Action figure:Captain Action

G.I. Joe may have been the first action figure, but he was certainly not the last. When Hasbro's toy line proved popular, several toy makers offered their own variations of the manly doll. In 1966 the Ideal Toy Company produced Captain Action, a figure of extraordinary talents. Ideal called the Captain a superhero, and he battled an outsized villain named Dr. Evil. Additional outfits for Captain Action changed him into Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the Phantom, Aquaman, Flash Gordon, Steve Canyon, the Lone Ranger, and Buck Rogers�an astounding number of heroes all rolled into a single figure. Ideal gave Captain Action a sidekick, Action Boy, and his additional outfits morphed him into Batman's Robin, Superman's Superboy, and Aquaman's Aqualad, and a space traveler. The toy line offered a number of structures and vehicles, including a much-needed Quick-Change Chamber (but no phone booth!). Ideal produced the Captain Action for about three years. Like many war- and violence-related playthings, it did not survive the war-weary sixties.