Podcast Summary: Stuff You Should Know – "A Partial History of Action Figures" (SYSK’s 12 Days of Christmas… Toys)

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Release Date: December 12, 2025

Overview

In this festive episode, Josh and Chuck dive deep into the rich, quirky, and sometimes surprising history of action figures. From Barbie's influence and the dawn of G.I. Joe to the licensing booms of the '70s and the Star Wars toy phenomenon, the hosts trace the evolution of these beloved toys and how they shaped both the toy industry and the childhoods of generations. Along the way, they banter, reminisce, and shed light on the social, political, and manufacturing forces behind the rise, fall, and reboot of action figures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Barbie’s Influence and the Birth of Action Figures

• Barbie set the template for ongoing toy sales, with accessories and add-ons that made her more than a one-time purchase (05:11).
• Toy companies coveted Barbie’s business model, but struggled to create an equivalent "doll" for boys.
• Stan Weston, inspired by Barbie’s multi-accessory model and his military buffs, proposes the "soldier doll"—but crucially, not calling it a "doll" (06:02).
• Hasbro VP Don Levine coins the iconic term "action figure" in 1963 (06:39).

Notable Quote

“No one had ever come up with a doll for boys. And that’s kind of what it required—coming up with a doll for boys. And no one had cracked that nut.” – Josh Clark [05:33]

2. G.I. Joe: The Original Action Figure

• G.I. Joe launched in 1964, available in 12-inch size with 21 moving parts; four different branches (Rocky, Skip, Ace).
• Unlike static toy soldiers, G.I. Joe was articulated and collectible—setting a new industry standard (08:02).
• Hasbro enforced the “action figure” term strictly, refusing to sell to retailers who called them dolls (14:00).
• G.I. Joe’s early success was immense, accounting for 66% of Hasbro’s 1964 profits (12:56).
• The Vietnam War causes sales to plummet; G.I. Joe is rebranded as an “adventurer” before going dormant (16:03).

Notable Quote

“You had toy soldiers before, but this guy could move… He was articulated so he could lift up his hand and karate chop you.”
– Josh Clark [13:12]

3. The Brand Wars & Licensing Era: Mego and Beyond

• Mego fills the G.I. Joe vacuum in the ’70s, launching 8-inch figures licensed from Marvel and DC—selling both good guys and villains (22:19).
• Their success comes from nabbing popular character licenses rather than inventing new ones (22:19).
• Mego’s big blunder: turning down the Star Wars toy license—letting Kenner make a fortune (27:00).

Notable Quote

“If you notice, that’s DC and Marvel characters in the same line. That’s unheard of today!”
– Josh Clark [22:43]

• Mego also innovates with playsets based on actual TV episodes, e.g., Star Trek’s ‘The Apple’ set (25:35).

Memorable Moment

The hosts try to suss out which “Star Wars missed licensing” story is true, ultimately favoring the explanation that Mego lacked vision:
“They didn’t want to invest…they said, ‘We’re not going to throw our money at every little thing that comes along.’”
– Chuck Bryant [27:31]

4. The Shrinking Action Figure: From GI Joe to Kenner’s Star Wars Figures

• Oil crisis in the 1970s prompts manufacturers (Takara in Japan) to shrink figures to 3 ¾ inches for cost savings (29:10).
• The smaller size leads to innovations: more affordable toys and more elaborate playsets.
• Josh and Chuck friendly-bicker over which era of G.I. Joe was superior: the original “big Joes” (Chuck’s pick) or “small Joes” (Josh’s nostalgia) [30:17–31:56].

Notable Quote

“These smaller ones are vastly superior to the older ones… They just seem better to me.”
– Josh Clark [30:17]

5. Cartoons, Deregulation, and Marketing to Kids

• Major legal and political shift happens in the '80s: deregulation lets toy companies and cartoons fully cross-pollinate, leading to properties like G.I. Joe and Transformers being designed as both shows and toy commercials (34:18–36:14).
• The Reagan administration’s FTC appointments and deregulation policies created an environment ripe for cartoons-as-merchandising-vehicles (36:28).
• Result: a surge in warlike toys, less creative programming (some critics argue), and a generation of kids blitzed by on-screen toy marketing (37:02–41:07).

Notable Quotes

“None of this would have ever happened had it not been for Ronald Reagan.”
– Chuck Bryant [34:18]

“I was too stupid to know [the decline in creativity]—I just thought it was awesome.”
– Josh Clark [40:57]

6. How Action Figures Are Made

• Design begins with a sculptor creating an armature, roughing out the pose and then shaping clay.
• Different plastics are used for various parts (ABS for bodies, polypropylene for accessories), occasionally fabric for clothes or capes.
• Molds are produced (the lengthiest part of manufacturing); injection and rotational molding discussed with their trade-offs (57:29).
• Packaging is an art form, intended to entice kids to collect the whole series (61:00).

Notable Quote

“They were meant to be played with. They were meant to have imagination bestowed on them and little child’s hands—not to sit on your desk at work as adornment.” – Josh Clark [59:44]

7. The Collectors’ Market & Legendary Rarities

• Certain Star Wars figures fetch thousands: "Yak Face", early missile-firing Boba Fett (never officially released due to “chokeable” hazard), and double-telescoping lightsaber figures are all highly prized (64:06–72:24).
• Collectibles’ value is driven by production errors, rarity, and packaging.

Notable Quotes

“There can’t be more than one Holy Grail.”
– Chuck Bryant [64:23]

“I specifically remember being in the same room with one that shot a rocket… Or maybe we just imagined that.”
– Josh Clark [70:25]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On term “action figure”:
  "They would not do business with you if you were going to call it a doll as a retailer. This is an action figure."
  – Josh Clark [14:00]

• Cartoons as ads:
  “It had great story arcs... the voice acting was good... It was created in large part to sell GI Joe—it’s true.”
  – Josh Clark [39:52]

• Nostalgia vs. Collecting:
  “I didn’t put it in a box on a shelf to try and keep it in mint condition… But that’s weird to do, as a kid.”
  – Chuck Bryant [45:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:51 | Barbie's influence and the genesis of boy's dolls | | 06:02 | Stan Weston & the invention of "action figure" | | 08:56 | G.I. Joe's key innovations & historical context | | 12:56 | Financial impact of G.I. Joe | | 14:00 | Importance of the term “action figure” | | 16:03 | G.I. Joe and the Vietnam War's impact | | 22:19 | The rise of Mego and licensing superheros | | 27:00 | Mego’s Star Wars blunder and toy licensing | | 29:10 | The shrinking of figures & Takara’s Microman | | 31:35 | G.I. Joe cartoons, Reagan, and deregulation | | 34:18 | How deregulation created cartoons-as-ads | | 41:07 | Creativity vs. commercialization in children’s programming | | 52:02 | Step-by-step: How action figures are designed and made | | 61:00 | Packaging and its marketing role | | 64:06 | Star Wars action figure rarities & collector’s market | | 72:24 | The double-telescoping lightsaber Holy Grail |

Additional Tidbits & Fun Moments

• Friendly bickering over which size G.I. Joe was best (30:17–31:22).
• "Did you have the big Luke? Well, they're huggable." Chuck’s love for big dolls, to Josh’s amused horror (44:51, 55:15).
• Extended riff on the weirdness and ill-fit of fabric clothing on big action figures (55:47).
• Brief aside about the hosts’ trading cards collections (62:07).
• Boba Fett’s “chokeable” rocket and the parental toilet paper tube test for toy safety (69:21).
• Repeated plugs for listener corrections and nerdy fact-checks ("Stop your emails!" [65:05], meta-jokes about the “nerd voice” [28:44]).

Resources & Shout Outs

• GI Joe nostalgia: YoJoe.com [74:10]
• Mego collectors: Mego Museum website [28:49]
• Action figure knockoffs: "Hilarious Knockoffs: Bootlegs of Beloved Toys" slideshow by Josh [74:13]
• Kiva microloans: Stuff You Should Know’s Kiva team (from Listener Mail segment, 75:26+ for details)

Conclusion

Josh and Chuck succeed in both educating and entertaining, making this not just a timeline of toy history, but an accessible, nostalgic, and often funny exploration of why action figures matter and how they're more than just plastic—they’re a lens into pop culture, economics, and childhood itself.

Final Thoughts:

“There’s clearly many more stories to be told.” – Chuck Bryant [73:48]