The toy industry has always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the entertainment industry. The former is the most beneficial party. Although most cartoons do not have an age limit, it is a general conception that most cartoons are meant primarily for kids. With cartoons already proving the market, it was easy for toy companies to produce replicas of cartoons’ favorite characters for children. These children will play with them so that the older generations can reminisce about their childhood.
The ten best toys produced based on cartoons.
10. Mattel’s Tom and Jerry: The Movie – Tom, Jerry, Robyn, Figg, Lickboot, Ferdinand (1993)
This Box Set, which includes Tom, Jerry, Robyn, Figg, Lickboot, and Ferdinand, was a part of the Tom and Jerry toy line. Mattel made this toy set in 1993 based on Tom and Jerry: The Movie. It consists of all the major characters in the cartoon. Tom and Jerry (the cat and mouse) met a little girl, Robyn. She needs help to escape from her evil aunt, Figg, who own a pet (Ferdinand), and her lawyer, Lickboot. Tom and Jerry put aside their differences in this cartoon and helped reunite Robyn with her father, who was formerly presumed dead.
9. Character Options’ Scooby-Doo! – Scooby (2000)
Scooby is part of a series of toys produced by Character Options in the year 2000. Character Options produced Scooby based on the mystery, comedic horror, and adventurous animation titled “Scooby-Doo: Where are you!” The cartoon depicts four teenagers, Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers, and their talking Great Dane called Scooby. In this cartoon, these five characters travel around town in a van then solve mysteries and supernatural events.
8. Mattel’s SpongeBob SquarePants – Talking SpongeBob (2000)
Talking SpongeBob is one of the toy series modeled after the comedic cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants by Mattel in 2000.
This cartoon series depicts the life and trials of SpongeBob and his friends in their underwater settlement called Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob is a sea sponge who lives in a pineapple with his meowing snail pet. He works as a cook in a restaurant. Also, SpongeBob lives close to his best friends Patrick Star, a pink starfish, and Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel who needs the aid of an air-filled diving suit to breathe underwater. SpongeBob is also taking training to actualize a long-time dream of becoming a boatmobile driver from Mrs. Puff, a pufferfish. Moreover, the design of the whole SpongeBob SquarePants series makes it feel as if the filming occurred under the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
7. Jesco’s Simpson’s – Box Set (1990)
Jesco produced the Simpsons’ box set as part of their Simpson’s series in 1990. This toy is a replica of the main characters of the cartoon series “The Simpsons.”
The Simpsons depict the everyday life of an average American family how they are constantly showing their struggles and weirdness. This well-documented comedy series took place in a fictional town named Springfield. With so many arrays of supporting and other characters, the show has one main set of characters, The dysfunctional Simpsons family. The family consists of Homer, the father, who is a Safety Inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Then, there is the mother, Marge, an overworked housewife who has three children to cater for. Also, Bart, the oldest and troublesome one, sees himself as a prankster. Finally, Lisa is an 8-year-old daughter who sees herself as an adult and an activist. Finally, there is Maggie, the baby of the house that is always sucking on a pacifier.
6. DC Direct’s Looney Tunes – Bugs Bunny (2006)
Bugs Bunny is part of a popular toy series produced by DC Direct in 2006. Bugs Bunny is a replica of the star character in the comedy animation Looney Tunes. The Bugs Bunny attire is a white and black prison uniform. This figure is based on the episode Big House Bunny. Here, Bugs had accidentally sent himself to prison while trying to get away from bounty hunters. In his first encounter with a guard in prison, he had unintentionally started his prison number to be three and a half. However, being a clever bunny, capable of outsmarting anybody, Bugs got himself out of prison. But that was not until he alienated a prison guard. He consistently excelled in outsmarting the poor guard.
5. Mezco’s Family Guy – Mini Boxed Set (2009)
Mezco produced the Mini Boxed sets of the main characters of Family Guy in 2009 with issue number #20200. This toy is heavily based on the animated sitcom Family Guy created by Seth MacFarlane.
The comedic animation depicts the life of an American family, the Griffin family. They live in the fictional city of Quahog in Rhode Island. The family consists of Peter Griffin, the clumsy but kindhearted father who works at a corporate firm. Griffin is married to Lois Pewterschmidt, a piano teacher. Together, they have three kids. Meg is their teenager who is a constant subject of bullying and often ignored even by her family members. The next one is Chris. He is a weirdly obese teenager. He is often clumsy and acts unintelligently like his father. Then there is the last born, Stewie. He is a devilish little infant with a confusing sexual orientation and behaves like an adult. The Griffin family has a dog named Brian, who has all the attributes of a grown human, including talking, drinking, and even smoking.
4. Just Toys’ Animaniacs – Pinky and the Brain (1994)
Pinky and the Brain is a part of multiple series of toys created by Just Toys in 1994. Just Toys modeled these toys after characters from the “Animaniacs.” Pinky and the Brain made their debut on the Animaniacs. Due to their popularity and wide acceptance, Pinky and the Brain got their series as a spin-off of the Animaniacs. Pinky and Brain are both lab mice who had been experimented on. They had their genes altered, giving these two mice super intelligence and the ability to converse with humans. Brain is the leader, often controlling the two mice. He has a powerful desire to rule the world, and Pinky is more submissive, aiding Brain in his quest to rule the world.
3. Hasbro’s Pokémon: Combat Figures – Pikachu (2000)
Hasbro produced the Combat Figures Pikachu in the year 2000. Pikachu and the other toys from the Pokémon series were based on the adventure, comedy, and fantasy anime television series called “Pokémon.” The series depicts the trials and adventures of Ach Ketchum, a young man who trains creatures called Pokémon with his companion, Pikachu. Pikachu is a yellow Pokémon with its appearance like that of a mouse. It has powerful electrical ability, able to shoot electric shocks from its body. Pikachu is the fan’s favorite amongst all the Pokémon. Its friendship with Ach is a thing of envy.
2. Kenner’s Batman: The Animated Series – Ultimate Batman (1994)
Ultimate Batman is part of a series of toys produced by Kenner in 1994 with issue number #51226300. This Batman toy has light-up electric eyes and a light-up Bat Emblem, making the toy cool and sophisticated. Ultimate Batman is based solely on the superhero, action, and adventure cartoon series Batman – Animated Series. This cartoon series depicts the life, trials, and adventure of Bruce Wayne.
Bruce was a young boy who saw the gruesome murder of his parents on the street of Gotham City. He vowed to protect the city as a way of avenging his parents’ murder. Backed by the millions of dollars he inherited from his parents and his strong will to see justice served, Bruce Wayne trained his mind and body, and he became the masked superhero, Batman. He recruited and trained a sidekick in Robin, and together with some policemen, they fought crime on the street of Gotham. They defeated some very notorious super villains like Joker and his sidekick Harley Quinn, Penguin, The Riddler, and a host of others.
1. Diamond Select’s Avatar the Last Airbender – Aang (2019)
Aang is a part of a series of toys made by Diamond Select in 2019. These toys replicated the characters of the blockbuster action, adventure, and comedy-drama animation television series called “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
This series was set in a universe where people could control each of any four elements, Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. These people grouped themselves into tribes according to the element they can control. The “Avatar” is the only person with the ability to control all four elements. The Avatar has the responsibility of keeping peace amongst all the four different tribes.
Avatar: The Last Airbender depicts the struggles of a 12-year-old Avatar named Aang. He is the only survivor of the genocide of his people, the Airbenders. His friends, such as Katara (a female waterbender), Sokka (Katara’s brother but a non-bender who makes up for his non-bending with his mastery of swords, and Toph (a female master earthbender) go with him on his adventures. Now, he has the responsibility of stopping the war waged by the firebenders on the rest of the world.
The toy companies have made a lot of toy replicas of cartoon characters, targeting the market already created by cartoon companies.
About the Author
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!