Army Ants: The Miniature Military Figures You Probably Forgot
The 1980s released so many toy lines that were loved by many. One of these toy lines, Army Ants, released by Hasbro in 1987. Although most toy lines featured a good vs. evil storyline with characters for each, Army Ants made no distinction between good and evil characters. However, two sides still took place with one army under the leadership of General Patant and the other under the leadership of General McAnther. These action figures by Hasbro featured multiple ant creatures with military inspired themes. Their two sides of characters, under the different generals, shows clearly through the coloration of the figures. General Patant and his army appear orange while General McAnther and his army appear blue. The Army Ants military figures each hold their own personality and their own weapons making a cool and quirky appearance for the late 1980s.
These figures continued to release until 1989 when the transition to GIG rebranding took place. Through this, the classic, loved characters took on a new look. They released in a variety of brighter colors with different themes. Rather than the original military theme, the rebranding into Kombttini changed the theme of the characters into athletes and celebrities. Follow along in our blog with us as we will go through all things Army Ants to see more on this unique toy line of the late 1980s.
Join Us in Seeing the Army Ants Military Figures
Follow along in our blog as we go through the history of Army Ants toys from the originals released by Hasbro to the GIG rebrand. Through this, we will mention the different factors that make up the toy line. This includes going in depth on the figures, packaging, and themes. We will also mention the transition to the GIG rebrand and all the separate factors of each release. Continue following along as we dive into the awesome world of Army Ants.
Army Ants 1987
With the release of M.U.S.C.L.E and Monsters in My Pocket, there began a demand in the toy market for soft, cheap rubber collectible figures. In response to this, Hasbro released their Army Ants military figures toy line. This toy line hit store shelves in 1987 which featured multiple unique, bug-like soldiers. These orange and blue military ants created fun play opportunities and could be carried around anywhere. The rubber material, cheap price, and small size made these toys perfect for a wide range of ages. Multiple versions released in sets allowing children to collect them all. Today, these toys have even made a reappearance in the vintage toy market with collectors searching out these specific items to add to their collection.
Action Figures
The Army Ants military figures come up next on our blog. Many figures released for this toy line, using different molds for different figures. Some of the ant figures used a mold with only four legs, while others used a mold with six. Also, each figure became more versatile when purchased with others or growing a larger collection of army ants. They each featured a squishy, colored abdomen that can be removed and swapped with the other characters. Along with this, collecting many of the figures allowed for fun play with your big army of military ants.
Led by General Patant, the orange army consists of 19 figures. These figures include: Stalker, Blitz, Snorkel, Beau, Rambant, Blighty, Blak Jak, and Loadout. Along with this, Bug-eye, Howler, Bullseye, Windy, Bazooka, Reeky, Repeater, Warpo, and Recoil also are included in the orange ant army. Mega-Hurtz, Road Rash, and Grease Pit all take a spot in the orange army under General Patant.
Then, for the blue army, led by General McAnther, another 19 figures released. These include: Gimme 50, Semper, Knockdown, Tail Spin, Bone Crusher, Jagged Tooth, and Heave-Ho. Along with these, Blow Torch, Stabber, Rip Pin, Snarl, Razor Beak, Crossfire, Sneaky, and Pig Out all released for the toy line. Lastly, Ozone, Quick Hit, Incoming, and Bunko also released as blue figures under the leadership of General McAnther.
Packaging
Now, we will mention the Army Ants packaging and squads they released in. The Army Ants military figures released in either 3-member or 8-member squads. For the orange army, the 8-member strike force team featured a purple abdomen. Then, the blue army's 8-member strike force team featured green abdomens. The orange army also included four other squads each consisting of 3 members. These included the Assault team with purple abdomens, the Bazooka team with red abdomens, the Ariel Assault team with green abdomens, and the Sniper team with yellow glow-in-the-dark abdomens. The blue team also had four other squads with 3 members each. Theirs included the the Artillery team with purple abdomens, the Mortar team with red abdomens, the Bomber Squad with green abdomens, and the Flame Thrower team with yellow glow-in-the-dark abdomens.
Each squad came in bubble packaging with a cardboard back. Since the teams released in squad teams, it made it easy for children to collect the ants. It also added a cool characteristic to each figure as they belonged in a certain group with other figures for the same position. The front of the cardboard packaging shows an image of a few army ants in action. It also shows the logo on a dog tag hanging from the top of the cardboard. Then, above the figures the words "They've got guts you squish and squash!" appear emphasizing the unique abdomen feature. The back of the cardboard packaging shows all figures available to collect, each in their own squad groups. It also shows the two army leaders with a little blurb background of the Army Ants storyline.
Themes
Possibly the coolest part of this toy line is the military themes shown. These Army Ant action figures show the military inspiration for the design of each figure through the weapons used. Along with this, the squad terms used for different teams displays more of the military aspect. Officers and soldiers are shown in the characters through their attire and stance in each squad. Then, teams like the Special Forces Bomber Squad, and Mortar Team show clearly where these characters are at within their military standing.
Also, each team- blue and orange- fights under the leadership of their Generals: McAnther and Patant. These Generals, appearing with their medals, hat with stars, and corresponding weaponry, shows the General look that many people would be familiar with. The themes for this toy line also stem from the inspiration of real military units in the world. This includes the French Foreign Legion and the Queen's Guard. Some "flying ants" also released featuring these Army Ants representing military aviators.
GIG Rebrand: Kombattini 1989
Next up on our blog of Army Ants military figures we will now mention the figures that released after the original Army Ants discontinued. The unique, small, squishy Army Ants toys went out of business after a few years due to a couple main factors. Since they were non-poseable figures and only appealed to a small audience, they didn't sell quite as well as Hasbro had hoped. Also, this toy line competed against the other toy brands that released at the same time in the late 1980s and became overshadowed.
Although the toys featured their creative interchangeable squishy abdomen and cool military appearances, they still did not sell quite as well and discontinued causing a rebrand by GIG. This rebrand began in 1989 as they featured the same ant figure concept, yet with a new twist. Despite their initial short term release, these toys now show popular demand among the vintage toy market.
Visual Changes
Ref. Found on hobbydb.com , all rights are reserved to the original toy brand and photographer.
Now, on our blog, we will mention how the GIG rebrand of Army Ants military figures into the Kombattini figures. The rebrand featured multiple colors which did not appear in the original. It included glittery figures in green, blue, pink, white, and grey. These figures stayed in their original ant- like appearance and even represented each original character with the corresponding name using the same mold. However, with the different colors, children and fans all over could then collect their favorite characters in all the colors. The figures also came with interchangeable, squishy abdomens just like the originals. These also came in multiple different colors such as blue, clear, grey, green, and pink. Each of these abdomens also included glitter within the squishy, rubbery material. These new, multi colored figures expanded the loved franchise that otherwise would have been limited to the original orange and blue teams.
Packaging
Ref. Found on hobbydb.com, all rights are reserved to the original toy brand and photographer.
The packaging on the Kombattini GIG rebrand figures was also way different than the original Army Ants packaging. These figures came in unique packaging such as buckets and blind bags. The bucket packaging featured bright colored and glittery plastic cylinder containers that contained the figures with their accessories as well as the paper foldout description of each figure. The blind bags gave fans the opportunity to purchase a figure with the anticipation and appeal of not knowing exactly what character it may include until the package is opened. This also helped fans collect the figures as they tried to get a squad of their favorite characters together just by purchasing random mystery packages.
The figures also came in grey, pyramid-like cardboard packaging. They sat on store shelves in this unique packaging, catching the eye of people walking by. The unique packaging added much creativity to the already unique figures. It gave the franchise more of it's own personality rather than just doing the typical packaging and became distinguishable from other toy lines. Each of the different packaging for the action figures featured the same Ninja Kombattini army-looking character pictured on the front. He poses with his gun, ready for battle. Underneath the ant character, a lit TNT with the logo appears saying "Ninja Kombattini" on it.
Thematic Change
With the rebrand, a few major changes took place with one of those as the entire theme of the figures. While the original Army Ants figures were released in two different structured armies with each character embodying a military-like position, the Kombattini figures showed the same ant-like appearance yet with a new twist. These figures took on Italian comedic pun-based names referencing famous celebrities and athletes. Also, with the glittery new colors, the toy line appeared much more chaotic and wild, giving them a more outgoing-type of personality. Although these rebranded figures used the same molds as the original Army Ants and appeared the same in close up detail, their new appearance gave Kombattini a new modern twist that fans loved. People could collect these new unique figures to add to their collections and could even swap out the original abdomens of the Army Ants figures with the glittery ones of Kombattini to create their own unique squad of cool ant-like creatures.
Final Thoughts
Both the original Army Ants toy line and the rebranded Kombattini toy line showed their own levels of uniqueness and popularity among fans. Although both were short lived, the Army Ants to line held to their own specific theme of military inspired characters. Kombattini, then took a completely different stance showcasing specific people the fans would know and adding humor to the names. Kombattini took the original loved characters and expanded the franchise to introduce more people to the toys while trying to keep the interest of past fans. Today, these small, rubbery action figures hold high value in the vintage toy market as they are sought out by many buyers. The demand for these toys remains high in the vintage toy market while people wish to add them to their toy collections.
Do You Have Old And Used Army Ants Toys?
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About the Author
Chris Ingledue is the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. His vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day he works in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year; scouring the internet – like we did the Sears Catalog of yesteryear – for the next great treasure, awaiting the arrival of the postman as if he was Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. For Chris, every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!