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. The Ideal Toy Company produced Captain Action in 1966, a figure whose talents were superhuman. Ideal called the Captain a super hero, and he battled the villainous Dr. Evil. Additional outfits changed the Captain into Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the Phantom, Aquaman, Flash Gordon, Steve Canyon, the Lone Ranger, and Buck Rogers--a number of heroes all rolled into one figure. Ideal gave the Captain a sidekick--Action Boy, and his additional outfits morphed him into Batman's Superboy, Robin, Aqualad, and a space traveler. The toy line included 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 sixties.