Louis Marx & Co. | Vintage Action Figures

Sam Cobra – The Renegade Bad Man by Marx!

When toy maker Louis Marx & Co. launched its response to industry rival Hasbro’s G. I. Joe (or Action Man, as he was known in the UK ) it was in the form of a 12 inch articulated cowboy “doll for boys” called Johnny West. First appearing in 1965, Johnny West marked the first character in the hugely collectible Best of the West action figure line, with clan leader Johnny quickly joined by other West family members over the years that followed – Jane, Jay, Josie, Jamie, Janice, Jimmie, and Johnty. Marx did eventually branch away from characters beginning with the letter J, and even decided to add some villains to the mix! Cue our devilishly handsome man in black here, the con-man, gambler, and gun-fighting renegade Sam Cobra.

Jane West the Movable Cowgirl by Marx!

The secret behind the success of the 1960s and 70s Best of the West action figures was surely the loving attention to detail which toy makers Louis Marx & Co. lavished upon its flagship line. Cast in solid poly-plastic with vinyl accessories, the most striking thing about these figures today is the exquisite molding – every last fold and crease, shirt cuff, trim and button, is faithfully reproduced, with each figure issued with, quite literally, dozens of individual pieces of equipment and clothing.

Launched in 1965 with cowboy Johnny West, the head of what would become an entire extended Western family, at 12 inches in height the Best of the West

Johnny Apollo Astronaut – the Movable Spaceman by Marx!

It’s an amazing thought, yet when toy making giants Louis Marx & Co. first launched the Johnny Apollo action figure in 1968, man had yet to land on the moon! Astronauts, of course, were all the rage, with the Soviet Union and the US neck and neck in the Space Race, with our Johnny here named in honour of the US Apollo program which would succeed in putting the first humans on Earth’s Moon the following year in 1969.

Molded in heavy, highly detailed, white poly-plastic, Johnny Apollo was so solidly built that it is still possible to find loose figures in excellent condition almost 44 years after his initial release.

Buck Hunter and the Marx Safari Adventure line

Every now and again I’ll buy an action figure simply because it looks interesting even if I haven’t the faintest idea as to what, precisely, I’m buying! This was the case with this chap – I loved his natty 1960s-style clothes and boots – he looked like some generic spy or military figure, although I simply couldn’t place him. The Italian postal service leaves little to be desired and I’d all but given him up for lost, but after a month he finally turned up in the post from the US the other day.