Prototype
This word "prototype" has come to mean quite a lot in the realm of collecting. Basically, anything pre-production that comes from the toy company or the manufacturer and wasn't meant for retail sale, yet was part of the toy creation process, is loosely called a prototype by collectors. In reality, a company such as Kenner only called certain things true "prototypes". These would be early versions of toys and figures generally having the same form and function as the production counterparts, but often made of different materials such as urethane which was cold-cast from silicone molds rather than injection-molded plastic that was shot into steel molds.

Production Prototypes
Unproduced Toy Prototypes
Conceptual Prototypes

Description: Chris Georgoulias