As a child of the 80s I had some pretty excellent toys growing up. It was the heyday of real awesome toys that any kid could enjoy. To name a few we had Transformers, Thundercats, He-Man, M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, Rambo, LJN wrestling figures, and many more.
With today’s release of the LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean, we decided to take a look at some 80s movies (and one from the 90s, thanks Drew!) that kids (or adults) would have loved a supporting toy line for.
Back to the Future
How cool would it have been to have a proper Back to the Future action figure line with a really happening DeLorean? You could have had the whole set of Radiation Suit Doc, 1985 Marty, 1955 Marty, Young Biff, Casino Biff, and the list goes on.
Escape From New York
Man, this would have been a really cool toy set that didn’t have to go overboard. Even if all that was made was a really cool Snake Plissken and maybe a vehicle I would have been happy. But, that would be leaving out the amazing cast of actors that filled the movie like Lee Van Cleef and Isaac Hayes.
Highlander
Imagine busting open the packaging to your very own Highlander action figures. The series would have been a hot seller. You would get different versions of everyone. From Scottish McLeod to Sean Connery’s Ramirez! The line of toys would be rounded out by a gigantic Kurgan figure, complete with Silver Cup studios rooftop playset.
Big Trouble in Little China
Two Kurt Russell flicks on the list! Big Trouble was such a fun movie and it would have lent itself to some awesome figures back in the day. A movie like this was MADE to have a toy line accompany it. Plus, Kurt is wearing the coolest wifebeater of all time.
They Live!
I would have paid my hard earned money for some awesome They Live! Figures. Well, I was a kid so my money wasn’t really mine. So I would totally have used my folks’ money to get me a sweet Roddy Piper action figure along with some of the exposed aliens.
A line Of Eddie Murphy figures
Hear me out. This one may be for the older collectors but imagine if you got a line of figures that represented each incarnation of Eddie Murphy from his stand up attire, to The Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Coming to America, and Trading Places. Now, THAT would have been something to behold. I would probably pick up an Axel Foley right now. Cue laugh: YEHRRR EHRRR EHHRRR EHHRRR
The Goonies
I’m pretty sure I don’t even have to explain this one.
Rocky
Until Rocky 3, there were no action figures tying in to this franchise. Rocky would have translated extremely well into a line of toys in the 80s.
As the series progressed the characters got way more outlandish and larger than life. That means that they were down right wacky. C’mon – Thunderlips would have made an awesome figure, which someone could have customized into a No Holds Barred or Suburban Commando figure down the line, brother!
Ghostbusters
It’s easy to think of Ghostbusters as an 80s movie that had a toy line, but the action figures were actually based on The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series. A fully articulated 3 ¾” Ghostbuster action figure line with well molded accessories would have been fantastic.
The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer was an 80s movie tailor-made for a modest action figure line. As a kid I always used this G.I. Joe figure as my own Rocketeer.
The Last Starfighter
Released in 1984, The Last Starfighter was possibly never turned into an action figure line because Kenner’s Star Wars line still dominated the sci-fi space toy market.
Krull
Featuring one of the coolest 80s sci-fi movie weapons, The Glaive would have been an awesome accessory in a great toy line.
The Dark Crystal
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, 1982’s The Dark Crystal would have made for a great 80s toy line. Producer Gary Kurtz, also credited as a producer on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, surely knew a little about toy tie-ins.
Any Muppets movie
Speaking of Jim Henson, The Muppets were the stars of 3 movies in the 80s (let’s count 1979’s The Muppet Movie). There were certainly toys, mainly based on The Muppet Show, but none of their major motion pictures ever had a dedicated supporting toy line.
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I would’ve bought the crap out of a Krull line.
Hell yeah. That one was Tank’s idea.
The Rocketeer was released in 91…NOT an 80’s movie…
Dammit. THAT one was Tank’s idea too! 🙂
Would have LOVED at least half of these!
Sadly figures based on movies usually suck. Star Wars is the only major exception…I guess. 😉
You’re right. The crappy movie figures out there clogging shelves today are a prime example. (Green Lantern, Man of Steel, Dark Knight, Iron Man)
Great list! I would have loved to have toys from most of these movies and I’m glad that some of them have been made over the years in some form or another. Also love the fact that I wasn’t the only one who used WORMS that way!
Nice!! I mean, the helmet was almost exactly the same!!
Remco actually made a Thunderlips figure. It was the first Hulk Hogan action figure, I think. I picked one up at the flea market last summer and sent it to a friend who was collecting all of the Remco Rocky figures. I think the likeness is better than most of the Hulk figures from the era.
At least I think it was Remco. It was one of those smaller toy companies, I know. I have the Clubber, but he just says “United Artists 1983” on his butt.
I thought there were Rocky figs, but two people I asked said no. Thanks for the intel Stacey!
N2 Toys made 6 pretty cool Big Trouble in Little China figures. Great movie. Love the whole list.
Yes, very cool. Thanks for the comment! I checked out your site- fantastic work!
I have the Jack Burton and the Wang figures from that N2 Toys line. They actually had a 12 inch line planned before the company disappeared. You could find a few pictures in the deep recesses of the Interwebz.
Enjoyed the list, fellas… for posterity, however, it must be added that the line of figures based on ‘The Real Ghostbusters’ were not in 3 3/4 scale, but rather quite an unusual and outsized scale of their own that wasn’t very compatible with other lines of the day.
Someone custom up a mean Jack Burton fig, so I can give them all my money!