| Different Action Figures For Boys (Not Dolls!) Through History |
| Written by Ben Burr | |
| Monday, 07 June 2010 08:35 | |
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For most of us boys, we remember fondly the favorite action figures of our youth. In fact, most of us have probably gone back and started collecting the ones we grew up with. Which ones, exactly, you grew up with, depends entirely upon when you grew up. If you were around in the sixties, you were probably a big fan of GI Joe. The seventies, Star Wars. If you came about in the eighties, you probably loved He-Man, the Ninja Turtles, or The Ghostbusters, and for you youngsters who were kids in the nineties, it was all about Dragon Ball Z.
For most of us boys, we remember fondly the favorite action figures of our youth. In fact, most of us have probably gone back and started collecting the ones we grew up with. Which ones, exactly, you grew up with, depends entirely upon when you grew up. If you were around in the sixties, you were probably a big fan of GI Joe. The seventies, Star Wars. If you came about in the eighties, you probably loved He-Man, the Ninja Turtles, or The Ghostbusters, and for you youngsters who were kids in the nineties, it was all about Dragon Ball Z. Most recently, the market has been catering more and more towards the adult collector, but let's be honest, anyone who refuses to open the box and play with them now and then is a stick in the mud. The term "action Figure" was coined by Hasbro in the sixties. See, young boys were reluctant to play with GI Joe "Dolls", and so a new term was needed. Action figure worked. Boys were fine with playing with a toy with "action" in the name. Yes, they're still, essentially, dolls, but by calling them figures, boys are less hesitant to pick them up. The ploy worked, and these toys became some of the most popular items for boys to collect. Of course, it was the Star Wars figures of the seventies that really put these toys on the map. Star Wars was a revolution on more than a few levels. Besides being perhaps the most successful movie franchise of all time, Lucas, in retaining the merchandising rights, also managed to become the first movie-toy mogul. In his footsteps would follow the makers of He-Man and the Master of the Universe, and Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's certainly safe to say that the modern producer of kid-friendly film and animation rakes in a lot more money from toy sales than from tickets and TV advertising sponsorships alone. In this day and age, the action figure is more common than ever before. In the past, it was all about kid friendly franchises, but today you can get a figure of anything from The Big Lebowski to The Sopranos. If it's popular, there are toys for it. Free Articles: Are you a collector of action figures? Get the ultimate low down on the best 12 inch action figures and 18 inch action figures in our exclusive action figures overview.
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