Top 15 Best Toylines of the 80s and 90s

And now For something a bit different. I've talked about a lot of things on this blog, but there's one part of Geekdom that I Haven't talked much about yet - Toylines. Well, that changes today. 

This is the Top 15 Best Toylines of the 80's and 90's!!!

Okay, Before I Begin, I'm gonna be clear about something. I'm Only gonna be listing the Boys Toylines. Yeah, 'cuz let's face it, Boys had the Best Toys. Period.

Anyway, let's get to it.   

15 - Super Soaker - Ok, who played with these when they were a Kid? I had to borrow from my cousin, since, I never owned Any of the Super Soakers. Anyway, whether you owned one or not, the Super Soaker Series made 90's Summers more fun.

14 - LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars - The Federation's First Figures. These big rubber guys were static and had permanent poses. But, thanks to being made of tough rubber, you can bash and slam them to your hearts content. This legendary line from LJN lasted from 1984 to 1989.

13 - M.U.S.C.L.E. - Aka Kinikuman. This Wrestling-based toyline was produced in Japan and imported over to America as M.U.S.C.L.E. Now M.U.S.C.L.E stands for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere. Appropriate, since this toyline is made up of a buncha Weird characters. The other thing to note is that other than being made of a tougher rubber than LJN's WWF Figures, in America they only came in flesh tone, while in Japan they came in a few other colors. They also had a Championship Belt that doubled as a Ring Playset. Cool, huh?      

12 - Monster in My Pocket - An Awesome Mini-Fig line based around various Ghouls, Ghosts, Goblins, Witches, Monsters and Other Horrors. Unlike M.U.S.C.L.E, these things were made with a more softer, more pliable rubber. They also came in a variety of colors. I actually had a few of these when I was a kid. Sadly they got thrown out decades ago. 

11 - Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Voltron was Power Rangers Before Power Rangers (though super sentai existed before voltron). Anyway, The Main concept of this toyline was combining Lions (or Vehicles) to form a powerful robot. So, this was also before Transformers Combiners. I personalty never owned Any of the Voltrons (Lion or Vehicle), but I wanted too. 

10 - Micro Machines - These Legendary Micro-Cars gave Hot Wheels a run for it's money back in the 90s. They came in a variety of vehicles and even had some playsets too. Later in the Toyline's run, gimmicks were introduced, such as light up lights and color change. I had a bunch of these when I was a kid, though I forgot which ones.  

09 - Gobots - In the Early 80s Tonka brought over a fun and inexpensive little transforming robot toyline from Japan, similar to what Hasbro would do a year later with Transformers. Gobots had initial success, but was decimated by Transformers a year later, when That legendary toyline debut. Despite this, however, Gobots had 2 things that made it stand out from Transformers - A Playset and Affordability. 

08 - Thundercats - Thundercats Ho!! This LJN produced toyline had a lot of fun characters, most of which had action features (including glowing eyes). One thing to note about this line is that it was mostly comprised of Bag Guys. Still, it was a cool line and I actually had some of the figures, though none of the playsets or vehicles, sadly.  

07 - The Real Ghostbusters - Based on the Animated Series. Each Ghostbuster came with a Proton Pack (with movable steams) and a translucent little Ghost to bust. Besides the figures there were Deluxe Ghosts and Monsters, many different Vehicles, including The Ecto-1, The Firehouse Playset, and Roleplay Items like the Proton Pack and Ghost Trap. I had some of these when I was a kid too. I even had some of the Roleplay items, the Ecto-1, And the Firehouse Playset.     

06 - Hasbro WWF Figures - One of My favorite Toylines. After LJN went out of business in 1989, the WWF license went to Hasbro. The line lasted from 1990 to 1994 and each Superstar had their own action feature. Believe it or not, I still have my figures, though never owned any of the Rings and I don't have all of the figures. Still love this toyline, regardless.  

05 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Ninja Turtles was one of Thee 80s Toylines. I had a bunch of these when I was younger. I even had some of the Playsets and Vehicles too. Hey, I admit, I was Big into Ninja Turtles at the time. TurtleMania was running wild from 1988 to 1993, when it was overthrown by Power Rangers.

04 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - The 1st Great 80s Toyline. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe arrived on the scene in 1981 and was a hit with many young boys. For a good while, The He-Man Was America's #1 Boys Toyline, but in 1988, was quickly usurped by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and TurtleMania. And, Yes, I had some of the figures, though none of the Vehicles or Playsets.   

03 - G.I Joe : Real American Hero - A fan favorite line from the 80s and early 90s. G.I. Joe was one of 2 of Hasbro's Main Toylines, along with Transformers. These figures were very articulated for the time, so articulated they an preform Wrestling moves. Anyway, The Toyline, of course, also had a a lot of unique Vehicles and Playsets. I personally only had a handful of Figures and the Skystriker. After Real American Hero, G.I. Joe would begin to fall off the map and eventually die thanks to 2 failed (financially) follow-ups, Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles in 1994 and G.I. Joe Extreme in 1996.  It would eventually be revived in the Early 2000s with what I call the "Valor vs. Venom" series.  

02 - Power Rangers (Mighty Morphin' to Lost Galaxy) - The Phenomenon that Beat the Ninja Turtles and Dominated Toy Shelves. Heroes in Color Costumes and Cool Transforming Mecha that could combine into an Awesome Robot were this Toylines main selling points. Power Rangers would remain dominate until 1998, when Pokemon became the Newest Craze.  

01 - Transformers (G1, G2, and Beast Wars) - Transforming Robots will Always be cool. Imported from Japan and given personalities by Hasbro, Transformers Became an instant hit when it first debut in 1984 and would remain popular until 1990. In 1991, Hasbro would try to revive the brand with Generation 2, but it failed. Hasbro Then tried again in 1995 with Beast Wars and, with help from the Animated Series, succeeded. Today, the brand is still going strong as a Toyline and has become Hasbro's Cash Cow.  And Yes, I Had some of these too.

Special Mention - Mega Man - Just thought I'd mention this line. Based on the Ruby Spears TV Series, these figures had very low articulation, but came with Special Weapons that could plug into Mega Man and Protoman's Busters in an attempt to mimic the Weapon Copy the characters had in the Cartoon and the Games. PVC figures were also made.

As you can see I've decided to talk about something a little different. Nice change of pace,huh? I may do Board Games next, who the hell knows?

Well, that's it for now. Until then, Punch a Nazi, Kick a Commie, Resist Modern Attitudes, and Stay Gold!

The Retro King Has Spoken!