| Larry Benson | |
| |
| Affiliation | Heartland Playsystems |
| Occupation | Toy Designer |
| Weapons | None |
| Actor | Jay Mohr |
Larry Benson (portrayed by Jay Mohr) is the creator of the Commando Elite.
He worked in Heartland Playsystems and was one of the first to buy and operate the technologically advanced X-1000 munitions microprocessor chips for the toy manufacturing, while secretly using his partner Irwin Wayfair's secret password, which is "Gizmo", into the computer to obtain them.
Little did he know, there was something strange about the chips, which were originally developed for the U.S. Department of Defense.
He is also an irresponsible opportunist and he was willing to do anything to move up in the world, even trying to take credit for Irwin's ideas for the Belch Brigade, which was why he kept trying to get on the good side of new owner Gil Mars.
After hearing a complaint about the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite being defective recorded from a buyer named Alan Abernathy, he tried to avoid the problem and contemplated to do a countersuit against him; however, Larry soon realized that the microprocessor chips used in the toys were the reason, as does Irwin, who pressed him for answers on the nature of the chips. Irwin then finds out about the X-1000, and is horrified that Larry had put them into the toys.
The two then went to see Ralph Quist, the head of the X-1000 project, about the chips, and are made aware of their learning capabilities and their weakness to electromagnetic pulses (EMP).
They subsequently go to see Alan, who explains to them that while the Gorgonites are fine, the Commandos' programming had made them too hostile and destructive.
Larry tries to downplay the problem and smugly threatened to take Alan to court, but is punched in the face by Alan's angry father Stuart, who stated that the toys nearly killed his son.
He was then horrified that his creations were the villains, and the Commandos were also launching a full scale attack on Alan's house with the Abernathys, their neighbors the Fimples, him, Irwin and the Gorgonites inside.
To put right the trouble he had caused, he helps Irwin to create an EMP, which fries the chips in the Commandos and destroys them.
Later the next morning, Gil Mars arrives and Larry tells him that he takes full responsibility for what has happened the night before. Gil then says that they should not sell the Commando Elite to kids anymore and will instead sell them to the military to use against rebels in South America. He is last seen in the film taking off with Irwin in Gil's helicopter, heading back to Heartland Playsystems.
It can be presumed that after the events of the film, he and Irwin are now tasked with recalling all the Commandos and reprograming them before selling them to the military on Mars's orders.
Trivia[]
- In the film, after all of the Commandos were destroyed, Larry's arm is in a sling. This went unexplained in the film, but the junior novelization of it explained his arm was crushed by a Buzzsaw Tank. However, at least for the film, it is possible that the impact of the electric shock from the Fimples' fuse box that threw him and Irwin to the floor whilst creating the EMP could have broken it.