Army Men
Toy trends come and go, but some old soldiers never die. In times of
war, in times of peace, those valiant fighters we call Army Men have
stood valiantly in place (probably because their feet are molded to
plastic bases, but who are we to question their heroism?). Whether they
come in a bag, a bucket or a playset, these plastic toy soldiers have
been reliably popular with kids for over fifty years.
Modern toy soldiers are usually made of plastic, but the original
toy soldiers were made of alloys like tin. They originated in Europe
during the late 1800’s, with Germany, France and England taking the
production lead. The initial soldiers had solid bodies, but later
models were made in a hollow style that made them cheaper to
manufacture. The average toy soldier was usually brightly painted, two
to three inches in height, and tended to be sold in a group instead of
by itself. Styles ranged from then-current soldier looks all the way
back to Roman and Egyptian styles. They also came packaged with
replicas of soldier accessories like wagons, artillery and even
buildings.
Toy soldiers emigrated to U.S. factories around World War I. These
figures—made of iron, and later of lead—usually consisted of the
then-current “doughboy” soldier, as well as Civil War style soldiers.
Cowboys and Indians were another popular style of figure made alongside
these army men. A manufacturer in New Jersey added an innovation into
the mix, giving the metal warriors “pod feet” (rounded flat discs where
their feet would normally be). These figures continued to be popular
until the 1950’s, when concerns over lead poisoning made it clear that
toy manufacturers would have to find a new material for these figures.
The solution was plastic. Toy makers everywhere began turning out
toy soldiers in their new plastic form, leading to the true beginning
of what we now know as Army Men. They were easily and cheaply
manufactured, so toy companies tended to sell them by the bag. Some
manufacturers continued to use the molds designed for their lead
figures, but others took advantage of the new level of detail that
could be achieved with plastic, making newer, finely-crafted molds. The
result was a high-quality toy that could be had for an economical
price. Kids also enjoyed them because you could get many of them for a
small price, meaning two very important things: First, you could afford
to stage elaborate multi-soldier battles on the sandlot or in the
living room. Second, since they were cheap, they were expendable, and
many a toy soldier died an honorable death at the wrong end of a BB gun.
Various companies produced Army Men, but a few stood out in terms
of popularity. Marx Toys was the leader on the toy soldier front,
selling their plastic combatants in bags and in playsets that also
included accessories like vehicles, large-scale weapons, and structures
for the soldiers to fight in. They also made these toys in several
different styles: Knights Vs. Vikings, the Alamo, Fort Apache, Blue Vs.
Grey (Civil War), and Battleground (World War II). Other popular
manufacturers of Army Men included Timmee, whose plastic soldiers were
made from old lead-soldier molds, and MPC, who made their soldiers with
ring-shaped hands so they could hold a variety of interchangeable
weapons.
The popularity of Army Men continued to be strong throughout the
1960’s, as new styles like the M-16 rifleman came into vogue. The
companies that made Army Men also began making other styles of plastic
figures like Knights, Pirates and Spacemen. Some even made Monster
figures inspired by movie monsters and Dinosaurs. All these varieties
also began appearing in comic book ads (“Two Complete Armies – Rush Coupon Today”)
around this time. These ads became a very important in the 1970’s, when
companies like Marx began to fold. This led to an Army Men scarcity on
toy shelves, making the ads a vital way for toy fans to get these
items.
During the 1980’s, the popularity of toy soldiers suffered due to
the fact that they weren’t easy to find, along with the boom in other
war-related toys like G.I. Joe.
Just the same, Army Men never went away: they were just marking time
until their next comeback. In the 1990’s, Army Men returned to
prominence through appearances in kid-related hit films like Toy Story and Small Soldiers. Their popularity was further increased by a series of video games called Army Men,
which brought these warriors into the high-tech era. This new
renaissance proves that Army Men are truly a toy for the ages. Battle
on, plastic ones...
