Monday, September 6, 2021

[YouTube] Ben Cooper's Marvel Comics "Action Figures" (1970s)

This is a look at four Marvel Comics "action figures" from Ben Cooper, Inc. (1937-1992) which is a company best known for manufacturing Halloween costumes. I put action figures in quotes because they are molded rubber and aren't poseable; you really can't do much at all with them other than hang them on something. Ben Cooper did call them action figures though as Plaid Stallions has an image of a 1979 retail display box that referred to them as such. The four Marvel characters I have appear to be the full 1979 assortment but Spider-Man first released in 1973 alongside The Incredible Hulk and D.C. Comics' Batman and Superman. An eBay seller has the 1973 display box that calls them "Heroes of Action" and the side of the box mentions that they bounce on a string. 

I'm not sure if there were any other comic book characters in this toy line, however, Ben Copper also created a variety of monster toys in the same format. In the photos (and video) you'll notice the strings are missing from my Spider-Man and The Thing, there are spots and other marks on them, and The Thing's leg is damaged. I had some trouble getting good photos as the colors look slightly off to me under natural light which is what is used for the photos below. I'm not a fan of using my camera's flash but I did I use it for the group photo above to try and get a more accurate representation. 

Spider-Man


Doctor Strange

The Thing

Red Skull

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