Memorable action figures/toys you had as a kid?

["The Wizard of War" Birdie]

I figured this could be a fun thread for reminiscing about the good old days. 



I recently found some old Jurassic Park toys in my parents' attic, bringing back a ton of good memories.  The Jurassic Park figures, vehicles, and playsets ranked up there with TMNT, Batman, and Star Wars for me. 


However, it also reminded me of how toy companies back then could be so incredibly lazy.  

I remember having a figure of Eddie, the doughy bald fella who gets slept first in The Lost World, but even as a 5 year old I recognized that he looked nothing like his figure: 




It seems like they straight up just copied the head/hat molds they used for Dr. Grant in 1993. 




Even more egregious was the 'special' version of Eddie they released:




It's somehow even more obviously a reused Grant: 








Speaking of special swagged out Grant/Eddie in epic armour, in general, as a little kid and well-conditioned consoomer/sucker, I kind of loved the whole 'repaint' thing that toy companies would do.  I liked bright, flashy colors, so why the hell shouldn't Batman a radiant orange? Why not a bright yellow?  Those are perfect colors for sneaking around in the night!









I think my favorite Batman I owned, though, had to be Batman Forever's "Ice Blast Batman."  The translucent blue body parts were pretty epic, and I think I remember doing a story where Mr. Freeze successfully froze him and turned him into an enemy for Robin and Batgirl to take down.    




Even the Mr. Freeze figure I had, though, was one of the weird teal ones










I could probably go on and on about how the overly buff mid-90s Star Wars figures kicked off my body dysmorphia or how I was surprised when I realized the mid-90s Mortal Kombat figures were based on older GI Joe figures, but what about you folks?  What are some of your most memorable toys from the old days?  

[Mozenrath]

I have the first figure I ever bought with my own money. Not that specific figure, granted, but the same kind of figure.

GI Joe Alley Viper version 2, which I for some reason gravitated towards as a very small child with a 5 dollar bill. I'd have been like 5 or 6 at the time.

www.yojoe.com/action/93/alleyviper2.shtml

[Ultimo Gallos]

I had Megos,Legos,Kenner Star Wars figures and Big GI Joes then the little "turd sized"Ones as we called the RAH line as kids.

Was trying to find a Viewmaster recently to get for a buddy's young kid. Either my search skills are crap or they havent made them in close to 15 years.

[Hit Girl]

Mr Freeze looks like Max Moon.

[Kalmia]

A couple of weeks before the Phantom Menace came out my mom bought me a Jar Jar Binks figure because she knew I loved Star Wars and she thought he looked amusing. I think I shoved him in a cupboard and I have no idea what happened to him after that.

I always had family members insisting on buying me Barbies and they became feature players in my wrestling league.

[SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts]

McDonalds had a Batman TAS and Spider-man TAS toys that I actually have still.

[Hypnosis]

A Hasbro Jake Roberts that lost an arm
Beetlejuice
Mutatin' April O'Neil (as a cat woman)
All the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Wonder Woman
Rambo with a missing leg
Sting wrestling buddy
Pee Wee's Playhouse collection
Green and Blue Power Rangers
Megazord

[Feyrhausen]

I had a few of lots of toy lines but I had tons of He Man. Still have them. And an entire room of my house devoted to He Man.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

DA NA NA NA NAAAAH
NAH NA NANANA NANA NA NA


EVEL ... EVEL KNIEVEL ... EVEL ... EVEL KNIEVEEEEEEEELLL ...


AM SO FANCY, CAN YOU TASTE THIS DROID!!!

IGGY MA MAN!!!

and in a roundabout way ... or should that be a round ...

[ERON]

When I was just a tot, my dad bought a used Toyota Corolla which came with a Luke Skywalker action figure that someone had left in the back seat. I always left it in the car so I could play with it whenever we went somewhere.

That was my introduction to Star Wars, and also led to my first experience with size envy when we went to check out the house that my parents would end up purchasing and living in for the next twenty-odd years, and the owner's son saw me playing with Luke and brought out his 12-inch Darth Vader just to show off.

Unfortunately, my dad sold the car a few years later, and I didn't have a chance to get Luke out before the new owner drove off with it.

[tirtefaa]

[Limity (BLM)]

Aug 15, 2024 23:23:25 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Oh my God, I had that Beetlejuice figure! I haven't thought about that in decades!!

["The Wizard of War" Birdie]

I think the first figure I remember getting with my “own” money was a Han Solo in carbonite. I remember having the money and looking forward to going to Kmart, I believe, to get it.

I was only 5, maybe even 4. Ironically I remember being terrified by the carbonite scene in Empire when I watched it. But the figure looked cool.




Other random ones I specifically remember include R5D4, whom my mom got me before visiting my grandmother in the hospital (she is still with us to this day) and showing off his head missile thing to a girl who was also there to see her grandmother.






And for some reason I remember getting excited about finding a whole bunch of new figures that I never saw before circa 1997 in the store Boscovs (department store chain that still exists and depending on the location still looks like it’s from 1997 with outdated guady neon signs). I was able to get one and settled on Bespin Luke with the detachable hand. I did eventually lose the hand.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Action figures are something I never really played with as a kid. I had a few bought as presents--the gray Biker Mouse, a Turtle etc. But never really played with them.

My brother did, he had a Barbarian (no idea which shows/movie he was from) whose hands couldn't hold the sword without it being sticky-taped in who he named Butterfingers. When I got a wrestling ring, I only had a handful of actual wrestlers so used Butter Fingers as one of the wrestlers. He also had a Mr. T who I used as the referee since I didn't have an actual ref figure.

[MiLB Fan]

Anything TMNT-related, but the Technodrome stands out. I got it for my birthday and I remember being in awe because it was so intricate with all those rooms and accessories. Even the box seemed big.

Micro Machines Super Van City (a Christmas gift) for the same reason. I’m sure Mom and Dad had fun putting it together and sticking on all those decals lol.

[crashmatsbazz]

i had a load of He-man and Transformers as a kid, but one of my favourites were called SuperNaturals, they were like 12" figures with hologram bodies, one was a knight, one was a native American, and they had little dwarf like versions as well, there play center/lair had a coffin with wheels and a hologram chamber inside that flipped the figures around.

i used to love that stuff, i think it was made by Tonka, but it never got a cartoon or anything.

["The Wizard of War" Birdie]

Aug 16, 2024 4:54:02 GMT -5 MiLB Fan said:

Anything TMNT-related, but the Technodrome stands out. I got it for my birthday and I remember being in awe because it was so intricate with all those rooms and accessories. Even the box seemed big.

Micro Machines Super Van City (a Christmas gift) for the same reason. I’m sure Mom and Dad had fun putting it together and sticking on all those decals lol.

The Technodrome was incredibly epic.  My older brother and I had it. 


I also really wanted the sewer house playset, but it wasn't on store shelves anymore by that time.  Santa Claus came through in 1997, though.  I think my mom found it at a consignment shop. 

[thechase]

Robocop and the Ultra Police

With rapid capfire, ideal safety hazzard for all the family.

[edgestar]

Not an action figure, but, I still have an Urkel doll and Kevin McCallister doll.

[Ultimo Gallos]

Aug 16, 2024 8:56:34 GMT -5 thechase said:

Robocop and the Ultra Police

With rapid capfire, ideal safety hazzard for all the family.

I'm missing something....how is a capfire a safety hazzard?

Aint like it is lawn darts.

Speaking of safety hazzard toys,am I the only one that had a sit and spin?

You sat on this disc,held a handle in the middle and spun around in a circle as fast as you could.

Then stood up alll dizzy and would crash into walls,furniture and sometimes the floor.

Forgot Hot Wheels. No clue about now but back 40 years ago every kid under 10 had a box full of them.

Them when you became a teen you would take them tape a few bottle rockets to the roof of the car and launch them down the street.