The Defensores De La Tierra Lunch Box was produced by Plásticos LGA S.A. in Mexico in 1988. The lunch box was designed for children to carry their food to school. The lunch box is fully licensed by King Features Syndicate, themed around the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series released in 1986.
Plasticos IGA, S.A. was a Mexican company that was an important manufacturer and distributor of toys under license during the 1980s. The company is primarily known for its partnership with Hasbro to produce the popular Generation 1 (G1) Transformers line for the Mexican market, beginning around 1985. However, beyond this high-profile brand, Plasticos IGA was an active participant in the regional toy industry, which often involved securing licensing agreements to produce international products locally.
The company’s manufacturing practices, common to many regional licensed producers, involved using locally sourced materials and sometimes older tooling. This approach often resulted in unique product variations compared to the figures sold in the U.S. and other international markets. These differences, such as unique color schemes, part substitutions, and Spanish-language packaging, distinguish their products in the collector market today. Furthermore, the company was also implicated in a potential gray-market import deal around 1989, where a large quantity of their toys unexpectedly appeared in European retail stores.
Ultimately, Plasticos IGA, S.A. represents a fascinating piece of international toy history, demonstrating how global brands adapted their production and distribution to local manufacturers. Their output is a testament to the licensing agreements and manufacturing flexibility that defined the toy industry during that era. While the company is most famously linked to the Transformers brand, its role as a key producer in the Mexican toy landscape involved complex production processes and distinct market presence.
The Defensores De La Tierra lunch box is made of plastic measuring 7.25” x 8.5” x 4” when closed. It was released in a blue color with a white carry handle, opening via a plastic clip at the top, with a full length hinge located at the base. The lid contains a decal with an image of the Defenders of the Earth characters (the Phantom, Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar) as seen in the cartoon series, plus copyright wording, with the case containing a molded image of the ‘KENY’ logo.
The text found on the lunch box in the lower right corner reads: “Plásticos LGA S.A. Av. San Diego 610 Fracc. Ind. Nogalar San Nicolás de los Garza N.L. Código Postal 66180”. This indicates the manufacturer of the lunch box and their address in San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico.
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