When did action figures become adult collectables?

[Extrocomp]

When were the first action figures marketed to adults released? When did action figures become adult collectables, rather than simply toys? Was it the start of McFarlane Toys' Movie Maniacs line in 1998? Was it when the magazine ToyFare began publication in 1997? Or was it even earlier? Later? What do you think?

 

[Sephiroth]

When McFarlane started making high quality SPAWN figures, I think, the importation of Hentai dolls from Japan helped

 

[RoJoHen]

I have no idea. They're all still just toys to me.

 

[TemporalFlux]

ToyBiz's Marve line is what I remember as the start of it. The first series in 1990 wasn't that big of a deal; in fact, it was pretty sub-par. However, each successive series had some good looking figures that were hard to find. That then dove-tailed into the Spider-man animated series figures (which featured a variant Lizard figure with a red shirt and the impossible to find Rhino). From that point forward, the ToyBiz figures became more and more detailed and less something you would expect a kid to play with. That then led to McFarlane, etc.

But I believe that before ToyBiz changed the game in the early 90's, toys were just toys. Certainly many of us had nostalgia for Super Powers, Secret Wars and Star Wars stuff; but they were clearly designed as just toys and not mini-statues.

 

[Captain Craig]

It was for sure the 90's that turned action figures into collectables. I believe it was due the fact that those nostalgic for their 70's toys were now in places to make better toys. A convergence of a more "adult" knowledgable and tech savy youth as well seeking better toys. Cause these kids of the 90's had CD's, cell phones and the internet was taking off. They needed or wanted something more than glorified plastic stick figures of the days gone by.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

It started when the Baby Boomers grew up and wanted their shit back after their parents threw it out. It became an industry when comic books and baseball cards started to burn out.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Vintage collecting had been around awhile.

Current releases aimed at adult collectors started in the early 90's somewhat, thanks to comic book geeks. Then McFarlane's Spawn and the return of Star Wars gave a massive boost...to wankers who waited for stores in the wee hours of the morning so they could buy up "scarce" and "rare" "short packs" to resale to impatient collectors.

I liked it better when it was JUST A GAME.

 

[the Dagman]

It started when the Baby Boomers grew up and wanted their shit back after their parents threw it out.

DING!DING!DING!DING!

We have a winner!

 

[exodus]

When were the first action figures marketed to adults released? When did action figures become adult collectables, rather than simply toys? Was it the start of McFarlane Toys' Movie Maniacs line in 1998? Was it when the magazine ToyFare began publication in 1997? Or was it even earlier? Later? What do you think?

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

 

[zakkrusz]

Around the same time when animation and comics started being marketed to a wider age range. Late 80's or early 90's I'd say. It's still a far cry from how diverse the animation/comics industry is in Japan though. Personally, I'd like to see our industry look like that and actually produce something other than kids stuff, comedy, and the super hero genre. Not that there's anything wrong with those genres or that we haven't produced the occasional exception but more variety would be good.

In my opinion, the day you stop being a kid is the day you stop really living. I'd rather be both at once. I'm also rather practical though, and figures aren't really of much use to me. I only have a few.

 

[Extrocomp]

In 1996 Kenner was still making figures like the Rhino Alien for the Aliens franchise. In this day, making such ridiculous figures out of a popular horror franchise would be unthinkable. So maybe action figures truely became adult collectables when Kenner stopped making new products in 2000. Or maybe it was when Michael Crawford's Review of the Week website started publishing detailed figure reviews:

http://www.mwctoys.com/reviews-all.htm

Does anyone know when the first NECA figures came out?

 

[Ward Fowler]

They became collectibles when some people started to take themselves too seriously.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

When were the first action figures marketed to adults released? When did action figures become adult collectables, rather than simply toys? Was it the start of McFarlane Toys' Movie Maniacs line in 1998? Was it when the magazine ToyFare began publication in 1997? Or was it even earlier? Later? What do you think?

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

 

[exodus]

When were the first action figures marketed to adults released? When did action figures become adult collectables, rather than simply toys? Was it the start of McFarlane Toys' Movie Maniacs line in 1998? Was it when the magazine ToyFare began publication in 1997? Or was it even earlier? Later? What do you think?

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

It was and it wasn't. They were all GI JOE, except the foreign guys (I guess) and the later named Adventure Team characters. It was the kid's who were supposed to give them characterization (unlike my unimaginative REAL AMERICAN HERO generation)

I mean, if it was supposed to be one character, the dude sure changed his hair color, eye color and race a lot. Must be some kinda mutant.

Near the end of the 3 3/4" GI JOE's original run they made the original 12" GI JOE a single character code named "G.I. JOE".

 

[miraclefan]

When did action figures become adult collectables? When people began paying $4,000 dollars for a MINT in box STAR WARS Vinyl cape JAWA figure!

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Errr....no. G.I. Joe was the name of the team, not the character himself. It even says right in the link you provided:

G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marines). The term G.I. stands for Government Issue[1] and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Star Wars figures...

 

[exodus]

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Errr....no. G.I. Joe was the name of the team, not the character himself. It even says right in the link you provided:

G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marines). The term G.I. stands for Government Issue[1] and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".

The character himself didn't have a name, so all of them were called G.I.Joe just as MeanJoePhaser also pointed out and supported by the link provided if you read past the first paragraph.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Errr....no. G.I. Joe was the name of the team, not the character himself. It even says right in the link you provided:

G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marines). The term G.I. stands for Government Issue[1] and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".

The character himself didn't have a name, so all of them were called G.I.Joe just as MeanJoePhaser also pointed out and supported by the link provided if you read past the first paragraph.

I was the one said that G.I. Joe was NOT the name of the character and was the name of them as a team. YOU were the one who was saying that an actual character's name was G.I. Joe.

Fail. You botched your own argument.

When were the first action figures marketed to adults released? When did action figures become adult collectables, rather than simply toys? Was it the start of McFarlane Toys' Movie Maniacs line in 1998? Was it when the magazine ToyFare began publication in 1997? Or was it even earlier? Later? What do you think?

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It started with a toy doll with a "Kung-Fu Grip" and fuzzy beard.
You know him better as G.I.Joe.

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Um...G.I. Joe wasn't a character's name....

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Errr....no. G.I. Joe was the name of the team, not the character himself. It even says right in the link you provided:

G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marines). The term G.I. stands for Government Issue[1] and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".

It was back when I had one in 1970.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Errr....no. G.I. Joe was the name of the team, not the character himself. It even says right in the link you provided:

G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed articulated "action figures" produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marines). The term G.I. stands for Government Issue[1] and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".

The character himself didn't have a name, so all of them were called G.I.Joe just as MeanJoePhaser also pointed out and supported by the link provided if you read past the first paragraph.

Just incase you forgot where you went wrong.