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Plastic Trash: Political Figures


As the election cycle revs into full gear, I thought it’d be fun to go back and look at some of the most boring and pedantic action figures ever—political toys. For some reason, manufacturers think that toys of presidents and world leaders are “fun” and much like the proliferation of religious-themed toys, I’ve never really understood the desire to have a Richard Nixon or Abe Lincoln toy. Numerous companies have served up various versions of our commanders-in-chief and they’ve been doing it for a long time, yet for some reason it doesn’t seem to help keep these toymakers afloat. Oddly it almost seems that producing toys of old white men seem to assassinate the companies that birthed them.

Louis Marx Toy Company In the early 50’s, the Louis Marx Toy Company began producing an educational set of figurines depicting various notable individuals from history. Though technically not “action figures,” the line does have a large collector following. Marx made historical figurines of all types including generals from World War II, Queen Elizabeth and a her coronation set, and Jesus with his merry band of apostles.

When it came to current politics, Louis Marx was not only a raging Republican, but also had a friendship with then President Dwight D. Eisenhower, so it’s not surprising he started to craft political figurines. Marx even made a figurine of himself that he gave to friends and business associates (cough...“narcissist”... cough). Marx Toys produced the “Presidents of the United States” series up until the 1968 election, which also not only included major party candidates Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, but other contenders like California Governor Ronald Reagan and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The figurines came in countless incarnations including all white or hand-painted and with different backgrounds, stands, and box designs. Even today small indie companies are producing versions of modern presidents so you can actually “collect ‘em all” and have a historical accurate display. Gerald Ford missed out on his own Marx figurine, as did every president after, but various vendors on eBay are selling their own versions of these Marx-esque presidents.

Marx sold his company to Quaker Oats in 1972 (who also owned Fisher-Price at the time), but the synergy wasn’t there and Marx folded in 1978.

Remco Industries, Inc. In 1964 Remco Inc released a 5-inch toy of President Lyndon B. Johnson complete with LBJ button and cowboy hat. Again, technically not an “action figure,” the toy is actually referenced as a “dashboard replica.” Remco also made a Senator Barry T. Goldwater that same year to coincide with the 1964 election cycle. Remco filed for bankruptcy in 1971 and was acquired by the Azrak Hamway International Inc, a toy company in New York, NY in 1974. In 1997, Jakks Pacific purchased Remco from Azrak Hamway International. Jakks Pacific made over $804 million in 2010, so they’re doing okay, but currently are not making political toys.

The Effanbee Doll Company The Effanbee Doll Company was one of America’s oldest toy makers and began manufacturing baby dolls in 1913 and by 1915 they were making over 100 types of dolls. Initially the dolls had composite heads with cloth bodies and by the 1940s they had switched over to plastic and vinyl. Some of their more successful products included dolls from The Wizard of Oz and of Babe Ruth and Humphrey Bogart. Over those years numerous political toys were released throughout the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s—everything from tin toys to wind-up toys to plush toys, but nothing that would really qualify as an action figure. The closest thing figure collectors might be interested in was a line of 15-inch dolls released by Effanbee in the mid-1980s. At the time the line was fairly realistic with decent sculpting and paint applications, quality tailoring, and a size that was certainly eye-catching. Effanbee focused on everyone’s favorite presidents, which included Washington (and wife Martha), Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR (and wife Eleanor), Truman, Eisenhower, and JFK. While not terribly expensive or valuable, it’s a noteworthy line nonetheless. In 2002, the Robert Tonner Doll Company purchased Effanbee out of bankruptcy—so modern Tonner collectors may find some interest in these presidential dolls.

The Modern Era Action figures as official collectibles really only began to be seen as such in the early 1990’s. The idea of “direct market” figures; toys sold directly to comic shops and small retailers as opposed to major retailers, began during this time period. Publications like Tomart’s and ToyFare had begun showcasing action figures solely in their magazines and suddenly (and almost coincidentally), the comic book market took a serious downturn, while the action figure market began an upswing. But too much of a good thing is actually not a good thing (that’s capitalism, kids), so during this period there was a flood of merchandise of all shapes and sizes. New kids on the block like Todd McFarlane took things into their own hands to maximize the wow-factor on their products and old companies began re-introducing classic franchises, like Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line and Hasbro’s 12-inch G.I. Joes. In 1991 Hasbro released a 12-inch Duke figure, based on the hugely successful G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line. It was sold exclusively at Target stores and was the first 12-inch Joe released since 1976. The figure was massively popular and singlehandedly jump-started the desire for collectors to buy 12-inch action figures again, so other companies began board the 12-inch figure train. In 1997 K-mart released series of 12-inch presidents under a line called “Leaders of the World.” The line featured some our greatest founding fathers: George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, and…Herbert Hoover? As far as I know, this is the only Hoover figure to date, but sadly is missing a sweet Wall Street Crash action feature.

Hasbro’s recently reignited 12-inch G.I. Joe line also tackled their share of presidents, but opted to depict them in their military service uniforms as opposed to them being in traditional suits. General George Washington and General Dwight D. Eisenhower were both released in full military garb; Teddy Roosevelt was released as a Lt. Colonel in his Rough Rider uniform, and JFK as a PT 109 Boat Commander. As the 90’s turned into the aughts, it seemed like the 12-inch range was the go-to for political figures. This allowed the figures to have a well-crafted outfit, which when dealing with any president who didn’t adorn a modern suit, was rather key in depicting them accurately. In 2004, Sideshow Collectibles released a figure of Abraham Lincoln under a line of Civil War themed figures called “Brotherhood in Arms.” The line also included Civil War Generals as well as various soldiers from the North and the South. The following year Sideshow released a very accurate George Washington as part of their “Fife and Drum” collection, which included both a 64th Regiment British Infantryman and Delaware Regiment Continental Soldier. In the early 2000s, a company called Toy Presidents released a large number of talking 12-inch presidential and historical dolls. The dolls said up to 25 different phrases and the line covered numerous presidents from Washington to George W. Bush (who was actually depicted wearing cowboy boots with the presidential seal on them). The line was very extensive and included not only 17 different presidents, but also First Ladies Hillary Clinton, Jackie Kennedy, and Laura Bush and historical figures such as Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Pope John Paul II. The sculpts were hit-or-miss though, with the best being the easier to depict presidents (Washington, Nixon, Teddy Roosevelt) and the worst probably being Reagan, Clinton, and FDR—who just look like old, white guys in suits.

A similar line of 12-inch presidential dolls were also produced by a company called Talking Presidents, which much like the above figures also talked, but were of a lower quality of the Toy Presidents versions. The tailoring was cheaper and the figures suffered from cheap, rubbery knock-off Ken doll-like bodies. But they weren’t without their own idiosyncrasies. Talking President’s George H. W. Bush figure interestingly enough included a quote from his appearance on SNL and the George W. Bush figure included 17 of his quotes—and many of were of the less-than-intelligent sounding variety. The line also included a Donald Rumsfeld figure and, strangely, a Dennis Miller figure.

My all-time favorite figure from this period is a very well executed George W. Bush figure by Blue Box International. In 2003 BBI released a George W. Bush “U.S. President and Naval Aviator” figure in as part of their Elite Force line. It’s “W” decked out in a full flight suit and helmet, right off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln from May 1, 2003. It was the first figure that I ever pre-ordered (from now defunct Kay Bee Toys) and is still part of my collection. The details of the figure are fantastic for a 13-year-old toy—down to all the intricate aspects of the suit and all the accessories. The sculpt is just okay—it looks a little like George W. Bush, but also a little like Tom Brokaw, but it’s only a minor detraction from an overall great figure. Plus, the decision to announce “Mission Accomplished” was a PR nightmare for the Bush camp and a move that he ultimately regretted, so it’s certainly a cool presidential snafu piece.

As the sun set on 8 years of the George W. Bush’s presidency and Illinois Senator Barack Obama was elected to the White House, an explosion of presidential toys hit the market for America’s first African-American president. From figures and vinyl toys to talking dolls and bobbleheads, there was a dirge of Obama merch after his election. One of the most detailed was from 2008 of then presidential-elect Obama by the DiD Corporation, which included two headsculpts, a two different colored ties, a wood stood, and an American flag on a pole. This led DiD to produce other political leaders over the next few years including: Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr. Another 1/6 scale company, Sculpture Time, is currently taking a stab at accurate versions of presidents of the past. Currently slated are versions of Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, FDR, and George Washington as well as world leaders Nelson Mandela and Joseph Stalin. Both JFK and Reagan are shown with a crazy-accurate presidential lectern, which definitely adds to the look and realism of the figures.

Finally when it comes to this year’s election, toymakers have you covered here too. Funko, my least favorite toy company in the world, has jumped on the election cash cow with POP! versions of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Bernie Sanders. They’re to be released some time in July of this year and continue with Funko’s not very unique super-deformed style. Funko also will double down with additional online exclusive figures by teaming up with Garbage Pail Kids to create two figures in their gross-out style. Donald Dumpty (Trump as Humpty Dumpty) and Hillary Billary (based on the original design of series 4 GPK character Bony Tony/Unzipped Zack) will be available in June.

Not all toy companies are just looking to make a quick buck though. Brooklyn-based design firm FCTRY has decided to make figures for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Last year the company launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a Hillary Clinton action figure, which garnered closed to $27,000 for the project. Now the FCTRY has opened a similar campaign for a Bernie Sanders action figure. The still open campaign has earned over $140,000 for the figure. Yes, you read that correctly—fourteen followed by four zeros. FCTRY has pledged to donate $1 per figure sold to the Sanders campaign. I had a chance to talk with Jason Feinberg, the head dude at FCTRY to talk about this “political revolution” through toys and crowdfunding.

TALKING FCTRY.

GoFigureNews (GFN): As of March 3rd (and with 27 days to go), donations for the Bernie Sanders figure just eclipsed $120,000 (I actually just witnessed it clicking over). There's really no question here, but can you comment on how insane that is? A week ago it was $42k...so do you feel that this speaks more to the voracity of the typical Sanders backer or that since he's getting so much of the younger demo, the younger demo "gets" crowdfunding funky, cool art projects? Why do think there is such fervor for a Bernie Sanders toy? Jason Feinberg (JF): I do think some of it has to do with millennials “getting” what crowdfunding is all about. Being first on the block with something new or supporting a project that has a real chance of succeeding is appealing. In this case though, I think a lot of the success we’ve had has been driven by a rabid base of Bernie Sanders supporters. He’s tapped in to something among young people that is reminiscent of what Obama did in 2007. Obama’s “Hope and Change” and Sanders’ “ Political Revolution” speaks to a similar mindset. GFN: The Obama figure (2008) was the first foray in political toys for your team? What'd you learn from that experience that helped you with the Hillary/Bernie figures? What's different 8 years later? JF: I had created figures based on some historical icons that influenced me prior to the Obama Action Figure, with some of them political in nature, so I understood the connection. With Obama I was sensing the excitement but he was still unproven on a national stage. Mass production takes time and money and for a small business it was definitely a risk. It was also my first time working with articulation. If he had dropped out I would have been left holding the bag. Thankfully that didn’t happen and the success we had with it also laid the groundwork for both the Hillary and Bernie figures. With Hillary I knew she’d be around for a while so it wasn’t as risky to come out with her figure. She’s also been in the public eye for so long that there was already an audience. Bernie was a little different. I became more motivated to create his figure as I got more interested in him as a candidate. But we’re now facing some of the same issues we did with Obama. Will he stay in and will he win?

GFN: Every toy line needs a nemesis...any plans for Republican candidate figures? Maybe you could donate anything over the $15k to the rival Republican candidate? I think the world could use a really creepy Ted Cruz toy. Or least a Trump figure with awesome, brushable hair. JF: Awesome brushable hair on an orange figure with small hands. I like it. We actually went down the nemesis road with the Obama figure with the creation of the John McCain Action Figure. What do they say? Fair and balanced? Unfortunately, not a whole lot of balance took place. A lot of unsold McCain’s. We ended up shipping about 6,000 of them to the Conan O’Brien Show and he gave them away to his audience as part of a segment. While one side of me loves the idea of a Trump or Cruz figure gathering dust on the shelf because no one wants them the business side of me is keeping some distance. Also, I just can’t get behind selling something that I don’t have a personal connection with. Maybe if Bernie wins we’ll come out with some Wall St. Banker figures that he can knock around. GFN: How about when Hillary/Bernie announce their VP picks? Any plans for a Democratic Ticket 2-pack? Any plans for a "First Lady Bill" figure if/when Hillary gets the nomination? JF: We’ve thought about it but it will be dependent on the timing. And the fact is that Vice Presidents are sometimes seen as the Rodney Dangerfield of politics. They don’t get no respect. A First Husband Clinton figure is interesting though. We could have some real fun with the articulation.

by Danbury Mint

Whether you're a fan of the founding fathers, a log cabin Republican, Nixonite, or just a big lover of all things Bush—there are plenty of toys out there that have you covered. If you didn't see our video of the Presidential Monsters by SalvadorLosAngeles, please check it out! We can only hope that the politicians represented in plastic represent the American people with better value and articulation of their mini counterparts.

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."

- President George W. Bush

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