Toy Sales and Aggressive Fantasy in 1985

After yesterday’s newspaper archive search for “Bernard Loomis” turned up one gem (see “Toymakers, the Economy, and Bernie Loomis in 1981”) I decided to keep searching. The Google newspaper archives are an amazing reference, and in almost no time at all I found this AP article from February 16, 1985.

The article touches on the violence of toys and their popularity at the time, stating:

“Toy robots, science fiction warriors and G.I. Joes are among the top-selling toys at the 1985 International Toy Fair, the trade show that ends next week. All involve fantasy battles between good and evil characters.”

Now this entire paragraph only supports my work on Action Figures Not Included* and how story drives action figure sales. Conflict, especially in the realm of boys’ toys, is a very easy form of story to construct, and naming the characters on all sides of the conflict helps make them more “real” in the imaginations of children. These stories of war draw clear lines, provide the players in the fantasy, and makes kids the directors of their own make-believe fiction.

Or, as, the article puts it:

“Maybe they want to be generals of armies rather than privates carrying guns,” said Bernard Loomis, president of GLAD, a marketing firm, about the popularity of action figures compared with the popularity of toy guns.

Related articles

• ROM Ad from 1979 (battlegrip.com)
• Spotted Online – 1988 G.I. Joe Advertisement (battlegrip.com)
• Sixteen Years Later and the Star Wars Expanded Universe Action Figures Haven’t Changed in Value (battlegrip.com)