Toy Figurines - Are They the Same As Dolls Or Actions Figures?

Toy figurines, or (gasp in horror) dolls, being played by your son? Imagine the shock of most fathers if their sons want that hottest "doll" for Christmas present. But hold your horses Dads; maybe what your son wanted was an action figure. Whew! You can sigh in relief now. There are differences between toy figurines, dolls and action figures although for the uninitiated, they all look the same, hence, the confusions. However, even experts and collectors argue on how to classify one from the other. That is because there's no concrete definition to distinguish them. The fact that no black-and-white definition has been put forth, gray areas also abound to make matters worse.

Most of us know what dolls are. Barbies and Raggedy-Anns are dolls. They usually have clothing that can be removed and accessories that can be attached. We often hear in toy commercials that "clothing and accessories are each sold separately". Dolls, like Barbie, may have movable joints. They can be posed to mimic that of a real person. They are also almost always bought to be played with. Unlike action figures or toy figurines that, although they are played with also, most of the time, we see them displayed or kept somewhere safe if they're collectibles. Basically, if a toy figure is something a girl would want, that is a doll.

Here is the tricky part. Toy figurines and action figures are the hardest to distinguish from one another. But first, don't confuse a figurine that is meant to be displayed by your mom in your living room, like that of a horse figurine. This figurine is almost always made of porcelain, clay or stone. The operating word here is "toy". Toy figurines, like action figures are made of molded plastic. They are representation of characters that kids, or collectors, can identify with, like superheroes or movie characters. The difference between them is that toy figurines don't have moving parts and most of them are attached to their base for display.

The word "action" is the key in classifying which are action figures and which are toy figurines. "Action" here means the ability to pose the figure. If toy figurines are static and with no moving parts, action figures are, well- action-packed. They usually have at least 3 moving parts or "point of articulation". They can be posed in different ways to mimic how the character actually moves. Although some action figures have clothing and accessories that can be replaced or interchanged, like that of a doll, the key word again, is action. That's why action figure of Lara Croft from The Tomb Raider franchise is considered an action figure and not a doll, although Lara Croft is a girl, like Barbie or Raggedy-Ann.

There are similarities and differences between toy figurines, dolls and action figures. We can go on and on discussing and debating these but in the end, we will go back to square one with no real, concrete way of classifying which is an action figure, a doll or a toy figurine. It all boils down on the reason why you want that figure in the first place; to play with it? to display it? to collect it as an investment? So what's wrong with your son playing with what looks to you like a doll? As long as he's happy right? Right Dad?