The 10 Best Action Figures Based on Real People
Posted at 5:02 AM Dec 30, 2008
By Jason F.C. ClarkeThere have been many, many action figures made of actors and actresses based on the character they play in a movie or television series. Some action figures simply happen to look like various real people by accident. And then some lucky few receive the highest honor in geekdom--to be honored with an action figure of themselves, or have their likeness used for an action figure in an existing line. Here's TR's rundown of the top ten action figures based on real people, although we're not counting sports or wrestling figures, unless those sports players or wrestlers have joined some fictional crime-fighting organization. Why? Because...well, mainly because we're nerds and those toys don't appeal to us as much.
10) Cornboy
Many action figure collectors are familiar with the Four Horsemen, a design studio composed of four former McFarlane Toys sculpted who struck out on their own in the late 1990s and have become famous in an industry which has few celebrities. But during their McFarlane days, one of the Horsemen--Eric "Cornboy" Mayse--was immortalized in plastic via the Cornboy action figure in McFarlane's bizarre "Total Chaos" series. You can tell it's Cornboy by the goatee and the Borg-like robotic eye. Tacos sold separately.
9) Steve the Victim
The Horsemen strike again. This time, they sculpted Steve Hamady, operations manager for McFarlane, as a hapless hunter who runs afoul of a lycanthrope in the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf playset. Hamady later became known on the web as "Steve the Victim." The figure featured removable limbs, complete with bloody bones sticking out. Not sure what that means regarding the Horsemen's feelings toward Steve.
8) Jorg Sacul
As you can probably tell by the twee-yet-unpronounceable name, this figure is a creation of George Lucas. More specifically, it is George Lucas. Can you honestly expect a man as egomaniacal as Mr. Lucas not to create an action figure of himself? In order to save money on a new mold, Jorg was just your basic X-Wing pilot with the scruffy head of the Star Wars creator. Available only as an exclusive at the 2002 Star Wars: Celebration 2 Convention, the figure is surprisingly affordable on the second market, if my cursory eBay search is to be believed. The bio on his card notes that Jorg "entertained the pilots in his command by telling stories set long ago, in far-off galaxies"--presumably about teenagers cruising around town in a Chevy Impala listening to Wolfman Jack.
7) Todd the Artist
What was that about egomaniacs creating action figures of themselves? Todd McFarlane, artist, toy manufacturer, and ball enthusiast, had a cameo as a hobo in the 1997 film adaptation of his creator-owned Spawn comic. Naturally, he had to make a figure of himself as "Todd the Bum" as part of the Spawn Alley playset. Later, he released the figure in a larger scale as "Todd the Artist." No word on when we'll get a "Todd the Ball Enthusiast" figure, but you can always just put a couple of balls in his hands.
6) Tunnel Rat
One of the best-known bits of trivia about G.I. Joe is that the likeness of Tunnel Rat, the Joes' go-to man for claustrophobic situations, was based on writer Larry Hama. In the 1980s, Hama's writing on Marvel Comics' G.I. Joe series was so good, it reportedly outsold Marvel's superhero titles at one point. Hama started writing the comic in 1982, and his face was bestowed upon Tunnel Rat in 1987. Like many popular Joe characters, Tunnel Rat was released several times.
5) Sgt. Slaughter
While lots of pro wrestlers have had wrestling-based action figures, only a few have crossed into other franchises. In the mid-1980s, Hasbro made an attempt to appeal to a wider audience by bringing in someone from the red-hot world of professional wrestling into their G.I. Joe line. Enter Sgt. Slaughter, whose Joe filecard states "Let's face it, the man be rough and he take no guff." Slaughter even got to be in the Joe comics and cartoons. Initially available only as a mail-away figure, the good Sergeant became one of the most popular Joe figures ever. Hasbro stopped producing his figure in 1990, allegedly due to a WWF storyline that portrayed the "real" Sgt. Slaughter as a bad guy and an Iraqi sympathizer.
4) Mr. T
While his character's name on The A-Team was B.A. Baracus, it's a sure bet that when anyone describing a scene from the show had to name him, they called him "Mr. T." That's because in the '80s, Mr. T was more famous than his character or even the show. Galoob got the rights to make ¬A-Team toys, and their 12-inch B.A. Baracus figure was clearly based on the character, right down to the mechanic's tools he came with. But the packaging didn't say "B.A. Baracus"--in fact, sometimes the packaging didn't have the phrase "A-Team" at all. And why? Because while there were probably some kids who were fans of The A-Team, all kids loved Mr. T. Want proof?
Told you.
3) Rowdy Roddy Piper
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper--pro wrestling extraordinaire, former boxing opponent of Mr. T and star of the soon-to-be-unnecessarily-remade They Live--has had plenty of wrestling-based action figures, but it wasn't until last year that Piper joined Sgt. Slaughter in the ranks of G.I. Joe (or rather Cobra, since Piper was made into an Iron Grenadier). An exclusive at JoeCon 2007, Piper came with his signature kilt and leather vest. According to his filecard, he was a cousin of Destro, too. Wacky!
2) William "The Fridge" Perry
Unlike Sgt. Slaughter, Rowdy Roddy Piper or arguably even Mr. T, William "The Fridge" Perry didn't have any sort of alternate celebrity persona; he was an NFL defensive tackle who helped the Bears crush the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. One of the most popular players of his era and a willing participant in the "Super Bowl Shuffle," Perry is best remembered by toy fans for his 1986 G.I. Joe: RAH figure. Described on his filecard as the Joes' physical training instructor, Perry was nonetheless given a weapon: the infamous "football on a chain" accessory.
1) Marco della Cava
Who the hell is Marco della Cava, you may ask? He's the incredibly lucky bastard who wrote an article for USA Today in 2001 about Gentle Giant's Realscan technology. For the article, GG scanned della Cava and made a one-of-a-kind action figure of him, complete with packaging and accessories. The result was an incredibly high-quality product, free of charge (well, maybe USA Today picked up the tab). While most toy collectors would treat such a thing the same way they would a priceless golden urn filled with their beloved grandparent's ashes, della Cava writes that his figure is "destined to be a plaything for my 5-month-old son, Nicholas, and maybe his kid beyond that." Giving an action figure to a kid? Blasphemy
Comments
Ahhh memories. I had the Fridge and the Sgt. Slaughter figures. I remember that shitty tank that Slaughter came with, and that little stick which I of course promptly lost. I'm also a big enough Joe nerd to know that those grey plastic footballs came with Captain GridIron, not the Fridge.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 05:56:34 AMThe sad thing is, the Piper G.I. Joe figure is still ridiculously overpriced, lowest I've seen him for on eBay is about $500.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 06:04:13 AMHeh, that's right in line with what wrestling figure fanatics will pay for some of their ultra limited run figures, so it doesn't surprise me.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 06:20:30 AMThe Fridge Joe figure was surprisingly well-sculpted given the era in which it was produced. I can remember the excitement when this finally showed up in the mail box! I never really understood the football on a chain thing, but the commercial showed the Fridge dispatching at least 7 or 8 Cobra soldiers with it . . . so it must work, right?
Posted 12/30/2008 at 06:49:39 AMhow about a top ten Mr. T merchandise list? His autobiography, his album (a classic for the ages), his book of mazes- I think I got that from one of those Scholastic things in elementary school, his cereal, bootleg T jewelry, the Clubber Lang action figure from Rocky III, his jigsaw puzzle (a personal favorite), him on the cover of TV Guide, a betamax copy of D.C. Cab, and you were a fool, sucka! if you didn't have no Mr. T trading cards. Bonus: Mr. T in Your Pocket- six of his catchphrases on a keychain! I still can't get enough T.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 08:54:00 AMI agree with mikes. had the trading cards and still have the action figure in a box somewhere.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 09:46:08 AMthis might be the worst list ever put together. sgt. slaughter was a harbinger of gijoe going into the crapper.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 12:32:04 PMwhen I get sweaty, I get batwings
Posted 12/30/2008 at 12:55:19 PMNumber one on this list should have been the Bruce Campbell figure you covered: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2008/11/my_toys_name_is_bruce.php#
Posted 12/30/2008 at 01:19:05 PMThat Jorg Sacul pisses me off to this day, because it reminds me of the time I was in a hotel room full of them and the greedy guys that got him by breaking the rules of the convention we were attending wouldn't sell me one. It was really fun going into the convention and seeing that the were sold out only to know that in your very room were piles of them due to be scalped.
Yeah, I didn't really keep in contact with those guys.
I actually wrote about the incident awhile back, link is in my name up there.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 04:35:33 PMI believe Slaughter's run on G.I. Joe was ended because the (then) WWF fired him for having an action figure not released by the company. This was around the time when WWF was first expanding, and had just gotten a deal to release toys based on the wrestlers.
Could be wrong, though. It's in Bret Hart's book, "Hitman".
Posted 12/30/2008 at 04:53:16 PMNo list of Action Figures Based On Real People can be complete without mentioning J. J. Armes. Julian Armas lost both his arms below the elbow at the age of 12 in an accident with explosive railroad signaling devices. His lost arms were replaced with prosthetics and his became a private detective, renaming himself J. J. Armes. With his prosthetics, he taught himself to drive a car, fire a gun, and even learned karate. He became a minor celebrity in the 1970's due to three things: rescuing Marlon Brando's son from kidnappers; playing a sniper in an episode of Hawaii Five-O; and having his own action figure and line of accessories from Ideal Toys, which included special attachments for his arms, such as suction cups and guns. He was often described as a "real-life bionic man", which wasn't strictly true, but what the hell, he was cool nonetheless.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 04:55:44 PMJ.J. Armes was cool.
Posted 12/30/2008 at 06:35:14 PMhttp://www.spymall.com/investigators/action_figures.html
I'm so with Mike- we need a Mr. T list. I have a Mr. T air freshener (T smells a bit like pine and cinnamon, apparently) the Mr. T bobblehead, and guy I used to work with hooked me up with a real Chia Mr. T (and I have watched that mohawk grow- it was a bit spotty though due to the sun).
There's also a Mr. T soft doll pattern out there to make your own cuddly Mr. T. I'm telling you, there's an audience...
Posted 12/30/2008 at 09:32:33 PMWhile I'm sure Bret Hart is a tireless researcher, I don't think that Slaughter story is correct. The G.I. Joe deal had to have been completely above-board with the WWF. It wouldn't have been allowed otherwise. The licensing deal probably expired shortly before Slaughter turned heel in the WWF, supporting Iraq. Heck, at the Florida Joe Show, Slaughter said that he once brought fellow WWF wrestler Vader up to Hasbro for a meeting about him maybe joining the Cobra team.
Other good ones:
Posted 12/30/2008 at 10:08:22 PMChuck Norris of Karate Kommandos fame
Either Eminem figure
Director Quentin from Kill Bill
Any of Art Asylum's 18-inchers: Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Werewolf Ozzy Osbourne or Bruce Lee (came with two outfits; I think technically it was based on him, not his characters)
where is mc hammer? urkel? come on. and what about the pam anderson and other babes action figures?
Posted 12/31/2008 at 01:57:38 AMI'm flattered! To be chosen by my peers and to have been chosen #9 on such an elite list of famous characters. It's been fun being recognized as a McFarlane action figure over the years. To be put on a shelf next to some of greatest Super Hero's and Actor's of all time, is indeed an honor. As is being mentioned in your Top 10 list. Thank you!
"Steve the Victim"
Posted 01/01/2009 at 04:36:50 PM...by the way, if you enjoyed the Gentle Giant Realscan technology article, go to G4TV.com and do a search for the McFarlane Toy Factory piece we just did a few weeks ago. You can see G4TV's Alison Haislip being scanned and a real 3D printer at work. Pretty cool stuff! =)
Posted 01/01/2009 at 05:09:06 PMAs usual, McFarlane rules! I know "Steve". It's not enough that the guy has a great job, playing with great toys. Now you give him this honor....It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!
Posted 01/01/2009 at 05:15:03 PMLots of the GI Joe figures were based on Hasbro employees.
I worked with Downtown's wife for a while, but never managed to get a carded figure signed (but I did get a pre-run boxed Cooperstown 12" babe ruth)
Posted 01/02/2009 at 01:24:09 PM"Steve the victim" is apparently a force to be reckoned with, as much as Hamaday himself.
Figures! - McFarlane rules!
Posted 01/03/2009 at 03:37:22 PM"Steve the victim" is apparently a force to be reckoned with, as much as Hamaday himself.
Figures! - McFarlane rules!
Posted 01/03/2009 at 03:39:25 PMAlthough lorg seems less like an ego trip to me some how than the "lucas family boxed set" where not only did we get george, but his kids including the one that he said helped create Jar Jar. here is a link.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Collectors-George-Figures/dp/B000FOUEWA
Posted 01/05/2009 at 05:27:57 AMI don't think this list is complete without the Simpsons version of Stephen Hawking, complete with helicopter blade attachment and boxing glove on a spring. To take one of the world's most intelligent humans and give him goofball accesories for his wheelchair is either sheer brilliance or incredible insensitivity. Either way it's an amazing figure. Ol' Steve must have been a good sport though, considering he did guest star on the show as well as Futurama.
Posted 01/05/2009 at 04:36:28 PM