We Had That

Fisher-Price Adventure People Scuba Divers set #353 (1976-1981) The Fisher-Price Adventure People first went on sale in 1975 with four sets: #303 Rescue Truck, #304 Safari , #305 Rescue Copter and #306 Sport Plane.  Each set included one or two 3 3/4" action figures except the Safari set which included four figures!  The sets were so successful that Fisher-Price decided to add three new sets in 1976 ( #307 Wilderness Patrol , #308 Super Speed Racer, #310 Sea Explorer).  All of these sets sold well and were in production for several years.  However, the sets all included vehicles which meant that the cost for each of these sets would prevent parents looking for an inexpensive toy from buying them as impulse purchases.  Fisher-Price needed a lower-cost alternative. Summer fun with the Adventure People! To expand on the Adventure People line, in 1976 Fisher-Price started selling smaller sets that included a couple of 3 3/4" figures and some small accessories, but d...

1986 G.I. Joe "Iceberg" action figure (Hasbro, 1986) After having more than 10 years of huge success with the original 12" G.I. Joe action figures that came out in 1964, Hasbro took a break from the line for a few years.  During the late 1970s, the popularity of Kenner's Star Wars figures made 3 3/4" the new standard size for action figures.  In 1982, Hasbro came back with the "Real American Hero" re-launch of G.I. Joe and it was a huge hit! Iceberg keeps watch in the snow for G.I. Joe  In 1982, I was the perfect age for G.I. Joe and I was instantly sold on these new 3 3/4" action figures.  I still remember how excited I was when I first saw them in the stores and the agony of trying to pick just two of these awesome characters.  The first several waves of figures were amazing!  Sure, not every idea could be a great one, but for the most part, the first four waves specifically were pretty solid.  By 1986, when the fifth wave arrived, there...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Street Showdown #DPD79 (Mega Bloks, 2015) I started picking up the Mega Construx figures because of the Masters of the Universe releases, which I think are great!  Since then, I've been more aware of the Mega Construx and Mega Bloks sets, so when I saw this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set (still sealed in the original box) for $5, I picked it up without hesitation!   TMNT Street Showdown Box DPD79 This set is the Mega Bloks "Street Showdown" set # DPD79.  It's one of a series of sets that goes back to the original black & white Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books prior to the cartoon and original action figures and it's full of nods to TMNT history.  The set contains two figures, Raphael and Casey Jones, and the "Second Time Around" second-hand store.  The Raphael figure has a metal shell, which is kind of cool.  He comes with his typical pair of Sai as well as one throwing star.  Casey Jones comes with a go...

Masters of the Universe "Eternia Minis" (Mattel, 2020) Way back in 2014, Mattel released a series of Masters of the Universe mini figures.  They were sold in 2-packs and each pair came with a different piece of Castle Grayskull so if you bought all 6 packs, you could put together the castle!  I thought they were great, but they didn't sell all that well and ended up on clearance.  Fast forward to 2020, Mattel is trying again and this time, it seems like they're a hit! Original Masters of the Universe Minis 2-Packs from 2014 I'm glad they're back!  Even though those 2-packs offered my favorite figures, it's nice to be able to add more characters to my collection!  Also, although the 2014 figures may be better in the eyes of some collectors, I actually really like the bright colors of the new figures.  Sure, maybe the paint applications on the 2014 figures was a little better than on the new ones and many of the 2014 figures came with 2 accessories rathe...

IG-88: Bounty Hunter! (Kenner, 1980) When I was a kid, I thought Star Wars figures were the coolest thing ever!  As soon as I found discovered that new figures were coming out for The Empire Strikes Back, I had to have them.  It was early 1980 and I was probably at the height of my love of Star Wars.  These were the first new figures in about a year and I was very excited about their release! 10 NEW Kenner Star Wars figures for 1980! The 10 NEW figures that Kenner put out in 1980 for The Empire Strikes Back were a bit of a mixed bag.  The wave included awesome figures like the Bespin Luke Skywalker, Rebel Soldier and Imperial Stormtrooper in Hoth Battle Gear, and Han Solo in his Hoth Outfit!  On the other hand, there were figures like the FX-7 Medical Droid which barely seemed like an action figure at all to me and the Leia figure in her Bespin Gown which didn't seem as ready-for-action as her Hoth outfit.  Even though they didn't appear in the movie much, ...

Falcon controls the Machine Gun PAC RAT When G.I. Joe re-launched in the 3 3/4" scale in 1982, I thought they were the most amazing toys that I had ever seen!  The second wave added to the fun with more action figures, more vehicles, and more accessories!  Three of the smaller sets released in wave two were mobile weapons called "PAC RATs" (or Programmed Assault Computer Rapid All Terrain).  There was a Missile Launcher, a Flame Thrower, and a Machine Gun.  Your Joes could control these mobile weapons with tiny, hand-held remote controls.  For about the price of a new GI Joe figure, you could pick up one of these weapons and give your Joes some serious firepower! A single PAC RAT Machine Gun could take out a platoon of Cobra Troops! In 1982 and 1983, I wanted any toy I could get for the GI Joe line and the low price allowed me to add all three of the PAC RATs to my collection!  There were so many awesome GI Joe figures and vehicles at the time that I have t...

Fisher-Price Adventure People "Rescue Team" #350 (1976-1978) When the Fisher-Price Adventure People first went on sale in 1975, there were four sets: #303 Rescue Truck, #304 Safari, #305 Rescue Copter and #306 Sport Plane.  The Rescue Truck was a relatively simple set that only came with a few pieces in addition to the truck itself (a white truck with a red lift basket).  It had a green stretcher, a green oxygen tank, and two figures; a Fireman wearing blue pants and a blue shirt and a blonde woman wearing blue pants and a blue shirt.  Considering the number of these trucks I've seen over the years, I assume it was a popular set!  In fact, since the Adventure People line ran well into the 80s, I suspect that all of those first four sets were popular! The 1975 Adventure People "Rescue Truck" Set #303. To expand on the Adventure People line, in 1976 Fisher-Price started selling smaller sets that included a couple of figures (Ted and Nancy) and some small accessori...