Latest ads – Action Man, Dream Girl USA, Buffy, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards, and a Hellboy Zippo lighter!

Posted on November 21, 2021 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

Greetings vintage mates! Welcome to another roundup of various print adverts featuring toy and pop culture goodness, this time from the 1970s all the way up to 2007! Let’s get the action going with…

1996. ACTION MAN (Hasbro) US.

I was pleased to get hold of the above Action Man double-page ad, even though I prefer the original Action Man line from Palitoy which I played with as a kid. The Hasbro line has already been around for more than 25 years now (how time flies!) and is starting to tingle the TVTA vintage sensors! I remember my eldest son when he was a child having lots of Action Man toys, and we would mix up what he had with some of the accessories I still had from the 70s.

The rest of the ads below you might remember if you were a 70s, 80s, 90s or even a 2000s kid! The ads come from publications as seen in the UK, US, France, Netherlands and Denmark at the time.

Enjoy 🙂

Continue reading →

G.I. JOE Action Figures 1960s

Posted on February 25, 2019 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

“America’s Movable Fighting Man”

G.I. Joe was first marketed by Hasbro in 1964 as a 12 inch (30 cm) scale posable action figure, then later again in 1982 as a 3.75 inch (9.5 cm) scale figure. In the UK the toy was sold by the Palitoy company as ‘Action Man’ (12 inch) and ‘Action Force’ (3.75 inch).

TVTA is pleased to present scans for G.I. Joe figures, clothing, accessories and vehicles from the 1964 and 1965 Hasbro catalogues, the G.I. Joe Army Manual, and the G.I. Joe Club.

G.I. Joe product catalogue. 1964.

G.I. Joe Official Gear and Equipment Manual. 1965.

G.I. Joe Army Manual. 1964.

G.I. Joe Club and used sticker sheet. Dates unknown.

1978 Italian advert for G.I. Joe and G.I. Jane toys from the Polistil company.

Italy. Topolino. 1978.

Thanks for looking 🙂

Palitoy Action Man poster catalogue

Posted on December 17, 2016 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

1980 British poster catalogue featuring Action Man figures, clothing, accessories and vehicles from the Palitoy company.

Action Man 12″ Action Figures

Posted on July 30, 2016 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

1980 British poster catalogue featuring Action Man figures, clothing, accessories and vehicles from the Palitoy company.

1979 advert showing vehicles

UK. Star Wars Weekly. 1979.

1979 ‘Thrill, Spills & Chills Palitoy advert featuring Space Rangers and Gargan

UK. Marvel Superheroes. 1979.

1967 Danish ad showing Action Man Astronaut with early Palitoy logo

Denmark. 1967.

Two Action Man competition adverts

UK. Eagle. 1982.

UK. Eagle. 1983.

French adverts from Pif Gadget

France. Pif Gadget. 1982.

Hamleys catalogue page

UK. Hamleys Christmas Book. 1983.

1990s Action Man by Hasbro

Action Man Power Arm Ninja. 1996. US.

Action Man, Hasbro. Ets De Neuter. Catalogue page. 1995. France.

ADVENTURE MAN / DYNAMAN / ACTION TEAM and other 12″ Action Figures

Posted on July 23, 2015 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

France. Jouets et Jeux catalogue page. 1978. Scan courtesy of Raymond Strain.

France. PIf Gadget. 1978.

Action Team

1977 German ad showing various figures.

Germany. 1977.

Commander Power

Hasbro’s 8.5 inch Super Joe line as rebranded by the Palitoy company. Thanks to Stan Fernando for the information.

UK. Star Wars Weekly. 1978.

Superhelten (superhero) advert from Denmark

Information on this Danish advert is welcome.

Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1979.

Fairland Toy

Thanks to Raymond Strain for the following information and catalogue scans.

The two French catalogue pages below feature figures with moulds from Fairland Toy stamped into their backs (the figures in the jeeps, helicopter and the white dress suit). These were also sold as Johnny Strong / Bruce Action.

The remaining figures (bottom six and parachute figure) look like Zapf’s Action Star Hardy bodies but with different heads and with arm and leg parts made of cheaper plastic. These moulds came with no factory markings on their backs.

France. La Redoute mail order page. 1979 / 80.

France. La Redoute mail order page. 1978 / 79.

France. Catalogue page from La Redoute. 1979 / 1980.

BIG JIM: Action Figures From Mattel, 1971 to 1986

Posted on July 17, 2015 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

Big Jim was produced by Mattel between 1971 and 1986 and was inspired by the popular G.I. Joe/Action Man 12 inch toys. The figures were shorter in height than their G.I. Joe counterparts and some characters had a push-button action feature that controlled an arm or leg movement.

The line featured an impressive range of figures, vehicles, outfits and accessories for play themes ranging from jungle and safari exploration, espionage, space, sci-fi, sports, wild west, and more. TVTA is pleased to present a number of adverts from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the US and the UK, including examples for the related lines Karl May and Mark Strong.

Big Jim, Spain.

Congost catalogue. 1977. Spain.

: Congost catalogue. 1977. Spain.

: Congost catalogue. 1977. Spain.

: Congost catalogue. 1977. Spain.

: Congost catalogue. 1977. Spain.

Big Jim, Italy.

Italy. Topolino. 1978.

Italy. Topolino. 1979.

Big Jim, France.

Big Jim. Dr Steel. 1970s. France.

: Big Jim. 1970s. France.

: Big Jim. 1970s. France.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1981.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1979.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

: France. Castors Juniors. 1979.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1982.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1979.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1977.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1978.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1978.

: France. Castors Juniors. 1979.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1982.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1982.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1983.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1981.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1985.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1981.

: France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

Big Jim, US.

US. Superman 296. 1976.

KARL MAY

Big Jim also released a series of action figures based on the German writer Karl May’s wild west stories, including famous characters like Winnetou and Old Shatterhand.

France. Pif Gadget. 1978.

Germany. 1978.

Mark Strong

For a while, due to licensing issues, Big Jim was known as Mark Strong in certain markets outside of the US.

UK. Victor. 1973.

Thanks for looking 🙂 Post updated December 2018 with new images.

GROUP ACTION JOE

Posted on April 12, 2011 by The Vintage Toy Advertiser

Group Action Joe – often referred to as Action Joe is the French-licensed version of G.I. Joe (Hasbro – US) and Action Man (Palitoy – UK). Group Action Joe was distributed by the Ceji Arbois company in France and featured some exclusive characters such as French comic strip star Rahan, Albator, Captain Cosmos and the famous Zorro. Also featured were female characters Jane, Daina and Sandy.

TVTA is pleased to present a number of print adverts and catalogue pages spanning the Action Joe line from the 1970s and 1980s.

Pif Gadget 395 1976 Group Action Joe line up POST

Action Joe Jungle Mission. France. Pif Gadget. 1976.

Telejunior. 4. 1977. GroupAction Joe POST

Action Joe. France. Telejunior. 1977.

Action Joe communication radio centre. France. Pif Gadget. 1977.

Action Joe Delta Plane. France. PIf Gadget. 1977.

Above image: France. Pif Gadget. 1977. This superb artistic impression of an action scene featuring some of the Wild West range appeared as a double-page ad in some issues of Pif Gadget.

Above image: France. Pif Gadget. 1977. Another double-page artistic impression – this time it’s fire-fighting and rescue action!

Action Joe: Rahan! 1978.

Above and below image: Pif Gadget comic character Rahan even gets his own action figure courtesy of Group Action Joe – the French version of Action Man. France. PIf Gadget. 1978.

Another Action Joe 1978 ad showing Rahan. Also shown is Jane and new items and features such as ‘Eagle Eyes’.

Below: Figures, uniforms, vehicles and accessories as shown in the C1978 Arbois catalogue, France.

Action Joe parachute. Arbois toy catalogue. France C1978

: Action Joe. Arbois toy catalogue. France C1978.

: Action Joe. Arbois toy catalogue. France C1978.

: Action Joe. Arbois toy catalogue. France C1978.

: Action Joe. Arbois toy catalogue. France C1978.

Action Joe vehicles. Pif Gadget. 1979.

Pif Gadget 626 Sept 1980_GroupActionJoe Operation Niagra POST

Action Joe Operation Niagara. France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

Group Action Joe double page ad 1. Jungle Jeep. 4×4 France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

Group Action Joe double page ad 2. Jungle jeep 4×4. France. Pif Gadget. 1980.

Pif 660. 1981. Group Action Joe Plongee POST

Action Joe divers and frogmen. France. Pif Gadget. 1981.

Action Joe jungle jeep 4×4. France. Pif Gadget. 1981.

Pif Gadget 653 1981 Group Action Joe line up POST

Action Joe figures. France. Pif Gadget. 1981. This ad features ‘Mark’ dressed in the ‘Captain Cosmos’ costume and the exclusive ‘Zorro’ licensed for the Action Joe range.

Action Joe jeep and trailer, motorcycle and sidecar. Pif Gadget 529. 1979. France.

Post updated Dec 2022 with new images.

The Vintage Toy Advertiser

Showcasing 20th century print advertising and pop culture curiosities. Specialities: toys, fashion, comics, movies, vinyl records and art. One of the most comprehensive archives you'll find on the net. Established 2011.

Tag Archives: Action Man