1996

Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v1
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Retail Exclusive
Type: Original
Date of Release: January 1996
Identification: Red Body & Green Exo-Skeletons
This figure was released before the original Exo-Skeleton Spawns of Series 4. It was released as an exclusive to test the market with regards the change of name from Todd Toys to McFarlane Toys...that's the official statement from McFarlane Toys anyway. We know for a fact that it is sold in the US as a Target Store exclusive and in Japan under license by Reds and he is nicknamed by collectors as 'Christmas Spawn', probably due to its proximity to the festive period during release.

The Spawn inside the exo-skeleton is based on Spawn II but with different paint scheme. This is a series with substantial variants, both intentional and unintentional, thus making for a great collection. See http://spawncollection.blogspot.com/ for detailed explanation.

Intentional Variants
There are incidentally claims of two intentional variants.


Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v2
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Original
Date of Release: January 1996
Identification: Grey Body, Brown Exoskeletons wearing Full Mask
Series 4 "original" - that's what the official site is saying. Their own publication in End Cap dated January 1997 however said otherwise! The Exo-Skeleton Spawn is the ultimate skeleton in the closet spawn, the spawn hiding underneath all those bones is an exact replica of Spawn II.


Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v3
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Original Variant
Date of Release: January 1996
Identification: Grey Body, Brown Exo-Skeletons wearing Half Mask

Other Intentional Variant
No photographic evidence yet but I was told by a very reliable educator that there is an intentional unmasked version.


Version: She-Spawn 1v1
Title on Card: She-Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Original
Date of Release: January 1996
Identification: Red Body, Black Costume wearing White Mask
The first appearance of a female-theme based Spawn.


Version: She-Spawn 1v2
Title on Card: She-Spawn
Series: Diamond Exclusive
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: January 1996?
Identification: Red Body, Black Costume wearing Blue Mask
The white on the mask and M of the original (1st) version is repainted blue for this exclusive offered through Diamond Distribution. Date of release for this exclusive is unknown.


The Grey Exo-Skeleton Spawns
The grey bones were regarded as unintentional variants (mere factory errors due to slipshod QC) and therefore would not be in the list. It is however in the collection blog. See http://spawncollection.blogspot.com/

There are alternative views and worth checking out:
1) that they are the originals (see End Cap dated January 1997)
2) that they are variants or running change ( see Lee’s #92)
4) that they are exclusives made under license by Reds in April 1996.

And besides the masked and half-masked unintentional variant, there is yet again an unmasked version too.


Version: Al Simmons 1v1
Title on Card: Al Simmons
Series: Total Choas Series 1
Type: Original
Date of Release: February 1996
Identification: "White Armour"
The first Al Simmons edition, appearing in an unrelated Spawn series – Total Chaos Series 1. End Cap dated February 1997 declared date of release as October 1996! The original is all decked out in black and whitish-grey (aka White Armour). This line of collection has been discontinued with Series 2.


Version: Al Simmons 1v2
Title on Card: Al Simmons
Series: Total Chaos Series 1
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: April 1996
Identification: "Blue Armour"


Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v4
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: May 1996
Identification: White Body, White Exo-Skeleton wearing Red Mask
There are three separate Exo-Skeleton Spawns in this repainted series, all of them featured white exo-skeletons but with different head sculpt. I am not sure which is meant to be the variant but in alphabetical order - the first is wearing a red mask.


Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v5
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: May 1996
Identification: White Body, White Exo-Skeletons wearing White Mask


Version: Exo-Skeleton Spawn v6
Title on Card: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: May 1996
Identification: White Body, White Exo-Skeletons and Unmasked


Version: She-Spawn 1v3
Title on Card: She-Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 4
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: May 1996
Identification: Black Body in Black Costume


Version: Spawn 1v4
Title on Card: Spawn
Series: Diamond Exclusive
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: June 1996
Identification: Black Costume & Dark Burnt Head
The third repaint of the original Spawn; released by Diamonds and shipped for retailers who ordered at least 50 copies of Spawn #50 (June 1996) thus he is also known as 'Spawn 50'. He is later popularly dubbed “Wormhead” and later “Black Wormhead” because of all the maggots crawling out from his head; Chinese collectors called him “Black Grinning Face”.


Version: Nuclear Spawn v1
Title on Card: Nuclear Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 5
Type: Original
Date of Release: July 1996
Identification: Orange Body wearing Green Vest
A somewhat nondescript Spawn. Some nicknamed him the vacuum cleaner spawn...The original figure has black hose.

Version: Viking Spawn v1

Title on Card: Viking Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 5
Type: Original
Date of Release: July 1996
Identification: Brown Body
The first European-theme based Spawn: Viking Spawn. This Viking would go on to inspire a comic figure called Norse Hellspawn (see Spawn FAN Edition).


Version: Alien Spawn 1v1
Title on Card: Alien Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 6
Type: Original
Date of Release: August 1996
Identification: Black Body
Alien Spawn is an atypical Spawn. He is the first Spawn that is not an Earthling (a second Alien Spawn would appear in Series 21).


Version: Battleclad Spawn v1
Title on Card: Battleclad Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 6
Type: Original
Date of Release: August 1996
Identification: Armour of Black Bones


Version: Mutant Spawn v1
Title on Card: Mutant Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 6
Type: Original Boxset
Date of Release: August 1996
Identification: Brown Head & Black Tongue
He was originally christened Chameleon Spawn.


Version: Nuclear Spawn v2
Title on Card: Nuclear Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 5
Type: Repaint
Date of Release: October 1996
Identification: Green Body wearing Silver Vest


Version: Viking Spawn v2
Title on Card: Viking Spawn
Series: Spawn Series 5
Type: Repaint

Date: October 1996

Identification: Gray Body with Brown Bag


Version: Viking Spawn v3

Title on Card: Viking Spawn

Series: Spawn Series 5

Type: Repaint Variant

Date: October 1996

Identification: Gray Body with Green Bag
This is an intentional variant for the Viking Spawn with highlight in green instead of brown inserted into the official release.


Version: Alien Spawn 1v2

Title on Card: Alien Spawn

Series: Spawn Series 6

Type: Repaint

Date: November 1996

Identification: White Body

Version: Battleclad Spawn v2

Title on Card: Battleclad Spawn

Series: Spawn Series 6

Type: Repaint

Date: November 1996

Identification: Armour of White Bones


Version: Mutant Spawn v2

Title on Card: Mutant Spawn

Series: Spawn Series 6

Type: Repaint Boxset
Date of Release: November 1996
Identification: Green Head and Red Tongue.
This repaint also receives blue stripes on his body and for card collectors, there are packings of him with 2 green wings, 4 green wings, 2 tentacles, 4 tentacles...etc.


Version: Spawn 1sv

Title on Card: Spawn

Series: Spawn Supersize Series

Type: Original
Date of Release: December 1996

Identification: Only 12" Al Simmons the Spawn Figure
Lee's Action Figure News & Toy Review #92 (June 2000) said this figure is released before that of Series 4 which would make it December 1995! Wizard Spawn Tribute Edition stated that this figure is supposed to be in store by late June 1996. Official site meanwhile said December 1996 and this date is verified by an email from McFarlane Toys.