Ask Mike: An action figure by any other name…
Hey Guys,
As a kid I spent an inordinate amount of time playing with action figures. G.I. Joe, Star Wars, He-Man–if it was a plastic guy based on a TV show or movie, I was all over it. One question that always struck me–why are they called “action figures,” when, really, they’re just dolls? Who came up with the idea of naming ‘em something different?
After a bit of research, I learned that a very clever marketing expert came up with the term in 1964. HeroToys.com explains that Hasbro wanted to release three toys based on the famed “G.I. Joe” comic strip. The folks at the toy company came up with “action figures,” because “they figured it would make the toys much more appealing to young boys.”
The phrase itself was coined by toy designer Stan Weston. The Island of Lost Toys writes that Weston approached Hasbro in 1963 “with the idea of a pose-able military action figure, as a tie-in to ‘The Lieutenant,’ a television series produced by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.” The TV show didn’t last, but the G.I. Joe action figure “was a hit.”
Comic Book Bin offers an exhaustive and entertaining history of the G.I. Joe action figure. Originally, the toy “was conceived as a military man with different names for each branch of the armed services.” The Navy guy was to be named Skip, the soldier Rocky, and the Air Force pilot was to be named Ace. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and the ad agency advised the toy company to go with one name for everybody. After seeing a late night showing of “The Story of G.I. Joe,” starring Robert Mitchum, they settled on the now familiar name. Apparently trademarks were less of an issue back then.
Today, action figures are hugely popular with boys and girls (and adults). You can find figures on everybody from Sigmund Freud to Boba Fett. But, it all started with one patriotic guy named Joe.
What are your thoughts on the line between action figures and dolls? Is an action figure simply a doll for boys or do you have a better definition? Please leave your comments below, and include links if you have ‘em.
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cool
c’mon mike
you were really talkin’ about your barbie collection
i understand 
it’s ok
How do i find sims to play right now? My daughter is trying to find that game but she can’t find it.
I Can’t Think Of Any!
Dolls are soft. They’re usually made of some kind of fabric. Action figures are made of hard platic and are articulated. That means they have joints and other features so they can be posed or manipulated to simulate actions. Dolls are either soft or made of porcelain and aren’t meant to be played with much.
i have a just bought a brand new compaq windows vista computer like a couple of months ago, and when i play sims 2 i tried to enter the code(ctrl+shift+c) to get the command box at the top to enter the rosebud code but it just takes a picture.what do i do to get it to stop taking pictures and go to the command box at the top?
Dude there called action figures because they are either fighting the forces of darkness or fighting for a good cause, either way they all fight. Fighting = action. Action movie = Rambo. Its all in the name.
just wanted to let anyone else know that was interested in this, that there is an actual action figure museum, not far from where I live in Pauls Valley OK. I’ve never been there, don’t know why i would go, I guess it would be kinda fun, since when my son was little he had every spiderman action figure and enemy to go with them… Anyway, here’s the link:
http://www.actionfiguremuseum.com/
its because some of them did different actions , like if you pushed a button it might punch
Didn’t you just answer your own question?
so basically “action figures” is more of a “male-dominated sort of society term”. Hmm great doesnt anyone else find it unhealthy to raise children based on their sex?
The only difference between a doll and an action figure is… a dolls clothes are removable and an action figure does not have removable clothing. A G I Joe that came with removable clothes is still a doll.
A little history on dolls would be nice: http://ctdollartists.com/history.htm
You see, dolls and action-figures share maybe the same origins, but each evolved with time into different things with different purposes.
What kind of kid wants to play with a DOLL?
lol
When you hear ACTION FIGURE, you think of BADASS
Both dolls and action figures are used for playing with in your imagination (or setting on fire, sometimes) and I don’t think that there is that much difference between them, except that action figures are usually masculine and dolls usually feminine.
Personally, I was never a dolls/action figure person. I just made up my own stories in my imagination, and I could do that all by myself.
i don’t belive there dolls because dolls have little to no move abillity.
however action figures have full mobillity.
some even come with items.
the only thing that should be considerd a doll is a barbie or something of that nature.
now a star wars figure is a action figure b/c it can move every part of it’s body.
i guess boys/men don’t want to be called sissies/gay when they are holding a “doll” and therefore, to make it more appealing to the male crowd, a manly term must be used — and thus came “action figure”
where I live, there is a variety store that sells action figures. Some of the characters are…I am NOT making this up…Johann Sebastian Bach, Sigmund Freud, Edgar Allen Poe, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nun, Schlub (couch potato), Albert Einstein and others. They go for about ten dollars. They’re maybe six to eight inches high.
to satisfy the male ego, make males think they arnt playing with dolls
=:)
don’t forget little miniature plastic,
Ｇｒｅｅｎ Ａｒｍｙ Ｍｅｎ, : mrgreen :
[..]
it’s just wierd if you tell to your friends that you are playing a G.I.Joe doll, was it?
and it is way too cool to play action figures.
Everybody knows boys don’t play with dolls, only girls do, so they had to come up with another name!!!
There’s only one reason for the name substitute: Marketing. How many boys are going to want to buy a “Star Wars doll”? Not many, since the word “doll” is feminine and “action figure” is masculine.
This applies in other areas too. Instead of keeping a “diary” I keep a “journal.” I don’t go to a hair dresser, I go to a barber. “Stylist” is probably acceptable for city dwelling dudes, but probably not for the macho crowd.
I’d like to ask a question for fellow yahoo answerers.
I would give this guy all my dolls if he promised not to write anymore.
WTF
Thier called action figures because no little boy wants to play with something called a doll so they came up with the name action figure.
Because when you’re marketing little dolls to boys, it’s just better if we call them action figures.
seriously, guys. you have Y!A, so why do you post questions on here when this is for commenting on the article. sheesh…..
Dolls you can change their clothes and an action figure you can’t change their clothes.
Come on Mike! How many guys do you know who want to be accused of owning a dolly!
Yes, I believe it was a marketing technic so young men would want to buy some too. 
Should beer be outlawed in all the states?
sighs.. even this blog is cliche’.
They are all Dolls to me boys just call them action figures so they wont act girlie like duh….i have 3 brothers
my sara palin figure has the action wink
There is one simple difference. Action figures have “kung-fu grip”!
What an utterly pointless blog…
Oh, I have nothing better to write, so I’m going to debate something no one cares about.
Dolls have limited articulation. Arms, legs, head and eyes are about it. Action figures are almost fully articulated. The only thing that doesn’t move on them is their eyes. Also the face and proportions are more realistic. Therefore they ARE NOT dolls for either girls or boys. If the feet are well made and a person makes an effort, the action figure is free standing. They are also collected by adults who no intention of playing with them. Action figures are sometimes used to make animated movies.
I like action figure a lot better then GI Joe doll. Girls play with dolls and boys play with action figure. You can move more parts on action figures and some came with a Kung Fu grip. That way, they can hold their balls and fight evil at the same time.
I once owned an action figure that was a remake of GI Joe known as GI JEW
I also grew up with the same action figures, Mike. (G.I. Joe, He-Man, Darth Vader, et al.)
I’d say that there is a huge difference in “dolls” and “action figures”. The difference lies in how the person plays with them. Dolls are typically meant to have hair that can be styled, and clothing/accesories that can be changed.
Action figures are typically not about changing clothes or hairstyle, but they do have accesories most of the time (swords, flamethrowers, backpacks, etc.) They also usually feature much more poseability with the limbs than dolls.
The closest you might come to an action figure that borders on being a doll is the early G.I. Joe figures that were about the same size as barbies at the time. Those fabric uniforms…ehh.
Lastly, we should include a seperate catagory for “collectible figures”. These are dolls or action figures that are usually not meant to be played with, and are instead kept on display. Collectible figures are not necessarily also catagorized as action figures or dolls, but they can be. For example, your Sigmund Freud “action figure” is hardly an action figure or a doll–it fits the mold for a collectible figure and nothing more. And there are certain Boba Fett action figures out there with a backpack rocket that actually fires, and those are examples of action figures that are also collectible figures–toys, but no one would want to play with them for fear of lessening their value.
The original G.I. Joe was great. You could blow him up wit firecrackers or shoot him with a BB-gun, and he’d just come back for more. Shooting a Barbie felt rather sadistic, so we didn’t do it. “Action Figure” = Movable and durable image of what you’d like to be when you grow up. “Doll” = Empty-headed plaything. My sister played with G.I. Joe, and she was one tough cookie when life threw her a few nasty curve balls. I looked at Barbie and thought, “How boring”. So… “To each his/her own.”
Thank you Ruiner. You said it best. Now I have nothing to say.
They are called action figures for good reason. Whether it is GI Joe or Luke Skywalker or whichever, the intent it is to actually play with them as soldiers or whatever their identity would indicate. So in the pretend world of kids, they are actually doing something.
As opposed to sitting there, doing absolutely nothing, which is a doll.
hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Thanks for ruining my childhood memories.
He-man was my favorite one,what years those years were! i did not care that much for the G.I Joe,also the Hulk was one of the best one back then!
Me and my friends used to compete to see who could have the bigger cardboard box full of this action figures! lol
The things that are said about “action figures” can also be said about dolls. Our “dolls” (I predate “action figures”) took part in all kinds of adventures. Articulated or not, they did it all. And, by the way, some dolls *are* articulate, so you can’t go on that. And as far as collectible — ever see a doll collection? Some of them boggle the mind!
It’s a matter of semantics and gender bias, nothing more.
I like the name ‘Action Figure’. It’s exactly like that Barbie defined itself. Barbie succeeded in making you think that it’s not just a doll. Doll can be baby, can be big… can be anything.
In other words, not every doll is a Barbie.
Nothing is pointless…Dollys, action figueres…who gives an ‘F’! :/ The marketing company and media are very sexist. I, myself, am a chick and I would rather play with action figures, instead. ^^; So…uhm. Yeah…people, don’t say anything’s pointless. Like you could do any better. ..:/ Heh. I doubt that made ANY sense what-so-ever, ‘cuz I can’t think so good right now. ANYWAYS…~Sincerely your 14 year old annoyance.
One more thing… Bye. ^^
They aren’t d-olls, they’re ac-tion fig-ures!
They are called Action Figures to avoid emasculation of the boys playing with them (:
I don’t see much of a difference between “dolls” and “action figures”, especially when you consider that Barbie and Ken are considered the former, while many of the latter have very similar design.
I have noticed that dolls are usually dressable–they are naked and you can change their outfits–while action figures usually aren’t. You probably won’t find a G.I. Joe action figure who is nude and comes with different cloth outfits to dress him in, but that seems pretty standard with dolls–at least the ones that are big enough that you can change their clothes, but the small ones still often come with cloth clothing even when they’re too small to undress.
They came up with that name due to the fact that the parts actually MOVED as compared to dolls of earlier days.. which didnt..thus they had ” action”…
their figures of action hence “action” “figure”
Dolls and action figures are equally poseable, and some action figures – some – can also be undressed (I’ve seen naked Max Steel’s, for instance). Many dolls also move and do little stunts, just like action figures – walking, dancing, gymnastics, etc.
You play with them the same way – they’re the central figure in whatever story you’re making up, wether it’s fighting the bad guy or over who controls the rest of the gals. They act like you think or fantasize you might one day. You compare yours with your friends and compete to have the most / best.
Action figures are dolls for boys with a cooler sounding name. Have you noticed it’s mainly guys that claim otherwise?
A note on Ken: he’s still called a doll because it was girls that played with him… And because he was more of an accessory – Barbie’s boy toy – than an actuall character or whatever.
Another side note: I played with Barbies, not action figures, but they had their own sadistic little battles, complete with the good, the bad, and the slavers, and full-on physical fights. Same game!
Also… I know this has nothing to do with the subject… But I always wanted a Hot Wheels racetrack! I hate it that the media always makes girls out to be sweet and delicate, when some of us secretly want to be just as rough and wacky as the boys.
We all know that the term “action figure” is used in our heterosexist society for dolls that boys play with because boys and girls are given differential treatment. The mainstream American male role model STILL does not allow boys to do anything that is considered feminine without some kind of negative consequence. What’s even more pathetic is that the dolls that boys play with have to be associated with violence in some way. This encourages the part of the male role model that tells boys they have to learn how to kick a** or they’ll be considered wimps. It’s an unrealistic ideal that more parents should challenge but don’t for fear of their male child becoming involved in social stigma.
Doesn’t if feel good to finally come to terms with your feminine side? Just a marketing ploy just like spotlighting the fact that Lipton Tea has antioxidants in it now when it’s all the rage. Truth is it has always been in the product naturally. Target your demographic, find out what they want and give it to them.
In my opinion, an action figure is a term to describe what boys imagine their plastic, G.I. Joe doll can become in their imagination. They are all dolls in one form or another, however, because of the gender and the attached implication of the word “doll” to females, no toy manufacturer would sell a toy doll for boys if they used a word that described what had already been on the market for years for girls. If you look at the comic strips, movies and television characters, all of the characters are involved in some form of hero-type plot…Superman to the rescue; Batman conquers; G.I. Joe rescues the victimized, etc. Therefore, “action figure” would be the appropriate title given these dolls, and that is what they are…plastic dolls with a male-dominated, associated name. If any parents would like advice…when you purchase a toy for your son that is really cool, i.e., the Buzz Lightyear toy that was a hot item after the movie “Toy Story” came out, buy one for your daughter, as well. I found that my daughter loved her Barbies, but the Buzz Lightyear toy was something she loved to play with (when her brother was outside) and could not see her handling it. Toys are toys and it was not uncommon for my son to sit down and play Barbie with my daughter (of course he played the Ken role). Encourage multi-gender toys for your kids ~ it is really okay for G.I. Joe to be a gift for a girl; afterall, many little girls grow up and marry a man who wears fatigues and dress greens/blues uniforms.
well an action figure would be based like you said off of a movie or show so it would resemble a predetermined character who normally through his original creation was ment for action where as a doll could be just a random baby and is not based off of anything previously created
barbie was created as a doll where as a spiderman action figure would have been based off of movies or shows created before the action figure
I had original Ninja Turtles, GI Joes, Dick Tracy, Beetlejuice, etc.
They are called action figures since they usually come with accessories and are posable. They went in the bathtub or outside. I hung mine on curtains, houseplants, furniture and even the dog. There was no telling where my mom would find them.
They saw more action than any of my sister’s Barbies. Dolls have clothes and come in boxes. My action figures were hung at Toys R Us in blister packs with collector card printed on the pkg.
Action Figures are dolls, but boys don’t play with dolls son.
whoopzzzz
lol either way people its toys. tomato tomato
Approximately a year ago, I watched a documentary on the History Channel about the history of toys. On the show they interviewed a retired toy company marketing director (can’t remember if he was from Mattel or Hasbro), who claimed to have invented the term “action figure”. He says that was a marketing ploy to calm the concerns of some parents that their sons were playing with dolls.
…….because you are attempting to emasculate any boy or man who wants to feel like there is a difference in genders. stop with semantics that attempt to compensate for your personal feelings of inadequacy.
action figures = because they have more points of articulation (movable limbs and joints) than a doll. besides, they literally get more action than a standard doll: a barbie can just sit there all day, but a Joe can be anywhere, be it flying around in a toy plane or getting blown to smithereens with a firecracker.
Paul is so right, there IS a difference between dolls and action figures, action fiures can move nearly any part of thier and some even have kung fu grip, that way, they can hold thier balls while fighting evil!
THEY ARE CALLED ACTION FIGURES, BECAUSE THE HUMAN MAN CANNOT CONFESS TO THE FACT THAT YES EVEN BOYS/MEN PLAY WITH DOLLS. WAIT LETS TRICK THE PEOPLE THEY ARE ACTION FIGURES, MEN DONT PLAY W/DOLLS.
this seems somewhat trival. Action figure vs dolls. Robert Carl Parisien Natick MA. why split hairs over this. Its not worth it
boys or man should not playing with the doll because it look like a girl.
c’mon mike do you no only little girl playing the doll.
how does this work.find out