I think you hit the nail on the head. Indy was more of a role play character than action figure. On time I found a length of black nylon rope in a field as a kid and I was Indiana jones for about a week. I think my parents took the rope away because I was whipping everything and trying to swing from the swing set.
I used to see a massive clearance bin at my KB toys as late as 1988 with a ton of Cairo Swordsman figures. I used to frantically dig through it looking for an Indy. Its funny how late in the 80s you could still find some figures from certain toy lines. The same KB had a ton of Rancor Keepers and Admiral Ackbars. Weird.
There was a store in Gilbertsville, PA called Zerns Farmers Market. One of the vendors there, called Larry's Hardware still had Rancor Keepers MOC and Lobot figures mint on ESB cards in 1994. They cost $5.00 each. Some of the cards had some damage while others weren't bad at all. The last time I was there back then I bought 10 Rancor Keepers and all 8 ESB Lobots that they had left. I sold most of them since then but I still have one of each in my collection.
Great retrospective! I had the Well of Souls, Indy, and Marion- then spent the rest of my life pining for more figures. Truly, the best thing that can be said of the KOTCS was that it motivated Hasbro to give Indy another shot in the toy aisles. "These toys belong in a museum!" Great line!
Sadly also shortlived and underutilized. With a bias toward Raiders and Crystal Skull. With only 3 sets for Last Crusade and 2 sets for Temple of Doom Wouldve loved to see a German Tank set or a Pankot Palace set. Hopefully Lego takes it up again for Indy 5 and fills some gaps
I love this page. So much childhood nostalgia. It always makes me feel that everything is right in the world when I'm looking at the relics of my young life.
Revisiting these old classics, this channel gave me a huge appreciation of vintage toys. Can’t believe ive been watching for so long now! Love the channel!
Guys... Great series. I discovered you just a few weeks ago, and spent most of a day binge watching. Finally, a channel that gets it. It's all about that feeling I had as a kid, and trying to recapture a smidge of that feeling again. Well done, and keep up the amazing work!
Keith Hutchins spoke the Gospel... "It's all about that feeling I had as a kid, and trying to recapture a smidge of that feeling again." And that's how Keith Hutchins won teh interwebs.
I have quite vivid memories from Christmas when I was a kid, and going to my grandparents house Christmas morning, and receiving almost all of the key figures, and the "Well of Souls", as well as the "Map Room" playsets. I was also given a whip, however, because I was limited with my mobility and dexterity, due to my disability, I actually enjoyed many years playing with the Indiana Jones figures and playsets. I did find the truck eventually, and by that time had incorporated the Lone Ranger figures into my Indiana Jones universe. My biggest complaint with the Indiana Jones line personally was the legs spreading wide open when placed in a sitting position. Despite the scene specific playsets and vehicles/vehicle, I used my imagination to create different scenarios around the world, and then came G.I. Joe, and my focus changed, in addition to Return of the Jedi. I was one of the few middle school/high school students probably that was still playing with action figures, but it was escapism for me. I went on to get into Robotech, and collected most of those action figures, and then I saw David Lynch's Dune, and my horizons were broadened out of sci-fi fantasy, into the science fiction/political/ecological,/spiritual directions, and I had the majority of the Dune merchandise, especially once it hit clearance racks. I wish I would have kept better track of these items growing up, but hindsight is 2020. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have grown up with a plethora of action figure lines, and playsets, vehicles, etc. to choose from. I'll always have fond memories of Indiana Jones however, in every conceivable part of the world that I imagined... =)
I think I've never seen this toy line in Italy, now I know something more about collecting toys. Very informative as usual! Good job Retroblasting ;- )
When I was a kid (and even more recently with the Chrystal Skull era release) my issue was how unrealistic the figures seemed. For me, Indy's line had to be insanely detailed, with absurd amounts of accessories. There's a company called BBI cCollectibles, they recently had sold modern military action figures at Target stores. The details were great. The posability, very good, and everything looked to scale. They really shine IMO with their WWII style soldiers, as well as various aircraft and vehicles. What would be fantastic if they did an Indiana Jones line, is that you would have available tons of WWII Nazi soldiers and various vehicles already made to either rebrand as Indy, or simply buy them as they are (as there's no real need to rebrand a nazi) and then they could focus on the basic main cast.
I never saw ANY Indiana Jones figures, vehicles or playsets anywhere near me when they were out, and I don't remember seeing any signage in stores either, and its a shame that Indy and Star Trek never received the figures and playsets they could have. I had the original Mego line, and now the 'new' retro line of Mego style figures, but no Trek movie era 'Monster 'Maroon' uniforms from ST2-6. What I always wanted as a kid, and now, are all my favorite lines in the same scale, for a multi universe crossover battle - Han Solo meets Indy to fight the Imperial and Nazi stormtroopers, Luke and the droids meet Dr. Who and K9, Marvel and DC fight Cobra and VENOM with GI Joe, Transformers and MASK, the TMNT battle the Foot and the Hand with Daredevil, Shang-Chi and Iron Fist, the Shogun Warriors, the MMPR Zords, Godzilla and Gamera fight the Kaiju from Pacific Rim,and Kirk and crew along with Picard and the Enterprises fight the Empire, the Borg and the Klingons and Romulans. Film that BBC, JJAbrams, Lucas, Disney, Marvel, Spielberg and WB/DC!
I feel Indy shined better with lego than with the action figures. With that you had the ability to build temples and give him treasures to find. I will admit though, it's rather strange that you can get more figures of Laura Croft than you can with the man that started it all.
I remember seeing these when the second series of figures came out. The was 3 Indy's per case and only one Marion but a ton of Cairo Swordsmans and Tohts. I believe there was 2-3 fugures of the remaining ones like Sallah. For some strange reason the trucks sent to Toys R Us were always opened never tape sealed. I believe this was done at the factory. Maybe they forgot to add something in the boxes. I wish I bought these on clearance along with the Y-Wings that I still saw at Toys R Us up until 1988-89. Great video!
Great history on this line of figures. Thanks for doing the research! I was gifted the shirtless goon guy when I was a child and I still have him. What I loved about him was the action spring arm and I had actually hoped Star Wars figures would have more features like that but they never did. I never found any more Indy figures at the local toy stores back then or I would have added to my one figure collection!
Another excellent video. I remember very clearly wanting this entire line, but it was difficult to find here, so I only had a few of them. With two large toy stores here, I could still only find them at Payless Drugs.
Awesome vid! I still have my original Indy of coarse with his broken thumb. I was never able to find the rest of the line as a kid but I have not stopped looking. I wanted them all cuz I absolutely loved raiders. Really enjoyed the video!
Best way to start my Saturday evening. =) Very informative, and you had me laughing at 0:21. =D I don't know if Star Wars toys were still in toy aisles when Raiders toys were released, but I think kids were just more interested in playing with space toys. Maybe at that time when they were given the chance to choose, they'd go pick the stormtrooper rather than the guys in jackets.
In my little midwestern town, the only figure I could get my hands on was Toht. I remember wanting Indy but also noticing there was hardly anyone for him to fight. That overall negative impression transferred to the later Temple of Doom versions. And, yeah, by then I was heavily into G.I.Joe and Transformers.
The Well of Souls was one of my favorite playsets ever. It saw use, especially the gray plastic mummy, well into my childhood. I never knew there was a Temple of Doom series of toys. I would of gone nuts!
I managed to get my hands on the indy figure and the Well of Souls playset as a kid, coolest toys ever!! Since I didn't have Giant Sherpa I would use Gung Ho from G.I. Joe. Awesome episode!! =)
Another great video! I have this complete line carded and boxed (plus the Kenner and Parker Brothers board games), and I absolutely love it. And yes Ken Hayward.... that is R2-D2 and C-3PO sculpted on the side of the stone cover in the Well of the Souls play set.
Hey Mike & Melinda-- I adore this Video and I too grew up with Indiana Jones and had all the Kenner Indiana Jones--- I remember the Well of the Soul Playset, The figures are long gone but i have the New Indiana Jones Figures Hasbro did a few years ago--- Thanks so much for a very incouraging Video.
Yo! I just gotta say you both are the best!!!! I've recently stumbled across your channel and I love it! Super smart and funny and I digggg the opening theme song! Please make more episodes and stick together!!!!!
Just discovered this channel and enjoying the nostalgia of my childhood. I used to play with the raiders set when inwas a kid. My uncle had it and left it behind at my grandparents when he enlisted in the marine corps. Haven't seen the set in decades.
As a kid of the 2000s, I have to say I was enamored with the Indiana Jones toys from Hasbro. I had ones from Raiders and Crystal Skull and they were a hoot. Never once did I think about how the legs were kinda spread out, because the articulation on all the figures were so good! And you failed to even mention the most interesting part of that line, which was the "classified" objects inside the paper crates. It made you feel like you were unearthing a true artifact, and it always something relevant to the movie and figure of choice.
Thank you very much for saving a very rainy day on vacation (at least for me that is, hehe!). Indy figures were never very present here in germany, except for the LEGO Indiana Jones line. Lego Indy was great and i bought the most important figures
I think it's possible that the Indiana Jones toys never took off because the movies might be a little too gory and scary for kids. The first film has a climax where ghosts fly around everyone's faces melt, and in other films there are people getting stuck on spikes, heads getting sliced off, skeletons, Donovan's terrifying rapid decaying at the end of Last Crusade, etc.
I’ve seen some of The Raiders stuff go for higher prices on EBay than Vintage 1977 Star Wars toys. But that Well of Souls with the Ark in it is quite stunning!
Micheal, I appreciate your thoroughness with the Indiana Jones toy line. It was what I was looking for! I want the vintage line in my hands so bad and wanted more info on it. You satisfied my appetite for more info and than some! Thank you!
I remember seeing some of those modern Indy toys a few years ago, and while I thought it was a cool idea, I never thought wow I need these. I collect almost exclusively Star Wars vintage to modern. I even have a small GI Joe collection. But I never really wanted the Indy stuff. Great movies, but just didn't feel the compulsion. Great video though, and maybe in my collecting travels if I come across some Indy stuff, I might give it a try. Thanks again Retroblasting!!!
My cousin had these. He wouldn't even let me touch them, because he thought they were so precious. I bought my own a few years back. What now, Robbie?!
I really hope Hasbro watches this for insights on how to organize the Retro line that was revealed yesterday. I don’t have any Indy figures, but Michael’s video makes me want to get into the retro line.
I love the kenner line,wish i had them as a kid but saw them only once that i could recall,and no indy in stock. it is too bad the line didn't do better,it would have been nice to see toys for the other two movies. This was another great job by the retroblasting team.
This is one of those toy lines that I never saw in stores, and it's a shame. A friend of mine had the truck, but I guess the doors were long gone when we were playing with it. About 3 years ago I got the Hot Toys "Raiders" Indiana Jones, and while a lot of collectors said it didn't resemble Harrison Ford, I compared the figure to the film source and it seemed pretty accurate.
Thank you so much for doing these vidioes!!! Im wright there with ya, grew up the same way. Every vidio captures my childhood with nistalgic accuracy, thank you!😊
Another great video ! I always enjoy watching your videos. They are well researched, well shot and well written (funny yet informative !). I'm a big toy/movie fan and couldn't have cared less about the Indy toys ( I guess some movies don't really translate well into action figures). I hope you make a video about the movies that should have had toy lines but never did. I don't remember seeing toys for Krull, The Never Ending Story or The Last Star Fighter but I wish they had action figures for them. Looking forward to your next video !
Nice catch. I missed it on the first run through, but when I went back to look, you are right! I am guessing this was a little Easter Egg because both films where from Lucas and both toy lines were from Kenner, so nobody could get sued.
Excellent episode, as usual...great job and PLEASE keep 'em coming our way! Yeah, I remember looking for/wanting Indy toys for "The Last Crusade" back in the summer of '89, but of course, no dice! But I get it I guess, especially after seeing this...AND in addition to Indy movies being a bit more "adult oriented" as I've seen others talk about on here, in the summer of '89, I guess Kenner focused more on the blockbuster "Batman" movie merch...a HUGE deal at the time that even I couldn't resist as a young fan! That being said, in retrospect, the "Batman" line had its share of duds/issues, but popularity goes a long way I suppose (especially when young)...! *shrug*
I know that the Kenner line is “where it’s at” in terms of nostalgia, but I grew up with the Hasbro line. My childhood was filled with those figures and I had 8 German soldiers and the German trucks! My dad was the one who got me into the franchise as that’s what he grew up with and it made me love History and filmmaking at the same time. I still have all my figures at my house, but I have longed to one day complete the line cause I missed out on all the Temple of Doom figures and am missing figures here and there from Crystal Skull (even though it did suck). I did get all but Elsa from the Last Crusade which is my favorite in the franchise. I also have seen that San Diego collection and do like those as well even though they’re expensive. As a kid I also used to dress up with a fedora and satchel all over the place especially when I went camping. Those were the days!
You're not wrong, Indiana Jones is more of an adult property when it comes to merchandise, but kids did love the film series. The reason why the toys refused to sell back in the day and in 2008 was because of the limited potential of the characters. They're human, ordinary and as such kids cannot really imagine much with them. Indiana Jones wasn't a costumed superhero, a strongman with a power sword, he wasn't a Jedi Knight, or a militarized fighting force with a vast arsenal and menagerie of soldiers. Star Wars had colorful costumes, weird looking diverse characters, ships and environments. Indiana Jones was a guy looking for gold before the Nazis. Your potential is hindered right there. Even if the line was made to be the most exciting thing since sliced bread, there's just nothing for the imagination to grasp, and because of the villains, parents may not have even bought any in fear of corrupting their children. Scene specific or no. That could have disrupted sales. In 2008, I can tell you that the launch of Indiana Jones was doomed right from the start, since both Indy and Dark Knight toylines launched on the same day. Kids wanted Batman, not an archaeologist to play with and collectors were hot tracking down the very first collector oriented movie lines based off of the Caped Crusader. Remember the struggle to keep Joker on shelves? I found every figure I needed that day and had a heck of a time looking for anything Dark Knight including the Joker. I was even able to find Last Crusade figures easily because of lack of interest.
as a kid back then, i thought the figures sucked, but would have gotten them in a heartbeat because i loved the movie and was always looking for cool figures. the problem is i'm not going to buy a german mechanic before i buy the german grunt/cannon fodder. kenner, gawd love 'em, could make some bone-headed decisions and just completely missed the mark quite often. personally, i was never a big fan of action features built into a figure (some micronauts being an exception ~ baron fucking karza... 'nuff said) as it limited playability, but you have this hard plastic, brittle looking blobby sculpt. these things are just a turn-off ~ you can sell me a shitty luke skywalker when i'm 8 years old in '78, but that doesn't fly when i'm 11 even if you throw in bendable knees.... :) i can grasp their ideas behind some of the decisions, but they seemed to miss the point. i think you do have a point, but, really, to the eyes of a kid these things were just not great figures and were backed up with bizarre accessories and head-scratching play-sets.
I dont think I ever came across Indy Jones toys over here, I would of definitely liked the first wave of them though. The Indy figure looks like William Shatner and Marion looks like Sally Field.
Great video it brought back some good memories the Raiders of the lost Ark figures from kenner where cool figures I remember getting a few figures that my parents bought me back in the day at Gemco if anybody remembers that store . They where very hard to find and got lost with the Star Wars toy line
Sorry to say but my favorite Indiana Jones figure is the one made by the Japanese company Max Factory. It is a 5 1/2 inch Indy in his generic outfit and it is part of their Figma line.
"the figures hit the clearance bins rapidly and toys like Streets of Cairo, Toht, and the Cairo swordsmen languished on toy store shelves for years, alongside LJN's Dune line" HaHaHa! Boy, that takes me back to 1985, when I was perusing the bargain aisle of my local Toys"R"Us, where I indeed saw a Streets of Cairo playset and a few Toht figures, along with MANY Dune figures and vehicles. Thanks for the flashback, RB!
Great review! One of my favorite toy lines next to Star Wars & Thundercats. ;) It's just tragic how Hasbro or nobody else was able to do Indiana Jones justice. I can only imagine how cool it would be for Hasbro to remake a few of the Indiana Jones playsets w/today's sculpting technology. And, my God! Can we ever get a decent Harrison Ford headsculpt? Is it really THAT hard?
Hi Michael, I am attempting to track down all the components needed to complete a Kenner Well of Souls playset but have not been able to confirm exactly how many snakes came with the original set. Do you know how many snakes were originally included? Thank you for any help you can provide.
I had every figure and playset for the Raiders line except for the Belloq in the ceremonial robe. We were never able to find him. We looked in every store we could in at least three different states and even wrote Kenner. They didn't have any to send us. The others in the line were never a problem. I've since lost every piece. It's the toy line I most wish I still had from my childhood. All I have left is one Indy with no arms and one leg.
Two thumbs Up for your best video of action figures to this date. Although I think that "Crystal Skull" was better than the "Temple of Doom", your arguments about the failure of the Indiana Jones toys are accurate and precise, something that is very difficult to find in You Tube these days.... Do you think that now that Lucasfilm is under the "Disney Empire" is there any possibility that we could have a decent line of toys of Indiana Jones?
I never knew the heritage of the Kenner figures. I loved Indy with the holster. Still have the pistol and whip but, yup, broken thumb. The truck was one of my favorite toys because it was the first clearance toy I ever bought with my own money. I think I paid $2.99. One of the rare boxes I kept because it was a "trophy."
I was (and still is) interested in the Hasbro 2008 line! I love the figures, yet I can agree, the various head sculpts were in either weird (Wave 1 Indy), decent (every other various Indy figure), and then good (especially Wave 4 and Lost Wave Indy). Also, with Crystal Skull (being the first Indy movie I've seen and enjoyed it a lot), I wish the film did some good for the marketing. Now, Hasbro's Indy figures are either common or hard to obtain (price wise).
After a few years of collecting i finally saw through my Hasbro Indiana Jones figures and got the last Crusade and Raiders figures of the main line that I needed I may one day re-buy the Kenner Belloq and Well of Souls or even Marion to "complete" my Kenner Indy figures, but for now I'm good
The only time I saw any Indiana Jones toys was when my parents took me to Disneyland for the first time in the 80s. I've never even seen a commercial advertising the toys.
A friend of mine actually knew Brian Dennehy personally, and I told him to tell Mister Dennehy the joke about “possibly the only Brian Dennehy action figure” showing him a picture of the action figure itself. He apparently was rather amused.
Kenner killed this line, itself, by short packing Indy and Marion. And those Desert Truck Playsets sat on the shelves into the late 80's. I'd like to see an NECA line of 6" super detailed Indiana Jones figures, spanning all of the films.
It doesn't feel like an Indy film, and it has tons of flaws, but I have to admit that it's a lot of fun. It was the film that introduced me to the franchise, so I have a soft spot for it.
I introduce my five-year-old son Indiana Jones we started with... the Temple of doom and all of its horror and nightmares ... and he loved it. So we went through and watch all of them. I had one Inda figure he (my son) ask if there where more to play with (like the Star Wars toys he plays with * Modern) so I went on line and found them - he loves them . We found the truck and some stuff from the crystal scull ... he likes Inda
9:04 they even have the R2 and 3PO easter egg on the Ark, what a nice touch!
I think you hit the nail on the head. Indy was more of a role play character than action figure.
On time I found a length of black nylon rope in a field as a kid and I was Indiana jones for about a week.
I think my parents took the rope away because I was whipping everything and trying to swing from the swing set.
I used to see a massive clearance bin at my KB toys as late as 1988 with a ton of Cairo Swordsman figures. I used to frantically dig through it looking for an Indy. Its funny how late in the 80s you could still find some figures from certain toy lines. The same KB had a ton of Rancor Keepers and Admiral Ackbars. Weird.
True. I bought Return of the Jedi figures as late as 1989 at Toys R US
Fuck I miss those days..
There was a store in Gilbertsville, PA called Zerns Farmers Market. One of the vendors there, called Larry's Hardware still had Rancor Keepers MOC and Lobot figures mint on ESB cards in 1994. They cost $5.00 each. Some of the cards had some damage while others weren't bad at all. The last time I was there back then I bought 10 Rancor Keepers and all 8 ESB Lobots that they had left. I sold most of them since then but I still have one of each in my collection.
Great retrospective! I had the Well of Souls, Indy, and Marion- then spent the rest of my life pining for more figures. Truly, the best thing that can be said of the KOTCS was that it motivated Hasbro to give Indy another shot in the toy aisles.
"These toys belong in a museum!" Great line!
The Indy LEGO line, however, was incredible!
Haha
Sadly also shortlived and underutilized.
With a bias toward Raiders and Crystal Skull. With only 3 sets for Last Crusade and 2 sets for Temple of Doom
Wouldve loved to see a German Tank set or a Pankot Palace set. Hopefully Lego takes it up again for Indy 5 and fills some gaps
@@art-n-filmsam3844aaaaaaand they canceled the Temple of Doom set.
I love this page. So much childhood nostalgia. It always makes me feel that everything is right in the world when I'm looking at the relics of my young life.
Revisiting these old classics, this channel gave me a huge appreciation of vintage toys. Can’t believe ive been watching for so long now! Love the channel!
Guys... Great series. I discovered you just a few weeks ago, and spent most of a day binge watching. Finally, a channel that gets it. It's all about that feeling I had as a kid, and trying to recapture a smidge of that feeling again. Well done, and keep up the amazing work!
Keith Hutchins spoke the Gospel...
"It's all about that feeling I had as a kid, and trying to recapture a smidge of that feeling again."
And that's how Keith Hutchins won teh interwebs.
Lol. Thanks!
I am addicted to your channel. I've watched I think 5 in a row so far.... and still going strong!!!
Its always a good day when a new Retroblasting episode is on :)
Thanks Steve!!!
The guy at the end of the interview when he says" who's Indiana jones" i almost had a heart attack
A lol
The subtitle "friend and comedian" should have been enough to tell you that was not intended to be taken seriously.
I do not know, he is an American and probily a Trump supporter🤣
I have quite vivid memories from Christmas when I was a kid, and going to my grandparents house Christmas morning, and receiving almost all of the key figures, and the "Well of Souls", as well as the "Map Room" playsets. I was also given a whip, however, because I was limited with my mobility and dexterity, due to my disability, I actually enjoyed many years playing with the Indiana Jones figures and playsets. I did find the truck eventually, and by that time had incorporated the Lone Ranger figures into my Indiana Jones universe. My biggest complaint with the Indiana Jones line personally was the legs spreading wide open when placed in a sitting position. Despite the scene specific playsets and vehicles/vehicle, I used my imagination to create different scenarios around the world, and then came G.I. Joe, and my focus changed, in addition to Return of the Jedi. I was one of the few middle school/high school students probably that was still playing with action figures, but it was escapism for me. I went on to get into Robotech, and collected most of those action figures, and then I saw David Lynch's Dune, and my horizons were broadened out of sci-fi fantasy, into the science fiction/political/ecological,/spiritual directions, and I had the majority of the Dune merchandise, especially once it hit clearance racks. I wish I would have kept better track of these items growing up, but hindsight is 2020. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have grown up with a plethora of action figure lines, and playsets, vehicles, etc. to choose from. I'll always have fond memories of Indiana Jones however, in every conceivable part of the world that I imagined... =)
I always wanted a classic Indiana Jones figure. I'm glad they eventually gave us a ton of figures from Hasbro and Disneyland
We need a Black Series 6" line like with Star Wars
Oh dang! I never thought of that. I would definitely buy some!!
Yeah
Definitely
*WISH GRANTED*
We will now have:
*Indiana Jones Adventure Series*
This aged well
I think I've never seen this toy line in Italy, now I know something more about collecting toys.
Very informative as usual! Good job Retroblasting ;- )
When I was a kid (and even more recently with the Chrystal Skull era release) my issue was how unrealistic the figures seemed.
For me, Indy's line had to be insanely detailed, with absurd amounts of accessories.
There's a company called BBI cCollectibles, they recently had sold modern military action figures at Target stores. The details were great. The posability, very good, and everything looked to scale.
They really shine IMO with their WWII style soldiers, as well as various aircraft and vehicles.
What would be fantastic if they did an Indiana Jones line, is that you would have available tons of WWII Nazi soldiers and various vehicles already made to either rebrand as Indy, or simply buy them as they are (as there's no real need to rebrand a nazi) and then they could focus on the basic main cast.
I never saw ANY Indiana Jones figures, vehicles or playsets anywhere near me when they were out, and I don't remember seeing any signage in stores either, and its a shame that Indy and Star Trek never received the figures and playsets they could have. I had the original Mego line, and now the 'new' retro line of Mego style figures, but no Trek movie era 'Monster 'Maroon' uniforms from ST2-6.
What I always wanted as a kid, and now, are all my favorite lines in the same scale, for a multi universe crossover battle -
Han Solo meets Indy to fight the Imperial and Nazi stormtroopers, Luke and the droids meet Dr. Who and K9, Marvel and DC fight Cobra and VENOM with GI Joe, Transformers and MASK, the TMNT battle the Foot and the Hand with Daredevil, Shang-Chi and Iron Fist, the Shogun Warriors, the MMPR Zords, Godzilla and Gamera fight the Kaiju from Pacific Rim,and Kirk and crew along with Picard and the Enterprises fight the Empire, the Borg and the Klingons and Romulans.
Film that BBC, JJAbrams, Lucas, Disney, Marvel, Spielberg and WB/DC!
I would have loved this when I was a kid!
This might be the greatest video on toys I've ever seen. Kudos on your continued great work.
Lol dud fourth film The duck of death…I mean the dial of destiny says “hold my beer”. Great video!
I feel Indy shined better with lego than with the action figures. With that you had the ability to build temples and give him treasures to find. I will admit though, it's rather strange that you can get more figures of Laura Croft than you can with the man that started it all.
Legos arent that fun to play with i only buy them for stop motions now action figures are way more fun to play with
I remember seeing these when the second series of figures came out. The was 3 Indy's per case and only one Marion but a ton of Cairo Swordsmans and Tohts. I believe there was 2-3 fugures of the remaining ones like Sallah. For some strange reason the trucks sent to Toys R Us were always opened never tape sealed. I believe this was done at the factory. Maybe they forgot to add something in the boxes. I wish I bought these on clearance along with the Y-Wings that I still saw at Toys R Us up until 1988-89. Great video!
Stay 80s
Great history on this line of figures. Thanks for doing the research! I was gifted the shirtless goon guy when I was a child and I still have him. What I loved about him was the action spring arm and I had actually hoped Star Wars figures would have more features like that but they never did. I never found any more Indy figures at the local toy stores back then or I would have added to my one figure collection!
Great video! This was one of my favorite line of toys as a kid, so much so, I'm currently in the process of re-purchasing them for my collection.
If only you could’ve included the 12” Indy too, I sooooo miss mine, but heck! You still crushed it Michael🤪👍
Another excellent video. I remember very clearly wanting this entire line, but it was difficult to find here, so I only had a few of them. With two large toy stores here, I could still only find them at Payless Drugs.
How do you only have 20k subscribers? Your channel is the best most professionally done I've seen. Truly great work. Please keep it up. Thank you
Awesome vid! I still have my original Indy of coarse with his broken thumb. I was never able to find the rest of the line as a kid but I have not stopped looking. I wanted them all cuz I absolutely loved raiders. Really enjoyed the video!
Best way to start my Saturday evening. =) Very informative, and you had me laughing at 0:21. =D
I don't know if Star Wars toys were still in toy aisles when Raiders toys were released, but I think kids were just more interested in playing with space toys. Maybe at that time when they were given the chance to choose, they'd go pick the stormtrooper rather than the guys in jackets.
Retroblasting I am always happy to see I new episode you guys help me with my vintage toys and I always enjoy your videos and I hope you don't quit
thesherlockgamer 9 Thanks man! We won't quit! We promise!
In my little midwestern town, the only figure I could get my hands on was Toht. I remember wanting Indy but also noticing there was hardly anyone for him to fight. That overall negative impression transferred to the later Temple of Doom versions. And, yeah, by then I was heavily into G.I.Joe and Transformers.
The Well of Souls was one of my favorite playsets ever. It saw use, especially the gray plastic mummy, well into my childhood. I never knew there was a Temple of Doom series of toys. I would of gone nuts!
I feel so brokenly nostalgic and happy that I finally get to (soon) have my hands on these, *since Hasbro has confirmed their return.*
They're only doing Indy though.
@@Forest_Giant
Oh.
Indy makes it worth it though 😅
@@DrasticFox2004 Oh hell yeah. One Indy is certainly a welcome gift.
It's 2023 and we are getting the figures rereleased plus new ones!
Great job RB!!!!!!!!
I managed to get my hands on the indy figure and the Well of Souls playset as a kid, coolest toys ever!! Since I didn't have Giant Sherpa I would use Gung Ho from G.I. Joe. Awesome episode!! =)
This is my favorite RetroBlasting video to date...
I always come back to your Indiana Jones videos. It is one of my favorites! 😙
Another AMAZING review. Loved it!!
Another great video! I have this complete line carded and boxed (plus the Kenner and Parker Brothers board games), and I absolutely love it. And yes Ken Hayward.... that is R2-D2 and C-3PO sculpted on the side of the stone cover in the Well of the Souls play set.
Hey Mike & Melinda-- I adore this Video and I too grew up with Indiana Jones and had all the Kenner Indiana Jones--- I remember the Well of the Soul Playset, The figures are long gone but i have the New Indiana Jones Figures Hasbro did a few years ago--- Thanks so much for a very incouraging Video.
Yo! I just gotta say you both are the best!!!! I've recently stumbled across your channel and I love it! Super smart and funny and I digggg the opening theme song! Please make more episodes and stick together!!!!!
Just discovered this channel and enjoying the nostalgia of my childhood. I used to play with the raiders set when inwas a kid. My uncle had it and left it behind at my grandparents when he enlisted in the marine corps. Haven't seen the set in decades.
Glad you're enjoying it!
This belongs in a Museum
6:43 - The Nepalese Thugs - Sounds like the name of a band!
Was that guy serious when he said “who’s Indiana Jones?”
No, note his title shows "friend and comedian"
As a kid of the 2000s, I have to say I was enamored with the Indiana Jones toys from Hasbro. I had ones from Raiders and Crystal Skull and they were a hoot. Never once did I think about how the legs were kinda spread out, because the articulation on all the figures were so good! And you failed to even mention the most interesting part of that line, which was the "classified" objects inside the paper crates. It made you feel like you were unearthing a true artifact, and it always something relevant to the movie and figure of choice.
Amazing video! Great work Retro-Blasting
Thank you very much for saving a very rainy day on vacation (at least for me that is, hehe!).
Indy figures were never very present here in germany, except for the LEGO Indiana Jones line.
Lego Indy was great and i bought the most important figures
I think it's possible that the Indiana Jones toys never took off because the movies might be a little too gory and scary for kids. The first film has a climax where ghosts fly around everyone's faces melt, and in other films there are people getting stuck on spikes, heads getting sliced off, skeletons, Donovan's terrifying rapid decaying at the end of Last Crusade, etc.
I’ve seen some of The Raiders stuff go for higher prices on EBay than Vintage 1977 Star Wars toys. But that Well of Souls with the Ark in it is quite stunning!
Micheal, I appreciate your thoroughness with the Indiana Jones toy line. It was what I was looking for! I want the vintage line in my hands so bad and wanted more info on it. You satisfied my appetite for more info and than some! Thank you!
I am so glad I found my own Well of the Souls before it got stupid expensive! Thank you, Michael!
I remember seeing some of those modern Indy toys a few years ago, and while I thought it was a cool idea, I never thought wow I need these. I collect almost exclusively Star Wars vintage to modern. I even have a small GI Joe collection. But I never really wanted the Indy stuff. Great movies, but just didn't feel the compulsion. Great video though, and maybe in my collecting travels if I come across some Indy stuff, I might give it a try. Thanks again Retroblasting!!!
Buck Rogers and the Baroness in a Land-ram... Now THAT would have been an interesting episode! LOL:) Love the intro! OL J R :)
My cousin had these. He wouldn't even let me touch them, because he thought they were so precious. I bought my own a few years back. What now, Robbie?!
+Sharksleep Even back then they were rare.
I really hope Hasbro watches this for insights on how to organize the Retro line that was revealed yesterday. I don’t have any Indy figures, but Michael’s video makes me want to get into the retro line.
I love the kenner line,wish i had them as a kid but saw them only once that i could recall,and no indy in stock. it is too bad the line didn't do better,it would have been nice to see toys for the other two movies. This was another great job by the retroblasting team.
This is one of those toy lines that I never saw in stores, and it's a shame. A friend of mine had the truck, but I guess the doors were long gone when we were playing with it.
About 3 years ago I got the Hot Toys "Raiders" Indiana Jones, and while a lot of collectors said it didn't resemble Harrison Ford, I compared the figure to the film source and it seemed pretty accurate.
Thank you so much for doing these vidioes!!! Im wright there with ya, grew up the same way. Every vidio captures my childhood with nistalgic accuracy, thank you!😊
Another great video ! I always enjoy watching your videos. They are well researched, well shot and well written (funny yet informative !). I'm a big toy/movie fan and couldn't have cared less about the Indy toys ( I guess some movies don't really translate well into action figures). I hope you make a video about the movies that should have had toy lines but never did. I don't remember seeing toys for Krull, The Never Ending Story or The Last Star Fighter but I wish they had action figures for them. Looking forward to your next video !
Thanks!!
RetroBlasting: Holy crap! R2 and 3P0 at 9:04!!!! Did nobody notice??
Nice catch. I missed it on the first run through, but when I went back to look, you are right! I am guessing this was a little Easter Egg because both films where from Lucas and both toy lines were from Kenner, so nobody could get sued.
Yeah, that's cool :) Those are there in the movie, too.
Excellent episode, as usual...great job and PLEASE keep 'em coming our way! Yeah, I remember looking for/wanting Indy toys for "The Last Crusade" back in the summer of '89, but of course, no dice! But I get it I guess, especially after seeing this...AND in addition to Indy movies being a bit more "adult oriented" as I've seen others talk about on here, in the summer of '89, I guess Kenner focused more on the blockbuster "Batman" movie merch...a HUGE deal at the time that even I couldn't resist as a young fan! That being said, in retrospect, the "Batman" line had its share of duds/issues, but popularity goes a long way I suppose (especially when young)...! *shrug*
I know that the Kenner line is “where it’s at” in terms of nostalgia, but I grew up with the Hasbro line. My childhood was filled with those figures and I had 8 German soldiers and the German trucks! My dad was the one who got me into the franchise as that’s what he grew up with and it made me love History and filmmaking at the same time. I still have all my figures at my house, but I have longed to one day complete the line cause I missed out on all the Temple of Doom figures and am missing figures here and there from Crystal Skull (even though it did suck). I did get all but Elsa from the Last Crusade which is my favorite in the franchise. I also have seen that San Diego collection and do like those as well even though they’re expensive. As a kid I also used to dress up with a fedora and satchel all over the place especially when I went camping. Those were the days!
Dude, these toys were so awesome to me as a kid.
The horses!
Loved all the Lone Ranger and Zorro toys!
Great job as usual, M&M. Y'all need to open a flashback college, Retro U.
holy shit! i had that streets of Cairo playset. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
You're not wrong, Indiana Jones is more of an adult property when it comes to merchandise, but kids did love the film series. The reason why the toys refused to sell back in the day and in 2008 was because of the limited potential of the characters. They're human, ordinary and as such kids cannot really imagine much with them. Indiana Jones wasn't a costumed superhero, a strongman with a power sword, he wasn't a Jedi Knight, or a militarized fighting force with a vast arsenal and menagerie of soldiers. Star Wars had colorful costumes, weird looking diverse characters, ships and environments. Indiana Jones was a guy looking for gold before the Nazis. Your potential is hindered right there. Even if the line was made to be the most exciting thing since sliced bread, there's just nothing for the imagination to grasp, and because of the villains, parents may not have even bought any in fear of corrupting their children. Scene specific or no. That could have disrupted sales. In 2008, I can tell you that the launch of Indiana Jones was doomed right from the start, since both Indy and Dark Knight toylines launched on the same day. Kids wanted Batman, not an archaeologist to play with and collectors were hot tracking down the very first collector oriented movie lines based off of the Caped Crusader. Remember the struggle to keep Joker on shelves? I found every figure I needed that day and had a heck of a time looking for anything Dark Knight including the Joker. I was even able to find Last Crusade figures easily because of lack of interest.
as a kid back then, i thought the figures sucked, but would have gotten them in a heartbeat because i loved the movie and was always looking for cool figures. the problem is i'm not going to buy a german mechanic before i buy the german grunt/cannon fodder.
kenner, gawd love 'em, could make some bone-headed decisions and just completely missed the mark quite often.
personally, i was never a big fan of action features built into a figure (some micronauts being an exception ~ baron fucking karza... 'nuff said) as it limited playability, but you have this hard plastic, brittle looking blobby sculpt. these things are just a turn-off ~ you can sell me a shitty luke skywalker when i'm 8 years old in '78, but that doesn't fly when i'm 11 even if you throw in bendable knees.... :) i can grasp their ideas behind some of the decisions, but they seemed to miss the point.
i think you do have a point, but, really, to the eyes of a kid these things were just not great figures and were backed up with bizarre accessories and head-scratching play-sets.
This channel is really cool!- and informative. keep up the good work!
Cool video,watching this again after a long time!
I dont think I ever came across Indy Jones toys over here, I would of definitely liked the first wave of them though. The Indy figure looks like William Shatner and Marion looks like Sally Field.
Great video it brought back some good memories the Raiders of the lost Ark figures from kenner where cool figures I remember getting a few figures that my parents bought me back in the day at Gemco if anybody remembers that store . They where very hard to find and got lost with the Star Wars toy line
wow, as expected a really good episode. I own an one of those Hasbro crystal skull Indiana Jones action figure who gathering dust on the shelf.
Sorry to say but my favorite Indiana Jones figure is the one made by the Japanese company Max Factory. It is a 5 1/2 inch Indy in his generic outfit and it is part of their Figma line.
You got me into collecting the hasbro figures. Thank you
Next is the Kenner line.
Awesome channel! I am so glad I found this!
+Retro Nerd thanks!
Apparently Kenner's Indiana Jones Doll is the same mold as Kenner's Han Solo Doll
Can't believe this was over 2 years ago. Where does time go?
"the figures hit the clearance bins rapidly and toys like Streets of Cairo, Toht, and the Cairo swordsmen languished on toy store shelves for years, alongside LJN's Dune line"
HaHaHa! Boy, that takes me back to 1985, when I was perusing the bargain aisle of my local Toys"R"Us, where I indeed saw a Streets of Cairo playset and a few Toht figures, along with MANY Dune figures and vehicles. Thanks for the flashback, RB!
+BlustormWA I'm so glad it isn't just in my head - these memories actually reflect reality!
Great review! One of my favorite toy lines next to Star Wars & Thundercats. ;) It's just tragic how Hasbro or nobody else was able to do Indiana Jones justice. I can only imagine how cool it would be for Hasbro to remake a few of the Indiana Jones playsets w/today's sculpting technology. And, my God! Can we ever get a decent Harrison Ford headsculpt? Is it really THAT hard?
I still have a vintage Indy figure.
Hi Michael, I am attempting to track down all the components needed to complete a Kenner Well of Souls playset but have not been able to confirm exactly how many snakes came with the original set. Do you know how many snakes were originally included? Thank you for any help you can provide.
I had every figure and playset for the Raiders line except for the Belloq in the ceremonial robe. We were never able to find him. We looked in every store we could in at least three different states and even wrote Kenner. They didn't have any to send us. The others in the line were never a problem. I've since lost every piece. It's the toy line I most wish I still had from my childhood. All I have left is one Indy with no arms and one leg.
Cool videos. Walk down my childhood. Thanks...
Two thumbs Up for your best video of action figures to this date. Although I think that "Crystal Skull" was better than the "Temple of Doom", your arguments about the failure of the Indiana Jones toys are accurate and precise, something that is very difficult to find in You Tube these days.... Do you think that now that Lucasfilm is under the "Disney Empire" is there any possibility that we could have a decent line of toys of Indiana Jones?
I have no doubt Disney will exploit Indy merchandise, but will it downplay old Indy films in favor of new stuff? Likely...
I purchased Shia Labeouf as Mutt Wlliams, just to turn it into Sam Witwicky ;)
I never knew the heritage of the Kenner figures. I loved Indy with the holster. Still have the pistol and whip but, yup, broken thumb. The truck was one of my favorite toys because it was the first clearance toy I ever bought with my own money. I think I paid $2.99. One of the rare boxes I kept because it was a "trophy."
I was (and still is) interested in the Hasbro 2008 line! I love the figures, yet I can agree, the various head sculpts were in either weird (Wave 1 Indy), decent (every other various Indy figure), and then good (especially Wave 4 and Lost Wave Indy). Also, with Crystal Skull (being the first Indy movie I've seen and enjoyed it a lot), I wish the film did some good for the marketing. Now, Hasbro's Indy figures are either common or hard to obtain (price wise).
After a few years of collecting i finally saw through my Hasbro Indiana Jones figures and got the last Crusade and Raiders figures of the main line that I needed
I may one day re-buy the Kenner Belloq and Well of Souls or even Marion to "complete" my Kenner Indy figures, but for now I'm good
9:03, yup, they even included RD-D2 and C-3P0 on the ark (should have been on the wall, not the ark itself, but still a nice touch)!
The only time I saw any Indiana Jones toys was when my parents took me to Disneyland for the first time in the 80s. I've never even seen a commercial advertising the toys.
A friend of mine actually knew Brian Dennehy personally, and I told him to tell Mister Dennehy the joke about “possibly the only Brian Dennehy action figure” showing him a picture of the action figure itself. He apparently was rather amused.
4:52 + 4:55
Yeah! 😠
9:03 there is even a R2D2 on the ark
3P0 too
Another phenomenal video, made me want some of those!
Awesome. I loved these toys and the vehicles.
Wow! Would not have guessed Indiana Jones or Dune would inspire a toy line.
I remember having Lone Ranger figures and a town set. Figures were like "8-"10. Really cool. Horses too with saddles and gear.
Kenner killed this line, itself, by short packing Indy and Marion. And those Desert Truck Playsets sat on the shelves into the late 80's. I'd like to see an NECA line of 6" super detailed Indiana Jones figures, spanning all of the films.
are the old Kenner Indiana Jones figures of Indy remolds of the Kenner Han Solo figures?
+PrimusVsUnicron No. they are totally different molds and figure lines.
These figures will find love when I find them at my local flea market
I liked Crystal Skull.
Me too
+killerman Murphy me to
Crystal Skull was the first Indy movie I saw!
It doesn't feel like an Indy film, and it has tons of flaws, but I have to admit that it's a lot of fun. It was the film that introduced me to the franchise, so I have a soft spot for it.
I thought it wasn't terrible at the time
I introduce my five-year-old son Indiana Jones we started with... the Temple of doom and all of its horror and nightmares ... and he loved it. So we went through and watch all of them. I had one Inda figure he (my son) ask if there where more to play with (like the Star Wars toys he plays with * Modern) so I went on line and found them - he loves them . We found the truck and some stuff from the crystal scull ... he likes Inda