I know it’s April Fools’ Day and I’m sure that this action figure was never intended to be a joke even though many young fans of The Dukes of Hazzard must surely have looked at it and said: You’re kidding…right?! For as much as I love this 3 ¾ inch Bo Duke action figure produced by Mego in 1981, there is no way I can find even a passing resemblance to the actor John Schneider who played Bo in the TV series!
The Internet is fairly buzzing this spring with news of the latest Mattel release in the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line – Moss Man. So here’s a timely look back at the vintage version of that figure…
If there were a prize for the most bizarre action figure attribute then surely whoever thought up Moss Man’s gimmick for Mattel with their 1985 Masters of the Universe 5 inch figure would win hands down! As if the the furry coating over what was essentially a green repaint of the earlier Beast Man wasn’t strange enough, Mattel thought that adding a pine scent to the figure would be just the right finishing touch.
Of all The Real Ghostbusters action figures in the Super Fright Features toy series, in which the heroes of the long-running TV animated show sport wacky space suits and looks of terror, Winston Zeddemore – played by Ernie Hudson in the movie and voiced by Arsenio Hall in the cartoon – is probably the most imaginative of the lot!
There’s a lever on the action figure’s back which makes his head disappear – only to reappear when a flap then opens in his chest, to reveal a giant screaming Winston head, complete with tongue hanging out! Whilst this 5 inch action figure by Kenner is described as having 5 points of articulation the extra “fright feature” more than makes up for any other limits in movement.
Whilst many vintage G.I. Joe action figure collectors concentrate on the original 12 inch figures, there are also armies of equally passionate fans of the 3 ¾ inch G.I.Joe figures which first hit the toy market in 1982. The smaller, relaunched figures were issued with all sorts of gadgets and even a back-story involving the never-ending fight between the G.I. Joe Team (the good guys, obviously) and the Cobra Command (the bad guys). Hasbro eventually developed these figures into the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line.
Until the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles burst upon the action figure scene and won the hearts of flaky kids everywhere who instantly, en masse and seemingly across the entire planet, dropped what they were playing with and started nagging their parents for one of those four adolescent reptiles, Ghostbusters figures ruled the roost.
The Real Ghostbusters action figures were produced by Kenner under license from Columbia Pictures and were based on the animated television series, which was in turn based on the smash hit 1984 film starring Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd – Ghostbusters.
Love them or hate them (or even love-to-hate-them by joining those who have formed a Facebook group dedicated to their eradication) the Ewoks are very much part of the Star Wars trilogy and for the action figure collector provide a few harder to find variations to track down.
Being the characters that so many – even die-hard Star Wars fans – loathe, as well as being figures that are not so instantly recognisable to the uninitiated, means that you can often pick them up for mere cents in the bargain bin at markets where they’ve been simply overlooked, like this Chief Chirpa action figure that I found the other day.
As I live in Rome, Italy I couldn’t have been more surprised to find this action figure of American pro football player William Perry aka The Refrigerator the other day. He was right at the bottom of a bargain toy bin in a local second-hand store…but I knew I just had to add him to my collection! The figure has clearly seen some heavy play fighting the evil Cobra baddies, so there is some wear to the number 72 blazoned across his Chicago Bears shirt and the G.I. Joe transfer on his belt buckle is barely visible, but all in all he’s still in good shape. The paint work on the face is nice and clear and the all-important gap in Perry’s front teeth is still there!
Available as a mail order only G.I. Joe action figure as part of the 3 ¾ inch A Real American Hero line by Hasbro in 1987 – the advertising campaign began in 1986 although the date stamped on the figure is 1987 – the figure came originally with a black football accessory attached to a chain which doubled up as a somewhat bizarre weapon, as well as a special file card. In order to get your hands on the figure you were required to collect the coupons found in the packaging of other figures in the line and then call a special number.