Rare 1980s Taiwan E.T. Sofubi Variants: Sound vs Light Electronic Versions

The 1980s produced countless E.T. collectibles, but some of the rarest examples never came from licensed manufacturers. Instead, they emerged from Taiwan's thriving soft vinyl industry, where factories created their own interpretations of the world's most famous alien. Among these fascinating pieces are two distinct Taiwanese electronic sofubi variants that, at first glance, appear almost identical. A closer look reveals they are completely different releases. Two Variants, Two Different Stories The first version features several unique characteristics: Red-painted mouth Red illuminated finger Built-in electronic sound Standard body proportions The second version takes a different approach: Taller body sculpt Light-up feature only No sound mechanism Different mold proportions despite representing the same character Finding either version is already difficult. Discovering both together is exceptionally uncommon. Taiwan's Golden Age of Electronic Sofubi During the early and mid-1980s, Taiwan became one of the world's largest producers of affordable soft vinyl toys. Many factories manufactured: Licensed toys Export exclusives Unlicensed figures Experimental electronic toys Rather than maintaining strict consistency, manufacturers frequently modified molds, electronics, paint applications, and internal mechanisms between production runs. This explains why collectors continue discovering previously undocumented variants decades later. Why These E.T. Figures Matter Unlike mass-produced American releases, Taiwanese sofubi often exist in surprisingly small production batches. Minor differences such as: Different body molds Paint variations Electronic functions Battery compartments Sculpt details can represent entirely separate production runs. For variant collectors, these details make all the difference. Soft Vinyl Meets Electronics Combining soft vinyl (sofubi) with electronic features was an ambitious idea for its time. Adding lights—or even sound—to a squeezable vinyl figure required additional engineering that many factories implemented differently. The result is a fascinating mix of toy design, electronics, and bootleg creativity that perfectly represents the experimental nature of the 1980s toy industry. Bootleg... or Something More? Many collectors casually label these figures as "bootlegs," but the reality is more complex. Taiwanese manufacturers often produced toys that existed somewhere between: Licensed production Factory overruns Regional exclusives Unlicensed interpretations Documentation from this era is scarce, making research an ongoing challenge for vintage toy enthusiasts. Collecting Taiwan E.T. Sofubi Today Original electronic Taiwanese E.T. figures have become increasingly difficult to locate. Collectors search for examples with: Original electronics Working lights Functioning sound units Complete paint Minimal vinyl discoloration Undamaged battery compartments Finding multiple documented variants together is becoming increasingly rare. A Small Difference Makes a Big Discovery At first glance, these two figures seem identical. Look closer. One talks. One only lights up. One has a red mouth. The other has an entirely different body sculpt. These subtle differences are exactly what make vintage Taiwanese sofubi so rewarding to collect—and why new variants continue to surface more than forty years after they were made. For collectors of vintage sci-fi toys, electronic figures, bootlegs, and Taiwanese soft vinyl, discoveries like these are what keep the hunt alive.