In the 1980s, several companies created an array of memorable action figure toy lines, such as LJN’s ThunderCats and Mattel’s He-Man. Unsurprisingly, the surge in action figures coincided with the deregulation of advertising via cartoons. Since cartoons could function as thirty-minute advertisements for these toys, more children wanted to play with their favorite characters than ever. So, two groups of toy lines rose to the top of the market in this decade: toys that used cartoons as advertisements and cartoons that used toys as merchandise.
The man behind the imaginative world of Thundera and Third Earth was Ted Wolf. In 1981, he began to dream up a new superhero team with the help of his daughter, Janice Wolf. After the two threw out various ideas, Ted Wolf began to sketch the new characters and flesh them out. Four years later, the ThunderCats cartoon, produced by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment along with Leisure Concepts, made its glorious debut on network television.
The cartoon introduced audiences to the refugees from ThunderCats. As they escaped the destruction of their home planet, their original leader, Jaga, passed away. Thus, when they landed on Third Earth, they gained a new leader, Lion-O. As they settled into their new home, they found both new and old threats. While the Mutants had followed their plight through space, Mumm-Ra had made his home on Third Earth for centuries. So, it fell on the ThunderCats to protect themselves and the other peaceful inhabitants of this planet.
When it was time to find a partner to produce ThunderCats merchandise, LJN became the home for the toys. Founded in 1970, LJN focused on creating licensed products. In the early 1980s, LJN made its presence strongly known as it produced a successful line for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. They also became known for their Wrestling Superstars toys in 1984. Thus, they were raring for a new toy line to prove themselves with.
Alongside the cartoon, LJN released the ThunderCats toy line to the market in 1985. The first series of toys included action figures of Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, S-S-Slithe, Tygra, Monkian, Cheetara, and Jackalman. They also released vehicles like the Skycutter, Thundertank, and more. These action figures stood apart from the pack thanks to their inclusion of “Battle-Matic” action.
The ThunderCats proved to be a huge success for both audiences and toy buyers. The toy line lasted for three series, finally concluding in 1987. With each new series, LJN introduced new elements like the Berserkers, the Ram-Pagers, the Transporters, and more. Buyers also had the chance to collect smaller figures, the Companions like Snarf.
The success of ThunderCats led to the toys being licensed out to various companies across the world. In Canada, Grand Toys (Jouets Grand) produced the toys. Meanwhile, several companies created toys for both Central and South America: Macplay in Mexico, Glasslite in Brazil, and Playful in Argentina. Rainbow Toys produced the ThunderCats for the UK region, managing to keep the line alive until 1992. Then, there were Otto Simon in Holland and Belgium and ChildBro in Hong Kong. These were only the tip of the iceberg of companies that were involved in the ThunderCats toy line.
Luckily, the story of the ThunderCats did not end in the 1980s. When the franchise had a chance to revive in 2011, Bandai signed on to create eight-inch action figures. Beyond the toys based on the new cartoon, Bandai also created the ThunderCats Classic series, which harkened back to the original show.
Recently a few companies have created new ThunderCats toys that target the collector’s market. For instance, Mezco produced several 14” figures in 2011. They even produced a plush version of Snarf in 2016. Around 2015, Mattel created a small line of action figures as well, featuring characters like Lion-O and Mumm-Ra. Since 2016, Super7 has taken over the production of ThunderCats toys. Their toys have been split into two different lines: Ultimates and ReAction Figures.
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How to use the Identification Tool to find your action figures and toylines
Do you have any vintage toys you are trying to identify? Don’t know the name? No problem! We can help you out with this useful identification tool.
Using our Identification Tool is simple; you can easily search for any toy in your collection. For example, type “jet” into the figure name field and hit search. You’ll see all the toys that are jets. Otherwise, you can try “car” and select the color “blue” and a list of action figures with matching results.
Even if you know the name of your toy but do not know its proper spelling, our tool will help you. For instance, you can type “Wheljck” and still find the results for various Wheeljack action figures.
Our database has an extensive list of toy lines from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. So, you can seek out information about your favorite toy lines and even sublines like Droids or Ewoks. Some of our other prominent lines include, but are not limited to:
Our Identification Tool will help you locate the basic information for each action figure and much more. For instance, you may discover whether or not your action figure came with a sticker sheet or instructions. Our identification tool includes detailed information on which accessories and weapons were included with the toys. We will even help you determine the release date of your toys.
If you need additional help, please do not hesitate to contact us. We also buy and sell toys through our toy shop. Thank you for stopping by.