Distribution:
Hasbro, 1998-1999

Introduction

In July of 1998, shortly after the release of 'The Lost World' toyline, a new wave of Jurassic Park toys hit retailers. Kenner Parker's new creation was named 'Chaos Effect', and as the action figures packed store shelves it became obvious the name wasn't the only thing unusual about this release.

As the story behind the toyline elucidates, the formula that brought Jurassic Park's original creatures to life has since mysteriously vanished. Now, a handful of desperate researchers attempt to piece together the missing genetic puzzle. With virtually no idea as to where to begin, they have decided to cross-breed InGen's existing animals, and mix their genes with that of modern day beasts.

As quoted from the back of Chaos Effect packages, the result of this careless DNA tempering was "ultra-ferocious, hybrid dinosaurs - the most aggressive predators ever-wreaking chaos on an unsuspecting world!" According to the rest of the story, these mutations escape from captivity soon after, and as a result humankind is put in a position of great peril.

The concept of mutated dinosaurs evidently didn't flow too well with scores of Jurassic Park fans. Unlike Kenner's other releases, which received rave reviews, this line was, and generally still is, considered to be a failure. As testimony to the toylines vast unpopularity, the Chaos Effect paintjobs were voted to be the ugliest of all existing Jurassic Park toylines.

Yet not all fans believe Chaos Effect to be an utter disappointment. Some consider these to be the coolest Jurassic Park toys ever made. Regardless of that fact, the toys themselves did not market well, and Kenner quickly canceled the second series before it was released. Series II was rumored to primarily focus on the 'Night Hunter' line, with a full thirteen new figures planned.

Human Figures

Only two human figures were ever released for the entire Chaos Effect toyline. One was a peculiar version of Ian Malcolm, and the other an apparent Roland Tembo figure. Unfortunately, the likeness for either of the toys was simply awful. Aside from that, they resembled typical Kenner action figures.

Dinosaurs

In total, ten dinosaurs were released. A few of these were simple repaints of The Lost World toys, while the remaining others were completely new sculpts. The brand new figures were genetic mutations and hybrids, with names such as Paradeinonychus and Velocirapterx. These were meant to be the spotlight of the new series, but which such whacky paintjobs their look was, for many, hard to appreciate.

A number of the Chaos Effect repaints are now particularly rare toys. The Lost World's triceratops repaint has only been seen on one occasion, during the 1998 Toy Fair. Another rarity is the Omega T. rex. Both were produced in small numbers due to other Chaos Effect toys not selling well.

Vehicles and Playsets

Four vehicles were released as part of the Chaos Effect toyline. The largest of the group was the repaint of the Mobile Command Center. This is the enormous trailer that can be seen in the second Jurassic Park film, and for unknown reasons it was painted in multiple colors. Two other vehicles belong to the SABRE group, while the last one is a relatively bulky triceratops dozer. Regrettably, these four vehicles are not very detailed, and like the dinosaurs, the vehicle paintjobs make no sense whatsoever.

Prototypes

About eight Chaos Effect toys were never released to the public. This was due to marketing failures, and the toys' inability to garner much profit. Two of those eight unreleased figures were prototypes, and the rest were canceled before their production ever started. These are known only through concept art.