Dinosaurs Attack!
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Dinosaurs Attack! is a trading card series by Topps, released in 1988, and containing 55 cards and 11 sticker cards. The cards tells the story of dinosaurs transported through time into the present day through a freak accident and wreaking havoc on Earth. The series is notable for its graphic violence and gore, intended to evoke memories of the successful Mars Attacks trading card series of 1962.
[edit] Background
The Dinosaurs Attack! trading cards were created as a follow-up to the successful trading card series, Mars Attacks. Like Mars Attacks, Dinosaurs Attack! was intended as an homage and a parody of 1950s B-movies. While Mars Attacks was a parody of alien invasion movies, Dinosaurs Attack! was inspired by monster movies such as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Godzilla.
The storyline of the card series is minimal. They tell the story of a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, transporting dinosaurs of many varieties from their prehistoric world to modern times, where they wreak havoc upon mankind. Most of the cards show a different scene of the dinosaurs causing chaos and death across the world. Some of the cards show the scientists working to reverse the time-travel effect. In the end, the Supreme Monstrosity, patron deity of the dinosaurs (nicknamed "Dinosaur Satan" by some fans) intervenes, trying to stop the scientists. The lead scientist sacrifices himself so the others can succeed and send the dinosaurs back to their own time, tearing the animals apart in the process.
The artwork is intended to be shocking with one card showing schoolchildren being eaten by an Allosaurus, and a pteranodon tearing apart the President of the United States. The cards also contain gross inaccuracies in their depiction of dinosaurs. For instance, in one card, trilobites are portrayed as "flesh-eating worms" that attack humans. In reality, the trilobites consumed mud for nutrients. Also, a Dimetrodon is depicted as dwarfing St. Basil's Cathedral, several herbivores as flesh-eaters, and other various dinosaurs as being almost Kaiju-like. In fact, one can see references to Gorgo, Reptilicus and Rhedosaurus among the creatures
Despite the company's hopes, Dinosaurs Attack did not achieve commercial success. Tim Burton was planning on making a movie, but dismissed it when Jurassic Park was released. Instead he made Mars Attacks.
Eclipse Comics intended to release a three-part miniseries based on the cards, but ended up only releasing the first issue.
