Spider-Man and Friends

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Spider-Man and Friends was a line of action figures and related merchandise featuring the comic book character Spider-Man and other characters appearing in Marvel Comics publications, released by Marvel Entertainment's toy division, Toy Biz, from 2003 to 2006. The line was aimed primarily at preschool-age children, and the character likenesses used were often altered to seem "cuter" and more childlike (and child-friendly); most characters were depicted as wide-eyed and smiling, even supervillains and characters better known for anger or savagery, such as the Incredible Hulk or Wolverine. Aside from being a toy line, there were also books, clothing, board games, cutlery, plates, bedding and video games.

Contents

Heroes

Villains

Promo-only characters

The end of Friends

The Spider-Man and Friends line ceased production at the end of 2006, when all toy licenses for Marvel Comics characters passed from Toy Biz to Hasbro; the final wave of figures was released in December 2006. [1]

Hasbro carried over the concept of Marvel characters for the preschool set with a new line of action figures called Marvel Super Hero Squad , which debuted in January 2007. [2] Featured characters in Wave 1 include Archangel, Colossus, Captain America, Magneto, Sabretooth, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Hawkeye. [2] [3] Wave 2 included Hulk, Wasp, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, Elektra, Punisher, and Ghost Rider. Super Hero Squad figures were much smaller than their Spider-Man and Friends predecessors, and are comparable in size and design to a similarly preschool-specific line of Star Wars toys already produced by Hasbro. In 2009, a full-length animated series based on the toy line debuted on Cartoon Network, titled The Super Hero Squad Show .

While Marvel Super Hero Squad is discontinued, Hasbro is currently continuing the concept of Marvel characters for the preschool set with both Marvel Super Hero Adventures (which spawned its own animated short series between 2017 and 2020) and Spidey and His Amazing Friends (which spawned its own full-length animated series on Disney Junior since 2021).

Footnotes

  1. ToyFare Magazine #111, November 2006
  2. 1 2 Toyfare Magazine #110, October 2006
  3. ToyFare Magazine #111, November 2006

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