Kenner’s Centurions Action Figures Priced at $11.88/each
There are times when a single advertisement offers us so much enjoyment that we return to the newspaper page again and again, each time remembering the past and wishing that we could buy those old toys at the original prices. Well, that recent Albertsons ad from 1986 that we have seen two different times in the past week is one such ad. In addition to Chuck Norris and Masters of the Universe, we also get a chance to remember the Centurions.
I think what is most obvious when looking at all three of the lines in the ad is that the Centurions toys were expensive. You could get two Chuck Norris figures for the price of a single Centurions figure, and three Masters of the Universe toys for that $12 price shown for the Centurions. Hey, price plays a big role in the success or failure of a 1980s action figure line.
I remember these being kind of insanely expensive when they were new. Then the line collapsed and they all went on deep clearance, and I bought a ton of them. My buddy Sean just rediscovered the line and has collected a bunch of them, even finding a few prototype figures on eBay. Such a great toyline, but competing in such a saturated market with such a steep price tag probably doomed it from the get-go.