Action Figures

What is an Action Figure?

An action figure is a figurine made of plastic or other materials, and usually based from characters of a comic book, movie, television program, or video game. These are usually advertised towards boys. Action figures that can be redress are referred to as action dolls.

Action figures are popular with boys because they symbolize traditional masculine traits. Today, it is not only advertised as children's toy but also as an adult collector item.

Popular Characters turned into Action Figures

G.I. Joe is the first ever action figure toy launched. It is produced by a toy company named Hasbro. G.I. stands for 'Government Issue'. The initial product offering symbolizes the four (4) U.S. Armed Forces branches - the Soldier (Army), Action Marine (Marines), Action Sailor (Navy), and Action Pilot (Air Force). There are two different G.I. Joe action figure lines: the original 12-inch line which started in 1964; and in 1982, a 3 3/4-inch line complete with vehicles, play sets, and a story between the G.I. Joe Team and the evil Cobra Command.

The Transformers is an animated action series portraying a war between giant robots who could transform into vehicles, animals, and other objects. It was written and recorded in the United States and animated in Japan. The series was based upon the line of transforming toys created by Takara, a Japanese toy manufacturer. It was later developed into the Transformers line by Hasbro. There are also 'Dinobots' - transform into Dinosaurs, and 'Headmasters' - transform into a tiny robot and controls the body.

Batman is a comic book superhero created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger that first appeared in DC comics in 1939. He is also known as the Dark Knight, the World's Greatest Detective, and the Caped Crusader but he is popularly called the Bat by his fans.

Superman is a very popular comic book superhero that has millions of fans worldwide. He is branded as the man of steel and is widely considered to be an American cultural icon. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1932. The character's appearance is unique and iconic - a blue, yellow, red costume with cape and a letter "S" shield on his chest.

Spiderman is another popular fictional superhero from Marvel Comics. The character was created by two writers, Stan Lee (writer-editor) and Steve Ditko (writer-artist). He is an orphan raised by Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT) is a popular television series back in 1987. It is originally a character in a comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird published by Mirage Studios in 1984 in New Hampshire. Later, a toy company in California collaborated with the creators to produce an action figures based on the ninja turtles.
Along with popular TV series, and action figure line, the Turtles' likeness could be found on a wide range of children's products - breakfast cereal, cameras, linens, video games, towels, school supplies, toy shaving kits and many more.