Dino-Riders: Mattel's Forgotten War for the Dinosaur Kingdom A nostalgic look at the 1988 animated series Dino-Riders and its successful toy line, exploring the premise of a sci-fi war between two alien factions using dinosaurs as weapons. The article discusses the show's connections to Transformers, its commercial success, and the recent speculation surrounding a potential revival by Mattel. The world still wants dinosaur movies, but audiences clearly want a fresh take. Mattel already owns a franchise that offers the dinosaurs people love with the drama and action of a war between two factions. The toy line, Dino-Riders, premiered in first-run syndication on October 1st, 1988. Like most '80s cartoons, the series was tied to a toy line. Tyco had developed the toys under the working title Project B.C. and had begun developing an accompanying animated series to promote the line. Marvel produced the show and a three-issue limited comic series.How Dino Riders Was CreatedTransformers' AKOM handled the animation with other studios, and an all-star cast brought the characters to life. Tyco and Marvel turned to The Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway and his wife Carla to create the adventures of the heroic Valorians and villainous Rulons in: Dino-Riders. The plot involves a rebel ship being pursued by an evil armada through space. In an attempt to escape, the Valorians activate their experimental Space-Time Energy Projector, aka S.T.E.P. , to escape through a wormhole. The Rulons lock on with their tractor beam, causing the S.T. E.P. to have a power surge and pull both ships 65 million years into the past.After finding dinosaurs on the surface of the planet where they crash-land, the evil Rulons conscript them into their war using brain boxes. The peaceful Valorians use telepathic technology called AMP necklaces to ask the dinosaurs for help, which they kindly give. The show has clear similarities to the Transformers series, with two advanced factions bringing their war to Earth after an incident with a wormhole.The Show And Toy SuccessBesides borrowing writer Gerry Conway, the show also had a character named Gunner that sounded a lot like Peter Cullen's Ironhide. The show even had a Starscream-esque subordinate on the Rulon side named Rasp, a snake-man who eagerly schemed to usurp his leader, Krulos. The show really captured the imagination of '80s kids, but the series only lasted 14 episodes. The toy line, however, was a massive success.The year it debuted, it sold $35 million worth of armored-up dinosaurs in the U.S., beating out Jurassic Park toys. The line expanded to include an Ice Age version, but due to high production costs, the line was retired in 1990. Mattel acquired Tyco in 1997 as part of a $755 million merger. The future of Dino-Riders is a topic of speculation.Mattel Plans To Revive FranchiseWhile the IP is owned by Mattel, it isn't currently in development for a new film or television series. However, Mattel has shown renewed interest in the property, filing new trademark paperwork for the toy line and games in 2026, building on a previous movie and TV trademark from 2022. This suggests the company is preparing to revive the franchise at some point.In the meantime, fans can reminisce about the original show and the classic toy commercials that showcased the unique design of the armored dinosaurs. The premise of Dino-Riders-ancient creatures utilized as weapons of war-offers a rich playground for storytelling that has yet to be fully explored outside of the 1980s series.