Skylanders, which was based on the Spyro the Dragon series from the 1990s, first came out in 2011 and quickly became a popular series. This popularity was fueled by the Skylanders figures, which are similar to the Nintendo Amiibo, and give players access to certain characters, items, and power ups in the Skylanders games. Of course, with any line of collectible figures/toys, some Skylanders are rarer than others. For the most part, the rarest Skylanders were employee or convention exclusives that were never available to the general public. Although the last Skylanders game came out in 2016, the figures are still widely collected through the resale marketplace and go for hundreds of dollars.
As of June 2021, the information on this list is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed.
- Ro-Bow
- Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind
- Metallic Purple Eye Brawl, Lightning Rod, and Wrecking Ball
- Gold Prism Break
- Gold Fire Kraken
- Frito-Lay Fire Bone Hot Dog (Green Flame, Purple Flame, and Red Flame)
- Flocked Stump Smash
- Flocked Springtime Trigger Happy
- Chrome Spyro
- E3 2011 Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy
Game: Skylanders: Imaginators
Series: Sensei
Current Price: $400 to $500
photo source: Skylanders Character List
All of the Skylanders: Imaginators figures were difficult to find, but Ro-Bow was nearly impossible to get. Now, whenever Ro-Bow is listed for sale, the asking price is typically around $400 to $500!
Did you know?
Some of the other rare Skylanders: Imagintors figures include Pink Barbella, Clear Starcast, and Wild Storm.
Game: LG Battlegrounds
Series: Series 1
Current Price: $500 (Red Camo); $500 (Crystal Clear Whirlwind); $800 (Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind bundle)
photo source: eBay
Around December 2013, rumors began to fly around the Skylanders community that a mysterious Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind had surfaced. Initially, fans could not pin down where the figures were coming from and why they were so hard to find. This was because Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind were European exclusives tied to the release of a special Skylanders Battlegrounds Starter Pack with the purchase of select LG Smart TVs. Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind were never officially released outside of Europe or the LG promotion.
Did you know?
Although Red Camo and Crystal Clear Whirlwind were made for the special edition of Skylanders Battlegrounds for the LG TVs, the figures work for any Skylanders games.
Game: Skylanders: Giants
Series: Series 2
Current Price: $180 (Eye Brawl); $150 to $219 (Lightning Rod); $178 to $180 (Wrecking Ball)
photo source: Skylanders Character List
Over the Summer of 2013, Skylanders released three very rare figures for the Skylanders: Giants game. These figures were the Metallic Purple Eye Brawl, Lightning Rod, and Wrecking Ball. Only 1,500 units of each figure were produced and released to various retailers. Skylanders collectors had to hunt down these Metallic Purple variants, which now sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay.
Game: Skylanders: Giants
Series: LightCore Series 2
Current Price: $300 to $375 on various resale sites
photo source: Skylanders Characters List
While the Skylanders series was still very popular, Activision would occasionally give employees special edition figures. For the 2012 Holiday Season, employees received a Gold LightCore Prism Break. These figures were also flocked with glittery white snow. Although Activision never says how many of these limited edition figures they produce, it was estimated by Skylanders fans that around 8,000 Gold LightCore Prism Breaks were given out. While employees were probably told not to sell their exclusive Gold LightCore Prism Break figures, these still pop up on eBay from time to time.
Game: Skylanders: SWAP Force
Series: SWAP Force
Current Price: None currently listed on resale sites
photo source: Skylanders Character List
The Gold Fire Kraken Skylanders figure was given to members of the SWAP Force development team in 2013. The figure was exactly the same as the standard Fire Kraken, except it was all gold and the package had a sticker that said “Exclusive 2013 Dev Team Edition.” While there were initially some authentic Gold Fire Kraken figures put up for sale by people who received them, any you see for sale today that aren’t packaged are probably fake. This is because it really isn’t that hard to spray paint a standard Fire Kraken gold. So steer clear of any opened/used Gold Fire Krakens.
Game: Skylanders: SWAP Force
Series: Series 2
Current Price: $92 to $400 (Green Flame); $75 (Purple Flame); $100 to $300 (Red Flame)
photo source: Skylanders Character List
The official rules of the contest stated that 5,856 Fire Bone Hot Dogs were produced, but there was no information about how that number would be broken down across each color. There were two ways to enter the giveaway; fans could either download the free Blippar app and scan the back of specially marked Frito-Lay variety packs or call a toll-free number.
Did You Know?
Although the Fire Bone Hot Dog figures were special, in-game they looked like the normal Fire Bone Hot Dog, but were marked as “Special.”
Game: Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
Series: Series 1
Current Price: $85 to $227 on various resale sites
photo source: Skylanders Character List
In April 2012, Activision and Frito-Lay ran an exclusive Skylander promotion for a chance to win a limited edition Flocked Stump Smash or a random Skylanders figure. According to the official rules of the Frito-Lay promotion, there were about 7,334 Flocked Stump Smash figures up for grabs, while there were 11,000 random Skylanders figures available.
To win a Flocked Stump Smash, people had to call into one of two 800 numbers and if they would either instantly win the Flocked Stump Smash or random Skylanders figure. At one point, after Activision shared their promotion on the brand’s Facebook page, everyone who called into the numbers was told they won the Flocked Stump Smash. However, with only a limited number of the figures available, Flocked Stump Smash has since become rare.
Did You Know?
Initially, Activision and Frito-Lay did not promote the Flocked Stump Smash sweepstakes and fans only noticed the promotion on specially marked variety packs of Frito-Lay chips.
Game: Skylanders: SWAP Force
Series: Series 3
Current Price: $200 to $275 on various resale sites
photo source: Skylanders Character List
Initially, Skylanders fans were upset when news about a special Flocked Springtime Trigger Happy was released because it looked like only 25 units were going to be available in Australia. However, after more digging, fans discovered that 1,500 Flocked Springtime Trigger Happy figures would be available. There was a big catch though, as only ONE Flocked Springtime Trigger Happy figure was sent to each Toy R Us location. Regular Springtime Trigger Happy figures were also available.
Did You Know?
Flocked Springtime Trigger Happy was the first time that Skylanders released a variant of a variant, the regular Springtime Trigger Happy.
Game: Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
Series: Series 1
Current Price: $50 to $500 on various resale sites
photo source: WorthPoint
During E3 2012, Activision once again came out with an exclusive Skylanders figure, this time it was Chrome Spyro. Activision announced the release of the next game/figures in the series Skylanders Giants and the Chrome Spyro was one of the last Series 1 figures produced. Chrome Spyro was given out to E3 attendees, but no one really knows how many were available. Since it was such an exclusive figure, Chrome Spyro goes for hundreds of dollars on resale sites.
Game: Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
Series: Series 1
Current Price: $50 to $500 (Spyro); no Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy current listed
photo source: Price Charting
Each figure came in its own pack with a special sticker that said “Bring Me to Life at E3.” The actual Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy figures were identical to those released to the public later in the year, so only unsealed figures are valuable. Of course, this hasn’t stopped people from trying to sell their opened Series 1 Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy as the E3 exclusives.
Did You Know?
Authentic E3 2011 Spyro, Grill Grunt, and Trigger Happy figures can’t be used with the regular Skylanders games because they had a special chip that only worked with the E3 demo portals.
