Action figures are targeted at boys

Action figures are largely targeted at boy clients. This is because the principle behind action figures is largely associated with masculinity. These items are basically toys but they sport a bit of a difference because they are often considered toys for adults. Therefore, even though they are toys, they may not comply in full with children’s toys requirements because the targeted customer is generally an adult. They are boyish because they mostly represent what is considered masculine traits historically and are closely associated with the public arena.

The Genesis of Action Figures

It was observed back in the day that some boys refused to play with traditional toys because, it was said, they considered them too girlish. The term came into existence after one Hasbro decided to bring on something different for the said category of boys who now lacked playthings. It was coined in 1964 to sell the G. I Joe figure to the boys. This character was by then a popular military figure created as a mental construct by the toy genius man by the name Stan Weston. It was later licensed for production by various other toy companies around the globe. This was a largely a strategic consideration to fuel the speedy popularity of action figures.

Some of the names that emerged from the Hasbro sublicensing decision include Palitoy which issued a sublicense to Tsukuda of Japan to sell Palitoy related accessories on the Japanese market. Another company that bought the rights to market these action figures was Takara, still from Japan. The typical action figures that were first prescribed by Hasbro were huge .They measures 11.5 inches. This characteristic made some manufacturers of the toy robots to cringe and soon came up with smaller versions of the earlier popular figure. This, they called micro man. Micro man was a smaller version that was cheaper and measured only about 3.5 inches tall. This idea was born by Takara during the oil crisis of the seventies.

Action Figures Became Basic Robots

This period saw the upsurge of the robot as the latest popular action figures designs for boys. Takara, being one of the maiden companies in the manufacture of action figures set the pace in the industry by producing the first robotic action figures in mid seventies. Some of the early popular ones include the Robot- man. The action figures race was first staged in the USA in 1971.Mego, being an American company dedicated resources to promoting the action figures by allowing DC Comic book superhero characters with successful sales record. These were readily acceptable as collector’s items on the American market.