 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2010) |
The "Best of the West" was the generic series name used by toy manufacturer, Louis Marx and Company, from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s to market a line of articulated 12-inch action figures featuring a western play theme. The focal character in the series was the iconic cowboy action figure named Johnny West.
In 1964, toy manufacturer, Louis Marx and Company, sought the means to compete against Hasbro's newly introduced G.I. Joe action figure line. Marx was able to employ their state-of-the-art plastic injection technology to produce a 12" articulated action figure. Originally, this military figure, packaged under the name Stony Smith, did not have articulated knee joints. In 1965, bendable legs were added. The Stony Smith action figure came with molded-on plastic clothing and a full arsenal of equipment accessories. In 1966, realizing that their figure was not doing well against Hasbro's aggressive marketing campaigns, Marx produced a fully articulated figure with removable clothing. Originally marketed under the Stony Smith brand name, Marx later repackaged this figure under the names All American Fighter and Buddy Charlie (including a Canadian model). With the popularity of the mid 60's spy craze Marx also released a "Mike Hazard Double Agent" action figure. Despite Marx's efforts, none of the military figures did well in the action figure marketplace. [1]
During this time, Marx realized they would need to take a different approach if they were going to become truly competitive in the action figure marketplace. In 1965, Marx focused on producing a 12" cowboy action figure named Johnny West. Also in 1965, along with Johnny, an Indian named Chief Cherokee and a horse named Thunderbolt with full tack were introduced.
In 1966, Marx introduced cowgirl Jane West, her range horse, Flame, and a junior version of Thunderbolt, named Thundercolt. Additional new series items offered that year included a wild mustang, a teepee, a corral and a jeep and trailer set.
Commencing in 1967, Marx made a bold move to greatly expand its western action figure line-up. At the same time, the Best of the West began to appear for the first time in television ads as the official name of the toy line-up.
Other figures added to the line-up in 1967 included more horses, other animals, and the West children. The family members included two girls, Josie and Janice, as well as two boys, Jay and Jamie. They had a chestnut or palomino "Pancho" pony, a wild buffalo, and two dogs Flick, a German shepherd and Flack, an English setter.
The West family collection also included other accessories, such as a buckboard, covered or surrey wagon with horses that were fully rigged as well as a homestead for the West family. The homestead, made of cardboard, was known as "Circle X Ranch", named for the trademark logo of Marx Toys. Horses in the collection included palomino, black, bay, and chestnut color variations of Thunderbolt. Other horses included Buckskin and Comanche. Buckskin (despite its name) was available in brown or palomino, each with fixed legs and a neck and head complete with full articulation.
The years 1967-68 introduced many other new figures to the "Best of the West" collection as well. The Fort Apache Fighters Series was developed as an offshoot of the collection. New action figures in 1967 included Captain Maddox,Zeb Zachary,Bill Buck and two additional Indians, named Geronimo and Fighting Eagle. In 1968, a General Custer figure was added. Two color variations (palomino and brown) of the fully articulated Comanche horse and a full-scale cardboard Fort Apache were added to the series during those years, too.
During the 1970s, additional action figures were added to the series, the first being western badman and gambler Sam Cobra. Following the release of Sam Cobra, Marx later added a town sheriff figure named Sheriff Garrett, after the famous historical lawman Pat Garrett of "Billy the Kid" fame. Around this same time, additional action figures were also released in Canada to expand the collection yet further. These included lawman Sheriff Thomas Goode, outlaw Dangerous Dan, and cowpoke Jimmy West. A pinto version of Thunderbolt, marketed under the name, Storm Cloud, was made available as the official Indian horse, a role that Thunderbolt had assumed in the early production years. And finally, Marx produced a Native American woman, called Princess Wildflower.
In 1975, after 10 years of continuous Johnny West production, Marx devised a new and final series name for their western/cavalry themed action figures, the Johnny West Adventure Series. The Johnny West Adventure series included new box designs, along with figures and accessories in much brighter color schemes. Marx released "Quick Draw" versions of Johnny West and Sam Cobra in which a lever in the back would allow figures to draw their pistols. In addition, Marx introduced Jed Gibson, a black cavalry scout, that was only produced in the Johnny West Adventure Series. [2] [3]
| Character Name | Role | Release Year |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny West | Male Cowboy | 1965 |
| Sam Cobra | Male Villain | 1972 |
| Chief Cherokee | Male Indian Chief | 1965 |
| Thunderbolt | Johnny's Horse | 1965 |
| Storm Cloud | Chief Cherokee's Horse | 1972 |
| Jane West | Johnny's Wife | 1966 |
| Jamie West | Johnny's Son | 1967 |
| Jay West | Johnny's Son | 1967 |
| Janice West | Johnny's Daughter | 1967 |
| Josie West | Johnny's Daughter | 1967 |
| Flame | Jane's Horse | 1965 |
| Pancho | West Children's Pony | 1967 |
| Buckskin | Articulated Head Horse | 1967 |
| Buffalo | American Bison | 1967 |
| Flick | German Shepherd | 1967 |
| Flack | English Setter | 1967 |
| Circle X Ranch | Western Homestead | 1967 |
| Indian Tepee | Tepee | 1966 |
| Camping Set | Jeep w/Tent | 1968 |
| Geronimo | Male Indian | 1967 |
| Fighting Eagle | Male Indian | 1967 |
| Sheriff Garrett | Male Sheriff | 1973 |
| General Custer | Male Cavalry General | 1968 |
| Captain Maddox | Male Cavalry Captain | 1967 |
| Zeb Zachary | Young Cavalry Soldier | 1967 |
| Bill Buck | Male Fort Apache Fighter | 1967 |
| Thundercolt | Young Horse | 1966 |
| Fort Apache | Cavalry Fort | 1967 |
| Comanche | Fully Articulated Horse | 1967 |
| Princess Wild Flower | Female Indian | 1974 |
| Buckboard and Thunderbolt | Wagon w/Wheeled Horse | 1967 |
| Covered Wagon and Horse | Wagon w/Wheeled Horse | 1967 |
| Jed Gibson | Male Cavalry Scout | 1975 |
| Johnny West with Quick Draw Action | Male Cowboy | 1975 |
| Sam Cobra with Quick Draw Action | Male Villain | 1975 |
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketed toward boys and adult collectors. The term was coined by Hasbro in 1964 to market G.I. Joe to boys.
Mego Corporation is an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures, celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard.
Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, is an American toy brand owned by Hasbro. Kenner Products began as a toy company founded in 1946, going on to produce several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures for the original series of Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Batman as well as die cast models.
Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe.
Captain Action was an action figure created in 1966, equipped with a wardrobe of costumes and facial masks allowing him to become Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Aquaman, the Phantom, The Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Sgt. Fury, Steve Canyon, and the Green Hornet. Captain Action was the Ideal Toy Company's answer to Hasbro's G.I. Joe, although the protagonist dolls of both toy lines were created and designed by the same toy-and-idea man, Stan Weston. Captain Action also had a working 4 foot parachute.
Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the 6-inch (150 mm) scale, with spin-off lines in the 4-inch (100 mm), 8-inch (200 mm), and 12-inch (300 mm) scale.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the present day. It was supported by two animated series as well as a major comic series published by Marvel Comics.
Batman action figures have been produced since the 1940s. These action figures, inspired by the character's appearance in comics and serials, were created by DC Comics and manufactured by various toy companies. These figures were made of various materials such as wood, tin, and plastic. They were typically between 6 and 8 inches in height and featured movable joints that allowed them to be posed in various positions.
The Hasbro G.I. Joe Hall of Fame era of 12" action figures began in 1991, when Hasbro released the Target Exclusive Duke in response to the high demand from nostalgic collectors of the vintage era G.I. Joe action figures. Duke was the first 12" (30 cm) action figure produced in the Hasbro G.I. Joe line since 1978. During the G.I. Joe Hall of Fame era, Hasbro introduced several new products to the world of action figure collectibles. The first innovation was the limited edition, individually numbered collectible figures. These figures had collectors scrambling to find the lowest numbers which were expected to have the highest resale value. Hasbro also used variant sets to increase demand and interest in the figures. Additionally, talking voice chips were used in some figures; and limited edition action figure sets were released for the Street Fighter II video game and movie characters, and also for the Mortal Kombat characters.
G.I. Joe Adventure Team is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The line is well remembered by the inclusion of features such as "Kung-Fu Grip", "Life-Like Hair" and "Eagle Eyes".
G.I. Joe: Classic Collection is an action-figure-and-accessories set produced by Hasbro US in a style initially influenced by the Hasbro G.I. Joe products of the 1960s. The set was first released in 1996.
G.I. Joe: Timeless Collection is an action figure and accessories set reproducing Hasbro G.I. Joe product themes of the late 1960s- early 1970s. The set was produced from 1998 to 2003.
G.I. Joe: America's Movable Fighting Man is a line of action figures produced by Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces. The term G.I. stands, in popular usage, for Government Issue and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers, especially ground forces. The term originated in WWI, when much of the government-issued equipment was stamped "G.I.", meaning that it was made from galvanized iron. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure".
Action Man was a line of action figures produced by Hasbro from 1993 to 2006 and again in 2009.
G.I. Joe vs. Cobra is the G.I. Joe toy line series that ran from 2002 to 2005. The toy line was produced by Hasbro.
G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and 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, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.
Johnny West was a 12-inch tall American cowboy action figure, and the central character in the Louis Marx company's "Best of the West" 'sixth scale' (1:6) toy line. The line was produced from 1965 until 1976, and featured a number of characters based on American "Old West" motifs, utilizing a wide range of outfit and accessory pieces.
Star Wars: The Vintage Collection is a line of Star Wars-themed action figures produced by Hasbro Inc., and released under the Kenner brand. The line features modern 'super-articulated' figures in product packaging nearly identical to that of the original Kenner toy series, marketed from 1978 to 1984. The Vintage Collection started in the summer of 2010 and continued with new releases throughout 2012. It was preceded by limited 'vintage' style figure issues that were part of The Original Trilogy Collection (2004) and The Saga Collection (2006) lines.
Star Wars: The Black Series (TBS) is a Star Wars toy line produced by Hasbro. It includes action figures, vehicles, Force FX lightsabers, and collectable items.