Naknak was a toy by Hasbro that released in 2001 and was discontinued in 2003. The toys were collectible block shaped action figures that were also used to play a game. In the game, players would stack figures on top of each other while trying not to knock over the entire stack. Whoever knocked down the stack would lose. Players could utilize the hooks on the arms and legs of the figures, which would vary depending on the "clik" the figure was a part of.
A complete checklist including every Naknak figure can be found here!
Cliks were stylized groups that each figure was a part of. There were 10 official cliks: Tribanaks, Camo-Naks, Humanaks, Aliennaks, Artznaks, Robonaks, Maginaks, Graffitinaks, Basenaks and Dominaks. In addition to this, there were Promonaks which were Naknak figures given away in promotions. Within the Promonaks group however, there are two more unofficial clicks, Creepnaks and Hairynaks. These two often aren't considered real cliks and are just considered part of the Promonaks group. Additionally, Chameleon-nak (figure #31) is not a part of a single clik, and can be used with any clik.
Naknak figures could be purchased in booster packs called "Naknak 5 Packs" (pictured below, click to enlarge). As the name suggests, these packs included five figures. Four of them were visible, and one of them was intentionally obsured with a question mark symbol. These packs could be found in most big retail stores, but were later found in discount stores, likely due to lack of popularity. In addition to the Naknak 5 Packs, figures could be found in Stunt Stacker sets and other playsets such as the Wave Rocker playset and the Case playset.
Naknaks appeared in McDonald's Happy meals from April to May of 2003. This was likely when many who remember Naknak originally became aware of it. There were seven unique figures released in Happy Meals. These figures are referred to as the Creepnaks, and are considered Promonaks. These figures were unique to the normal retail figures in a few ways. McDonald's Creepnaks came with stickers to customize your figure, a feature that wasn't an option with normal naknak figures (aside from small stickers for "branding"). Additionally, these figures could rotate their head, another feature that is absent from retail figures. Due to this new articulation, the mould for these McDonald's figures is different than the one for retail figures. The McDonald's Creepnaks are largely considered to be poorer quality than the retail figures.
In addition to the McDonald's Creepnaks, there was a similar promotion at Great Clips hair salons. From July to August of 2003, anyone who got a Kid's haircut would recieve two Hairynaks figures for free. These figures are just like the McDonald's Creepnaks in that they come with stickers for customization and their heads can rotate.
Humanaks, Artznaks, Alienaks and Maginaks are the largest cliks with 9 figures each. Hairynaks would be the smallest clik with only 2 figures if you considered it a legitimate clik. Otherwise, Basenaks and Dominaks are the smallest official cliks with 5 figures each.
There were three different holographic Naknak figures released. They are Holo-Humanak (#53), Holo-Alienak (#74) and Chameleon-nak (#31).
Two new cliks, Clown-naks and Basket-naks were announced, but never released. These would have been the first figures to have different sizes and proportions.
Aside from the Clown-nak and Basket-nak, there is a render of a Naknak figure in one of the pamphlets that was never released. It appears to have been a Maginak. Additionally, several renders include existing figures in colors that were never released.
Most of the time, A Naknak was always the same color. For example, Holo-Humanak (#53) was always yellow. However, there were 3 figures that released in more than one color. Chameleon-nak was released in every single color, likely due to it being a "chameleon". Soldiernak was grey in Stunt Stackers while it was black in Naknak 5 packs. Squarenak was green in Stunt Stackers while it was blue in Naknak 5 packs.
While most Naknak figures are easy to find on the secondary market, a handful of figures have become notoriously difficult to find. In many cases, this seems to be unintentional since the series was abruptly ended in 2003.
Hasbro-nak: As of now, only one Hasbro-nak is known to have been found in the wild. It is unknown where it originally came from. Some recall a promotion for the Hasbro-nak and an alleged Today Show Nak on Naknak's now defunct website, however no images or information regarding this survived.
Today Show Nak: As of now, no Today Show Nak figures are known to have surfaced in the wild. Again, the origins of this figure are unknown. It is unknown if the figure ever actually released. However, since the Hasbro-nak surfaced nearly 20 years later, it is possible that one day this figure may be found.
Verticalnak (#94): This figure was released exclusively with the Climbing Wall playset. This playset is incredibly difficult to find, and consequently, Verticalnak is quite rare. The playset was likely released right before Naknak was discontinued, implied by Verticalnak being #94. Verticalnak is the last figure in the series sequentially, and also leaves a giant gap of seemingly unreleased figures.
Gorton Fisherman Naks: There is a Red, Yellow and Blue Gorton Fisherman Nak. While they appear similar, they are considered different figures because they each feature slightly different artwork. These figures were exclusive to a Gorton's of Gloucester mail in promotion. Due to the means of obtaining them, these figures are significantly rarer than most other figures, however they have showed up on the secondary market from time to time.
Dominaks & Basenaks:
These were the last two cliks to be released. Because of this, and because of the way Naknak 5 Packs mixed old figures with newly released ones, Dominaks and Basenaks are slightly harder to find than most other figures. They do appear on the secondary market somewhat regularly (usually mixed in with lots), but you may not always be able to find them. Anecdotally, 1-nak (#69) and Pitchernak (#64) seem to be the easiest figures to find from these cliks.Misprints:
Not many misprinted figures are known to exist. However, a yellow shirt Holo-humanak surfaced online that appears to be some sort of misprint. (pictured below). At first glance, it may be tempting to pass it off as water/sun damage, however it does appear to be some sort of ink error. Additionally, the stickers are also miscut, revealing parts of the art that would not normally be visible.
It is worth noting that one reason you don't see these figures surface on the secondary market very often is that most people do not know they are rare. An owner of these figures may think it is either not worth listing, or will list a rare figure bundled in with various other figures.
You can check out the entire Naknak checklist here!