Action figure:Stony Smith

The success of Hasbro's G.I. Joe in the mid-1960s encouraged a number of toy companies to offer their own action figures. Louis Marx & Company, at midcentury one of the largest American toy manufacturers, marketed three action figures including its own military man. Marx's 12-inch Stony Smith first appeared in 1965. He had fewer moveable limbs than G.I. Joe, and Stony's uniform was molded onto his body, much like the millions of smaller green army men Marx had produced since the late 1940s. But if Marx made its action figure less moveable than G.I. Joe, the company supplied its Stone Smith figure with about 25 pieces of equipment, including weapons and K-rations, while Joe was packaged with just his uniform, boots, cap, and dog tags. All of Joe's other accessories required additional purchases. Stony Smith's extras did not improve his sales. G.I. Joe outfought him at the toy store. Marx attempted gain a bigger share of G.I. Joe's market by replacing its warrior with a closer imitation of Hasbro's figure. Marx released Buddy Charlie, complete with removable cloth uniform and sold in a slim box just like G.I. Joe's. Even though boys could choose Buddy Charlie depicting a soldier, sailor, marine, or pilot, just like Joe, few kids picked Buddy Charlie for their friend at all. Marx abandoned its World War II퉌�-era solider all together for its line of Western cowboys and Noble Knights figures.