Captain Action

Captain Action was an early action figure from 1966, a figure who came with separate costumes to change into Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Aquaman, the Phantom, The Lone Ranger (and Tonto, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Sgt. Fury, Steve Canyon and the Green Hornet. more...

Captain Action was Ideal Toy Company's, answer to Hasbros' GI Joe, and had the same person behind him, toy and idea man Stan Weston. It was Stan Weston who first came to Hasbro's Don Levine with the idea of an articulated action figure in the form of a soldier, to be better acceptable to boys. Levine and his Hasbro team took hold of the concept, making it into GI Joe, the first modern action figure for boys (and the first to carry that name). Weston took his money from GI Joe and started his own licensing company, representing DC Comic, Marvel Comics, and King Features.

Stan Weston, Idea Man

Stan Weston's company, Leisure Concepts, took the idea of a new 12in articulated action figure to Ideal Toys, who was looking for an answer to GI Joe to remain competitive in the market. Weston proposed Captain Magic, a many-in-one hero, who could adopt the guise of several heroes (all of whom happened to be represented by Leisure Concepts.) The name was changed to Captain Action, hitting the market in 1966.

The figure itself had a rather sad and worried expression, a strange shaped head (so the masks of the various heroes could fit over it) and more detailed musculature than GI Joe. The original wave included Cap in his blue and black uniform, with lightning sword, and ray gun, and separate Superman, Batman, Lone Ranger, Phantom, Flash Gordon, Spider-Man, Captain America, Sgt Fury, Steve Canyon and Aquaman costumes (with assorted accessories), the next wave (1967) added Buck Rogers, Green Hornet, and Tonto, with a Blue Lone Ranger variation and collectible flicker rings in each box.

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