a search using Google Italy turns up no information about these figures. Were they pieces for a board game, premiums of some type, or were they simply a minifigure line sold at retail stores? I'm not an expert in the Italian language, so I'm not sure what, if any, clues can be garnered from the name. However, I did find information about a product called Ecologino, which is apparently a tiny ashtray for use at the beach. It's interesting that the names are so close.

I'm uncertain of their scale as well. I'd guess they are 2-3" in height. I'd also guess that they are made of hard plastic. However, I can't be certain of either of those things.

Update: nanoFatato has gotten his hands on an exquisite Ecologini advertisment made by the Italian company Amico Gio (see scan above). nanoFatato also provides a translation which reads as follows:

ECOLOGINI 

The nature-saviours little geniuses.

Children, run to Amico Giò (an italian brand). There are the ECOLOGINI for free. Make friendship with each one, learn their strange names and you'll see how fun they are! Flip the page and you'll find your Amico Giò. 

Much more information and pictures will be coming soon!