![]() The He-Man figure was released again in 1983 together with Teela and Ram-Man and the figure was also released in 1986 together with the Jet Sled vehicle. In 1982 the figure was also released in a set with either Battle Cat or the Wind Raider vehicle. The figure came with the power sword, a battle axe and a shield, together with a removable harness. Cheers.The first He-Man action figure was released by Mattel in 1981, and had a twist waist and power punch action. It’s been a fun ride traveling from GI Joe and Captain Kirk, then arriving at He-Man and Mr. There’s an endless buffet of action figure choices on the shelves…Īnd so, this is where we get off the action figure train. There are just so many product lines at this point: Thundercats, Transformers, MOU, Ghostbusters, Rambo… the days of being stuck with a bag full of plastic army men and a furry headed GI Joe are long, long gone. It looks like the action figure market is once again reaching a new benchmark. However, I can definitely see that we’ve come a long way from Starsky & Hutch action figures! 1986 I was too old to be interested in Sectaurs toys in 1985. I’m not sure this Hall of Justice is much better than the one from 1976.Īdmittedly, I’m a bit out of my element at this point. It’s about time that Marvel gets with the program. We’ve seen DC lead the market in the action figure biz. Eventually there would be a flood of MOU merch (comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, a Dolph Lundgren movie, etc.), but initially it was just an imaginative action figure line with no mass media connection. With Masters of the Universe they finally hit the right cord with youngsters in the early eighties. In 1981 they were desperately trying to claw their way back into the market. Like Mego, Mattel had also declined on the Star Wars. While nothing could ever fill this void, another very different line of action figures explodes on the scene without benefit of even being linked to a movie franchise… So, as the last Star Wars movie is released (until it is resurrected decades later), the toy line begins to wind down. Meanwhile, the company that turned down the Star Wars deal, Mego, is about to declare bankruptcy. Strong in their bank account The Force is. Even figures like IG-88 (the gangly robot above) who only appear on film for a few seconds become treasured, sought-after items.īuck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Battlestar Galactica were a poor substitute for Star Wars merch, but the demand for sci-fi action figures was nothing short of rabid and there was plenty of room in the market. The Empire Strikes Back is released, and the Star Wars merch continues to sell unabated. Mego would file for bankruptcy in three years (1982). ![]() Micronauts still going strong… but not for long. In 1978 Kenner sold 40 million units, making 100 million dollars in revenue. The movie was released in May of 1977, but it wasn’t until 1978 that they were widely available – even then, they were in short supply. So, Kenner picked it up, but were woefully unprepared for the demand. Mego was offered the Star Wars deal, but refused (what were they thinking?). Star Wars has arrived, and all hell breaks loose in the action figure world. I religiously watched the Saturday morning show, hopelessly in love with Joanna Cameron. Looks like Isis has been added to the product line. Take note of the “Huggy Bear” action figure – Starsky and Hutch’s pimp informant. This was a very grown-up show it’s incomprehensible that seventies kids (including myself) embraced it, and had the action figures and lunch boxes. If you go back and watch a Starsky & Hutch episode you’ll find it clearly wasn’t targeted to kids. The toys actually had their start in Japan a few years earlier, and were licensed by Mego in 1976. Alas, I did not have the CB headset.Īh, the Micronauts. I had the figure, and also the lunch box. They really merchandised The Six Million Dollar Man to hell and back. That Hall of Justice needs a makeover I don’t remember it looking so pitiful.
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