ALF the Animated Series - RHONDA!

ALF: The Animated Series - Collectible Figures - Rhonda - Coleco 1987

ALF: The Animated Series (1987-89) was a prequel spinoff to the extremely popular live-action ALF primetime show (1986-90). While I wasn't the biggest fan of ALF overall, he was hard to avoid in the era of 5 television stations. Plus, as a young kid, the humor was just raunchy enough to make me laugh. I was aware of the animated series but only have vague memories of it (there was also another series, ALF Tales). Mostly I remember ALF's home planet Melmac having the feel of 50s diner, which I thought was a really unexpected choice. But the strongest memory was the new design of ALF's girlfriend Rhonda. Her outlandish pink hair and doo-wap outfits were very fun (and a far cry from her bland live-action appearance the year prior). But surprsingly, I had nearly forgotten all about this show until last Summer when I walked into a vintage seaside toy shop while on vacation and found this little PVC of Rhonda. The rush of nostalgia for this little piece of plastic was palpable. Let's check out Rhonda below!

Ulysses 31 - THEMIS!

Ulysses 31 - 1:18 Scale Action Figures - No. 88516 Themis/Yumi - Popy 1981

Ulysses 31 is a classic French/Japanese animated series from 1981. I have been hearing about this show my entire life. It's often listed among the greatest "forgotten" 80s cartoons. And the theme song also tends to top similar lists. But in the United States, this show never had the same impact that it did in the rest of the world. It only aired in 1986 in the DiC KideoTV lineup alongside shows like Popples, Rainbow Brite, and Lovely Ladylocks. As a mythological/futuristic adventure series, it didn't really fit in with the other shows and never captured a strong audience here. The show features Greek Mythological characters in a futuristic space-faring setting. Ulysses pilots the spaceship Odyssey with his son Telemachus and the young blue-skinned Zotran, Themis (named Yumi in the English dub of the cartoon). Zeus has banished them on a voyage through space to get to Hades to revive his crew and return to Earth, encountering legendary mythical figures along the way. It's really fun and inventive.

Once Upon a Time... In Space - PSI!

Il Était Une Fois… l'Espace - 1:18 Plastic Action Figure Line - Psi - Popy 1982

From 1982-1983 there was a 26-episode French animated series titled Il Était Une Fois… l'Espace (Once Upon a Time... Space) that featured the educational adventures of Pierrot, Psi, and their robot, Metro. They traveled to different planets and explored the native inhabitants, flora, fauna, etc. The simple animation and preschool-esque educational format can be a bit misleading. Because this show is funny, smart, and the sexual tension between Pierrot and Psi is palpable - the are a lot of hands on thighs and fireside naps. I'm a big fan. The show was dubbed in lots of languages and aired on lots of networks over the years. I've personally only ever seen episodes on YouTube, but I know it was aired in the US on the History Channel (which only launched in 1995). Psi (who also goes by Mercedes and Psyche) is a young Brazilian woman with psychic powers (usually sensing danger as they approach a new planet). This 1982 figure from Popy has been a grail of mine for years. Let's check her out below!

Murray Comics COLLECTED EDITIONS!

Australian DC Reprints that Predate the Modern TPB - Murray Comics 1980-83

K. G. Murray Publishing Company was an Australian company which was well known for reprinting American comics for the Australian market. Most of these were straight-forward reprints without significant editing or curating. But for a brief period from 1980-83, they rebranded as Murray Comics and started to do some interesting things. They created what I believe to be the first character-centric collected editions, predating modern TPBs by 10-20 years. Of course these were very different -- magazine-sized inexpensive black-and-white reprints -- but the curation of the content is the unique thing here. For the first time, characters like Zatanna, Hawkgirl, and Black Canary had their "own title" composed of their various features and backup stories. As someone who is endlessly curious about the development of the female superheros in popular culture, these books are a crucial turning point - exemplifying the shifting of public focus toward these often neglected "secondary characters" since the late 70s. 

Placo Toys - CELESTRA!

Celestra: Queen of the Transforming Dolls - Celestra -  Placo Toys 1986

When I first started collecting toys as an adult, I found myself combing over toy database websites and imagining what direction my fledgling hobby would take. A lot of the female-centric sites naturally focused on dolls. I knew early on that soft goods costumes and rooted hair were too much for my OCD brain, but a few properties still managed to intrigue me. One of my favorites was Celestra: Queen of the Transforming Dolls. This is quite possibly the most earnest attempt I've ever seen to merge the "boy" and "girl" aisles that were so hopelessly separated back in the 80s. This line is literally tiny dolls that "transform" into robots, cars, and spaceships. The execution isn't perfect; the faces and hairlines are a tad frightening, and they are essentially simple shellformers. But I love the effort and the unique snapshot of mid-80s toy politics. Bionic Six, She-Ra, Golden Girl, Robotech, etc were all working to blur those gender lines and it was terrific. Let's check out Celestra below!

Blackstar - MARA!

Blackstar - Basic Series 01 - Mara the Princess of Secret Power - Galoob 1983

Blackstar is Filmation's immediate predecessor to Masters of the Universe and contains a mere 13 episodes, all airing in 1981 (a full two years before MOTU). The series features the hero, Earth astronaut John Blackstar, crash landing on the planet Sagar, where magic and sorcery rule. Blackstar and the main antagonist, Overlord, each have one half of the magical PowerSword, which imbue the wielder with heightened senses, strength, skill, and invulnerability (when the sword halves combine, they form the PowerStar). He rides Warlock, an intelligent flying dragon-horse, and has two main sidekicks: the shape-changing elf, Klone, and the powerful enchantress, Mara. This series might have been forgotten in 1981 if He-Man didn't renew interest in sword-and-sorcery properties two years later. The episodes began to be re-aired, and a belated toyline was made by Galoob to ride the coattails of Mattel's MOTU success. The Mara figure is awesome and a gem of my collection. Let's check her out below!

Talbot Toys - NABISCO DOLLS!

Nabisco Dolls Vinyl Collectibles - Oreo, Fig Newtons, Chips Ahoy - Talbot Toys 1983

Many years ago my collecting hobby went off on a tangent and I got really interested in PVC figurines and vinyl advertising collectibles. It was a frustrating side-hobby because products like these were rarely meant to last a lifetime, production quality was often haphazard, yet conversely there is a really competitive collecting market. I still have a ton of Smurfs, California Raisins, and Campbells Kids, but my desire has dwindled. However, this current quarantine has inspired me to open some long-neglected boxes in my basement and led me to re-discovering these amazing Nabisco Doll gems. In many ways, these are way outside my typical interests (they're cutesy and doll-like), but on the other hand hand I love food mascots, retro stylings, and odd designs (the decision to put cookies on their heads is so bizarre to me). They have have minimal articulation (shoulders and neck) and their slightly larger than similar products of the time, but overall I'm kind of obsessed with them. Let's check out the Nabisco Girls below!

The Women of ROBOCOP!

Robocop - Nancy Miner, Anne Lewis, Lisa Madigan - Toy Island & Kenner 1988-98

I've been wanting to do this review forever. I literally took some of these photos 6 years ago, but am only now getting around to posting them. I was listening to a conversation lately about how many R-rated properties in the 1990s were turned into kid-friendly cartoons and TV shows with the express interest in selling toys to a younger demographic. It seems like a crazy notion, but it happened all the time. Robocop had three R-rated movies produced between 1987-1993, but spawned four different television series (2 live-action, 2 animated) between 1994-1998. Almost every version had a toy line geared towards kids. I find this amusing because my primary memory of the entire franchise is in the beginning of the first film when the ED-209 prototype malfunctions and obliterates the businessman in the most gory fashion possible. My brothers and I must have played that scene in slow motion a hundred times. Hardly a property I would expose kids to. Let's check out the ladies of the franchise below!

The Buggy Ladies of GLO FRIENDS!

A Spotlight on my 3 Favorite Glo Friends - Hasbro/Playskool 1986-1988
 
I know a review like this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the mantra of this blog is "Uniting All Women of Plastic", and that means all.  I'm aware that the vast majority of my readership is anchored in the superhero arena, but I'm hoping that there's just as much interest in the awesome nostalgic 80's properties out there as well - because I'll be sure to pepper reviews like this in every few months.  In 1982, Hasbro created a plush toy sensation in the form of Glo Worm.  The "Glo" brand immediately took off and soon spawned a series of books, cartoons, and a popular line of small glow-in-the-dark figures called Glo Friends.  I think every child of the 80's had at least one of these.  They were the default stocking stuffers for years in my family, but I eventually melted or destroyed them all.   In 1986, these figures hit the market under the new-ish Hasbro subsidiary, Playskool (although some of the packaging still lists the maker as "Hasbro Preschool").   There were 28 figures in all.  Let's check out my favorite three below!

Miniature Women of FILMATION'S GHOSTBUSTERS!

3-Inch PVC Figures of Futura, Jessica, and Mysteria - Yolanda 1987

In the 1980s there was a bit of a copyright dispute over the name Ghostbusters.  In 1975, there was a live action children's show called The Ghost Busters about a team of "bumbling detectives who would investigate ghostly occurrences."  It lasted only 15 episodes and was largely forgettable.  When Columbia pictures produced the 1984 box-office hit Ghostbusters, they were unaware of the earlier Filmation property and had to pay 500K in licensing fees to Filmation.  During the process, Filmation wanted to gain the rights to produce an animated series based off the new Columbia film.  These rights were never granted, and instead Filmation went on to produce an updated animated version of their 1975 show.  Whether this was out of spite, or just taking advantage of the name recognition, who knows.  Eventually, an animated version of the Columbia movie was produced by DiC and named The Real Ghostbusters.  The Filmation Ghostbusters animated series was a quite a success.  It kind of had a Scooby-Doo meets the Addams Family vibe. 

The Real Ghostbusters JANINE MELNITZ!

Ghostbusters: Fright Features - Janine Melnitz w/ Tickler the Ghost - Kenner 1989

How could I have a Halloween month (however loosely based) without a Ghostbusters figure?  Last year I reviewed Gozer and Zuul, which are definitely the coolest ladies from the property, but Janine is arguably the most loved.  Originally played by Annie Potts in the original movies, the bored-and unfrazzled secretary saw a ton of character growth in the the later animated series The Real Ghostbusters (voiced by Kath Soucie) and Extreme Ghostbusters (voiced by Pat Musick).  In several episodes of these series, Janine would get pulled into the adventure and "suit up" in her own Ghostbuster uniform, often with a proton pack of her own.  Kenner produced a handful of Janine figures between 1986-1991, but this Fright Features figure has always been my favorite.  All the Fright Features figures had really cool dynamic action features (one of my favorite trends of 80's toys) and these gimmicks made them some of the most popular Ghostbusters toys ever.  Let's check out Janine below!

Vintage Goodness: Voltron's HAGGAR THE WITCH!

Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Haggar the Witch - Panosh Place 1984

I can still remember my first reaction to Voltron like it was yesterday.  I grew up in the boonies with three staticy television channels.  One year we all spent the Summer with my Dad on an army base.  There we had an apartment with air-conditioning and cable (both were luxuries I didn't know existed).  I remember eating cereal on one of the first mornings there and my Mom turned on the TV in the middle of an episode of Voltron.  I was instantly intrigued.  Multi-Colored heroes who rode gigantic robot cats?!  A princess who is friends with a bunch of alien-looking mice?!  Blue-skinned bad guys in space?!  and.. wait.. what?  The lions are assembling?!  This can't be.  My 7-year-old mind was blown.  I became obsessed and was showered with Voltron toys that Christmas.  I won't even mention my reaction when I discovered Vehicle Voltron either.  Haggar was the typical cackling evil sorceress I had come to expect from my villainy.  Truly a classic 80s baddie.  Let's check her out below!

The Women of TERRAHAWKS!

Captain Mary Falconer, Captain Kate Kestrel, and Zelda - BanDai 1983
 
Gerry Anderson had made quite a name for himself in the science fiction arena with his early hits including Thunderbirds (1965), Stingray (1964), and Captain Scarlet (1967).  When Terrahawks debuted in 1983, it had been 10 years since he had produced a 100% puppetry show.  His previous specialty of Supermarionation was out of budget for this new production and so he dubbed his new process of using latex puppets instead of marionettes, Supermacromation.  While originally thought of as a step backward in the Anderson technique, the latex puppets with no strings allowed for much smoother motions.  The storyline of Terrahawks is a typical adventure of a specialized Earth force fighting an encroaching menace.  In this case it is the alien android Zelda and her hoards of invaders from the planet Guk.  The Terrahawks are a team of five Earth pilots (and an array of R2D2-type robots) that pilot various bird-themed ships.  This series was also known for including a lot more humor than previous Anderson properties.  Let's check out these figures below!

Vintage Goodness: HOT LIPS HOULIHAN!

M*A*S*H - 3.75" Action Figures - Major "Hot Lips" Houlihan - Tristar 1982

M*A*S*H was an unavoidable part of growing up in the early eighties without cable (or Satellite Dish as it was back then).  The show ran from 1972 to 1983 and its finale became the most watched television episode of all time.  Early on in the show's career, there was a series of Mego-type dolls released for the show, but it wasn't until many years later that Tristar jumped on the fledgling 3.75" figure bandwagon and released this series, just a year before the long-running show concluded.  Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan was the primary female character on the show throughout its run, so luckily she was a shoe-in for inclusion in the toy line.  The character was played by Loretta Swit (who I actually met once!)  The likeness is actually very good for an early-80s figure in this scale.  Of course, I think it's a little odd that they made figures of television shows like this in the first place, but I think it's great that classic TV culture can be represented in my collection.  Let's check out Hot Lips below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation TASHA YAR!

Lieutenant Tasha Yar - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Series 1 - Galoob 1988
 
Lieutenant Tasha Yar was the Security Officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D for Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.    In the beginning, she seemed like she would be the lead female in the series.  She was strong, confident, and had a prominent role on the bridge.  Tasha is viewed as a groundbreaking female character who paved the way for future female officers, captains, and commanders in the sci-fi genre.  I think that's why Star Trek fans were shocked at Tasha's death near the end of Season 1.  Granted, she came back for a single episode in Season 3, then again for the series finale, it was still a major loss for a character who had a lot of interesting potential.  This Galoob line was the first incarnation of the Star Trek TNG characters in the toy aisles.  I have many memories of this figure hanging in the meager toy section of my local drug store (Rea & Derick) when I was a kid and really wanting her.  Twenty-some years later and she's mine!  The Playmates line that started in 1992 really blasted this smaller Galoob line out of the water, but they're still not to be overlooked.  Let's check her out below!

Vintage Goodness: The Women of BIONIC SIX!

Helen, Meg, and Madame-O from Bionic Six - LJN Toys Ltd 1986

It's amazing how well a family theme can work in a superhero genre.  The Fantastic Four and Power Pack have proven that it's a recipe that can work, yet somehow it's rarely ever explored.  The Bionic Six is yet another of the great 1980's toy-centric cartoon properties.  The general premise is that the Bennett family (Mom Helen, Dad Jack, Biological kids Meg and Eric, Adopted son J.D., and foster kid Bunjiro) are all exposed to dangerous alien radiation and must undergo bionic enhancements to save their lives.  This treatment gives them each unique super-powers and inspires them to form a superhero team, the Bionic Six.  The main villain, Dr. Scarab is the brother to Professor Amadeus (who had infused the Bennett family with their bionic enhancements).  LJN is a company that had some of the coolest licenses in the mid-80s: ThunderCats, TigerSharks, Photon, Dungeons & Dragons, etc, etc.  They definitely did a fantastic job with their Bionic Six line.  Let's check out the figures below!

Vintage Goodness: SilverHawks STEELHEART!

The "Partly Metal, Partly Real" SteelHeart - Kenner's SilverHawks 1986
 
SilverHawks was one of those fantastic late-80s properties that combined toy and cartoon culture and became an instant hit.  Rankin & Bass created SilverHawks as an outerspace counterpart to ThunderCats.  (Rankin & Bass also developed 1987's TigerSharks, which is a personal favorite of mine, but unfortunately produced no female action figures).  The SilverHawks were a team of cybernetically-enhanced heroes in the galaxy of Limbo who fought against the evil Mon*Star (yes, he has a star instead of a hyphen).  SteelHeart is the codename for Emily Hart, the sole female of the group and twin sister of Will Hart, aka SteelWill.  She is the technician of the team and is often seen tinkering with their spaceship(s).  All the SilverHawks have cybernetic wings, facemasks, and a robotic bird companion.  Unfortunately these figures don't display their masked variations, but all-in-all, they are some of the best 1980s cartoon-based toys out there.  The likenesses are great, the action features make sense, and the sheer playability is amazing.  On to the review!

Vintage Goodness: Eagle Force's GOLDIE HAWK!

The Blonde Bombadier of this 1981 1/24th Scale Die-Cast Series from Mego

I have a great love for the 1/24 scale toys of the 80's.  M.A.S.K. and Dino-Riders always led the pack with the most prolific series' and by far the most females (see my previous posts on the Women of M.A.S.K. and the Women of Dino-Riders), but every once in a while I will stumble across a long forgotten (to me at least) figure series and discover a gem. Mego's Eagle Force consisted of 18 figures standing about 2.25" tall.  They are all military themed and feature metallic gold uniforms.  Goldie Hawk is the only female of the group and she's actually pretty easy to get your hands on.  The Eagle Force toys were some of the very last figures produced by the trailblazing company, Mego, before they shut their doors in 1982.  The toy line was extremely popular and was reproduced by Ideal in the early 80's under the name "Strike Force."  I would wager that the success of these small-scale specialized military figures helped inspire the scaled-down 3&3/4" GI Joe series a few years later.  Let's check out this gilded beauty!

Women of Halloween Part 9 - SHAYA!

The Power Lords' Queen of Power, Shaya, from Revell 1982

The Power Lords are just about the creepiest toy line I can think of (Pulsar is a close second).  I remember as a kid everytime my parents went into our local Rea & Derick drugstore, I would race my brothers to the meager toy section.   There we would try peek in through the sides of the Power Lords' plastic packaging to see the characters' gross alter-egos (sculpted on their backs) .  I know they are intended to look like alien forms, but to me they looks like raw exposed muscle.  I was disgusted, I was appalled, but mostly I was intrigued.  Looking back now, these toys are quite genius.  Every single one has some kind of duality feature, whether it's as simple as a head that spins to expose a second face, or in the case of the two main characters, Adam Power and Shaya, an entire body transformation completed in a surprisingly simple way; by turning them around. 

Women of Halloween Part 7 - MYSTERIA!

Filmation's Ghostbusters' Vampy Siren from Schaper 1986

Would you believe this is the only toy I own with rooted hair?  I loathe rooted hair more than sun-faded plastic and missing accessories!  Do I reject all toy lines with rooted hair? Absolutely not.  She-ra and Golden Girl paved the way for girl adventure toys.  Not to mention the amazing three ladies in this very Ghostbusters line.  What I hate about rooted hair is its sloppy, frazzled appearance, its penchant for collecting dust, and its allusion that all female figures must make some concession to doll-status (only allowing them one foot in the door of the action figure arena).  Maybe some people would only buy a toy if you could dress it up and make it pretty, but I know they completely missed their mark with me because I was cursing up a storm as I brushed her hair in preparation for these photos.  Actually, I may just customize her with some sculpted hair ..hmmm.  Anyway, back to the lady of the hour, the lovely Mortici.. Mysteria!  I never caught wind of the Addams family inspiration until years after I was watching Ghostbusters after school.  To my naive eyes, she was completely original.  She was the most vain, wicked, silly, sophisticate in the Hauntquarters.  So clearly I was enamoured.