Action Figures - A Brief History
From Hero Toys Wiki
So you love action figures. So do we. But have you ever wondered how these toys which are idolized around the world got their start? Well read on....
IT ALL STARTED...
When David Berger's comic strip, which he coined 'G.I. Joe', appeared in the U.S. military magazine' 'Yank' and the 'Stars & Stripes' newspaper in 1942. The phrase G.I. Joe quickly caught on, but United Artist's film 'The Story of G.I. Joe' cemented the phrase in to history. The film told the story of Ernie Pyles, a war correspondent who followed the exploits of C Company, an infantry regiment which fought during World War II.
Fast forward to 1964, when toy genius Stan Weston & Hasbro introduced three 12" military themed toys based on the character of GI Joe. Instead of calling them dolls, they called them 'action figures' as they figured it would make the toys much more appealing to young boys.
Hasbro originally named the 3 action figures 'Rocky' (marine/soldier), 'Skip' (sailor) and 'Ace' (pilot). In the end though, they just called them all G.I. Joe, and just like that, the cult action figure was born.
TO HELP...
Young boys discover the wonders of G.I. Joe, Hasbro licensed the toy to countries all around the world. Before you knew it, G.I. Joe was sporting many different looks to reflect the culture and clothing styles of many different countries.
It wasn't all good news though. Japanese toy maker Takara found that making a 12" action figure was becoming very expensive, especially with the oil supply crises that hit in the 1970's. The solution? Build a smaller toy.
And so Microman was born, a smaller version of Takara's Henshin-Cyborg 1 action figure. Standing at 3-3/4 inches high, Microman was certainly smaller, but it also featured interchangeable parts. By the way, if you love Transformers, give a high five to Microman, as he started the whole transforming robot 'thang'.
UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN...
Stuck on the planet Zog for the last 30 odd years, you would have heard of a little film called Star Wars. The 3-3/4 inch Star Wars action figures by Kenner were a massive success, but they also made the 3-3/4 inch action figure the industry standard size.
Some questioned the popularity of the action figure, however the success of Kenner's Star Wars collection ensured that the action figure had truly arrived.
Cult cartoons such as Masters of The Universe, Thundercats and G.I Joe meant if you were a kid during the 1980's, life rocked. The hardest thing was convincing your parents that you just had to have the latest Greyskull figure or you would die!
The 90's were dominated by the pizza lovin' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but most importantly, the new line of Star Wars and Spawn action figures meant these toys weren't just for kids anymore!
So next time you buy an action figure, give a thought to G.I. Joe and all those that helped shaped this wonderful toy to what it is today.
