The Barbasol can was a modified shaving cream can that Dennis Nedry used to smuggle dinosaur embryos from Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar. Nedry turned off the power to many enclosures in the park, including the Tyrannosaurus rex pen which John Hammond's endorsement team were parked next to. Nedry had planned to get everything turned back on when he returned, but when Nedry crashed his jeep and was attacked by a Dilophosaurus, he dropped the can when he hit his head on the jeep's doorframe. While Nedry was being killed in the jeep by the dinosaur, the can was covered by mud. Twenty-three years later, the can eventually found its way to Lewis Dodgson who held onto it for the next six years.
The Barbasol Can is one of the most notable iconic items in the Jurassic Park franchise and is referenced in pop culture and various merchandise including tie ins with Barbasol. It appears in the films Jurassic Park and Jurassic World: Dominion.
History[]
Jurassic Park[]
The can first appeared when Lewis Dodgson gave it Dennis Nedry when the two meet at an outdoor food court in San Jose, Costa Rica. Nedry had asked Dodgson how he expected him to transport the dinosaur embryos since they would need to be kept cool so they would not die. Dodgson then revealed the can and how the bottom screwed off much to Nedry's amusement. The can could also be checked by customs as it functioned like a genuine can of shaving cream as he demonstrated on Nedry's hand (which Nedry then wiped off on another table's slice of pie).
Nedry managed to shut down the Park's systems which gave him the leeway to go and secure the embryos in the Barbasol Can. He succeeded and left the building to go deliver it to the East Dock. While trying to deliver it, Nedry got himself lost in the heavy rain and crashed Jeep 12 into the Dilophosaurus pen. The animal proceeded to attack and kill Nedry in his own jeep and the can slipped out and down the rain poured hill. It would be buried by a pile of mud where it remained for the next 23 years.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous[]
23 years later, incident in mid-2016 while hunting for Blue in the jungle near the old Visitor Center on Isla Nublar, Lewis Dodgson inadvertently stumbles upon the old Barbasol can half-buried in the sand while crouching on the ground after hearing a noise. Opening it and seeing the embryos inside, Dodgson comments that he could've used this twenty-five years ago (The plot stated timeline of the years incorrectly.) before the group is attacked by a pack of Dilophosaurus. Dodgson takes the can with him as they flee, putting it in his pack. The pack is subsequently stolen by Lana Molina and recovered by Kenji Kon. Checking the pack, Dodgson finds the can still safely inside and explains that the pack holds Biosyn's whole prospectus and would be worth a fortune on the black market.
When Dodgson leaves the island, he takes the Barbasol can and the embryos with him.
Jurassic World: Dominion[]
Twenty-nine years following the events of the original film, and six years after recovering the can on Nublar, Dodgson keeps the can in his office on his trophy shelf in the Biosyn Sanctuary alongside a raptor's claw. When the Sanctuary became under threat due to the release of the locusts on fire (and that of Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler's investigation), Dodgson saw to destroying all records and stealing what he could to rebuild. Amongst it all he grabbed the Barbasol can and left for the hyperloop transport.
However, after Ellie Sattler and Claire Dearing cut the power to all of the sanctuary's primary systems, the hyperloop that Dodgson was on shut down leading to his ambush by a trio of Dilophosaurus. While trying to escape, Dodgson drops the can outside of the train along with the rest of his belongings and is forced to flee inside without it. Dodgson is then killed by the three dinosaurs, mirroring the demise of Nedry from nearly three decades ago. The fate of this can after the event was unknown. It was likely left in the ruins of the train as the Biosyn valley was abandoned, designated a global sanctuary by the UN, and reclaimed by nature.
Novels[]
Jurassic Park[]
In the novel, the can was used in the same manner as the film version. However, the can was of Gillette cream rather than Barbasol. It could hold fifteen embryos with tinfoil coverings. It was able to hold the embryos placed inside it for 36 hours.
Games[]
Jurassic Park: The Game[]
The game resolves the loose end of what happened to the can after Nedry's death, after it was covered in mud. Nima Cruz and Miles Chadwick, two BioSyn employees, decide to go in after Nedry when he does not show up at the East Dock. After finding the Jeep, putting together clues of how Nedry met his doom, and recovering the Barbasol can from the mud, the pair is attacked by a pack of Dilophosaurs. They attack Miles, who is subsequently killed, while Nima grabs the can and escapes the scene. It stayed in Nima's possession until it is stolen by Billy Yoder while she is unconscious. Yoder insists on keeping it in his possession until they both leave the island.
Eventually, Nima gets the can back after an unexpected turn of events, only for it to either be sacrificed and trampled by the Tyrannosaurus rex, or retrieved, which results in Cruz's death and the can to be left intact to decay on the island, the option left determinant to player choice. The latter events seem to be the canonical route however, due to the can's condition and retrieval by Dodgson in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous[1] and Jurassic World: Dominion.
LEGO Jurassic World (game)[]
The Barbasol can appears in LEGO Jurassic World, and as depicted in the first film, it is used by Dennis Nedry to transport the stolen embryos. However, unlike the original film, Nedry survives his encounter with the Dilophosaur by stuffing a turkey leg in its mouth and flees the Jeep, though in his haste he leaves the Barbasol can in the Jeep. It is then knocked out of the Jeep as the Dilophosaur struggles with the turkey leg in its mouth. If the player visits Jurassic Park's East Dock in Free Mode, they can find the Barbasol can buried in the ground under a glowing Black Lego rock. Using a Dilophosaurus' acid spit on the rock will uncover a patch of ground where the Barbasol can is buried. Using a character with the ability to dig (Alan Grant or any Paleontologist) to uncover LEGO pieces that can be used to build a large Barbasol can (complete with hidden embryo compartment) under the fictional brand name Aerosol. Doing this will earn the player a Gold Brick and the Barbasol can be broken afterwards to obtain some studs (LEGO currency). It can also be seen briefly on a shelf during the Telltale Games logo intro.
Gallery[]
Theme parks[]
A replica of the Barbasol can is featured in Jurassic Park: The Ride. It can be seen laying on the rocks, next to a Dilophosaurus squirting water at the boat.
Merchandise[]
Jurassic World[]
During the weeks before the opening of Jurassic World, Barbasol made use of the Jurassic Park hype to advertise itself. They created the site capturethecan.com. On the site you could enter your information for a "chance to win a real Dino dig adventure vacation!" (listed below:)
Grand Prize: Winner and one guest will enjoy a Dinosaur Dig Experience in Wyoming, white water rafting trip, hot air balloon excursion, plus other outdoor adventures! Prize also includes airfare and accommodations for 7-nights.
First Prizes: You will be automatically entered for weekly chances to win a Jurassic World Blu-Ray and Limited Edition Barbasol Collector Cans.
Barbasol also created a trailer to advertise the event. The trailer shows a Barbasol can laying on the jungle floor in the rain. The shots were not from the original film. It also showed a few scenes from the upcoming film.
The information on the site said:
- Handle with Care... A Baby T. rex may be incubating! It's been 22 years since the one-of-a-kind Barbasol Cryo-Can vanished in Jurassic Park. Is it still there, or could the amazing can - and its dinosaur contents - have been taken off Isla Nublar?
To celebrate the Jurassic World movie release, Barbasol has teamed up with artist. Mark Englert to create Limited Edition Jurassic World Collector cans in 2 varieties: "Original" with Pteranodons, and "Soothing Aloe" with Velociraptors. "Capture these cans before they're gone!"
Trivia[]
- The location of the can in Camp Cretaceous seems to be different than the one in Jurassic Park. Likely either moved by the elements or by dinosaurs.
- In Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, the speech of Lewis Dodgson is inaccurate about the timeline of the years. Because he said "Really could've used this 25 years ago" which it's should be 23 not 25. Because Camp Cretaceous season 5 timeline is setting on 2016 and the first Jurassic Park is setting on 1993. But this probably due to scriptwriters adhere to the timeline based on the year in which the main story of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom takes place which is on 2018. They might forget that the opening scene of Fallen Kingdom takes place in 2016.
- ↑ Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2022), episode: Out of the Pack