1980s | Vintage Action Figures

Star Wars Variations: Han Solo on Bespin

The Internet has been abuzz with news of the Blu-ray edition of the original Star Wars trilogy which hit stores world wide recently, so I thought I’d stick with another vintage Star Wars action figure this post. Of course, I use the term “original” trilogy with some caution – as is well known, George Lucas has continued to ~~mess with~~ tweak the movies with every re-release to the exasperation of many fans. Probably the most controversial change occurred in the 1997 Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition version of the cantina scene in Episode IV: A New Hope, when Han Solo shoots and kills Greedo. In the new version, Greedo is shown as firing first as Han dodges the shot only to return fire and kill his opponent.

Star Wars Variations: Emperor’s Royal Guard

Whilst thinking about today’s post I noticed that this blog has been rather light on vintage Star Wars action figures for a couple of months, so lets correct that situation right away with a look back at an absolute gem – the Emperor’s Royal Guard. First appearing in 1983 on 65-back cards in conjunction with the release of Return of the Jedi, the Emperor’s Royal Guard illustrates the attention to detail Kenner dedicated to each and every character in their 3 ¾ inch Star Wars series and is as near to perfect as can be.

Cap-Firing RoboCop by Kenner!

When an uber-violent hit movie garners an adult-only viewers certificate as well as its cult following, it would be reasonable to assume that toy makers looking to score with a tie-in action figure or toy line targeted at kids would be facing a problem – R-rated action figures?! When RoboCop hit the big screen in 1987 and went on to become both a critical and commercial success it was nevertheless accompanied by a successful merchandising campaign aimed at kids way too young to have seen the movie!

Remembering MJ…Michael Jackson – Superstar of the 80s – by LJN Toys

Sooner or later every toy blogger must face the million dollar question when it rears its ugly head – is that an action figure…or is it a DOLL?! Reis O’Brien provides what is possibly the last word in the action figures versus dolls debate over at About Action Figures, and by his standards, our Michael Jackson here teeters dangerously on the edge of doll-dom – to make things worse, LJN Toys, whose wresting figures and Thundercats lines are 100% in the action figure camp, even used the D-word in their television commercials for this Michael Jackson figure! With the second anniversary of MJ’s untimely passing coming up this Saturday 25 June, however, I thought this would be a great occasion to look back at this wonderful piece of Michael Jackson memorabilia, issued at the very peak of his career in 1984.

Star Wars Variations: C-3PO (Removable Limbs)

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have recently been re-watching the original Star Wars Trilogy again on DVD. The Empire Strikes Back inspired me to dig out one of Kenner’s major Star Wars 3 ¾ inch action figure variations, the C-3PO (or See-Threepio) Removable Limbs version, and display him just as he appears in the movie – disassembled and slung into a harness carried on Chewbacca’s back. Remember the scene when Chewie is trying to fix 3PO?

Oh, my! What have you done? I’m BACKWARDS. You flea-bitten furball!

Vintage Matchbox Pee-wee Herman action figure

I know you are, but what am I?!… Pee-wee Herman!

Love him or hate him, if you were alive in the 1980s you can’t have missed American comedian Paul Reubens in the guise of his alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. Star of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, an enormously successful and groundbreaking Saturday morning television show for kids in the US, worldwide audiences were first introduced to him via Tim Burton’s debut film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which turned the road movie on its head and Pee-wee Herman into a cult favourite.

The last couple of decades have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Reubens, both professionally and personally, but finally, Pee-wee Herman is back with a hit show on Broadway starring all the old Playhouse gang, so to celebrate (as I love Pee-wee to bits) I thought it would be fun to look back at this vintage Matchbox Pee-wee Herman action figure that was issued at the height of Pee-wee mania in the late 1980s.

Star Wars Variations: Black Bespin Security Guard

By the time that this classic 3 ¾-inch Star Wars action figure variation came out – first on a tie-in card for The Empire Strikes Back and then repackaged for The Return of the Jedi – it was already clear that toy manufacturers Kenner were happily set on helping kids re-enact all three movies using the entire cast, down to the smallest walk-on role! I actually watched The Empire Strikes Back again a few weeks ago on DVD and must have blinked at the wrong moment, because I could barely remember the appearance of this Bespin Security Guard – in either his moustachioed Caucasian variant, or this, his African-American version.

Frankenstein Monster – Mini Monsters by Remco

Universal Monsters action figures, it seems, will never go out of fashion. Only this week the Intertubes were buzzing with news of the latest Diamond Select retro cloth Dracula and the Mummy figures, which are set to hit stores this Autumn, following the success of the Wolf Man and Frankenstein last year. These new figures are highly reminiscent of Remco’s 9-inch Universal Monsters from 1980, of course, which spurred me to share another classic Remco action figure from the same year – the Frankenstein Mini-Monster. At 3 ¾ inches, these figures were pint-sized plastic Universal Monsters released in conjunction with the larger figures (hence the “Mini” moniker), but have arguably become even more popular than their larger counterparts and have enjoyed almost continuous adoration from monster movie and action figure fans ever since.