Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker was my first official one when it came to action figures. Prior to that, I mainly got hand me down action figures from my brothers.
Being from the UK and being of a similar age to yourself (I was born in 78) you've pretty much covered my first toy memories, particularly Adventure people and Action Man, mostly hand me downs from my older brother. Those are what pop in to my head when I think back to very early childhood. Scalelectrix was also a big one in our house. Great content as always Mr Roberts and a really beautiful touch adding in those old home movies! Thanks for sharing.
My first toy was a Shogun Warriors Dragon figure. I think it was about 4 or 5 inches, fully diecast metal and had a spring loaded fist and axe. My first Star Wars figure was the Death Squad Commander. My grandmother gave it to me as a gift when she first immigrated over from the Philippines to help overcome my shyness in meeting her for the first time. I still have it to this day and it's still my favorite figure and I even kept it in my coat pocket for her funeral five years ago.
It isn't my first toy, but it is my most cherished toy. When I was very young, my dad was a traveling musician. He'd be away for months at a time, but it was his job. When I was two years old, I can remember being woken up in the middle of the night. Dad had come home so I was happy to see him. He took me to the front door, and told me to open it. On the front porch, in the dark, was a little green Hess truck with its headlights turned on. I played with that truck all throughout my entire childhood with every action figure I owned. It's been broken in half several times, the doors are missing, and the windshield is broken, but I never let go of it. I'm 44 years old, and the majority of my old toys have been lost to time, moves, and yard sales. But that little Hess truck is still with me. When it was gifted to me is one of my oldest, and strongest memories of my childhood, and I will hang onto it til the day I die.
My clearest memory is of the 1975 Lego Police Headquarters. I got it when I was 4 years old on the day my younger brother was born in 1977. This is the era of the earliest minifigs - before they had articulated arms and legs and face printing. My parents later said it was the best thing they ever did, because I became lost in that set and would play quietly with it for hours!
I had received it from my grand parents ifor christmas 1976 had lots of fun I recently half rebuilt it (Still searching in my boxes for the bricks to complete de vehicles)
I could write essays on this, but getting the boulder hill gas station (the box was in french) for Christmas and running to my best friends house, at like 10am on Christmas day, to scream I had Boulder Hill in his face, to discover he also had Boulder Hill and our mams have taken the train to France for the day to buy them and then came home the same day (and I live near Scotland), is something I will never forget! I only have one gas pump left from it in my collection, but I will never part with it.
I became a Doctor Who fan in 2006, as a 6 year-old, and at some point in that year, my aunt and nan gifted me with a set of figures: A 10th Doctor with K.9, Rose with Cassandra’s Spider-Drones, and a single-carded Cyberman; don’t know if I own all of them, now, but I still have my original Cyberman as, due to a childhood habit, his handle bars are flattened and his face has a distinct black/ashened face adorning its original silver. I still have him on a shelf, proudly, along with a couple other Doctor Who stuff.
My first Transformer was Soundwave, and I've been low-grade obsessed with him ever since. My granddad got him for me, so every time I get something Soundwave-related, I still feel a piece of him.
SW - Stormtrooper PSH - Superman Action Man - British Soldier Action Force - SAS key figure & German Stormtrooper together AP - stunt man w/ parachute Mego WGH - I had three together Batman, Robin and Spiderman I remember loads of days and moments when I received figures, like my mum coming home with a Starroid Raider when she'd returned from the shops, or when I'd had a tetanus shot and was treated to Darth Vader. In a lot of my childhood photos I can be found with an action figure.
My first EVER toy wasn't even a toy, it was a pencil topper from Sesame Street- Ernie playing a violin. I cut a small piece of cloth and tied it around his neck for a cape, and put a toy wheel and axle around his waist with a rubber band for his sword. He was my hero toy, I ran around and flew him around the house. I was also a sickly kid who was always being hospitalized so my ma would always get me a small toy to cheer me up. She got me those Takara transforming watches thst turned to a robot, racecar and fighter jet. My first matchbox was from my aunt who worked in Japan, and she also got me my first Super Robot: Xabungle! As for other firsts: First transformer- a Takara transforming ballpen that had a pencil sharpener in his chest and a sword letter opener. First Autobot- Tailgate First Decepticon- Shrapnel First GI-Joe- Cobra Technoviper
As a child in the 70s, I was almost exclusively into Fisher-Price Little People until Barbie and similar dolls took over completely. But I loved the Little People sets, they were the ones with the peg-shaped figures with no arms or legs. I had the castle, the town, the airport, the Sesame Street and playground sets, and a few other random bits and pieces. I always wanted the suburban house, the farm, and a few others, but at some point I discovered Barbies and hair play and sewing, and it was bye-bye Little People. I wish I still had my childhood examples, but I don't.
My first Transformer was Bumblebee. MOTU was He-Man. GI Joe was Torpedo. MASK was Gator. Silver Hawks was Bluegrass. And I loved them so much I still have them. Plus the Super Hero characters. Oh, and Wheeled Warriors was Armed Force. Sorry this was so long
First joe that I remember getting was firefly and spirit. Miss toys r us. Not sure about transformers. I do remember getting greyskull and heman, skeletor, man at arms and the beastman for Xmas. Wow great memories.
Out of all the toy lines that made up my childhood (he-man, Star Wars, and GI Joe being the big 3). No toy ever replaced Castle Greyskull and the original 6 he man figures which I got for Christmas, he-man, Tela, Man at arms, Skeletor, Beast man, and Mer Man. They traveled with us on so many family trips. I remember one trip I was told I couldn’t bring the castle because we were going to be flying and I could only bring my suitcase and a few figures to play with on the plane. So later that night I removed the clothes that my mom had packed in my suitcase and put the castle in their place. No one knew until the 1st night of our trip when they saw me setting it up. It was a 7 day trip and all I had to wear were the clothes on my back. My parents weren’t too happy with me and having to buy me a change of clothes so I could at least alternate them during the trip! Good thing there was a washer and dryer where we were staying.
Thanks so much Tony, I loved that Fischer Price set as a child, I totally remember playing with it in the bath tub, bath time or not, with the diver battling with the octopus 🐙. Must be one of my earliest toy memories.
Thanks for sharing yours Tony. For me my first memory of a toy was a teddy bear I had as a small child. After that it was Matchbox die cast (Superfast, Superkings and Battle Kings) then FP Adventure People. I can recall having the Firestar 1 ship. 1978 was my introduction to Action Man which was a whole different world altogether...cheers!
One of my earliest toys and the one i can say i played with the longest are Blue Bird's Zero Hour toy soldiers. Years ago a container filled with these stranded on Terschelling (an island in the north of The Netherlands). So these were for years available everywhere on that island. That's how I got mine. I used to play with these for yeaaaaaaaaaaars. These were my go to toy soldiers. I also used to hunt down dinosaur toys that scale well with these little troopers, they were always fighting against monsters, wild animals and dinosaurs. I still have a bunch in a small box somewhere. I can never get rid of my favourite childhood toy.
I remember " the big big train with the out door track " as the tv ad called it . This was huge ( to a kid ) set . One unique ( to a this kid ) feature was a track attachment which could put the train in reverse . The tv ad showed the train reversing befor going into a swim pool . I had no pool , but i had lots of Match box cars and a Better Builder block set ....lol
What an awesome video and trip down that Memory Lane. My first figure was the Marxx Toys Cowboy and Thunderbolt the horse, in about 1973. I loved him SO much that my dad then bought me an Action Man Basic Soldier... and that was me hooked. I was an AM child through and through. Oh and for anyone wondering, that photo of me is in the FA Referee Woodland Camouflage kit haha!!
Aside from that first bath toy, Action Force and Slag, I honestly had all these same toys. It's all a jumbled mess in my head in terms of what order I got things in and I've found photos online of toddler toys i remember having. In terms of them just feeling like old figures, Tonto from The Lone Ranger, Spider-Man and space Action Man were probably my earliest. I went through most of the toylines through the years, but He-Man, Transformers and Star Wars were the big ones for me. And like you, my childhood toy enjoyment came to an end around age 13. Luckily (or councidentally) all the great 80s toylines all either ended or went downhill around that same point in the early 90s and I don't think it ever recovered. The 80s was the start and end of incredible children's toylines.
My first GI Joe was a carded Crazy Legs. I got it from a white elephant that was done at my elementary school. It was one of two Joe's that I ever owned. I never stopped talking about it throughout my life and was blessed three years ago when to my surprise my oldest son bought me a complete Crazy Legs for Christmas.
I was born in Ecuador and I remember the first toy I bought with my own money (which I’ve been saving from birthday gifts from my grandparents and uncles) was the Ecto 1 from the real ghostbusters! The cartoon didn’t come out yet but the toys arrived first . I was very proud to be the first one from the block to have it ! The action figures I got way later, and I never had the firehouse till later when I became a grown man and moved to Canada where I currently live ❤
I have learnt a lot about 80s toys from you, but I'm a 90s baby. The first toys I remember having were Buzz and Woody, the larger toys with voice boxes and lights. Also, I was obsessed with Captain Hook, so I had a lot of Peter Pan figures. Since I was a baby my family played Crash Bandicoot and I was in love with it (and clearly still am) so the first figure in remember absolutely adoring was a cheap Crash Bandicoot cereal figure from 2001 when I was about 5 years old. My brother adored Sonic The Hedgehog, and so he had a lot of bendable Sonic figures that were released in 2000. My father introduced me to Star Wars when ESB was shown on TV one evening, and after that, I started to get the 90s Kenner figures and then the prequel figures. Pirates of the Caribbean came out, I got those. The Doctor Who reboot came out in 2005, and so my collection of Daleks and aliens exploded... I forgot to mention, my brother was my twin... which meant completing a collection was very easy because we'd both play together and strategically plan out which characters we'd ask for for Christmas! However, we also received doubles of a lot of the larger figures. For my generation, too, plush toys were a hugely popular thing, so around 2005/6 we had a lot of Sonic and Crash Bandicoot plushes that we'd won in arcades. Good memories. My first proper action figure and figure line I started collecting was the ReSaurus Crash Bandicoot figure line when I was a young teenager, receiving my first one in 2010.
My childhood buddy has been an officer of a toy company for several years and he just gifted me a box of clean, minty versions of the toys we played with. I mean, who does that...and b) I never realized how much of my emotions/nostalgia are attached to the OG original toys. Holding a G1 Optimus or a CyKill GoBot just feels right. Don't get me started on the feeling of unboxing these things 40+ years later.
Some of the firsts I can remember:...I grew up with my big brothers 60s Joes, and the first big thing I remember being able to pick out for myself was the Big Trapper and seeing that big box up on the top shelf of the store. My brother and me didn't know what Star Wars was yet and we were each given a figure before going to the movie. They gave me R2-D2 and him Chewbacca. First ARAH Joes I got were Grand Slam w/ HAL and Hawk with MMS, they didn't have the VAMP, my brother got the Mobat though. First MOTU was He-Man w/ Battle Cat and Skeletor Those are the big ones that stand out to me. Cheers!
I’m a tad older than you Tony but the first toy I remember was Waddingtons Table Soccer. My 1970’s childhood was furnished with Action Man, Subbuteo, Airfix soldiers, Evel Knievel and Six Million Dollar Man but when it came to Star Wars figures in 1978 I opted for Blondie and Sex Pistols records as I thought I was too old at 12-years of age for the Palitoy Star Wars figures. Started collecting vintage Star Wars and Action Man for 45-years of age 😅 keep up your great content! 👌
My first action figure was a removable mask Mego Batman. It was 1974, and I was seven years old. I had plenty of great toys prior to that, including the classics like green army men, Lincoln Logs, and Legos, but that Mego Batman was life changing.
Don't remember my first toy but I remember having Action Man everywhere because of my older brother. Once I was old enough I got my own. I still remember one Christmas morning getting the Action Man Adventurer. I also remember my Grandma and Grandad coming round Xmas day and me and my brother both got the Turbo Copter back pack from them. my Grandad passed away the following year before I turned 4, I only have a few memories of him but I always remember that final Xmas and him watching us play with our Action Man and the Turbo Copters.
Probably the Toybiz 1989 Batman with bat rope belt was the first true action figure I remember owning. Up until that point I was definitely more interested in hot wheels and matchbox cars. But that Batman went everywhere with me. Great video, Tony! This really brought back some good memories of my earliest childhood toy experiences.
Thank you for sharing your memories with us! You are lucky to have those memories captured on film! My first toys were tonka trucks. Mainly the tonka truck tow truck with the three 'A's on the door. I still have it. Take care.
Thanks Tony, that was great. Ok, two here. First, my first toy that I remember playing with A LOT was Major Matt Mason. I was 7 and I had a white Major Matt Mason, the two-level Moon Station with flashing beacon, Moon Buggy, Moon Crawler and Rocket Pack. My best friend next door had a Red MMM and we had endless hours (and I do mean endless) playing with them. Second; Most of my toys were diecast - cars, planes mostly (Gerry Anderson of course) and I had all the good ones. My Grandad and Nanny visited us in Canada from the UK in 1974 (I was 10) and he brought me a Dinky Toy Street Cleaner. I played with that a bunch and has vast amounts of sentimental value. I still have it and it reminds me of my Grandad and those carefree tears….
Haha.. mine.. 1974 Adventure Series Dare Devil Plane... Diecast was '75 1:64 Kojak (best cop show ever)... Star Wars Han then Chewie the next day...lol... Gijoe was Snake Eyes. Mate, this was an awesome run down memory lane. Thank you! 😁👍
Great episode ! This really brings me back. I remember one of my family members getting me the Death Star. I was born in 73 and I was probably 4 o5 years old and I really didn't understand the toy. It was the popular toy, yet I didn't know it was popular. I do remember seeing Star Wars for the first time when it came on the cable company called HBO.
Wooden Trains, Fisher Price Adventure People (Green Dirt Bike with a guy in a tan and white suit), or maybe He-Man. These three stand out from what I can recall. Now, I 100% know that my first and second Transformers toys were Sidewipe and Hound. Both were birthday gifts. One from my mom, one from my babysitter. I also vividly recall getting my first Lego castle set for another birthday. The Lego Knight's Castle, which sparked my lifetime loyalty to the Black Falcons faction.
He-man. I was living in Thailand at the time and loved the MOTU show. One day at the local mall, Robinson's I think.. I saw it, He-man in the Japanese box. I excitedly called it to my mom's attention, and she bought it for me. Unfortunately that figure is lost to time... but I'd never forget him.
Born in 1972. My first toy i remember was 8 inch mego Batman. First SW was Luke Skywalker. Corgi Return of the Saint Jaguar XJS. Action man eagle eyes followed by a talking commander. First action force was british paratrooper with SLR rifle. Random unique toy was Steve Goalgetter with licensed umbro arsenal kit, admiral Leeds United kit and umbro Celtic kit. The Steve Goalgetter in Arsenal kit was my favourite alongside Subbuteo. Last toy Subbuteo that ive played into adulthood.
Awesome video. The first toys I can remember playing with was Six Million Dollar Man and Evel Knievel. My first Star Wars figure was Luke X-WIng Pilot and first GI Joe was Rock and Roll V1.
I find it ironic how much we had in common during childhood. 😃 One of my first and favorite toys was a Big Wheels tricycle themed after the "CHiPs" TV show (which I also watched). And I remember riding that thing HARD. I would start at the top of the driveway, accelerate downward, then just as I reached the bottom I would make a sharp right turn and thunder down the sidewalk. After about 100M I would turn around, head home, and start the process all over again. The turn and sudden acceleration was the real fun part. And like you I also had Megatron as my first Transformer. I remember bringing him to Show & Tell at school and the teacher confiscated him because she didn't like that it looked so realistic as a gun. Personally, I became hooked on Transformers and still collect them to this day.
My first action figure was Evel Knievel. Got the figure and the motorcycle on Christmas of 1973. Three months later for my birthday, I received my first Mego superheroes: Superman, Batman and Robin, plus the batmobile. For years afterwards Evel and those heroes fought crime together...and Batman and Evel had plenty of races in their vehicles. Great memories.
Thanks for sharing this video with us Tony! I can hear in your voice that reliving some of these moments in your life were a little emotional for you. But you managed to Soldier on, no pun intended! As for me, I cannot remember my first toy ever... I did not grow up in a rich family, so getting gifts was usually reserved for special occasions... When I was about 5 (Maybe) my Dad came home from work late one night and brought home a gift for me... It was a Kenner Luke Skywalker action figure from STAR WARS... For context, that movie was a HUGE deal in my house! My Mom and I were obsessed with it! My Dad just kind of played along and my sister was too little to care.... But that Luke figure and I went on all kinds of adventures! I eventually got the Landspeeder, R2-D2, C3PO, and a Ben Kenobi... All of which disappeared from my life, but not my memories! Thanks again for sharing this video Tony, and Happy New Year!
We are kindred spirits Tony! Some of my first toys were the Adventure People with the helicopter and submarine set and they were must haves during bath time 😅 I didn't collect Transformers but the only one I had was the MegaTron gun the Walter P 38 style. I still have my Star Wars vintage toys. Michael from Retroblasting started me down a rabbit hole of fixing and restoring and completing my Kenner Star Wars vintage collection 😅 I've got like two figures left and a couple of ships/vehicles left to complete. I had to cheat a little on getting repros for some of the cardboard backdrop playsets. I really luv your content Tony along with Michael, Scuba Pete. I really wish you guys were my friends growing up 😢 Keep up the great work! 😊
One of the first 'cool' toys I remember getting was the Action Man Jeep. Strangely, I seem to have a clearer memory of getting this than getting any action man figures that early on (must have been around 1979/80). I think my Grandad gave me the jeep, so I have a close association of him whenever I think back to it! Also remember loving the SAS action force line so much that I took the Panther and Wolverine on holiday with me to Mallorca in 1984! And everything came back, rockets and steering wheel included! LOL
I was born in 1975. I have some memories: 1) not sure about the age, but I was operated at one finger that was stuck toward the centre of my hand, and my parents gave me a red hotwheels van, it could be the one with the flames, I couldn't move my eyes away from it; 2) I then developed an actual interest in toys - rather than taking whatever happened to arrive from my parents by surprise - and focused on "living" things (not cars or trains or "dead" robots), and I remember having two of the chinasaurs from the "dungeons dinosaur packet", the one that is accordion shaped/flat mouth and that was called "the first", referring to the fact that it was considered my first toy even at that age, and then the one that looks like a dog, long ears and with a thorn on its upper lip, which was the second in command after "the first", as they basically ruled over all newer toys in virtue of their age; by the age of 5 I then started with the micronaut aliens, and around the same time I also remember the mego superman, batman and desperately looking for spiderman but my mom bought me the damn Hulk instead because to her "it was a toy anyway". So disappointed. About same age I also remember a few evil characters from Big Jim (in all series, I was basically interested in the evil side only, far more exciting), especially the awesome Captain Drake. Again, I always desperately wanted Prof Obb, the classic model, impossible to find, but I managed to buy it a few years ago :D Then the MOTU arrived, a new era, and most of my interest moved to those and anything similar to those.
My first action man was a generic soldier , back before eagle eyes when the hands were still glued on . He was the only blonde action man I ever had and he lost a hand within a couple of years . I also got the escape from Colditz , medic and red uniformed parachute outfits at the same time . I was probably 5 or 6 . Before that I remember getting some Papo knights and soldiers that used to come in packaging like Airfix kits . They may well have been made by Airfix .
My first toy was a Mosura (Mothra) plush toy with 2 twin dolls. My husband still has his first toy he owns a vintage Stalker Gi Joe figure brought by his father on his 4th birthday. His father told me he brought it at the Misawa AFB BX in 1984
2 of my 1st were Gobots. I got the red car for my 3rd birthday and have confirmed it because my parents saved all my birthday card and would write in them what I got. Also for Star Wars my brother got Lando's copilot from ROTJ. Only star wars figure we got new. I don't remember his getting it but remember him selling it at a flea market. As kids, we'd sell our old toys to get new ones, but that was one of the last childhood toys we sold. I brought my brother's toys when he moved out and still have our remaining toys.
First figures I could remember playing with were the Batman and Robin 12 inch figures with the magnetic hands. I think the figures were from Mego. I can’t remember the year, maybe late 70s, early 80s. The first toy that really hooked me was the Rock-n-roll action figure, straight arm, with the M60. I thought he was the coolest action figure and remember bringing him everywhere (along with the Cobra infantry figure). Last figure I remember playing with was the Cobra Hydro-viper. Thought it was kind of cool with the webbed hand and mask but I also remember not being too interested in it and remember that figure as being my last one before moving on.
I can remember opening my first Star Wars figure, the Death Star Droid, very vividly. My visual memory of the card back, the figure and can even remember where I was sitting on the living room carpet when my folks gave it to me. Must have been 1980. I received a second figure as well but cannot remember what the second one was. I remember getting the CHiPs helicopter for Christmas. And my first He-Man was Prince Adam. My brother & I each received Prince Adam first, at the same time. Because of this Prince Adam is still my favorite! Before all this was a Fisher Price orange airplane with pilot. Thank you for this awesome video!
First toy I can remember as a nipper was a Weeble fire engine and driver - probably around the age of 3? My first Star Wars figure five years later though was Threepio, and that went with me pretty much everywhere!
My brother still has his Evel Knievel figure and stunt cycle and that die cast Batmobile and the Bat Boat in the original packages. He was extremely careful with his toys. He was born in 65.
First were probably some Adventure People in the late 70s. Last were definitely Tomax & Xamot and Zarana from Poundstretcher in 1988. I'd already started high school and grown out of toys by that point but couldn't resist them.
The first toy I can remember playing with was my Mego Spider-Man. Unlike you though, that figure holds a special place in my heart as he was one of my favorites even though I eventually had a lot of the other Megos. My first Transformer was Soundwave and I LOVED him. The minibots that became tapes that he had in his chest was such a neat gimmick. The last action figure I ever got was Snake Eyes from the Ninja Force line in either 93 or 94. As G.I. Joe was winding down, so was my childhood and my ability to actually play with toys. I remember when I just couldn't do it anymore. Bittersweet that was.
I know I had some Playmobil figures when I was really young, but Skeletor was my first MOTU figure. Slithe was my first Thundercats figure which I actually saw in a store before the show was even out yet, or I probably wouldn't have picked him. Dr. Mindbender was my first GI Joe figure in 1986.
Oh yaaaa. Never forget. Some of my firsts: 12” Vader, Playmobil Indian & Horse, Stomper 4x4, Battlestar Galactica Cylon, Evil Knievel Stunt Cycle, Dukes of Hazard 3.75, Hot Wheels/Matchbox, Etc. But my earliest toy memory is Shogun Warrior.
Evel Kneivel (spelling?) was definitely still a thing in the 80s. I got something similar to yours in 1984 or so for Christmas. It still had a zip drive & made sparks, but didn't have the "tower." I remember it weighing a chunk too. It was awesome!
My brother had that F/P set with the octopus. He also had the boat. He never got a landspeeder, so that was his substitute. F/P had some pretty cool sets.
Hey Tony👋what a great episode mate👌👍…. I love hearing these stories!! It’s difficult going back far enough to remember my first toys, but my first real memories were of a time when my family were living in my great-grandparents house, whilst my grandad extended and modernised our family home…. 81-82’ish, So I’ll start there😀 I was a huge fan of the dukes of Hazzard and one of my favourite toys was the General Lee Wrist Racer!!!… this was fantastic, my mate had the sherif car… such a great toy and the first thing I bought, when getting into vintage toy collecting. Like you with the chips bike, I do remember riding around on a blue BMW trike (I’m not sure it was a police bike… I need to have a look at some photos). On the Dukes of Hazzard theme, I also remember receiving a steering game called (Trap&Race or something like that) for my birthday one year. On TV I also used to love Tarzan and Lone Ranger…. I do remember running round the house in my keggs with a butter knife down my shorts, playing Tarzan😀or jumping on the back of the sofa as the Lone Ranger… not toys, but still a great memory😀…. We would always watch the Hulk, however I was terrified of the transformation scenes (hide behind the sofa terrified🥲). The Corgi sets were amazing and remember a few of those. I also remember having a Radio controlled logger (truck)… this seemed massive, but rarely had batteries in it, so would often just play with the trailer part. A Hornby train set, was something my grandad bought for me when I was born… (certainly don’t remember that😂), however I do remember playing with that set quite a lot, it had a bridge and everything. Train sets are underrated by toy collectors (inc. me), as we all had one. I also remember my only action man too…. Eagle eyes, with a beret, I kept losing the badge and granda took it back to Asda twice, said it was missing😂 I remember getting the dukes of Hazzard jump set and Knight rider stunt set when we moved back into my grandparents house 83’ish….it was around this time when I was big into Knight Rider and the A-Team, like yourself I had these figures and lucky to have them in both scales too!! I also had an A-team command chopper…. That was a awesome toy!! ‘83 was my Star Wars Christmas too… I got an X-Wing, AT-ST a Tie Fighter and Sarlaacs pit game. My grandad was pretty annoyed that this didn’t come with action figures as the girl in the shop advertised😀 I still have this!! Despite enjoying Star Wars it wasn’t my favourite film… I was always a Reeves Superman guy. But the game changer for me was when my mam took me to a newsagents in town and I saw a He-Man & Battlecat 2pk on the shelf🤯 and your right this does feel like it was before the cartoon (despite it airing in the UK before the US). I remember my mam getting me this 2pk & Skeletor for my birthday (83-84’?). I do remember wanting a Grayskull but wanting a Steve Davis Pot Black Snooker table for Xmas even more in ‘85 , I don’t know if you remember but the Uk were going snooker loopy and I loved snooker and loved Steve Davis😀). Mine was a 4ft table with red plastic pockets👍. I dabbled with Transformers…but more because my mates had them. I did love the cartoon, but wasn’t 100% convinced. My first Transformer was Ramjet. I did like the Go-Bots more tbh😀 I had a Cy-Kill. By ‘86 I was a big fan of transformers, I loved the movie and was an even bigger fan of M.A.S.K. which was right up my street and for my birthday in ‘86 (I think), I got Switchblade😮, this was epic, for Xmas that year I got Rhino, Thunderhawk and Ultra Magnus….from my nan and grandad. My mam bought me Metroplex, HotRod and also got me an Ultra Magnus😀…so lucky!🤯 In ‘87(I think) I was big into vhs videos, as this was the year grandad bought our first… video player, A Sony 4Head something…something😀 Stallone was my hero (still is), Rambo first blood part II and Rocky IV were my first rentals🤯 So Action Force was an easy transition, I do remember having a vehicle or two but have no clue what they were…. I did have a few figures and annual too. I was a huge fan of the ‘87 movie. In the years after this I got a BMX bike and a Spectrum +3 computer and that was the start of growing up…. Luckily for me I have a brother that is nearly 8 years younger than me (he was born in ‘86), so through him, I was able to stretch out toy play through Thundercats and Hero Turtles….. in the early 90’s we were both big into wrestling and played with them into my teens (being a good brother😂). These were the last toys I played with, until I have my own son in 2001 and got him a bunch of 200x He-man for his first birthday…..and as you know it all went round again😀 I started collecting vintage in 2015 and am still looking for some of that magic from the 80’s😀…. I never did get micro machines, as I was told I was too old at this time, maybe get some in ‘24😂 Loved this Tony, cheers man👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
It was a Prince Adam figure. My mom says that I only ever wanted books until I went to a friends house and he had some figures. After that I wanted a Prince Adam (because my name is Adam) and after I got him I wanted all of the MotU characters. I also remember my first Ninja Turtle was Leonardo. One of my best early toy memories is my dad promising me a battle cat if I could spell a series of words he had picked out. I was around 4 at the time and I was so proud to have earned that battle cat. Later on I learned that my dad knew I could spell the words so it was less a bet and more a confidence booster for 4 y.o. me.
I clearly remember a color rattle. I was in my crib and I remember trying to bite it without teeth. My first official chosen toy was a duck that I pulled with a string and it wables and quacks. Then I started loving playing with little green army men and legos. That finally led to Japanese anime robots such as Voltes V and Mazinger Z. Today, I’m a toy collector because of them.
My favorite childhood line was the corps! By Lanard. My and my brothers would always have them in our hands, and would sometimes “sell” them to each other with quarters we saved up. (On some mornings we would have mini garage sales across from each other and that’s how the trading would happen)
This was a fantastic video, for me born in 1970, my first toys were stuff like Action Man 12-inch adventurer and the modern British Para outfit! Corgi Batmobile, Dinky Space 1999 Eagle, Dinky Thunderbirds 2, Dinky Chieftain Tank, Airfix soldiers, Palitoy Star Wars Han Solo that cost 99p in 78, Mattel BSG, Mego Black Hole and the Palitoy Action Force German Stormtrooper...oh the memories!
Very cool video! I guess the first toy I can actually remember getting were several packs of Micro Machines for Christmas in 1988 or so. I also got the toolbox transforming playset then too. The last toy thing is a good point as well. I remember getting several POTF2 figs when they first came out. I played with them for a few months before moving onto more teenage things....
My first action figure is a toss-up between the 1987 G.I. Joe Steel Brigade mail-in figure (no idea how I got him), and the 1988 TMNT Leonardo (hard head). I had other numerous early childhood toys but it's impossible for me to sort which were the first. I rewatched that Evil Knievel Snake Mountain jump and man that's still just as entertaining as it was 3 years ago.
First toy was my Action man gripping hands realistic hair Blonde Adventurer and I loved him plus air fix solders at Christmas 1973 , I had my older brothers hand me downs like his Action man painted head lol
The Toys that made me: Kenner Stretch Monster, Kenner Bionic Bigfoot, Gi joe Intruder, Mego Hulk 8" and 12", Micronauts Biotron, Mattel Hypnos, Clash of the titans Kraken, MOTU Skeletor, Transformers Grimlock, GI Joe Zartan.
No, I do not remember my first toy. Maybe it was a rattle, but I do not know. However, the first toy I can remember is a big, red, plastic London Double-Decker bus. Despite the fact that I was a babe in arms, I recall it being my favourite. Flashes of momentary memories and nothing more. My obsession with figures came when I was about 4 years old. A trip to Woollies with my Father yielded a Box of Infantry Combat Group and a box of German Infantry. Thank you dad. This kicked-off life-long obsession with Airfix Soldiers. I never discovered the joys of Action Figures, but I appreciate seeing ardent fans of childhood memorabilia.
Back in the late 70’s my mum would participate in various market surveys, she was asked to bring me along (age about 7) to a focus group for the recently released Palitoy Star Wars action figure line. However, we were late to the meeting and unfortunately I was ineligible for the free Star Wars action figure they gave to each child, understandably I was quite upset😢 so my mum took me to the local toy shop and bought me my first Star Wars action figure with the that being R2D2, that’s where the obsession began!!
A video fit to make a grown man cry. Thank you. I don't remember my exact first toy, but the best story is the lot of He-Man figures, including Castle Grayskull, that I got when the neighbor boy was throwing them away. The only survivors are Prince Adam and Battle Armor He-Man.
The first toy I remember was the Billy Blastoff by Eldon around 1969, then shortly thereafter I got the GI Joe Space Capsule set. However my childhood favorites were Evel Knievel and Six Million Dollar Man ranges.
Hehe, that first Fisher Price toy octopus must have really got around! He was also one of my first bath-time toys, but he came with the treasure chest and also a deep sea diver (both of which I'm lucky enough to still own among my collection!).
To each their own, I myself only keep figures in the box. Unless....They are BAF figures, then I try to case them. I love the artwork, the ability to see the figs via the window on the package and knowing it will keep its value when I pass and leave to my boys or their children.
I remember having a Sesame Street Playset with figures, a Mego Spidey and using the broken figure topper of a trophey as Iceman and the Mego General Lee.
Born in 1965 My brother and i had all the EK toys and GI joe toys And we torcherd them! Set EK on fire and jumped him into the pool. Strech armstron.super toe. The og Joes with kung fu grip and hair! Lost on a fire!😡😭
My first toy I can remember I’m pretty sure was a six million dollar man and some adventure people. Had hours and hours of fun with those toys. Your videos bring back so many childhood memories and all the fun I had as a kid. Thank you!
I don’t remember my first toy, but I was 4 when Star Wars came out and my parents got me the first figures from the store (not the early bird series unfortunately). I still have them to this day and I’ve displayed them in my home.
My actual first toy was Hot Wheels and/or Matchbox. My first best toy was the Transformer: Tracks! He was the most bad ass toy ever until I saved my own money when I was 12 and bought the Cobra Night Raven! This is such a fun, nostalgic episode. I’m so glad you did this!
I played with my older brother's hand-me-downs such as Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, which I have a soft spot for. There were other smaller transformers too, like a little black jet. Also He-Man and skeletor, gi joes, and MASK. TMNT was mine and mine alone though as they outgrew toys. I got the og turtles, shredder, Casey Jones, splinter, bebop, rock steady, and even April O'Neil. Then I moved on to power rangers. But I only got the thunder dragon zord, white tiger zord, then the ninja zords from the movie. Sprinkle in some toybiz spiderman figs, star wars POTF, GI Joe, and my last toy I remember was probably ninjor in 5th grade. I got out of mmpr probably just before they introduced the shogun zords and they went with that alien rangers crap. What got me back into collecting toys? Mattel DCUC Deathstroke and Nightwing.
At 47 I'm in the same demographic as you Tony, so here goes. First Action Man: Emergency Fire Fighter. First Star Wars Figure: TIE Fighter Pilot. First TransFormer: Hound. First Marvel Toy: Zip line no-points-of-articulation Spider-Man. Action Force: British Commando. He-Man: Ram Man. Plenty of others I can't remembe the first.
To cover the other lines I collected: My first "big boy" Lego was one of the Fright Knights sets from 1997, first Marvel figure was a ToyBiz Cyclops, first Pokemon toy was a Pikachu stuffed animal from 1998, my first Jakks WWF figure was Undertaker, first WCW was a Galoob Ric Flair, first DC was I think Mr. Freeze from Batman and Robin, and last but not least my first Star Wars was a PotF 2 Luke Skywalker. For the other boilerplate vintage toys like MotU and GI Joe I honestly didn't get into those until college. I watched the MotU 2002 reboot as a kid but didn't see any of the toys, and GI Joe was wrapping up ARAH when I was a baby and too young for that. A lot of early childhood toys were flea market finds that might have included some MotU (I have my childhood Dragstor from the She-Ra line)
My earliest toy was the FP farm. I just got rid of the barn and replaced it with a better one for my son. He still has the original silo, some of the animals and figures.
I remember having the CHIPS figures and motorcycles. I think they were O ring figures. I also had a Dukes of Hazzard General Lee, where the roof had an opening to put in the Luke and Bo figures.
I'm guessing we're the same vintage. Fisher Price adventure people parachutist was my first action figure - much-loved and still have it, though obviously with a serious case of wobble-head-droop! Then Action Man Mountain & Arctic (followed by so much Action Man). My first Action Force was the Orange Scuba Diver as well - I became obsessed with Action Force (Star Wars to a lesser extent) - especially the SAS line, in the wake of the Iranian Embassy siege. SAS Boat Patrol was a particular favourite. That said, the Z Force Battle Tank was probably my favourite vehicle. My favourite figure was definitely Firefly (with the green SMG) - I rechristened him "Moonshadow", had a whole imagined backstory for him - he became the lynchpin of many heroic sorties. My younger brother had Transformers, A-Team and M.A.S.K - they never grabbed me as much. Been a while since I've dipped back into your channel - a great walk down memory lane Tony - thanks for all the hard work!
Such a great video Tony. It’s funny to see how similar our early toys were. Absolutely obsessed with Action Man when I was a kid. We had a really cool shop in our local town that was homeware downstairs but upstairs was this amazing toy shop. The whole back of the toy part was ActionMan and I have such fond memories of it. I had so much Action Man stuff as a kid. Again much like you I had one favourite Action Man. I found him some years ago now at my parents, in my old toy box, fixed him up and it kickstarted me collecting them again. I always remember being bought the helicopter pilot in the blue outfit. It would have been early 80s so blue pants eagle eye period. I just love Action Man as it brings back so many memories of my childhood which was a good happy one. Had Action Force and Star Wars. Had the complete A team set which I loved. Unfortunately I have sold a lot of my ActionMan boxed stuff which I do really regret but needs must at the times. Had the same Evil Keneval which was just great. I love the channel and the Action Man story film you produced a while ago. I do have a boxed Space Ranger Captain in the correct box also. Such great memories thank you 😊
I’m older than most of your subscribers so many might not recognize this toy- a wind up Mr. Robot by the Ideal Toy Company. I was probably 3 when I got it and I remember being fascinated by the internal gears that made up his body. The gears would move when you turned the key. The next toy that captured my imagination was also by Ideal-Captain Action. My brother, who is 5 years older than I, got G.I. Joe Action Soldier and I got Captain Action and his Batman and Superman costumes. Eventually, my parents tired of spending money on 2 separate lines and bought me my first G. I. Joe Action Soldier when I was 4. My brother wouldn’t let Captain Action use any G.I. Joe equipment so he and I wouldn’t play with those figures together(unless Joe was beating up Cap). When I got my Action Soldier, my brother had to share the guns and uniforms, so we played together a lot more, and thus began my lifelong infatuation with G.I. Joe. I eventually got all of his Joes and equipment when he outgrew toys and discovered girls. Good times!!!
I have no idea what the first toy was as a child. Moments birthdays getting certain toys. My first toy as an adult collector gifted from my wife. But I’m amazed so many people have great memories.
It has to be the Mego superhero figures. I do remember my father gave me the Batman figure with the removable mask. Great video Tony, those were the days indeed. 😊
Great video sir. My first Action figure that I can remember is Ponch from C.H.I.P.s. I still have him. then a 12” Joe with 5POA. After seeing your Action Man figure I wondered if he was a real Joe. Luke Skywalker was next. Then either Flash or Snake-eyes. I was at the K-B store in the Augusta Mall Christmas shopping when I asked my mom for the A-team. She got me all four of the six inch figures. Love u mom. The last toy I ever got was the flag. I couldn’t believe it. We were moving to TX within the year so I didn’t think i would get one. I just wanted a new skateboard. She was probably thinking I won’t get hurt on it. I barely played with it the nine months I had it set up. I still have it though. Thanks Tony. Have a good day sir.
I can't remember the specific figure but my first actual toy was a rocking horse then in no particular order I can remember (all early to mid 80s) , the E Knievel Stunt Cycle, an Eagle Eyes Action Man, Action Force Z Force Sergeant, Hoth Luke Skywalker and He-Man himself (original version). After that MOTU, SW and Action Force became my focus, getting the Z Force Scout, the Black Major and Darth Vader over the next couple of years, then Galoob A Team 4 figures for xmas 1984...all bundled up with memories of our old house that we moved out of in 1985.
That's easy. The first toy I remember getting was R2-D2 with the sensor scope, and princess Leia in her bounty hunter outfit. It's why I collect old star wars figures today!
What was your first toy or action figure?
Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker was my first official one when it came to action figures. Prior to that, I mainly got hand me down action figures from my brothers.
Being from the UK and being of a similar age to yourself (I was born in 78) you've pretty much covered my first toy memories, particularly Adventure people and Action Man, mostly hand me downs from my older brother. Those are what pop in to my head when I think back to very early childhood. Scalelectrix was also a big one in our house.
Great content as always Mr Roberts and a really beautiful touch adding in those old home movies! Thanks for sharing.
My first Star Wars figures were 2 stormtroopers brought on a Saturday afternoon in august 81 in John Menzies Clydebank shopping centre
Kenner Boba Fett or Super Powers Superman, I can’t remember which one I had first.
My first toy was a Shogun Warriors Dragon figure. I think it was about 4 or 5 inches, fully diecast metal and had a spring loaded fist and axe. My first Star Wars figure was the Death Squad Commander. My grandmother gave it to me as a gift when she first immigrated over from the Philippines to help overcome my shyness in meeting her for the first time. I still have it to this day and it's still my favorite figure and I even kept it in my coat pocket for her funeral five years ago.
It isn't my first toy, but it is my most cherished toy. When I was very young, my dad was a traveling musician. He'd be away for months at a time, but it was his job. When I was two years old, I can remember being woken up in the middle of the night. Dad had come home so I was happy to see him. He took me to the front door, and told me to open it. On the front porch, in the dark, was a little green Hess truck with its headlights turned on. I played with that truck all throughout my entire childhood with every action figure I owned. It's been broken in half several times, the doors are missing, and the windshield is broken, but I never let go of it. I'm 44 years old, and the majority of my old toys have been lost to time, moves, and yard sales. But that little Hess truck is still with me. When it was gifted to me is one of my oldest, and strongest memories of my childhood, and I will hang onto it til the day I die.
My clearest memory is of the 1975 Lego Police Headquarters. I got it when I was 4 years old on the day my younger brother was born in 1977. This is the era of the earliest minifigs - before they had articulated arms and legs and face printing. My parents later said it was the best thing they ever did, because I became lost in that set and would play quietly with it for hours!
Dude I had that too. I was 11 but man was that cool! Best toy ever!
I had received it from my grand parents ifor christmas 1976 had lots of fun I recently half rebuilt it
(Still searching in my boxes for the bricks to complete de vehicles)
I could write essays on this, but getting the boulder hill gas station (the box was in french) for Christmas and running to my best friends house, at like 10am on Christmas day, to scream I had Boulder Hill in his face, to discover he also had Boulder Hill and our mams have taken the train to France for the day to buy them and then came home the same day (and I live near Scotland), is something I will never forget! I only have one gas pump left from it in my collection, but I will never part with it.
I’m 52 years old and I remember having the Adventure People Helicopter and Sub. What a flood of memories came with this amazing video. Thank you Tony.
I became a Doctor Who fan in 2006, as a 6 year-old, and at some point in that year, my aunt and nan gifted me with a set of figures: A 10th Doctor with K.9, Rose with Cassandra’s Spider-Drones, and a single-carded Cyberman; don’t know if I own all of them, now, but I still have my original Cyberman as, due to a childhood habit, his handle bars are flattened and his face has a distinct black/ashened face adorning its original silver. I still have him on a shelf, proudly, along with a couple other Doctor Who stuff.
My first Transformer was Soundwave, and I've been low-grade obsessed with him ever since. My granddad got him for me, so every time I get something Soundwave-related, I still feel a piece of him.
SW - Stormtrooper
PSH - Superman
Action Man - British Soldier
Action Force - SAS key figure & German Stormtrooper together
AP - stunt man w/ parachute
Mego WGH - I had three together Batman, Robin and Spiderman
I remember loads of days and moments when I received figures, like my mum coming home with a Starroid Raider when she'd returned from the shops, or when I'd had a tetanus shot and was treated to Darth Vader. In a lot of my childhood photos I can be found with an action figure.
My first EVER toy wasn't even a toy, it was a pencil topper from Sesame Street- Ernie playing a violin. I cut a small piece of cloth and tied it around his neck for a cape, and put a toy wheel and axle around his waist with a rubber band for his sword. He was my hero toy, I ran around and flew him around the house. I was also a sickly kid who was always being hospitalized so my ma would always get me a small toy to cheer me up. She got me those Takara transforming watches thst turned to a robot, racecar and fighter jet. My first matchbox was from my aunt who worked in Japan, and she also got me my first Super Robot: Xabungle! As for other firsts:
First transformer- a Takara transforming ballpen that had a pencil sharpener in his chest and a sword letter opener.
First Autobot- Tailgate
First Decepticon- Shrapnel
First GI-Joe- Cobra Technoviper
As a child in the 70s, I was almost exclusively into Fisher-Price Little People until Barbie and similar dolls took over completely. But I loved the Little People sets, they were the ones with the peg-shaped figures with no arms or legs. I had the castle, the town, the airport, the Sesame Street and playground sets, and a few other random bits and pieces. I always wanted the suburban house, the farm, and a few others, but at some point I discovered Barbies and hair play and sewing, and it was bye-bye Little People. I wish I still had my childhood examples, but I don't.
Little people were fun to play with the farm, the garage, airport I had countless hours of fun with those toys
My first Transformer was Bumblebee. MOTU was He-Man. GI Joe was Torpedo. MASK was Gator. Silver Hawks was Bluegrass. And I loved them so much I still have them. Plus the Super Hero characters. Oh, and Wheeled Warriors was Armed Force. Sorry this was so long
First joe that I remember getting was firefly and spirit. Miss toys r us. Not sure about transformers. I do remember getting greyskull and heman, skeletor, man at arms and the beastman for Xmas. Wow great memories.
Out of all the toy lines that made up my childhood (he-man, Star Wars, and GI Joe being the big 3). No toy ever replaced Castle Greyskull and the original 6 he man figures which I got for Christmas, he-man, Tela, Man at arms, Skeletor, Beast man, and Mer Man. They traveled with us on so many family trips.
I remember one trip I was told I couldn’t bring the castle because we were going to be flying and I could only bring my suitcase and a few figures to play with on the plane. So later that night I removed the clothes that my mom had packed in my suitcase and put the castle in their place. No one knew until the 1st night of our trip when they saw me setting it up. It was a 7 day trip and all I had to wear were the clothes on my back. My parents weren’t too happy with me and having to buy me a change of clothes so I could at least alternate them during the trip! Good thing there was a washer and dryer where we were staying.
Thanks so much Tony, I loved that Fischer Price set as a child, I totally remember playing with it in the bath tub, bath time or not, with the diver battling with the octopus 🐙. Must be one of my earliest toy memories.
Thanks for sharing yours Tony. For me my first memory of a toy was a teddy bear I had as a small child. After that it was Matchbox die cast (Superfast, Superkings and Battle Kings) then FP Adventure People. I can recall having the Firestar 1 ship. 1978 was my introduction to Action Man which was a whole different world altogether...cheers!
One of my earliest toys and the one i can say i played with the longest are Blue Bird's Zero Hour toy soldiers. Years ago a container filled with these stranded on Terschelling (an island in the north of The Netherlands). So these were for years available everywhere on that island. That's how I got mine. I used to play with these for yeaaaaaaaaaaars. These were my go to toy soldiers. I also used to hunt down dinosaur toys that scale well with these little troopers, they were always fighting against monsters, wild animals and dinosaurs. I still have a bunch in a small box somewhere. I can never get rid of my favourite childhood toy.
I remember " the big big train with the out door track " as the tv ad called it . This was huge ( to a kid ) set . One unique ( to a this kid ) feature was a track attachment which could put the train in reverse . The tv ad showed the train reversing befor going into a swim pool . I had no pool , but i had lots of Match box cars and a Better Builder block set ....lol
What an awesome video and trip down that Memory Lane. My first figure was the Marxx Toys Cowboy and Thunderbolt the horse, in about 1973. I loved him SO much that my dad then bought me an Action Man Basic Soldier... and that was me hooked. I was an AM child through and through.
Oh and for anyone wondering, that photo of me is in the FA Referee Woodland Camouflage kit haha!!
Aside from that first bath toy, Action Force and Slag, I honestly had all these same toys. It's all a jumbled mess in my head in terms of what order I got things in and I've found photos online of toddler toys i remember having. In terms of them just feeling like old figures, Tonto from The Lone Ranger, Spider-Man and space Action Man were probably my earliest. I went through most of the toylines through the years, but He-Man, Transformers and Star Wars were the big ones for me. And like you, my childhood toy enjoyment came to an end around age 13. Luckily (or councidentally) all the great 80s toylines all either ended or went downhill around that same point in the early 90s and I don't think it ever recovered. The 80s was the start and end of incredible children's toylines.
My first GI Joe was a carded Crazy Legs. I got it from a white elephant that was done at my elementary school. It was one of two Joe's that I ever owned. I never stopped talking about it throughout my life and was blessed three years ago when to my surprise my oldest son bought me a complete Crazy Legs for Christmas.
I was born in Ecuador and I remember the first toy I bought with my own money (which I’ve been saving from birthday gifts from my grandparents and uncles) was the Ecto 1 from the real ghostbusters! The cartoon didn’t come out yet but the toys arrived first . I was very proud to be the first one from the block to have it ! The action figures I got way later, and I never had the firehouse till later when I became a grown man and moved to Canada where I currently live ❤
I have learnt a lot about 80s toys from you, but I'm a 90s baby.
The first toys I remember having were Buzz and Woody, the larger toys with voice boxes and lights. Also, I was obsessed with Captain Hook, so I had a lot of Peter Pan figures.
Since I was a baby my family played Crash Bandicoot and I was in love with it (and clearly still am) so the first figure in remember absolutely adoring was a cheap Crash Bandicoot cereal figure from 2001 when I was about 5 years old. My brother adored Sonic The Hedgehog, and so he had a lot of bendable Sonic figures that were released in 2000.
My father introduced me to Star Wars when ESB was shown on TV one evening, and after that, I started to get the 90s Kenner figures and then the prequel figures.
Pirates of the Caribbean came out, I got those.
The Doctor Who reboot came out in 2005, and so my collection of Daleks and aliens exploded...
I forgot to mention, my brother was my twin... which meant completing a collection was very easy because we'd both play together and strategically plan out which characters we'd ask for for Christmas!
However, we also received doubles of a lot of the larger figures.
For my generation, too, plush toys were a hugely popular thing, so around 2005/6 we had a lot of Sonic and Crash Bandicoot plushes that we'd won in arcades. Good memories.
My first proper action figure and figure line I started collecting was the ReSaurus Crash Bandicoot figure line when I was a young teenager, receiving my first one in 2010.
My childhood buddy has been an officer of a toy company for several years and he just gifted me a box of clean, minty versions of the toys we played with. I mean, who does that...and b) I never realized how much of my emotions/nostalgia are attached to the OG original toys. Holding a G1 Optimus or a CyKill GoBot just feels right. Don't get me started on the feeling of unboxing these things 40+ years later.
Some of the firsts I can remember:...I grew up with my big brothers 60s Joes, and the first big thing I remember being able to pick out for myself was the Big Trapper and seeing that big box up on the top shelf of the store.
My brother and me didn't know what Star Wars was yet and we were each given a figure before going to the movie. They gave me R2-D2 and him Chewbacca.
First ARAH Joes I got were Grand Slam w/ HAL and Hawk with MMS, they didn't have the VAMP, my brother got the Mobat though.
First MOTU was He-Man w/ Battle Cat and Skeletor
Those are the big ones that stand out to me.
Cheers!
I’m a tad older than you Tony but the first toy I remember was Waddingtons Table Soccer. My 1970’s childhood was furnished with Action Man, Subbuteo, Airfix soldiers, Evel Knievel and Six Million Dollar Man but when it came to Star Wars figures in 1978 I opted for Blondie and Sex Pistols records as I thought I was too old at 12-years of age for the Palitoy Star Wars figures. Started collecting vintage Star Wars and Action Man for 45-years of age 😅 keep up your great content! 👌
My first action figure was a removable mask Mego Batman. It was 1974, and I was seven years old. I had plenty of great toys prior to that, including the classics like green army men, Lincoln Logs, and Legos, but that Mego Batman was life changing.
Don't remember my first toy but I remember having Action Man everywhere because of my older brother. Once I was old enough I got my own. I still remember one Christmas morning getting the Action Man Adventurer. I also remember my Grandma and Grandad coming round Xmas day and me and my brother both got the Turbo Copter back pack from them. my Grandad passed away the following year before I turned 4, I only have a few memories of him but I always remember that final Xmas and him watching us play with our Action Man and the Turbo Copters.
Probably the Toybiz 1989 Batman with bat rope belt was the first true action figure I remember owning. Up until that point I was definitely more interested in hot wheels and matchbox cars. But that Batman went everywhere with me. Great video, Tony! This really brought back some good memories of my earliest childhood toy experiences.
Thank you for sharing your memories with us! You are lucky to have those memories captured on film! My first toys were tonka trucks. Mainly the tonka truck tow truck with the three 'A's on the door. I still have it. Take care.
Thanks Tony, that was great. Ok, two here. First, my first toy that I remember playing with A LOT was Major Matt Mason. I was 7 and I had a white Major Matt Mason, the two-level Moon Station with flashing beacon, Moon Buggy, Moon Crawler and Rocket Pack. My best friend next door had a Red MMM and we had endless hours (and I do mean endless) playing with them. Second; Most of my toys were diecast - cars, planes mostly (Gerry Anderson of course) and I had all the good ones. My Grandad and Nanny visited us in Canada from the UK in 1974 (I was 10) and he brought me a Dinky Toy Street Cleaner. I played with that a bunch and has vast amounts of sentimental value. I still have it and it reminds me of my Grandad and those carefree tears….
Haha.. mine.. 1974 Adventure Series Dare Devil Plane... Diecast was '75 1:64 Kojak (best cop show ever)... Star Wars Han then Chewie the next day...lol... Gijoe was Snake Eyes. Mate, this was an awesome run down memory lane. Thank you! 😁👍
Great episode ! This really brings me back. I remember one of my family members getting me the Death Star. I was born in 73 and I was probably 4 o5 years old and I really didn't understand the toy. It was the popular toy, yet I didn't know it was popular. I do remember seeing Star Wars for the first time when it came on the cable company called HBO.
Awesome! Fisher-Price Adventure People Safari set was my "first". 😊
Wooden Trains, Fisher Price Adventure People (Green Dirt Bike with a guy in a tan and white suit), or maybe He-Man. These three stand out from what I can recall.
Now, I 100% know that my first and second Transformers toys were Sidewipe and Hound. Both were birthday gifts. One from my mom, one from my babysitter. I also vividly recall getting my first Lego castle set for another birthday. The Lego Knight's Castle, which sparked my lifetime loyalty to the Black Falcons faction.
He-man. I was living in Thailand at the time and loved the MOTU show. One day at the local mall, Robinson's I think.. I saw it, He-man in the Japanese box. I excitedly called it to my mom's attention, and she bought it for me. Unfortunately that figure is lost to time... but I'd never forget him.
Born in 1972. My first toy i remember was 8 inch mego Batman. First SW was Luke Skywalker. Corgi Return of the Saint Jaguar XJS. Action man eagle eyes followed by a talking commander. First action force was british paratrooper with SLR rifle. Random unique toy was Steve Goalgetter with licensed umbro arsenal kit, admiral Leeds United kit and umbro Celtic kit. The Steve Goalgetter in Arsenal kit was my favourite alongside Subbuteo. Last toy Subbuteo that ive played into adulthood.
Awesome video. The first toys I can remember playing with was Six Million Dollar Man and Evel Knievel. My first Star Wars figure was Luke X-WIng Pilot and first GI Joe was Rock and Roll V1.
I find it ironic how much we had in common during childhood. 😃
One of my first and favorite toys was a Big Wheels tricycle themed after the "CHiPs" TV show (which I also watched). And I remember riding that thing HARD. I would start at the top of the driveway, accelerate downward, then just as I reached the bottom I would make a sharp right turn and thunder down the sidewalk. After about 100M I would turn around, head home, and start the process all over again. The turn and sudden acceleration was the real fun part.
And like you I also had Megatron as my first Transformer. I remember bringing him to Show & Tell at school and the teacher confiscated him because she didn't like that it looked so realistic as a gun. Personally, I became hooked on Transformers and still collect them to this day.
My first action figure was Evel Knievel. Got the figure and the motorcycle on Christmas of 1973. Three months later for my birthday, I received my first Mego superheroes: Superman, Batman and Robin, plus the batmobile. For years afterwards Evel and those heroes fought crime together...and Batman and Evel had plenty of races in their vehicles. Great memories.
Thanks for sharing this video with us Tony! I can hear in your voice that reliving some of these moments in your life were a little emotional for you. But you managed to Soldier on, no pun intended! As for me, I cannot remember my first toy ever... I did not grow up in a rich family, so getting gifts was usually reserved for special occasions... When I was about 5 (Maybe) my Dad came home from work late one night and brought home a gift for me... It was a Kenner Luke Skywalker action figure from STAR WARS... For context, that movie was a HUGE deal in my house! My Mom and I were obsessed with it! My Dad just kind of played along and my sister was too little to care.... But that Luke figure and I went on all kinds of adventures! I eventually got the Landspeeder, R2-D2, C3PO, and a Ben Kenobi... All of which disappeared from my life, but not my memories! Thanks again for sharing this video Tony, and Happy New Year!
I remember back when I was five. My mom somehow got a huge MOTU collection for really cheap. It also included Castle Greyskull.
Thank you for sharing 👌.
Love your videos 👍👍
So cool that you found your original Action Man!
We are kindred spirits Tony! Some of my first toys were the Adventure People with the helicopter and submarine set and they were must haves during bath time 😅 I didn't collect Transformers but the only one I had was the MegaTron gun the Walter P 38 style. I still have my Star Wars vintage toys. Michael from Retroblasting started me down a rabbit hole of fixing and restoring and completing my Kenner Star Wars vintage collection 😅 I've got like two figures left and a couple of ships/vehicles left to complete. I had to cheat a little on getting repros for some of the cardboard backdrop playsets. I really luv your content Tony along with Michael, Scuba Pete. I really wish you guys were my friends growing up 😢 Keep up the great work! 😊
One of the first 'cool' toys I remember getting was the Action Man Jeep. Strangely, I seem to have a clearer memory of getting this than getting any action man figures that early on (must have been around 1979/80). I think my Grandad gave me the jeep, so I have a close association of him whenever I think back to it! Also remember loving the SAS action force line so much that I took the Panther and Wolverine on holiday with me to Mallorca in 1984! And everything came back, rockets and steering wheel included! LOL
I was born in 1975. I have some memories: 1) not sure about the age, but I was operated at one finger that was stuck toward the centre of my hand, and my parents gave me a red hotwheels van, it could be the one with the flames, I couldn't move my eyes away from it; 2) I then developed an actual interest in toys - rather than taking whatever happened to arrive from my parents by surprise - and focused on "living" things (not cars or trains or "dead" robots), and I remember having two of the chinasaurs from the "dungeons dinosaur packet", the one that is accordion shaped/flat mouth and that was called "the first", referring to the fact that it was considered my first toy even at that age, and then the one that looks like a dog, long ears and with a thorn on its upper lip, which was the second in command after "the first", as they basically ruled over all newer toys in virtue of their age; by the age of 5 I then started with the micronaut aliens, and around the same time I also remember the mego superman, batman and desperately looking for spiderman but my mom bought me the damn Hulk instead because to her "it was a toy anyway". So disappointed. About same age I also remember a few evil characters from Big Jim (in all series, I was basically interested in the evil side only, far more exciting), especially the awesome Captain Drake. Again, I always desperately wanted Prof Obb, the classic model, impossible to find, but I managed to buy it a few years ago :D Then the MOTU arrived, a new era, and most of my interest moved to those and anything similar to those.
My first action man was a generic soldier , back before eagle eyes when the hands were still glued on . He was the only blonde action man I ever had and he lost a hand within a couple of years . I also got the escape from Colditz , medic and red uniformed parachute outfits at the same time . I was probably 5 or 6 . Before that I remember getting some Papo knights and soldiers that used to come in packaging like Airfix kits . They may well have been made by Airfix .
My first toy was a Mosura (Mothra) plush toy with 2 twin dolls. My husband still has his first toy
he owns a vintage Stalker Gi Joe figure brought by his father on his 4th birthday. His father told me he brought it at the Misawa AFB BX in 1984
2 of my 1st were Gobots. I got the red car for my 3rd birthday and have confirmed it because my parents saved all my birthday card and would write in them what I got. Also for Star Wars my brother got Lando's copilot from ROTJ. Only star wars figure we got new. I don't remember his getting it but remember him selling it at a flea market. As kids, we'd sell our old toys to get new ones, but that was one of the last childhood toys we sold. I brought my brother's toys when he moved out and still have our remaining toys.
First figures I could remember playing with were the Batman and Robin 12 inch figures with the magnetic hands. I think the figures were from Mego. I can’t remember the year, maybe late 70s, early 80s.
The first toy that really hooked me was the Rock-n-roll action figure, straight arm, with the M60. I thought he was the coolest action figure and remember bringing him everywhere (along with the Cobra infantry figure).
Last figure I remember playing with was the Cobra Hydro-viper. Thought it was kind of cool with the webbed hand and mask but I also remember not being too interested in it and remember that figure as being my last one before moving on.
I can remember opening my first Star Wars figure, the Death Star Droid, very vividly. My visual memory of the card back, the figure and can even remember where I was sitting on the living room carpet when my folks gave it to me. Must have been 1980. I received a second figure as well but cannot remember what the second one was. I remember getting the CHiPs helicopter for Christmas. And my first He-Man was Prince Adam. My brother & I each received Prince Adam first, at the same time. Because of this Prince Adam is still my favorite! Before all this was a Fisher Price orange airplane with pilot. Thank you for this awesome video!
First toy I can remember as a nipper was a Weeble fire engine and driver - probably around the age of 3? My first Star Wars figure five years later though was Threepio, and that went with me pretty much everywhere!
My brother still has his Evel Knievel figure and stunt cycle and that die cast Batmobile and the Bat Boat in the original packages. He was extremely careful with his toys. He was born in 65.
this was a blast! my 1st favorite toy was Pegasus and Perseus from 1981-
First were probably some Adventure People in the late 70s. Last were definitely Tomax & Xamot and Zarana from Poundstretcher in 1988. I'd already started high school and grown out of toys by that point but couldn't resist them.
The first toy I can remember playing with was my Mego Spider-Man. Unlike you though, that figure holds a special place in my heart as he was one of my favorites even though I eventually had a lot of the other Megos.
My first Transformer was Soundwave and I LOVED him. The minibots that became tapes that he had in his chest was such a neat gimmick.
The last action figure I ever got was Snake Eyes from the Ninja Force line in either 93 or 94. As G.I. Joe was winding down, so was my childhood and my ability to actually play with toys. I remember when I just couldn't do it anymore. Bittersweet that was.
Happy new year with health for all of your family ,Tony!
I had that Batman trike! I wore a towel as a cape and pushed myself up and down the driveway 😊
I know I had some Playmobil figures when I was really young, but Skeletor was my first MOTU figure. Slithe was my first Thundercats figure which I actually saw in a store before the show was even out yet, or I probably wouldn't have picked him. Dr. Mindbender was my first GI Joe figure in 1986.
Oh yaaaa. Never forget. Some of my firsts: 12” Vader, Playmobil Indian & Horse, Stomper 4x4, Battlestar Galactica Cylon, Evil Knievel Stunt Cycle, Dukes of Hazard 3.75, Hot Wheels/Matchbox, Etc. But my earliest toy memory is Shogun Warrior.
Evel Kneivel (spelling?) was definitely still a thing in the 80s. I got something similar to yours in 1984 or so for Christmas. It still had a zip drive & made sparks, but didn't have the "tower." I remember it weighing a chunk too. It was awesome!
My brother had that F/P set with the octopus. He also had the boat. He never got a landspeeder, so that was his substitute. F/P had some pretty cool sets.
Hey Tony👋what a great episode mate👌👍…. I love hearing these stories!!
It’s difficult going back far enough to remember my first toys, but my first real memories were of a time when my family were living in my great-grandparents house, whilst my grandad extended and modernised our family home…. 81-82’ish, So I’ll start there😀
I was a huge fan of the dukes of Hazzard and one of my favourite toys was the General Lee Wrist Racer!!!… this was fantastic, my mate had the sherif car… such a great toy and the first thing I bought, when getting into vintage toy collecting.
Like you with the chips bike, I do remember riding around on a blue BMW trike (I’m not sure it was a police bike… I need to have a look at some photos).
On the Dukes of Hazzard theme, I also remember receiving a steering game called (Trap&Race or something like that) for my birthday one year.
On TV I also used to love Tarzan and Lone Ranger…. I do remember running round the house in my keggs with a butter knife down my shorts, playing Tarzan😀or jumping on the back of the sofa as the Lone Ranger… not toys, but still a great memory😀…. We would always watch the Hulk, however I was terrified of the transformation scenes (hide behind the sofa terrified🥲).
The Corgi sets were amazing and remember a few of those. I also remember having a Radio controlled logger (truck)… this seemed massive, but rarely had batteries in it, so would often just play with the trailer part.
A Hornby train set, was something my grandad bought for me when I was born… (certainly don’t remember that😂), however I do remember playing with that set quite a lot, it had a bridge and everything. Train sets are underrated by toy collectors (inc. me), as we all had one. I also remember my only action man too…. Eagle eyes, with a beret, I kept losing the badge and granda took it back to Asda twice, said it was missing😂
I remember getting the dukes of Hazzard jump set and Knight rider stunt set when we moved back into my grandparents house 83’ish….it was around this time when I was big into Knight Rider and the A-Team, like yourself I had these figures and lucky to have them in both scales too!!
I also had an A-team command chopper…. That was a awesome toy!!
‘83 was my Star Wars Christmas too… I got an X-Wing, AT-ST a Tie Fighter and Sarlaacs pit game. My grandad was pretty annoyed that this didn’t come with action figures as the girl in the shop advertised😀 I still have this!!
Despite enjoying Star Wars it wasn’t my favourite film… I was always a Reeves Superman guy.
But the game changer for me was when my mam took me to a newsagents in town and I saw a He-Man & Battlecat 2pk on the shelf🤯 and your right this does feel like it was before the cartoon (despite it airing in the UK before the US).
I remember my mam getting me this 2pk & Skeletor for my birthday (83-84’?).
I do remember wanting a Grayskull but wanting a Steve Davis Pot Black Snooker table for Xmas even more in ‘85 , I don’t know if you remember but the Uk were going snooker loopy and I loved snooker and loved Steve Davis😀). Mine was a 4ft table with red plastic pockets👍.
I dabbled with Transformers…but more because my mates had them. I did love the cartoon, but wasn’t 100% convinced. My first Transformer was Ramjet. I did like the Go-Bots more tbh😀 I had a Cy-Kill.
By ‘86 I was a big fan of transformers, I loved the movie and was an even bigger fan of M.A.S.K. which was right up my street and for my birthday in ‘86 (I think), I got Switchblade😮, this was epic, for Xmas that year I got Rhino, Thunderhawk and Ultra Magnus….from my nan and grandad.
My mam bought me Metroplex, HotRod and also got me an Ultra Magnus😀…so lucky!🤯
In ‘87(I think) I was big into vhs videos, as this was the year grandad bought our first… video player, A Sony 4Head something…something😀 Stallone was my hero (still is), Rambo first blood part II and Rocky IV were my first rentals🤯
So Action Force was an easy transition, I do remember having a vehicle or two but have no clue what they were…. I did have a few figures and annual too. I was a huge fan of the ‘87 movie.
In the years after this I got a BMX bike and a Spectrum +3 computer and that was the start of growing up…. Luckily for me I have a brother that is nearly 8 years younger than me (he was born in ‘86), so through him, I was able to stretch out toy play through Thundercats and Hero Turtles….. in the early 90’s we were both big into wrestling and played with them into my teens (being a good brother😂).
These were the last toys I played with, until I have my own son in 2001 and got him a bunch of 200x He-man for his first birthday…..and as you know it all went round again😀
I started collecting vintage in 2015 and am still looking for some of that magic from the 80’s😀…. I never did get micro machines, as I was told I was too old at this time, maybe get some in ‘24😂
Loved this Tony, cheers man👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
It was a Prince Adam figure. My mom says that I only ever wanted books until I went to a friends house and he had some figures. After that I wanted a Prince Adam (because my name is Adam) and after I got him I wanted all of the MotU characters. I also remember my first Ninja Turtle was Leonardo.
One of my best early toy memories is my dad promising me a battle cat if I could spell a series of words he had picked out. I was around 4 at the time and I was so proud to have earned that battle cat. Later on I learned that my dad knew I could spell the words so it was less a bet and more a confidence booster for 4 y.o. me.
I clearly remember a color rattle. I was in my crib and I remember trying to bite it without teeth. My first official chosen toy was a duck that I pulled with a string and it wables and quacks. Then I started loving playing with little green army men and legos. That finally led to Japanese anime robots such as Voltes V and Mazinger Z. Today, I’m a toy collector because of them.
My favorite childhood line was the corps! By Lanard. My and my brothers would always have them in our hands, and would sometimes “sell” them to each other with quarters we saved up. (On some mornings we would have mini garage sales across from each other and that’s how the trading would happen)
This was a fantastic video, for me born in 1970, my first toys were stuff like Action Man 12-inch adventurer and the modern British Para outfit! Corgi Batmobile, Dinky Space 1999 Eagle, Dinky Thunderbirds 2, Dinky Chieftain Tank, Airfix soldiers, Palitoy Star Wars Han Solo that cost 99p in 78, Mattel BSG, Mego Black Hole and the Palitoy Action Force German Stormtrooper...oh the memories!
Very cool video!
I guess the first toy I can actually remember getting were several packs of Micro Machines for Christmas in 1988 or so. I also got the toolbox transforming playset then too.
The last toy thing is a good point as well. I remember getting several POTF2 figs when they first came out. I played with them for a few months before moving onto more teenage things....
My first action figure is a toss-up between the 1987 G.I. Joe Steel Brigade mail-in figure (no idea how I got him), and the 1988 TMNT Leonardo (hard head).
I had other numerous early childhood toys but it's impossible for me to sort which were the first. I rewatched that Evil Knievel Snake Mountain jump and man that's still just as entertaining as it was 3 years ago.
First toy was my Action man gripping hands realistic hair Blonde Adventurer and I loved him plus air fix solders at Christmas 1973 , I had my older brothers hand me downs like his Action man painted head lol
The Toys that made me: Kenner Stretch Monster, Kenner Bionic Bigfoot, Gi joe Intruder, Mego Hulk 8" and 12", Micronauts Biotron, Mattel Hypnos, Clash of the titans Kraken, MOTU Skeletor, Transformers Grimlock, GI Joe Zartan.
No, I do not remember my first toy. Maybe it was a rattle, but I do not know. However, the first toy I can remember is a big, red, plastic London Double-Decker bus. Despite the fact that I was a babe in arms, I recall it being my favourite. Flashes of momentary memories and nothing more. My obsession with figures came when I was about 4 years old. A trip to Woollies with my Father yielded a Box of Infantry Combat Group and a box of German Infantry. Thank you dad. This kicked-off life-long obsession with Airfix Soldiers. I never discovered the joys of Action Figures, but I appreciate seeing ardent fans of childhood memorabilia.
Back in the late 70’s my mum would participate in various market surveys, she was asked to bring me along (age about 7) to a focus group for the recently released Palitoy Star Wars action figure line. However, we were late to the meeting and unfortunately I was ineligible for the free Star Wars action figure they gave to each child, understandably I was quite upset😢 so my mum took me to the local toy shop and bought me my first Star Wars action figure with the that being R2D2, that’s where the obsession began!!
A video fit to make a grown man cry. Thank you. I don't remember my exact first toy, but the best story is the lot of He-Man figures, including Castle Grayskull, that I got when the neighbor boy was throwing them away. The only survivors are Prince Adam and Battle Armor He-Man.
Well played with is the best proof of value.
The first toy I remember was the Billy Blastoff by Eldon around 1969, then shortly thereafter I got the GI Joe Space Capsule set. However my childhood favorites were Evel Knievel and Six Million Dollar Man ranges.
Hehe, that first Fisher Price toy octopus must have really got around! He was also one of my first bath-time toys, but he came with the treasure chest and also a deep sea diver (both of which I'm lucky enough to still own among my collection!).
To each their own, I myself only keep figures in the box. Unless....They are BAF figures, then I try to case them. I love the artwork, the ability to see the figs via the window on the package and knowing it will keep its value when I pass and leave to my boys or their children.
I remember having a Sesame Street Playset with figures, a Mego Spidey and using the broken figure topper of a trophey as Iceman and the Mego General Lee.
3 3/4 Chips figures, loved those
I'll never forget 1982..Kay Bee Toy store. Smithaven Mall. I got my first MOTU figure. I chose Mer Man! Best of times!
Born in 1965
My brother and i had all the
EK toys and GI joe toys And we torcherd them!
Set EK on fire and jumped him into the pool. Strech armstron.super toe. The og Joes with kung fu grip and hair! Lost on a fire!😡😭
My first toy I can remember I’m pretty sure was a six million dollar man and some adventure people. Had hours and hours of fun with those toys. Your videos bring back so many childhood memories and all the fun I had as a kid. Thank you!
I don’t remember my first toy, but I was 4 when Star Wars came out and my parents got me the first figures from the store (not the early bird series unfortunately). I still have them to this day and I’ve displayed them in my home.
My actual first toy was Hot Wheels and/or Matchbox. My first best toy was the Transformer: Tracks! He was the most bad ass toy ever until I saved my own money when I was 12 and bought the Cobra Night Raven! This is such a fun, nostalgic episode. I’m so glad you did this!
I played with my older brother's hand-me-downs such as Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, which I have a soft spot for. There were other smaller transformers too, like a little black jet. Also He-Man and skeletor, gi joes, and MASK. TMNT was mine and mine alone though as they outgrew toys. I got the og turtles, shredder, Casey Jones, splinter, bebop, rock steady, and even April O'Neil. Then I moved on to power rangers. But I only got the thunder dragon zord, white tiger zord, then the ninja zords from the movie. Sprinkle in some toybiz spiderman figs, star wars POTF, GI Joe, and my last toy I remember was probably ninjor in 5th grade. I got out of mmpr probably just before they introduced the shogun zords and they went with that alien rangers crap. What got me back into collecting toys? Mattel DCUC Deathstroke and Nightwing.
At 47 I'm in the same demographic as you Tony, so here goes. First Action Man: Emergency Fire Fighter. First Star Wars Figure: TIE Fighter Pilot. First TransFormer: Hound. First Marvel Toy: Zip line no-points-of-articulation Spider-Man. Action Force: British Commando. He-Man: Ram Man. Plenty of others I can't remembe the first.
15:26 amazing idea :D
To cover the other lines I collected:
My first "big boy" Lego was one of the Fright Knights sets from 1997, first Marvel figure was a ToyBiz Cyclops, first Pokemon toy was a Pikachu stuffed animal from 1998, my first Jakks WWF figure was Undertaker, first WCW was a Galoob Ric Flair, first DC was I think Mr. Freeze from Batman and Robin, and last but not least my first Star Wars was a PotF 2 Luke Skywalker.
For the other boilerplate vintage toys like MotU and GI Joe I honestly didn't get into those until college. I watched the MotU 2002 reboot as a kid but didn't see any of the toys, and GI Joe was wrapping up ARAH when I was a baby and too young for that. A lot of early childhood toys were flea market finds that might have included some MotU (I have my childhood Dragstor from the She-Ra line)
My earliest toy was the FP farm. I just got rid of the barn and replaced it with a better one for my son. He still has the original silo, some of the animals and figures.
I remember having the CHIPS figures and motorcycles. I think they were O ring figures. I also had a Dukes of Hazzard General Lee, where the roof had an opening to put in the Luke and Bo figures.
I'm guessing we're the same vintage. Fisher Price adventure people parachutist was my first action figure - much-loved and still have it, though obviously with a serious case of wobble-head-droop! Then Action Man Mountain & Arctic (followed by so much Action Man). My first Action Force was the Orange Scuba Diver as well - I became obsessed with Action Force (Star Wars to a lesser extent) - especially the SAS line, in the wake of the Iranian Embassy siege. SAS Boat Patrol was a particular favourite. That said, the Z Force Battle Tank was probably my favourite vehicle. My favourite figure was definitely Firefly (with the green SMG) - I rechristened him "Moonshadow", had a whole imagined backstory for him - he became the lynchpin of many heroic sorties.
My younger brother had Transformers, A-Team and M.A.S.K - they never grabbed me as much. Been a while since I've dipped back into your channel - a great walk down memory lane Tony - thanks for all the hard work!
Such a great video Tony. It’s funny to see how similar our early toys were. Absolutely obsessed with Action Man when I was a kid. We had a really cool shop in our local town that was homeware downstairs but upstairs was this amazing toy shop. The whole back of the toy part was ActionMan and I have such fond memories of it. I had so much Action Man stuff as a kid. Again much like you I had one favourite Action Man. I found him some years ago now at my parents, in my old toy box, fixed him up and it kickstarted me collecting them again. I always remember being bought the helicopter pilot in the blue outfit. It would have been early 80s so blue pants eagle eye period. I just love Action Man as it brings back so many memories of my childhood which was a good happy one. Had Action Force and Star Wars. Had the complete A team set which I loved. Unfortunately I have sold a lot of my ActionMan boxed stuff which I do really regret but needs must at the times. Had the same Evil Keneval which was just great. I love the channel and the Action Man story film you produced a while ago. I do have a boxed Space Ranger Captain in the correct box also. Such great memories thank you 😊
I’m older than most of your subscribers so many might not recognize this toy- a wind up Mr. Robot by the Ideal Toy Company. I was probably 3 when I got it and I remember being fascinated by the internal gears that made up his body. The gears would move when you turned the key. The next toy that captured my imagination was also by Ideal-Captain Action. My brother, who is 5 years older than I, got G.I. Joe Action Soldier and I got Captain Action and his Batman and Superman costumes. Eventually, my parents tired of spending money on 2 separate lines and bought me my first G. I. Joe Action Soldier when I was 4. My brother wouldn’t let Captain Action use any G.I. Joe equipment so he and I wouldn’t play with those figures together(unless Joe was beating up Cap). When I got my Action Soldier, my brother had to share the guns and uniforms, so we played together a lot more, and thus began my lifelong infatuation with G.I. Joe. I eventually got all of his Joes and equipment when he outgrew toys and discovered girls. Good times!!!
I have no idea what the first toy was as a child. Moments birthdays getting certain toys. My first toy as an adult collector gifted from my wife. But I’m amazed so many people have great memories.
Thundercats slithe and nosediver vehicle was the first I ever remember receiving.
It has to be the Mego superhero figures. I do remember my father gave me the Batman figure with the removable mask. Great video Tony, those were the days indeed. 😊
Great video sir. My first Action figure that I can remember is Ponch from C.H.I.P.s. I still have him. then a 12” Joe with 5POA. After seeing your Action Man figure I wondered if he was a real Joe. Luke Skywalker was next. Then either Flash or Snake-eyes. I was at the K-B store in the Augusta Mall Christmas shopping when I asked my mom for the A-team. She got me all four of the six inch figures. Love u mom. The last toy I ever got was the flag. I couldn’t believe it. We were moving to TX within the year so I didn’t think i would get one. I just wanted a new skateboard. She was probably thinking I won’t get hurt on it. I barely played with it the nine months I had it set up. I still have it though. Thanks Tony. Have a good day sir.
I can't remember the specific figure but my first actual toy was a rocking horse then in no particular order I can remember (all early to mid 80s) , the E Knievel Stunt Cycle, an Eagle Eyes Action Man, Action Force Z Force Sergeant, Hoth Luke Skywalker and He-Man himself (original version). After that MOTU, SW and Action Force became my focus, getting the Z Force Scout, the Black Major and Darth Vader over the next couple of years, then Galoob A Team 4 figures for xmas 1984...all bundled up with memories of our old house that we moved out of in 1985.
First memory of favorite toy: Weeble wobbles
Very first action figure I loved: Thing from the late 70’s marvel toys
That's easy. The first toy I remember getting was R2-D2 with the sensor scope, and princess Leia in her bounty hunter outfit. It's why I collect old star wars figures today!