THE STORY OF ACTION MAN - Part 1 of 3 - Documentary Film - Vintage Action Man Collection

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This is today's Action Man. Ready to take up any position at your command. Eagle eyes are left for danger. He's a paratrooper, an arctic soldier, infantry officer, or frogman. Action Man is who you want him to be. Action Man. [00:00:54] Tony Roberts: The 1960s, historic times. Elvis was king. Kennedy got shot. England won the World Cup, the Space Race was on, and America went to war in Vietnam. Back in England, London was swinging. In the time of mods and rockers, Britain was a breeding ground of pop culture icons. Michael Caine, James Bond, The Beatles, Doctor Who, Twiggy, The Mini Cooper. But one cultural icon emerged in the very unexpected form of a boy's toy. [00:01:46] Speaker 3: A while ago, there was something on the internet about icons of Great Britain. The cup of tea, the red telephone box. And I wrote up with a little piece that I sent up to them. And I said, one of the icons of Great Britain is an action man. [00:02:03] Tony Roberts: In 1966, a British toy company named Palletoy, based in Colville, Leicestershire, began manufacturing a product line that would go down in history as one of the most popular boy's toys of all time. [00:02:15] Speaker 3: When I first joined the company in 67, I didn't even know about Action Man. But then I saw Action Man, I got put onto it to design products. I mean, it started off as a toy soldier, a large toy soldier that you could dress and change him and change him into your soldier, your Action Man. [00:02:38] Tony Roberts: Action Man is a toy so iconic that millions of 30 to 40-something males smile with nostalgic delight. When they recall memories of unwrapping a Christmas gift in 1968, to find an Action Man deep sea diver beneath the paper. [00:02:52] Speaker 4: As a child, the number one toy for me was Action Man. These guys were, when you were 7, 8, 9 years old, these are your best friends. [00:03:00] Tony Roberts: In a time long before iPods and Nintendo, when people still wrote letters to each other, and the idea of a mobile phone was pure fantasy, all a boy needed was his Action Man and an imagination to make all his childhood dreams burst into vivid life. [00:03:16] Speaker 5: If you look at the marketing target group, if you like, when I first came in, it was probably 4 to 12. And if you look at it now, if there was a market for it now, it would probably be 3 to 6. [00:03:29] Tony Roberts: In his inaugural year, Action Man was so popular, he was crowned UK Toy of the Year. As time passed, Action Man went on to win the Toys International Top Toy Trophy in 1974 and 75, the National Association of Toy Retailers 10 Year Gold Award in 1975, and then in 1980 came the crowning achievement of a distinguished career, as Action Man won the National Association of Toy Retailers Toy of the Decade Award. In 1959, the Mattel toy company had a huge hit in the girls' toy market with Barbie and later Ken. But the idea of a soldier doll for boys was considered quite radical. [00:04:06] Speaker 6: There were about 6 or 7 fellas and they all looked at it and they said, Well, this will never sell a doll for boys. Never, ever sell. And then, in history, they were wrong, weren't they? Never wrong, yeah, totally wrong. Yeah, totally wrong. [00:04:21] Tony Roberts: Today, every toy shop in the world has an action figure aisle, but in 1960s Britain, this was a brand new concept that all started with Action Man. Over his 18-year production run, millions upon millions of Action Man figures would be sold worldwide. The product line would expand exponentially to include literally hundreds of different figures, outfits, equipment packs and vehicles. And at the height of his fame, there were an estimated 1.3 Action Man figures in circulation for every child in Britain. Fulfilling every role imaginable, from soldier to sailor, pilot to explorer, adventurer to sportsman. The broadness of Action Man's appeal can be measured by his tangible impact on the popular culture of the 1960s and 70s. Today, thousands of collectors all over the world search out vintage Action Man figures and equipment with a nostalgic fervor and are prepared to pay hundreds of pounds for mint condition examples of certain rare figures, which originally sold for as little as £3.75. [00:05:22] Speaker 7: This is what every figure collector now covers his original vintage Action Man. [00:05:31] Speaker 8: Just reigniting that childhood passion for Action Man. [00:05:34] Speaker 5: I suppose in a way it's part of English heritage. I mean, it's so big a brand. There aren't that many brands in the toy business that actually have a lasting reputation like that. [00:05:47] Tony Roberts: My name is Tony Roberts and I've been avidly collecting vintage Action Man figures for over 17 years. The story of Action Man documents his enlistment into the action figure ranks of the late 1960s, through to his glory days in the 1970s and on to his eventual honourable discharge in 1984. Throughout his 18 years of service on the front line of living room battles, Action Man continued to innovate and evolve and remained at the forefront of the boys' toy market throughout his entire career. His story is one of action, one of adventure and one of imagination. But to tell his story, we cannot begin in 1966. We must go back in time another two years to Providence, Rhode Island, 1964. [00:06:37] Speaker 9: G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe, fighting man for men to go, on the land, on the sea, in the air. [00:06:44] Speaker 10: G.I. Joe, let's pass! Boom, boom! G.I. Joe, take battle! Man, man! Horrific battle! [00:06:53] Tony Roberts: Action Man's origins can be traced back to his American cousin, the movable fighting man, G.I. Joe. The toy that would become G.I. Joe was the original brainchild of a man named Stan Weston. In 1963, Stan presented the idea of a 12-inch toy soldier with removable uniforms to Don Levine, who was creative director at Hasbro, then known as Hassenfeld Brothers Incorporated. Don Levine was further inspired after seeing an artist's poseable wooden mannequin in an art supply store in New York City, and realised that there may be a potential market for rugged-looking, scaled dolls for boys. Armed with his revolutionary idea, Don Levine returned to toy manufacturer Hasbro, based in Providence, Rhode Island, to present the new concept to company president, Meryl Hassenfeld. Meryl did have reservations about a doll for boys, but going on his gut instinct as a toy maker. He had, after all, already developed Mr. Potato Head, the first toy ever advertised on television. He instructed Don to assemble a team of artists and creative designers, and set about breathing life into the world's first fully posable action figure. Unveiled on February 2nd at Toy Fair 1964 in New York City, Hasbro's G.I. Joe product line had a World War II military theme, which covered all four services of the United States military. Hasbro was offering up the G.I. Joe Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Marine, and Action Pilot. Each figure was 12 inches tall, and each product line came with a vast amount of accurately reproduced and scale-to-size uniforms and equipment that would be sold separately on accessory cards. While initial sales were modest, most toy stores across America had sold out their entire G.I. Joe stock by Christmas 1964, and the year 1965 went on to see sales of G.I. Joe figures saw even higher. Don Levine's ideas steamrolled across homes throughout the country, and evolved into a true phenomenon. Every young boy across America wanted a G.I. Joe, and all the equipment necessary to turn his backyard battles into a reality. [00:09:05] Speaker 10: Capsule sighted. Prepare to pick up. Suddenly the capsule fills with water and sinks. G.I. Joe sailors in deep sea diver suits are going to the rescue. In seconds, you attach a line to the capsule and pull it to safety. There's more trouble ahead. The capsule is radioactive. But here comes the G.I. Joe crash crew truck to wash down the capsule with the working pump. Kids, make up your own G.I. Joe adventures like the one you've just seen by getting any or all of this equipment. [00:09:42] Tony Roberts: The success of this revolutionary toy line created an untamable buzz in the toy manufacturing industry worldwide. And it wasn't long before British toy manufacturer Palletoy, based in Colville, Leicestershire, approached Hasbro to request a tooling licence. [00:09:58] Speaker 11: Well, the guy I worked for, Hal Belton, he'd already been over to the States and found G.I. Joe, as he was called over there. And he brought a sample of it back for his grandson to give a feel of what the concept was like. And everyone thought it was wonderful and it went ahead from there. [00:10:21] Tony Roberts: The Palletoy company had grown out of Castle Lloyd Limited, which was founded by Alfred Pallet in 1919. The British Xilinai company acquired Castle Lloyd in 1931 and then in 1965 the toy division at Colville was separated from the rest of the company and renamed as the Palletoy division. [00:10:39] Speaker 3: Well, they were the first company to actually televise a toy on TV, which was Tressie. [00:10:45] Tony Roberts: For Palletoy's inaugural release of Action Man in Britain, the company would be manufacturing a carbon copy of the figures and uniforms that had been sold across America in 1964. There were two major concerns for Palletoy regarding the 1966 release of Action Man in Britain. The first was that G.I. Joe was a distinctly American name and company executives believed it would not be marketable in 1960s Britain. The true origin of the name Action Man sparked many debates over the years. Although three people claimed to have coined the name, it was in fact Harry Trowell, Palletoy's sales manager at the time, who was the first person to suggest the name Action Man to managing director Miles Fletcher over a lunchtime pint at the Fox and Goose pub. When you consider that Hasbro had named their first four product lines Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Marine and Action Pilot, it is highly likely several people suggested the name before it was officially decided upon. But by convincing Miles Fletcher to use his idea, Harry Trowell would rightfully claim the honour of naming the most iconic British toy of the 1960s and 70s. The second concern for Palletoy was that the parents of 1960s Britain would be opposed to the idea that boys should play with dolls. British boys have been playing with die-cast soldiers for decades, but the conservative attitudes of the 1960s may not have been able to accept the concept of young boys playing and dressing a soldier doll. [00:12:14] Speaker 3: If you said doll, you have to wash your mouth out of the soap and water, I'm afraid. [00:12:18] Tony Roberts: So following Hasbro's American marketing plan, Action Man would never be referred to as a doll, but as an action figure, the world's best equipped, most realistic fighting man. [00:12:29] Speaker 9: Action Man is here! Sound action stations, and move your Action Man into any one of a thousand exciting battle positions. Equip him from 50 perfectly scaled kits. Action Man has by far the biggest range of equipment for action on land, at sea, hand him air, sound action stations for your Action Man today. Action Man is here! [00:13:04] Tony Roberts: The original 1966 Action Man figure was produced with 21 movable parts, and each figure came with painted hair, available in four different colours, black, brown, auburn, and block. Each Action Man also had a battle scar on his right cheek. This feature gave Action Man a distinctive look, and that without the original Hasbro design, was to trademark the figure. Three different box figures were available in 1966. The Action Soldier, Action Sailor, and Action Pilot. Each box figure came complete with an accurately reproduced, a scale-to-size uniform, which included combat fatigues and dog tag, boots, and headdress. Crucially though, none of these basic figures came with any equipment. The Action Man product line was sold along the Gillette Principle, whereby once a consumer had purchased a razor, or in this case the Action Man figure, they would then need to purchase the blades. And instead of blades, Palletoy was offering a wide range of authentic weapons and equipment, accurate to the last detail. Rifles, grenades, machine guns, bazookas, canteens, field packs, and entrenching tools, were all at Action Man's disposal. The Action Soldier line was the most diverse, with 10 tray sets, and 22 cargo sets released in the first year. [00:14:43] Speaker ?: The Action Man's disposal is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, and the most diverse, and the other one is the most diverse, [00:15:30] Tony Roberts: with a strategically planned anti-doll marketing campaign, and a new name in place, Action Man was unveiled at the Brighton Toy Fair, in January 1966. Upon his release, Action Man was a hit, but he didn't have it all his own way, at the start of his campaign. At the very same launch, Pedigree Toys unveiled their rival, Tommy Gunn. It was very short lived. Pedigree's plan was to copy the G.I. Joe concept, by producing their own tooling, but they could not compete with Palatoy's extensive range, that was made possible by Hasbro's heavy tooling, and development investment. The name Tommy Gunn, obviously inspired by the name G.I. Joe, did not have the possibilities of diversification, from military, into other spheres of action, that was to be the success of Action Man. So even if Pedigree's creation had survived, it would have been difficult to expand, from its military beginnings, with a name like Tommy Gunn. The name Action Man, was a stroke of genius, and was probably the most important invention, in turning a boy's toy, into a British icon. [00:16:57] Speaker 12: My name is Miles Fletcher of Palatoy, and I want to give you some news about Action Man. By next week, we'll have dispatched our millionth Action Man, together with several millions of his outfits, and all this since last March. By any standards, Action Man is a winner. Indeed, we believe there has never been a product of this type, which has been so successful in Britain, in such a short space of time. We believe that Action Man is a product of enormous potential, and that he'll continue to sell for a long time to come, simply because a whole range of new items, can be introduced for boys to collect. As a result, and bearing in mind, there will be nearly one million boys, owning Action Man by Christmas, we are introducing next year, no less than 27 new Action Man accessories. Quite the most unusual new item, is this record, without of course this message. On this side will be a series of battle noises, and on the other, the Action Man march. We think the march is a hit, and that small boys will buy the record from you, in quantity, in the early part of next year. And may I, on behalf of all of us at Palletoy, wish you a happy Christmas, and prosperous new year. [00:18:22] Tony Roberts: Two other very memorable outfits were released in 1967. Displayed in large, beautifully artistic packaging, these outfits were the Action Man deep sea diver, and astronaut. The complete deep sea diver package, is a truly exquisite piece. This outfit was one of Action Man's all time best sellers, and following its introduction in 1967, variations of this outfit, remained in the Action Man product line, right up until 1983. This outfit was not only a beautiful addition, to the Action Man line up, but probably the most functional, of all the outfits ever produced. The dressed figure, had a weighted belt and boots, so when Action Man was submerged in water, he would sink to the sea bed. Then, if a child blew into the airlines, attached to his helmet, Action Man would rise to the surface, then sink again using his weights. This functionality, provided young children, with an incredibly realistic play value, never before seen in a toy. The Action Man astronaut outfit, was released in similar style packaging, to the deep sea diver. Representing a NASA astronaut, from the Mercury series, this outfit was released two years, before man first landed on the moon. This outfit also marked the first time, that Action Man became a product, of the era he was released in. Adorned with the stars and stripes, the complete outfit, included a silver foil flight suit, dome shaped helmet, and everything a child need, to mount his own Mercury space flight. Palatoy also released a space capsule, so that when Action Man's mission was complete, the astronaut could safely, splash down on Earth. [00:19:59] Speaker 9: Action Man, soldier of the century. Equipped and fully mobile, with a choice of six national uniforms, and you in command. Action Man, space combat, in orbit, in a fully detailed space capsule. Out on a spacewalk, coming back through splash down space. Action Man, deep sea diver, exploring the sea bed, in life-like diving gear. You make him surface, just like the real thing. Action Man! Action Man! Action Man! [00:20:27] Tony Roberts: Released in 1967, the Soldiers of the Century series, was composed of six fully equipped uniforms, representing different armed forces, from around the globe. [00:20:40] Speaker ?: First in the catalogue, [00:20:42] Tony Roberts: was a uniform widely regarded, as the most popular Action Man outfit, of all time. The fearsome, German Stormtrooper set. Next up, was the Russian Infantry set, and the French Resistance Fighter set. Then came the first British soldier, to appear in the Action Man range, in the guise of the British Infantryman set. And rounding out the collection, with the Australian Jungle Fighter set, and the American Green Beret set. Included with each of these six uniforms, with an intelligence manual, and a beautifully intricate, Medal of Valor. Each medal was unique, to the nation that awarded it. We'll be right back. The complete collection of all six soldiers of the century is a sight to behold, and the accuracy with which each uniform was produced would become a trademark of the Action Man line. [00:22:10] Speaker 8: In fact, once I went to Nuremberg, got stopped at the border guard, and the tap couldn't speak any English, and the only way we could get through was to give him a couple of Action Men. A bit of bribery, on the border. We got the impression, oh, I don't know where you did it then. [00:22:31] Tony Roberts: It has its use as Action Man. The headline product for the Action Man line in 1968 was the first ever talking figure. The Action Man commander spoke seven different phrases when the draw chord was pulled from his chest, and then released. This is your commander's figure. [00:22:52] Speaker ?: This is your commander's figure. This is your commander's figure. This is your commander's figure. [00:22:56] Tony Roberts: This remarkable new innovation was developed by Hasbro for their G.I. Joe figures, and once this innovation crossed the Atlantic, it proved hugely popular among British children, enabling Palatoid to sell this figure in massive numbers. [00:23:08] Speaker 4: I got my first Action Man at the end of the '60s, I think it was 1969, and my parents bought me, well, one of these, actually, which was a box-talking commander. Pulled his string, and... [00:23:26] Speaker 3: Like I said, Action Man was a name that you could go into different areas, and one of the areas we decided to look at was exploration and adventure. [00:23:34] Tony Roberts: The first three Explorer outfits were released in 1968, and marked the first major development of Action Man outfits by the Palatoid design team. The first in the range was the Polar Explorer. This outfit was also the first product to cross the Atlantic in the other direction, being released in the U.S. in 1969 as the Fight for Survival set. In stark contrast to the military uniforms of the 1960s, the Polar Explorer outfit was brightly coloured, emblazoned with the Union flag, and came equipped with all the gear that Action Man needed in the hostile environment of the Arctic. To complement the Polar Explorer, Palatoid also released several exciting accessory sets, including the Sledge and Dog Team. [00:24:16] Speaker 3: Bill actually went home with a bit of clay, and sculpted the Husky Dog, came back with a model of that, and we cast that and got that tooled. And then I designed this sledge, based on drawings that I got from the Society that used to go to the South Pole. We came out with a Mountaineer, so I went to the Leicestershire Mountaineer Society, and got a lot of information about what pitons were, and what carabinaires were, and crampons, and all that sort of stuff. Got some photographs, and scaled them down to Action Man. [00:24:51] Tony Roberts: Another accessory set designed for the Explorer is the Base Camp. This also featured a large size Union flag, so that nobody would be under any illusions to Action Man's nationality. Rounding out the Explorer series was the Jungle Explorer outfit, which featured a tropical jacket and hat, rifle, and machete. [00:25:10] Speaker 3: Yeah, I thought, well, you want to have a river craft, this Jungle Explorer, to go up the Amazon. So one nice, quite a long one, to make it fit the box, I made it so, from one tool that made a moulding, mould off two, clip them together, and you've got a long craft. [00:25:28] Tony Roberts: Every one of the Action Man Explorer sets came packed with accessories for hours of adventure-filled playtime. The 1968 Explorer series is also where Action Man first began to develop his British roots, and his newfound identity was only a hint of things to come. The Palatoy marketing and design departments were the driving force behind the introduction of further aspects of play value and functionality within the Action Man range. This theme continued in 1968 with the introduction of the Red Devil parachutist. This set was another classic Action Man outfit that remained a staple of the range for many years. A child could throw Action Man high in the air and his parachute would deploy, safely landing Action Man in the drop zone. [00:26:10] Speaker 8: On the Red Devil, that was extremely good, because it had a lot of clear domes made, which I issued out to the reps, so that the in-store, they could very easily set up a window display. You know, often these domes, figures on the top, you've got a nice big window, right up at eye level. [00:26:31] Speaker 3: But when the kid got hold of the parachute, of course, they didn't really have the strength to throw it up in the air. [00:26:37] Tony Roberts: In the late 1960s, Action Man expanded his resume yet again, this time as a sporting hero. The early sportsman's outfits are extremely rare, highly sought after and command extortion of prices in today's collector's market. [00:26:51] Speaker 3: The reason why we did the cricketer, because Les Cook, who was managing director, he was a big cricketer. We tried to make that as authentic as possible, you know, with the right-scale cricket bat and the stumps or wicket, or whatever you want to call it, and the bales on the top. [00:27:08] Tony Roberts: These outfits were further examples of the finest quality miniature crafting, produced by Palatois designers. As the 1960s drew to a close, Action Man had made a statement that echoed the world over. The boys' toy market, as we knew it, had changed forever. And into the 1970s, Action Man was going from strength to strength.