Action Figures in the Encyclopedia of Play in Today’s Society
Out of the first volume of Encyclopedia of Play in Today’s Society* comes this entry on “action figures,” and a broad overview of the history of action figures and the response by kids to modern vs vintage figures. We know that Star Wars collectors look down on the overly-muscular figures of the nineties, but according to this book:
” . . . Timothy Baghurst and colleagues presented a group of elementary schoolboys with current action figures and their original counterparts. Even though the figures were the same height, the boys preferred the current action figure, citing the primary reason for their preference to be the muscularity and physique of the figure.”
If kids preferred the muscular toys, who are we to tell toymakers “don’t do that” when they produce such toys? I’ve long suspected that action figure collectors outnumber kids who play with action figures, and the steps Hasbro, Mattel, and others have taken make me think that unless something changes, action figures will continue to climb in price as the toymakers cater to collectors over children.
Related articles
- 2005 Advertisement for Mattel’s “The Batman” Action Figures (battlegrip.com)
- “Mattel Coming Back From Crippling Adversities” (battlegrip.com)
- 1989 G.I. Joe “Stop Cobra In Their Tracks!” Marketing Insert (battlegrip.com)