Most of these pictures have been found online. Whenever possible, I've provided links to the source website for each image.
Update: Since posting this list I have managed to find several of these dolls. As such, the ones that are highlighted in red I now have in my collection!!! Yay!
1. Fantasy Warrior/Rocker, 12 inch artisan doll by Dalila Dolls, 2013
Concept, face repaint and costume by Dalila Dolls, doll body and head sculpt by Tonner
At the top if my doll wish list is this totally awesome medieval themed rocker dude made by doll artist Dalila Meece. I think this doll is soooo awesome, and cool, and perfect! It's doll utopia!!! I don't have any custom or artisan dolls in my collection, but it would be beyond awesome to own this doll or an exact copy of it. (Though I have no idea if Ms. Meece sells any of her dolls.) Artist dolls are quite pricey as a lot of hard work, hours, skill, and talent go into their creation. Buying a doll like this one is way above my budget, so I have to be content with looking at the photos and basking in the awesomeness!!! And man, this is one awesome doll!!! :)
I love this doll!!!
This doll's face and the way it's painted perfectly captures the rebellious attitude!
The above images were originally found at this link:
2. Indiana Jones, 12 inch doll by Kenner, 1982
Not only is it infinitely cool that this doll was made, but the fact that Kenner simply reused their Han Solo doll and dressed it in the Indy outfit is brilliant! As a collector I long for the day when I can place both dolls side by side on my shelf. I already have one of them! Notably, Kenner painted the hair on the Indiana doll a different shade of brown from the Han Solo doll. Indy also has blue eyes instead of Han Solo's brown eyes. This doll is harder to find than the Han Solo doll, especially complete with his whip, pistol, belt and his brown felt fedora hat which is actually made out of felt.
The Indiana Jones doll was released along with a series of smaller action figures based on the very first Indy film, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
3. Star Wars, 8 to 15 inch action figures by Kenner, 1978-80
I have most of these, I'm just missing some of the accessories...
Chewbacca 15 inch large size figure by Kenner, 1979
This image is from an e-bay auction.
Darth Vader and Stormtrooper, 15 and 12 inch large size figures by Kenner, 1979
Images were found online at the same blog on these pages:
Boba Fete and Jawa, 13 and 8 inch large size figures by Kenner, 1979
The Jawa is the last figure that I need to complete my set.
Images found online at this link: http://www.swactionnews.com/episode.htm?id=491
From a very young age, maybe around four or five years old, I've coveted the large size action figure collection produced by Kenner in the late 1970's and early 1980's. I've wanted to someday have the complete set ever since my brother Steve got both Chewbacca and Darth Vader for Christmas in 1978, and I didn't get any! ...I got the Big Bird "stacking toy" puzzle instead which is still awesome, but not as awesome as one of those 12 inch Star Wars figures.
So I made certain to let my parents know and behaved all year so that I would get my own 12 inch Star Wars figure. I don't recall if it was the following Christmas, but eventually Santa brought me the 12 inch C-3PO, and my brother got the Stormtrooper, which meant that he now had three of the large size figures while I only had one! He let me play with them though, sometimes unwillingly. My brother eventually gave his large size figures to me when he was much older and moved out of the house, and later on when he had a son I gave them back so that he could share them with my nephew. When my nephew got older he lost interest in them, so my brother gave them back to me. They have quite the family history now!
Meanwhile I managed to get the four dolls in this collection (Luke, Leia, Han Solo and Obi-Wan) second hand along with some of the large size action figures (R2-D2, IG-88 and Boba Fett) but I still need the Jawa to complete my collection. I'm also hoping to find the weapons / accessories for the figures that I have. With the exception of IG-88 and the Jawa, these large size figures and dolls can all be found in abundance loose without the weapons, so if you're collecting them too, don't be fooled into paying top price for a figure that's missing pieces and clothing or doesn't have a box! Just because something is vintage doesn't mean it should be expensive. The figures need to be complete and in excellent condition to be worth the big money.
4. Samson, 8 inch doll by Wee Win Toys, mid 1980's
The next doll on my list is the very cool Samson doll produced in the mid 1980's by Wee Win Toys. I love the head sculpt for this doll! That alone is worth searching high and low for one of these dolls, which also has an awesome costume and a very cool customised doll body. The Wee Win Samson body is essentially a Mego body with some adjustments such as the fist on the left hand, and from this image it also looks like the biceps are more muscular, and the shoulders have been shaped to be rounder than a typical Mego.
This doll was released as part of the Heroes of the Kingdom series which is based on stories from the Bible. Samson was packaged in a box set with a doll of Delilah, a book, and a cassette tape which played the story of Samson and Delilah. Other dolls in this series included Jesus, Moses, Peter, and a two pack set with an 8 inch doll of David and a 12 inch doll of Goliath. All of the dolls in this series are quite hard to find today in complete or mint condition.
The "Heroes of the Kingdom" Samson and Delilah box set by Wee Win Toys.
5. Batman 1966 TV Series: Batman, Robin, Joker, 18 inch talking dolls by Wonderland Toys, 2015
I love the 18 inch talking dolls that were made in the 1980s and have several in my collection along with the awesome 18 inch talking Crow doll by Spencer Gifts from 2001. When I saw images of these three Batman classic TV series dolls I actually gasped out loud. These are so amazing and the characters are perfect for the 18 inch talking doll format. Where's my Bat-a-rang? I must capture these dolls and have them all!!!!
6. Battle of the Planets/G-Force, 9 inch doll by Poppy, 1970s, 9 and 6.5 inch dolls Ceji Clodrey, 1979
During the 1970s, kids in Canada and the United States were seriously deprived of a very awesome series of dolls based on the extremely popular Battle of the Planets TV series. This Anime TV show was produced in 1978 using re-edited footage, which had originally been produced in 1972 by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan for a series called Gatchaman. The show was about a team of five teenagers who transform into superheroes and fly around in an awesome spaceship. The gang was made up of Mark, Jason, Princess, Keyop and Tiny. Each had a bird themed costume, though the only one I could ever distinguish was Tiny's Owl outfit. The villain of the series was the androgynous and mysterious Zoltar. Unfortunately, most of the really cool toys that were based on this TV show were only available in Japan or France, as well as other places on the other side of the world...but not here! :(
To make things more complicated a complete series of 8 inch dolls, with all five heroes, was never made by the same company. Only Mark, Princess and Keyop were given the 8 inch doll treatment, leaving Jason, Tiny and Zoltar as the only main characters to have never been produced in the 8 inch format. Mark was produced as a Mego style doll by two different toy companies, the first being Popy using an 8 inch Mego style doll body. The other company, Ceji Clodrey, made 9 inch dolls in 1979 based on Princess and Mark, along with a shorter doll of Keyop which I assume would be about 6.5 inches. All four of these dolls are very hard to find, with the Popy version of Mark being perhaps the rarest of the bunch. And wouldn't you know it, that's the one I'd want the most from this series, followed by Keyop.
Above on the left is the Popy version of Mark which seems to have an 8 inch Mego body. It was released in the 1970s in an assortment of three Anime dolls that were part of a larger series. I've shown one of the Anime dolls next to Mark above. The back of the box for this Anime doll is shown below, and has artwork depicting the three characters including Mark near the top. I believe Ultraman is the character shown in the centre of the back of the box, but I don't know that last character, which is also shown out of the box below.
The photo of the Mark Popy doll was found at this link:
Unfortunately I don't recall where I found the other three images.
Here's an image of the Mark Popy doll on the left, and I believe this may be the Ultraman doll on the right, with a fourth Popy doll, Casshan, in the centre. This image is from the Mego Museum website, at this link: http://www.megomuseum.com/galleries/casshan/
Here is an advertisement for an assortment of ten Popy Mego style dolls which shows the Mark doll in the bottom left corner. The Casshan doll shown in the previous image isn't shown in this ad. Batman, Superman and Spider-Man were also included in this series. This image is also from the Mego Museum: http://megomuseum.com/megolibrary/megoesque/index.html
Marc / Mark 8 inch doll by Ceji Clodrey, 1979
Kipo / Keyop 8 inch doll by Ceji Clodrey, 1979
Princesse / Princess 8 inch doll by Ceji Clodrey, 1979
The above three photos showing the dolls on original cards were found at this link:
Here are some additional images of the Ceji Clodrey Mark doll. As you can see below it uses a Super G.I. Joe doll body, which means it is likely a 9 inch doll rather than 8 inches. The two images shown below are from an e-bay auction.
Below are some images of the Ceji Clodrey Keyop doll out of the package. These were also from an e-bay auction some time ago.
Front and back view with the side view of the helmet.
Without the helmet and cape, and without the costume to show the doll body type. This last image is from yet another e-bay auction.
A close up of the Ceji Clodrey Keyop face.
7. Chewbacca, 12 inch doll by Hasbro, 1997
During the 1990s there was a big explosion of 12 inch dolls on the market, and I think it's fair to say that Hasbro lead the charge. In addition to re-introducing their 12 inch G.I.Joe line as well as their Action Man series, the company also produced dolls based on a variety of licenses such as DC Comics superheroes (with dolls based on movies, comic books, and the animated TV series), Apollo 13, Terminator, Universal Studios Monsters, and Planet of the Apes. Hasbro also did a 12 inch series called Starting Line Up that was based on sports celebrities from football, baseball, basketball, hockey, boxing and professional race car driving.
All together there were hundreds of different 12 inch dolls made by Hasbro throughout the decade, but by far the best series from this era was the Star Wars Collectors Series which itself easily boasts more than 100 dolls in the collection! I have about 30 of these Star Wars dolls but have yet to get my hands on the elusive Chewbacca that was teased on the back of the boxes from series one and two in 1996, inexplicably disappearing from series three boxes, and finally becoming available with series four in 1997.
What is so cool about this Chewbacca doll is that Hasbro made his entire body, from head to toe, with fake fur, rather than doing a large size action figure with sculpted fur. This was the first time a pose-able Chewbacca doll was marketed with actual fur. Not an easy thing to do, but it looks like Hasbro did an awesome job. I had the opportunity to buy this doll a few years ago for an insanely low price but passed it up, and have been regretting it ever since! But someday the Wookie Chewbacca will be mine!!! [Insert evil Jabba laugher]
Update: Feb 2022! At long last, I am now the proud owner of this awesome Chewbacca doll! He's awesome! I was surprised to find out that he's actually a bendy figure rather than an articulated doll, but I still think it is an amazing doll for something that was mass produced. His fur is really well done. I'm very happy to have this one in my collection!!!
Here's a look at Chewbacca's face. That's quite impressive for a mass produced doll covered in fur. This 1997 Chewbacca doll was sold in a box with a cover flap on the front, and a blue background insert.
The Chewbacca doll was re-issued a year or two later as the variant "Chewbacca in Chains", which is basically the same doll with a chain around his neck. This version is more common than the original release from 1997, and was sold in a box that does not have a cover flap while the background insert is green. In addition, the bag and shoulder strap are dark brown instead of light brown.
8. Robin, 12 inch doll by Mego, 1979
One of the goals that I have for my Mego doll collection is to get each size of the Robin dolls that were produced. I have the original 8 inch version and the 9.5 inch version, so I'm just missing the 12 inch doll to complete the set. For me, the interesting thing about these Robin dolls is that each one of them has a completely different head sculpt. Rather than simply enlarging the 8 inch doll head from the very first Robin doll they produced, Mego started over again sculpting a new head for their 9.5 inch doll. In the case of the 12 inch Robin however, the Mego Museum website states that Mego reused and enlarged the Lone Ranger head from the Gabriel 9.5 inch doll series. This makes it even more bizarre that Mego wouldn't have reused one of their own doll heads! In any case, I do find that this 12 inch doll has the best head sculpt of the three Mego Robin dolls, and is a very awesome doll! Mego offered a magnetic version and non-magnetic version of this doll. I'd rather have the non-magnetic version as the shoes were removable, and were only made for that version of the doll. But hey, why not get both! :)
9. Mego World's Greatest Superheroes, 8 inch dolls by Mego, 1976
Although I started officially collecting the 8 inch Mego dolls in 1982 when I was nine, there are still many heroes that I don't have so I've just grouped them all together here.
Of those that I'm missing Kid Flash is the one that I'd like the most. This doll was released as part of the Teen Titans series, for which Mego introduced a new 7 inch doll body to make the dolls teenager sized in comparison to the 8 inch dolls. This image is from the Mego Museum site:
Update! I managed to win an ebay auction for an original Kid Flash Mego! Sooooooooo happy to add him to my Mego collection!!! I also picked up the reissued version of Aqualad by FTC. I still need Speedy and Wonder Girl.
Human Torch is the next Mego hero I'm most interested in. The Mego Museum website states that this is one of the more common Mego hero dolls, but that hasn't been my experience. Maybe that's the case in the United States, but not here in Canada. This doll was released in the late 1970s along with many other heroes based on Marvel comic books, all of which are much harder to find than the earlier assortment of heroes available during the early and mid 70's. Presently, I'm only missing Human Torch, Invisible Girl and Mr. Fantastic to complete my Marvel Mego series. The above image is from the Mego Museum site: http://www.megomuseum.com/wgsh/accessory/torch.html
Other Mego heroes on my wish list include the rest of the Teen Titans (Speedy, Aqualad, and Wondergirl) Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, and Isis. I'm also missing the very rare alter ego series (Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Peter Parker) and the removable mask version of Batman and Robin.
Update!!! I now have the FTC reissued version of Aqualad, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Isis and all four of the Alter Ego series figures. I also found the original Mego of Shazam!!! Two more teen titans to go (Speedy and Wonder Girl) and I'll have all the DC characters that Mego originally released!
10. DC Direct Robin and Batman, 12 and 13 inch dolls by DC Direct, 2005
After coming back into vogue during the 1990s, dolls for boys hit a new high point in the mid 2000's when Warner Bros. released a series of very well made, detailed 13 inch dolls as part of their DC Direct line of action figure toys. These were made as exclusive collectors items, for collectors to play with... not for kids! They were available through comic book stores or high end nostalgia shops and unfortunately, they were a tad too pricey for me, though for the detail they were quite reasonably priced at around $60 and up. Today they sell for around $80, with a few select characters worth over $100.
10. DC Direct Robin and Batman, 12 and 13 inch dolls by DC Direct, 2005
After coming back into vogue during the 1990s, dolls for boys hit a new high point in the mid 2000's when Warner Bros. released a series of very well made, detailed 13 inch dolls as part of their DC Direct line of action figure toys. These were made as exclusive collectors items, for collectors to play with... not for kids! They were available through comic book stores or high end nostalgia shops and unfortunately, they were a tad too pricey for me, though for the detail they were quite reasonably priced at around $60 and up. Today they sell for around $80, with a few select characters worth over $100.
This series marked the fist time a doll of Robin was made in the style of the 1970s and 1980's, so that his head sculpt resembled how the character looked in comic books from that era. Though it made me feel old to see that the doll was marketed as "Classic Robin" (ouch!) along with a similarly designed "Classic Batman" (ouch again!). Isn't the "Classic" term more suited to the 30's and 40's era?
Robin was made to be a tad shorter than Batman, so he's likely a 12 inch doll, while Batman and all the other heroes in this series are 13 inches. They did an exceptionally awesome job on Batman, however I'd want to get Robin first as he's always been my favourite DC superhero. The Flash was also included in this series for a change, after being excluded from all of the Mego assortments and the 9 inch Hasbro series. Unfortunately Hawkman still didn't make the selection! In addition to Robin, Batman and Flash, I'd like to get Superman too, but these four dolls would easily be a minimum $400 investment to acquire, so for now I'll just enjoy the awesome photos found online for free! :)
One of the more impressive and unique aspects of this Robin doll is that his mask is removable, though it doesn't have any goofy elastic on it. Not sure how they pulled this off. I'm guessing there's a magnet involved, maybe? In any case, my only criticism of this doll is that the legs look a little bit wonky, but the rest of the doll is so cool this becomes a minor concern.
Here's the box cover for "Classic Robin"
Here's the box cover for "Classic Batman"
11. Tiger Man, 12 inch doll made by Mego, 1979
As a kid I watched the Buck Rogers TV show but today all that I recall from it is Twiki's robot stutter. Thankfully Mego did an awesome series of dolls based on the show, and my favourite from the set is Tiger Man. Truthfully though, it's irrelevant to me what TV show this doll is based on as it makes my wish list simply for being so cool! It's hard to grasp that this doll was marketed as a kid's toy! There wasn't a market for geek collectables back then like we have today, toys were made to be toys. I'm just not sure how many parents in 1979 would look at this toy and think "Now there's a doll I want my son to have". I'm glad Mego made this doll none the less, it's one of the few 12 inch Mego dolls that I'm interested in.
In 2011 Zica Toys released 8 inch dolls of Buck Rogers and Tiger Man, both of which were very well done. Their version of Tiger Man is quite different from Megos though, and with exception of the boots, they did an excellent job. However I still like the Mego doll best as I think the 12 inch format suits this doll perfectly, along with the Mego 12 inch Superman doll body that was recycled to make Tiger Man. Mego also reused the Klingon shoes from their 12 inch Star Trek the Motion Picture series.
The image is from the Mego Museum website at this link:
12. Star Trek Aliens, 8 inch dolls by Mego
When it comes to the 8 inch Mego dolls, I find the Star Trek Alien series to be just as awesome as the superhero line. It's too bad the aliens are so hard to find and so pricey, as I'd love to add these guys to my Mego collection. Mego made two series of these alien dudes, for a total of 8 dolls. The one I like the most is the Keeper from the first series. He's one of only two Mego dolls to have been made entirely with light blue plastic! (The other one is the Andorian from series 2.) I have this doll without his costume, which I'd really like to find some day.
After the Keeper my favourite Alien is the Neptunian (shown above) from the first series of aliens, released in 1975, as I just think he's an interesting 8 inch doll. This character is also a Mego invention that has nothing to do with Star Trek, which I find makes the doll more interesting, rather than less interesting as Star Trek fans have often concluded. Mego went all out and not only gave this guy his own unique pair of feet/boots, they also made him some hands/gloves to match. I also like how they reused the printed "scales" fabric that was used for the Spider-Man villains, Lizard and Green Goblin, which were released the same year. It's a nice way to make sure the entire bolt of fabric will be used up! The above image is from the Mego Museum website: http://www.megomuseum.com/galleries/neptunian/
In addition to his tail fabric, Spidey's villain Lizard also lent his head sculpt to the Star Trek aliens series. Mego used the same mold to create their version of the Gorn, which was also from series 1, only here the head is brown plastic instead of green. It seems Mego was being quite frugal when designing this first Aliens series, as the outfit is also reused from the Star Trek Klingon originally included in the original series of Star Trek characters! So there's nothing that is genuinely new on this Gorn Mego doll, but I think it's cool anyway. The image is from the Mego Museum: http://www.megomuseum.com/galleries/gorn/
I also really like the Andorian and Mugato aliens from series 2. I have the EMCE reissued version of those two dolls, but the original Mego dolls would be awesome to own!
13. Big Jim, 9 inch dolls by Mattel, 1970s
All throughout the 1970s and well into the mid 1980s, Mattel produced a huge collection based on their 9 inch "doll for boys" named Big Jim. There are sooooo many awesome dolls in this series! It truly does rival Hasbro's original G.I. Joe 12 inch doll series for the volume of dolls and accessories that were made. I have a few of the standard Big Jim dolls in my collection, but none of the really awesome ones, such as the fellow shown below. This is Torpedo Fist with a spring loaded fist punching action. Coooool! Mattel also used the Big Jim doll bodies for other series such as Karl May, Tarzan, Grizzly Adams, How the West Was Won, and Mark Strong. One could spend a lifetime trying to track all these down, and a fortune too! I want them all!!!
Torpedo Fist!!!
Here is one of several aboriginal characters that were made in the Big Jim style, all of which have rooted hair. I haven't the words to express how awesome I think these aboriginal Big Jim dolls are! They are the coolest Big Jim dolls of them all, with only one exception....
Here is the Tarzan Big Jim doll which is super rare to find in the original package. This image is from an e-bay auction that I could not afford!!! Tarzan was also packaged with a black panther that was also used as the tiger for another Big Jim set, and later on as Battle Cat and Panthor from the Masters of the Universe action figure series. Either version of the Tarzan doll is quite rare. With such amazing packaging art and such a cool doll, the Tarzan Big Jim is total awesomeness!!!
14. Wayne Gretzky, 12 inch doll by Mattel, 1983
Update: Yay! I finally added this doll to my collection on Sept 29, 2024! I've wanted this doll since I was 9 years old, so I only had to wait a mere 41 years! LOL Patience is a virtue! I got an amazing deal on him too, complete with original box!
Back in the early 1980s it was still considered exceptional for famous celebrities to have their own doll. It took a lot to convince a toy company to risk investing on a celebrity. These days its a rather common occurrence that doesn't take much talent or fame on the part of the celebrity in question. A simple fad that few will remember, such as the S Club 7 TV series, can have an entire doll line. But things were quite different back when Mattel introduced their Wayne Gretzky doll, and it's no wonder they felt it was a safe business venture to produce this doll. There was such a heightened sense of excitement for "The Great One" that you could feel it in the air. That he also now had a doll was somewhat mystical or magical and it profoundly elevated his legendary status as an iconic hockey player. At this point in time only one other hockey player, Bobby Orr, had received the celebrity status of being deemed worthy to be immortalized as a doll, but that was many years ago in 1975, and this was now the bold future, 1983!
One memory I still recall from my childhood was a trip to the Toy City store that used to be at Westgate Mall. I recall standing in front of the shelf with these Gretzky dolls, which were displayed in a vertical row from floor to ceiling, and I just stood there staring at the doll with awe. I still get that same sense of awe every time I see this doll, so it gets a place on my wish list without any hesitation.
Here is the Gretzky doll out of the box for a better look at his ice skates.
The doll also came with a white hockey stick that attached onto his glove.
A closer view of the Mattel Gretzky doll.
In the 1990s Hasbro made their own doll of Gretzky as part of their Starting Line Up series of 12 inch dolls based on celebrity athletes, but with the way things have changed over the years for celebrity dolls, it came and went without any special attention. If you want to own a doll of Gretzky, the 1983 Mattel doll is the one that matters!
15. Slade Super Agent, 9.5 inch doll by Shindana Toys, 1976
The fact that this Slade doll is a product of the 1970's doesn't surprise me in the least, and makes it all the more interesting. This is one very awesome doll! It was produced the same year that the Mego company introduced their doll of another extremely cool character, The Fonz. As a huge fan of Happy Days (the TV series that gave us The Fonz) I have no problem saying that Slade is just as cool as his Mego counterpart. Unfortunately Slade is 1.5 inches taller than Mego's Fonzie. It would have been awesome to display the two dolls next to each other if they had been done in the same scale. Slade would have also fit in nicely with Mego's Starsky and Hutch series if he had been 8 inches instead of 9.5. The Shindana company didn't make any other dolls to go with Slade, which is too bad. I wonder what one of Slade's villains would have looked like, or perhaps a few of Slade's pals, who would no doubt have had to be cool enough to hang with him. Then again, the Fonz hung out with Ritchie, Potsie and Ralph, so maybe not having pals for Slade is a good thing?
The head sculpt and outfit for Slade are perfect!
The Slade doll is a very hard to find item in his original box and in such good condition. The Shindana company also made a doll of "Dr. J", aka. Julius Erving the basketball player, and O.J. Simpson who was then only famous for being a football player. Both of these dolls use the same doll body as Slade.
16. H.R.Pufnstuf: Witchiepoo, 17 inch doll by My Toy, 1970
I'm a huge fan of the H.R.Pufnstuf TV series and love Witchiepoo!!! She was a huge part of my childhood. I only found out about this doll a few years ago when I saw pictures of it online and am amazed at what an awesome doll this is. The detailing in the costume and the head sculpting are perfect. The My Toys company also made a doll of Mayor Pufnstuf to go with this one (shown below). It's too bad there isn't a matching Jimmy doll to complete the set. Unfortunately these are very hard to find dolls in any condition, so whenever they come up for sale they're quite pricey.
The very awesome and memorable Witchiepoo as a doll made by My Toy in 1970.
The rare H.R.Pufnstuf doll by My Toy, 1970. This one is missing his Mayor's sash, medal, and one of the cuffs.
Here's Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf and Jimmy as seen on the TV show.
17. Batman, 8 inch doll by Kid Biz, 1989
When the 1989 Batman movie was in theatres I really wanted an 8 inch Mego version of the new Batman and searched everywhere for one. To me it seemed like a logical toy to make considering how much memorabilia that movie generated. Yet, the closest thing to a Mego style doll that I could find was a plush toy with a plastic head, made by Applause. Then I found a tiny advertisement in a toy collecting magazine that seemed to suggest otherwise. It wasn't until many years later, when the internet made sharing and finding information and photos so effortless that I would be able to confirm that this doll did actually exist and the ad I saw wasn't just a scam. The reason for the confusion, I learned, was that this doll was released in Australia and not in North America, which I think really sucks! And so, for the last 25 years I've been wanting one of these Batman dolls! Truthfully, I'd have to get two of these because I'd want to keep one mint and take one out of the package. This doll is too cool not to play with!
Here is the packaging for the doll which uses the artwork from the cover of DC Comics 1989 comic book adaptation of the film, shown below
18. Fonzie, 9 inch doll by Exclusive Premiere, 1997
This is the second articulated Fonzie doll ever produced, the first one being the original Mego doll from 1976. During the mid to late 1990's the Mego style doll came back into demand. One of the companies to take advantage of this was Exclusive Premiere which marketed numerous collections of 9 inch dolls based on classic TV shows and movies. This included the Happy Days TV show which had been produced in the 1970's and early 1980's. As a huge fan of Happy Days (I have all the DVDs!) this doll has been on my radar for many years.
This Fonzie doll has a removable Jacket, shirt and pants,
but the boots are sculpted and painted as the doll's feet.
The original package for the 9 inch Fonzie doll is a unique
window style box that is rounded at the front.
19. Hasbro DC Super Heroes, 9 inch dolls, 1999 - 2001
Around the turn of the century Hasbro produced a series of 9 inch dolls based on several DC Comics superheroes. This was the first time since the Mego dolls had stopped being produced in the early 1980s that a series of DC Comics Mego-like superhero dolls were made. The 1989 Australian Batman, shown above , was the only exception. Out of this Hasbro series, my favourite is the Superman / Clark Kent set offered in 2001. It comes with both Superman and his Clark Kent outfit, along with an additional accessory that looks like it may be a phone booth of some kind.
Of course, I also have to have the Batman from this series, which has a removable cowl. A second version of Batman was also made in a set similar to the above Superman set, which had Batman in a dark grey costume with dark blue cowl and the Bruce Wayne outfit. The set was called "Guardian of Gotham City" and has two different packaging variations. A third, very different version of Batman was also made. It was sold with Robin in a two pack set that was based on how the characters look in the classic 1930's comic books. Other dolls in this set included Joker, Penguin, Green Lantern, Martin Manhunter, Aquaman, and Green Arrow.
20. Sesame Street, 5 and 6 inch dolls by Knickerbocker, 1981
In 1981 Knickerbocker made a series of 5 inch and 6 inch Sesame Street dolls which even today are still not very well known to collectors. This series was left out of the 1992 edition of Tomart's Action Figure Price guide while the Sesame Street action figures made by Tara Toy in 1986 were included. There are also very few images of these dolls online. I have the Ernie from this set (shown above on the right) and would like some day to find the other three in their original boxes, especially Bert (above left). Below are Big Bird, which originally had a scarf and a red vest, and Cookie Monster, which has a removable apron and a baker's hat. Big Bird is unfortunately not made to scale with the other three characters, but is still a cool vintage figure.
Here is my Ernie doll in the original box. Below are the original boxes for Big Bird and Cookie Monster.
Update! I've added Big Bird, Bert and Cookie Monster to my collection, so now I have the entire series!!! I don't have the boxes for Big Bird or Cookie Monster, but they are still in excellent condition and complete. There's only one button missing from Big Bird's vest, otherwise it's in amazing shape! Here's the new picture that I posted on my Muppet Memorabilia blog....
Sesame Street, 9 3/4 and 8 inch dolls by Applause, 1995.
In 1995 Applause made this set of poseable Ernie and Bert dolls which, just like the Knickerbocker Sesame poseable doll series from 1981, are not very well known to collectors. These dolls seem to be even more challenging to find than the Knickerbocker series. They were sold without any packaging, just a hang tag attached with elastic at the wrist (shown below). I have the Bert doll and need to find Ernie, which is 8 inches as he's shorter than Bert. I had never seen what the Ernie doll looks like until I found an image at the following website: http://toyhaven.blogspot.ca/2011/08/leave-bert-and-ernie-alone.html I don't know if Applause made any other characters in this format, but it would be awesome of they did! The Count would look awesome in this style of doll!!!
Update Feb 2022!!! At long last, I have found the elusive Ernie doll and have now reunited Ernie and Bert!!! It took me 25 years! These Applause Bert and Ernie dolls are truly among the nicest Sesame collectables ever to have been made.
This is my Bert doll with the original hang tag.
21. Tarzan, 12 inch doll by Mattel, 1999
When Disney's animated movie Tarzan was in theatres Mattel produced a wide assortment of action figures based on the film. I collected most of these toys but there was one I missed out on. A Ken style Tarzan doll was sold in a set with a Barbie -like Jane doll. I have no interest in the Jane doll and wish that Mattel had sold Tarzan on his own. They likely would have sold more Tarzan dolls if they had. As it stands, this set is one of the harder to find Tarzan items to be released at that time. Today it's become even harder to find the set with Tarzan's dreadlocks still in place as they tended to unravel once the doll was taken out of the box and played with. Tarzan came with a fabric loin cloth, as well as a second outfit which he wore very briefly in the movie when he left the island to head back to England with Jane but was instead trapped on the boat by Clayton. A doll of Jane in her yellow dress was also available as well as an action figure style 12 inch doll of Tarzan, which had a removable fabric loin cloth just like this Ken style doll. I've posted most of my Tarzan collection on my action figure blog here: http://mikeysactionfigures.blogspot.ca/p/i-have-huge-of-tarzan-stuff.html
The Ken style Tarzan doll was only available in this two pack set with Jane, but I just want the Tarzan.
22. Superman: Man of Steel, 12 inch doll by Hasbro, 1996
In the mid 1990s when Hasbro was going full throttle producing their many 12 inch doll collections, they made this amazingly awesome Superman doll. This one came before the DC Direct 13 inch Superman was produced in 2005 and, to my knowledge, is the first 12 inch Superman doll to be made since "the Mego era" of the 1970's. This doll would go nicely next to Hasbro's 12 inch series of dolls based on the Batman and Robin movie. That series of seven dolls was produced the following year in 1997, and I have four in my collection. As with Batman, Hasbro also released a three pack set of different 12 inch Superman dolls around the same time that were similar to this one but with variations to the costume and head sculpts. The set was called "The History of Superman" with dolls based on the 1940's, 1970's, and 1990's. The 1990's doll from this set is the same as this individual Superman but with a dark blue outfit. Hasbro also made Animated Series 12 inch dolls of Superman and Supergirl. Out of all of the Hasbro Superman 12 inch dolls I find this one is the best.
This is the cover of the box flap for the 12 inch Superman doll.
Update!!! In March 2023 I found this Superman doll at a nostalgia show, so I'm happy to finally have it in my collection!
23. Harley-Davidson Ken Dolls, 12 inch dolls by Mattel, 1998, 2010
In my view the 1998 Harley-Davidson Ken doll marked a turning point in modern doll collecting. When it appeared in stores I couldn't help but think that society had changed considerably since the early 1970s, a time when TV executives wouldn't let the Fonz wear a leather jacket on Happy Days and actually had forced him to wear white cotton instead! Now, not only was it acceptable that the wholesome Ken could become an officially licensed Harley-Davidson biker complete with leather jacket and goatee, it also proved without question that there was a demand from doll collectors for this kind of diversity. For a doll like this to appear out of the blue Mattel had to tap into or perceive what collectors wanted, and the answer was a leather jacket wearing, unarguably cool Ken doll! Mattel even omitted their sacred Barbie logo on the box in place of a Ken logo. It was a very smart move that invited male collectors to buy the doll. In Canada Harley-Davidson Ken originally retailed for around $80, which in 1998 was the high end price point for serious doll collectors. Today of course the high end price is in the hundreds if not thousands, but here is where that shift to insanely serious (and awesome) doll collecting began.
This doll proved to be so popular that the following year Mattel offered a second Harley-Davidson Ken, which is the only one that I have from this series. Mattel also made a Motorcycle to go with the 1999 doll.
This is the 1999 Harley-Davidson motorcycle by Mattel. Too bad they put the Barbie logo on the box, I'm less interested in owning one for that reason alone.
The third Harley-Davidson Ken was eventually made in 2010, eleven years after the second doll. It was sold in a gift set with a Barbie doll which I've conveniently cropped out of the photo! I would prefer it if Mattel didn't force collectors to by a Barbie with Ken. If ever I do get this set I'd likely open it and sell the Barbie, then replace her with another Ken! :) The 2010 Harley-Davidson Ken doll looks cool in tight leather pants! I like this one more than the 1998 Ken doll, though I wish Mattel had given him a jacket or a vest to make this doll more of a biker. He should definitely also have had long hair rather than that pretty boy hair style! Still this is a very cool doll!
24. Mighty Mightor, 12 inch doll by Mego, 1970s
This doll was available only in Europe and is quite a rare find in any condition. I'm doubtful that I'll ever get one as it's also very costly. In any case, I think this is a cool doll so it needed to have a spot on the list. Mighty Mightor is based on a Hanna-Barbera animated television series.
25. Mr. T, 12 inch dolls by Galoob, 1984
At one point in the 1990s I had bought one of these Mr. T dolls second hand at a nostalgia show, but it was missing all the smaller accessories, such as his earrings and gold chains, so eventually I sold it. I also found that this was not a very well made doll as it's essentially a large sized version of the 6 inch action figure from the A-Team series, which Galoob had produced at the same time. Therefore the doll is jointed in such a way that it has a very limited range for posing. Still, I do like how this doll looks complete in the box and have always been a Mr. T fan, so someday I'd like to find another one of these dolls in the original box for my collection. Two variations of this doll were made, a talking and non-talking version. The talking doll had a pull string on the back and came with a tool box and tools, just like the 6 inch action figure. Galoob also made two costumes for this doll including the "Combat Action Set" (a camouflage patterned army outfit with accessories), and a "Fire Rescue Set" (a yellow fireman's outfit with tools and accessories). In addition, Galoob produced a series of 3 inch A-Team action figures, which means that there are three different sizes of Mr. T figures to collect!
The non-talking Mr. T doll by Galoob, 1984, dressed in overalls with a red long sleeve shirt.
The talking Mr. T doll by Galoob, 1984, dressed in a denim vest and black pants.
26. Robin Hood, 8 inch dolls by Mego
Mego's Robin Hood series is another awesome set of dolls that I'd like to have. I already have the original Mego doll of Friar Tuck, so I need three more characters to complete the set. Out of these the one I like the most is Will Scarlet. I think Mego did an awesome job on his costume and the head sculpt. Some time ago I bought the reissued version of this doll made by FTC / Classic TV Toys and found it to be of such pour quality that I don't bother to display it with my collection. It was crap! Unfortunately it's rather hit and miss with that company. In any case, I'd much rather get the original Mego doll.
This image of the Will Scarlet Mego is from the Mego Museum:
My second favourite from the series is Robin Hood. Mego did a super job on this one! The last character in the set is Little John which I'd get just to complete the set. The image of Robin Hood is from the Mego Museum website: http://www.megomuseum.com/galleries/robinhood/
27. Count Dracula, 18 inch doll by Traveler's Trading Co., 1980s.
This is a vintage doll that I had no idea existed until I found pictures of it online. It is similar in style to the 18 inch talking dolls that were so popular in the 1980s (Pee Wee Herman, Freddie from Nightmare on Elm Street, and Beetlejuice are a few examples), however this doll does not talk. The head sculpt for this doll is quite awesome though, and for me is the selling feature of the doll. The face is very expressive and I like the colours used for it and the costume. Even though I'm not much of a Dracula fan I hope to someday own one of these cool Dracula dolls.
Dracula doll without the box
This image shows the hands. Unfortunately they were rather poorly done, but as the cape covers them up anyway it's not to much of a big draw back. Though, some nice sculpted vampire hands with long nails would have finished this doll perfectly!
28. Tarzan, 12 inch doll by Mattel, 1999
As mentioned above for the Ken style Tarzan, Mattel marketed a wide selection of toys based on the Disney animated film when it was in theatres. One of the dolls they made was called "Rad Repeatin' Tarzan" which had a series of buttons on its back that allows kids to record their voice and play it back. There was also a button to control Tarzan's right arm, and when it was raised all the way up a recording of the Tarzan yell would play. This is the doll that I have.
Mattel also made a less common variation of this figure that was simply called "Tarzan" that had the arm action and played the Tarzan yell, but did not have the Rad Repeatin' feature. This version also had differently sculpted hair that was styled to look like the dread locks were blowing in the wind, and it comes with a snake accessory. I love variations of figures like this, and am also a Tarzan collector, so this item must have a spot on the wish list!
Mattel's 12 inch "Tarzan", which I don't own, is a variation of the more commonly found "Rad Repeatin' Tarzan", which I have, shown below.
Important info for collectors: Many online sellers, such as on e-bay, claim that this Rad Repeatin' Tarzan was recalled, however that is an incorrect myth. This toy was never recalled. What happened was, back in 1999 there was some controversy (caused by some very stupid people) that the position of Tarzan's arm combined with the action arm feature, made it appear that Tarzan was (to put it nicely) pleasing himself. Yes, roll your eyes! How stupid people can be!!! As a result, the Disney company had their Disney Store staff remove the plastic fasteners from the elbow of Tarzan's action arm, which allowed the arm to be repositioned, but the toys remained on store shelves. Such online sellers should also take note of another important fact: It is illegal to sell recalled toys!
In addition, recalling a toy is a very serious matter. The only reason a company would recall a toy is because the toy has proven to be a safety hazard in some way for children, which is not the case with this Tarzan figure. Mattel is a very responsible toy company and takes toy recalls very seriously. All of Mattel's toy recalls are posted on the Mattel website, going back to 1998, the year before this Tarzan toy was produced. You can see for yourself that no Tarzan toys have ever been recalled by Mattel by viewing their recall list at this link: http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.aspx
29. Lord of the Rings, 12 inch dolls by Mattel, 2004
The final film in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy was released in 2003, and the following year Mattel produced four dolls inspired by the movies. That Mattel would choose to make a doll of Orlando Bloom's elf character Legolas was a given, considering how attractive Bloom is and the amount of popularity both the actor and the character had at that time. Gandalf the Wizard would have been my logical second choice, but Mattel has seldom made senior aged Ken style dolls (they do exist but they're rare), so it's no surprize the character was passed over. As such, the only next logical choice for the Ken doll treatment is Aragorn. Unfortunately Mattel suck him in a two pack set with a Barbie version of Arwen. Skipping over other main characters, the final doll Mattel would produce in this set is a Barbie version of Galadriel. All of the dolls are extremely well made with amazing costumes. I especially like the head sculpt and face paint detail on the Aragorn doll, however Legolas is the one I want the most.
Mattel's Ken style Legolas doll from The Lord of the Rings series.
The original box for the Legolas doll.
Mattel's Ken style Aragorn doll from The Lord of the Rings series.
Mattel forced collectors to buy a Barbie doll if they wanted
Aragorn as he comes in a two-pack set with Arwen.
Here's a closer view of Aragorn's face. Mattel did an amazing job on this doll.
30. The Lone Ranger, 12 inch doll produced for the Disney Store, 2013
In 2013 Disney attempted to launch a new franchise based on the Lone Ranger with the release of an extensively hyped and advertised film. Unfortunately the film didn't do well in theatres and all plans to continue with the Lone Ranger franchise were dropped. None the less, the marketing for the film resulted in a pair of very well made 12 inch Lone Ranger dolls, with actor Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp as a very unique version of Tonto. The Lone Ranger's horse, Silver, was also made as part if the 12 inch doll set. The dolls were available through the Disney website and at Disney theme parks. For some reason that's unknown to me, the Disney company has a policy not to reveal what companies produce their toys, and so dolls like this rarely have manufacturers information on them unless they're made "out of house" by another company such as Mattel or Hasbro.
The Lone Ranger 12 inch doll made for the Disney Store in 2013.
Disney's Lone Ranger doll in the original box.
The list continues on the next page of this blog, Mikey's Doll Wish List: Page 2!
Text © Mike Artelle, 2015
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou mention the Bert and ernie poseable figures of Apllause. I see the Ernie and Bert frequently for sale in the Netherlands. But without the tagg.
Kind regards
Hi Sesamstraat123
DeleteThanks for the information, I appreciate this very much. It's interesting that Applause distributed them over there. This would certainly explain why I've found them so hard to find! Thanks for helping to solve a mystery that's puzzled me for quite some time! All the best. -Mike
Well, leave it to ME to not be able to find anything but the doll in my room right now, so if I can't find the rest of the stuff, then he's only $115, but I do have him, and he's never really been....monkeyed around with in any way, shape, or form, so he looks really good.
ReplyDeleteI bought the Samson and Delilah set off ebay. I waited years and years for the right price. I paid 35 dollars. It is a great action figure.
ReplyDeleteLove that "Robin Hood" doll.
ReplyDeleteOh, and that Tarzan with the wild hair....that only gives the yell has been called a "European" version of the Rad Repeatin' Tarzan, so I don't know weather or not he was ever sold in the states.
ReplyDelete