Indiana Jones Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

After the phenomenal success of Star Wars, George Lucas sought some relaxation in Maui. By chance, Steven Spielberg also decided to vacation on the island after the completion of his own science fiction tale, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As the two met up and socialized, they began to make plans for a collaborative project. While Spielberg had considered creating a story about a secret agent like James Bond, Lucas knew that he had a far better dream than he had previously been creating with Phillip Kaufman. Spielberg fell in love with the Nazi-fighting archaeologist and eagerly agreed to direct the film.

Not long after this meeting, the pair convinced Paramount Studios to share in their vision and finance the project. They then chose Lawrence Kasdan to take their ideas to create a script. Even though audiences would later know Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, he was not initially the top choice. In fact, Lucas and Spielberg had favored Tom Selleck for the role, but he could not step away from his role in Magnum P.I. This scheduling conflict paved the way for Harrison Ford to become Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones’ first adventure took him on an adventure to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Not only did he have to unravel clues from locations like Cairo, Egypt, but he also had to fend off Nazi forces. He was also forced to take his former lover, Marion Ravenwood, along with him as she held the talisman that was the key to the Ark’s location. Even though the Nazis took possession of the Ark at the end of his search, they got their just desserts as they were melted by the forces that protected the contents of the Ark. The Raiders of the Lost Ark ended with Indiana Jones agreeing to let the U.S. Government take charge of the Ark, leading to its storage in a vast warehouse.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark became a gigantic success, easily becoming the number one film at its release. Along with this success came a wave of merchandise, including a toy line from Kenner. Kenner had profited from their previous license from George Lucas, so they had no reason to doubt that another film with his name on it would be a success. Unfortunately, they did not sign on to create the toys until after the film was released in 1981.

Due to the late contract, fans of Indiana Jones had to wait until 1982 to receive their action figures. Along with this long wait, Kenner only released four action figures to stores in the first wave. The first wave included Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Toht, and the Cairo Swordsman. While Kenner also produced a 12” Indiana Jones action figure, an Arabian Horse, and a Desert Convoy Truck, this selection did not drum up much excitement for the line.

The second wave expanded the toy line with a handful of additional characters. These new action figures portrayed Belloq, a German Mechanic, Indiana Jones in a German Uniform, Sallah, and a mail-away action figure: Belloq in Ceremonial Robe.

There were also a few additional action figures in some of the play sets. The Map Room came with a special Indiana Jones figure that resembled his appearance from that scene. Meanwhile, the Streets of Cairo came with a Monkey Man Figure as well as a crouching Marion and Monkey figurines. The only play set to not come with an action figure was the Well of the Souls.

As the Adventures of Indiana Jones toy line from Kenner never caught any traction, it was quickly canceled in 1983. However, that would not be the last time that fans would have the chance to obtain an Indiana Jones action figure.

Indiana Jones quickly returned to movie theaters when The Temple of Doom debuted in 1984. Along with the change of scenery, Dr. Jones gained a new supporting cast. Wilhelmina “Willie” Scott and Short Round accompanied him on this adventure to Shanghai. Instead of Nazis, they overcame the overwhelming forces of a cult led by Mola Ram, the Thuggee.

Meanwhile, a new company stepped up to create toys for the Indiana Jones franchise. LJN decided to see if they could capitalize on the excitement generated by the sequel. Rather than 3 ¾” action figures, LJN produced 5” action figures as their basic figures for this new toy line. However, like Kenner, they only made a small selection of action figures: Indiana Jones, Mola Ram, and the Thuggee Taskmaster. While LJN had planned to create toys of Willie and Short Round, the line was canceled before they came out. Between the stiff competition in the toy aisle in 1984 and the poor reception to the film from parents, it is easy to see why LJN’s toy line quickly failed.

Harrison Ford returned as Indiana Jones one last time in the 1980s. 1989’s The Last Crusade saw him partner with Sean Connery, who portrayed his father, Henry Jones, Sr. This adventure followed the pair as they tried to fulfill Indy’s father’s life goal, locating the Holy Grail. Once again, Nazis returned as their adversarial force. They eventually tracked down the cup to Hatay, where they faced a trial to identify the correct up. Indiana deduced that the true truck was not ornate, but humble and plain.

At the time, no toys were created for the final film in the trilogy. However, Indiana Jones would get another chance to tackle the toy aisle when the next sequel popped up in 2008.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brought more than an aged Harrison Ford to the next iteration. This time, Shia LeBeouf costarred with him as Mutt Williams, Indy and Marion’s son. Meanwhile, Marion Ravenwood made her return to the series. Soviet forces led by the ruthless Irina Spalko raced against Indiana and his crew as they searched for the origins of the Crystal Skull. They eventually located a buried spaceship that housed interdimensional beings hidden in Akator.

Once again, the license to create Indiana Jones action figures went to the current home of Star Wars toys, Hasbro. Seeing it as an opportunity to right past wrongs and entertain older collectors, Hasbro decided to include action figures of characters from the Raiders of the Lost Ark. This led to the first wave featuring only characters from the original film.

The first wave of action figures included two versions of Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Sallah, Belloq, the Cairo Swordsman, the Monkey Man, and a German Soldier. Each of these toys came with a crate that held a relic hidden within it. Target received an exclusive 5-figure set, the Cairo Ambush, featuring Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, and the Cairo thugs. Beyond these action figures, Hasbro produced a few vehicles and deluxe sets inspired by the original film. There was Indiana Jones with an Arabian Horse, the Temple Pitfall playset, the Temple Trap playset, the Cairo Truck, the German Troop Car, and the Cargo Truck.

The second wave brought the characters from the 4^th film, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This assortment included two versions of Indiana Jones, two versions of Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko, Colonel Dovchenko, a Rusian Soldier, the Peruvian Cemetary Warrior, and the Ugha Warrior. Once again, Hasbro released a Target-exclusive 5-figure set, the Jungle Chase. Meanwhile, there was a deluxe action figure of Mutt Williams on his motorcycle. There was the Jungle Cutter vehicle and the Lost Temple of Akator playset. For dedicated fans of the toy line, Hasbro offered a mail-away promotion that provided a crystal alien.

There was a third part to Hasbro’s Indiana Jones toy line, figures based on The Last Crusade. These action figures included Indiana Jones, Henry Jones, Sr., young Indiana Jones, the Grail Knight, Colonel Vogel, and Elza Schneider. Once again, they created a deluxe figure, a German soldier on a motorcycle, and a Target-exclusive 5-figure set, Tank Showdown.

Just as Hasbro was concluding their 2008 Indiana Jones toy line, they released a final wave of action figures featuring appearances from The Temple of Doom. These figures only appeared at grocery and drug stores. It featured Indiana Jones, Willie Scott, Short Round, the Chief Temple Guard, the Temple Guard, and Mola Ram. At the close of this wave, Hasbro’s toy line concluded about a year after it began.

After The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones was once again retired for over a decade. Hasbro briefly revived the toy line in 2011 with an exclusive San Diego Comic-Con selection, called the Lost Wave. He returned to theaters years later in 2023 in The Dial of Destiny. Hasbro also returned with a new toy line for the latest film.