Action Figures From the 70s Through the 90s
With the success of He-Man, and the associated cartoon and action figures, Mattel decided in 1985 to introduce a new line of action figures based on Filmation’s animated series Princess of Power. It was a strategic decision to try and lure more young females into the action figure market and thereby increase Mattel’s action figure customer base. It was a good idea and was, for the most part, successful. The …
The Clash of the Titans was a pretty good commercial success when it was released in 1981. It was Ray Harryhausen’s, the master of stop motion effects, last special effects gig and he didn’t let his audience down. While the character development and storyline perhaps left a little to be desired the creature special effects were awesome for their time. The Kraken, Medusa, Charon and Calibos were all very creepy. …
The Major Matt Mason toy line is a fascinating set of well-crafted and artistically-rich novel items. While not nearly as popular as GI Joe or Archie comics at the time, it’s place in American culture is a fascinating view of mankind’s idea of life in the space. This concept lives on and has even influenced Tom Hanks, who plans to co-write a Major Matt Mason movie, with a hundred million …
The monster that will grow on you! That was one of Mattel’s marketing lines for Krusher their new toy of 1979. Krusher stands 14 inches tall and his special feature is that he has a valve on the back of his red belt that, when opened, allows air to escape and you can “crush” him down in to a crumpled state. Close the valve while he’s crumpled and he will …
Iceman was an action figure and Marvel comics hero that was not originally sold in the United States. The Iceman came from Europe and was not a part of the “Secret Wars” comics series from Marvel. He was given his own limited series run by Marvel. He is not hard to find, and is a good target aim for if you are a collector. Iceman, also known as Bobby Drake, …
The Hobgoblin action figure was created from one of those bad guys from the Marvel comic books. Mattel ended up making a villain action figure out of him. He never did catch on, but for collectors, this fact is not always bad news. The Hobgoblin and the Secret Wars edition from the Marvel comic books inspired Mattel to create plastic copies of him. He is ranked as number 57 in …
Birds are an important part of the Masters Of The Universe character set and Zoar was the falcon for the Grayskull team. The bird began as a pet for He Man, but eventually came to represent the essence of the Sorceress. Depending on if DC Comics, Filmation or the minicomics were involved, the falcon Zoar is different in each case. Mattel made an incarnation of the falcon in the early …
Strength and ugliness are on the side of some Masters Of The Universe figures. Whiplash was chosen for this duty. He stands as one of the right hand figures for Skeletor and his home is none other than the “Demon Zone” underground territories. He is a Caligar, and even though he has seen some conflicting roles in the comics and on television, he remains firmly on the side of Skeletor. …
