Toy Galaxy: The History Of...
20157 seasons176 episodes
Dan Larson discusses the history of various toys, cartoons, and TV shows.
Episodes
Airwolf is an action military drama television series that ran from January 22, 1984 until August 7, 1987. The program centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme. The show originally aired on CBS and after the original series was cancelled, a fourth season, with an entirely new cast and on a much smaller budget, was filmed in Canada for the USA Network.
ROM the Space Knight was originally a toy created by Scott Dankman, Richard C. Levy, and Bryan L. McCoy for Parker Brothers. After the toy was licensed to Marvel Comics, Rom became a character that debuted in the Marvel Universe in the eponymous American comic book Rom: Spaceknight (December 1979 – February 1986). And while the original ROM toy failed after only a year on the market, ROM the character went on to play a major role in 2 different connected comic book universes, one by Marvel and one by IDW.
Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is an animated television space western, similar to the series The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers and BraveStarr that aired 52 episodes from 1987 to 1988. The show was based on Star Musketeer Bismarck (星銃士ビスマルク, Seijūshi Bisumaruku), a Japanese anime series created by Studio Pierrot. Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs was brought over to the US in the hopes of replicating the success the company had with Voltron. It didn't work out that way.
Photon: The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth was a laser tag game released by Entertech using the same technology as competing brand Lazer Tag. But Photon came first and was subject to a media blitz for a very short period of time that included a Photon live action TV series, Photon action figures and even a video game released only in Japan for the FamiCom called Hikari no Senshi Photon: The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth. Photon was a 26 episode live action television show in the mid-1980s, which was tied into the Photon laser tag arenas and home game. It was produced by DIC Audiovisuel as a first run syndicated kids series which shown in various syndicated markets through most of the mid eighties.
Power Lords – The Extra-Terrestrial Warriors is a science fiction-themed action figure line designed by Wayne Barlow and produced by Revell in 1983. Each bizarre figure has an action feature and included a file card, which provided a brief dossier on the character and demonstrates how to initiate its special feature. DC Comics published a 3-issue Power Lords comic book series beginning in December 1983. A video game, board game, jigsaw puzzle and coloring book based on the characters were also released that same year. In 2012 Power Lords were brought back to life by Four Horsemen Studios with a new line of action figures released in 2014 and what was supposed to be a second wave in 2017.
A wild feud that lasted for decades caused the creation of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad almost out of spite... allegedly. Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad (or, in short, SSSS) is a 53 episode American television series that ran from 1994 to 1995. It was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultracom Inc. and DIC Productions, L.P. and was an adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Denkou Choujin Gridman (or Gridman the Hyper Agent) in the same vein as the much more popular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Pole Position is a 13 episode 1984 animated series produced by DIC Audiovisuel that first aired on Saturday mornings on CBS. The name Pole Position was used under license from Namco, who held the rights to the name due to the video game Pole Position. The show sought to capitalize on the popularity of the video game. However, there is almost nothing in common between the game and the show. Pole Position came and went in the blink of an eye but was quite possibly the genesis of a much more popular property: M.A.S.K.
Mutant League was an animated series based on the video games Mutant League Football and Mutant League Hockey which aired from July 2, 1994 to February 24, 1996. The show ran for 2 seasons and 40 episodes in total and had a line of action figures and vehicles but seems to have been almost wiped from existence in the US.
Knight Rider is an American action crime drama television series created and produced by Glen A. Larson. The series originally rand for 90 episodes on NBC from 1982 to 1986. Knight Rider stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech, modern crime fighter assisted by KITT, an advanced, artificially intelligent, self-aware, and nearly indestructible car. Through the TV movies, spin-offs and sequels Knight Rider and KITT have endured to this day as a beloved icon of 80's TV.
Wild West Cowboys of Moo Mesa is a 1992-1993 American animated television series created by comic book artist Ryan Brown, known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It aired as part of ABC's Saturday morning lineup. Like many TMNT copycats of the time, the Cowboys of Moo Mesa dealt with a mutation of some kind. In this case, an irradiated comet struck the late 19th century Western plains creating a miles high mesa shrouded in clouds. A toyline, a video game and all the merch you can shake a stick at wasn't enough to get the Cowboys of Moo Mesa past 2 seasons but their legacy, weirdly, live on in NFL.
Supernaturals is a line of action figures created by Tonka and released in 1987. It is one of the most visually striking toy lines of all time. Unlike anything else on the market except it’s direct competitor, Visionaries, released by Hasbro at the exact same time. Supernaturals and Visionaries gimmick was that they both used holograms which were huge for about 2 weeks. There is another weird chapter to the story of The Supernaturals involving the also short-lived comic and a story contained in it called "The Doll".
Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series Space Battleship Yamato. Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979 laying the foundation for shows like Battle of the Planets. It was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be viewed in order, but Star Blazers faced a lot of problems on the way to it's 3 seasons.
VR Troopers (Virtual Reality Troopers) is a syndicated live action superhero-adventure television series produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1994 to 1996. The show tried to profit from the fascination with virtual reality in the mid-1990s as well as the success of Saban's other property, Power Rangers. Much like with Power Rangers VR Troopers was stitched together with Japanese stock footage from 3 different Metal Hero Series: Superhuman Machine Metalder, Dimensional Warrior Spielban, Space Sheriff Shaider.
Bucky O'Hare is a furry green bunny and the hero of an eponymous comic book series as well as spin-off media including an animated TV series called Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars! that ran for 13 episodes in the US in 1991. Bucky O'Hare was created by comic book writer Larry Hama and comic book artist Michael Golden between 1977 and 1978.
Dubbed during development as Knight Rider Jr., Viper is an American action-adventure television series about a special United States task force set up by the federal government to fighting crime in the fictional city of Metro City, California that is perpetually under siege from one crime wave after another. The weapon used by this task force is an urban assault vehicle that masquerades as a Dodge Viper. Originally developed in partnership with Chrysler for the CBS network, Viper faced a few challenges just getting to air and more challenges when NBC cancelled Viper after just one season.
My Pet Monster is a character that began as a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. Following on the gross out trend of the 80s that included stuff like Madballs, Boglins and Garbage Pail Kids, My Pet Monster was one of the few plush dolls marketed to boys at the time. Along with the plush there was also a My Pet Monster straight to video movie and a My Pet Monster animated series. Other characters were also created with brightly colored fur and unorthodox names like Gwonk, Wogster and Rark.
We didn't think we'd ever make another Robotech video but here we are. Besides the news about Harmony Gold's license from a few years ago, there was recently (as of April of 2021) a huge development in the world of Macross and Robotech, Harmony Gold and Tatsunoko that changes everything going forward.
Karate Kommandos (also known as Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos) is an American animated television series that originally aired in 1986 as a syndicated five episode mini-series. It was created by and starred Chuck Norris as himself, and produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises. Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos was fully supported with an action figure line and a slew of other merch. But still... what?!
Samurai Pizza Cats is a controversial American animated television adaptation of the anime series Kyatto Ninden Teyandee (キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ, Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee), produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Sotsu Agency. The series originally aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991 for a total of 54 episodes. Saban Entertainment picked up the North American rights to the series in 1991 and produced a 52-episode English adaption. But while 52 episodes were produced, initially only 40 aired in the US. Why? In a word... controversy!
Big Bad Beetleborgs (later Beetleborgs Metallix) is an American live-action television series by Saban Entertainment. Two seasons aired on Fox Kids from September 7, 1996, to March 2, 1998. The series adapted combat footage from the Metal Hero tokusatsu-series Juukou B-Fighter (first season) and B-Fighter Kabuto (second season). Big Bad Beetleborgs also had a cast of monsters as regular characters on the show including Flabber and Frankenbeans and helped to hasten the death of the show VR Troopers.
The A-Team is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. All four members of the team were tried by court martial for a crime they had not committed. The A-Team starred Mr. T, George Peppard, Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz and was a huge hit but was also famous for the fighting behind the camera.
Schoolhouse Rock! started as an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films that aired during Saturday morning cartoons on the U.S. television network ABC. From Three is a Magic Number to Conjunction Junction to I'm Just a Bill, Schoolhouse Rock! has been helping kids learn for decades.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is an American-Canadian animated television series produced by De Souza Productions, Galaxy Films and Nelvana, which aired on CBS Kids in the United States from 1993 to 1994, lasting for one season of 13 episodes. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs was based on the 1987-1996 comic book known originally as Xenozoic Tales. The show was created by screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who acquired the TV rights after producing the Capcom video game Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (Taiyō Sentai San Barukan, translated into English as Solar Squadron Sun Vulcan) is Toei's fifth entry to its Super Sentai series that ran in Japan in 1981/1982. While Sun Vulcan never came over to the US as so many other Super Sentai shows did under the Power Rangers brand, it almost beat them all to the punch thanks to Marvel Comics and Stan Lee. But it didn't, and in the process broke young Dan Larson's heart. It still hurts.
While fondly remembered now, NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century wasn't on for very long and was cancelled in the middle of a season, partly because of the behind the camera fighting. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between September 1979 and April 1981 on NBC, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film before the series aired. Buck Rogers was played by Gil Gerard, Erin Gray played Wilma Deering and don't forget Twiki, the robot voiced by Mel Blanc.
Skysurfer Strike Force is a 1995-1996 American superhero animated series that was featured on Bohbot Entertainment's Amazin' Adventures cartoon block and was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The show lasted two seasons in the mid-1990s and had 2 scales of toys but despite all that, remains pretty obscure. But why is this fairly obscure cartoon notable? If not for being a hit but for being the end.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release without actually making a film. Shadows of the Empire introduced an entire generation to Dash Rendar and the Outrider, told further tales of Boba Fett and the bounty hunters, had a soundtrack and, of course a video game for the N64. But what about now? Where does it stand? Is it canon? Does it matter?
Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog is an Irish/American fantasy-adventure television series set in a fantasy version of ancient Ireland, created by Saban Entertainment. It aired on the Fox Kids Network from September 12, 1998 and ending on May 7, 1999. There are a lot of weird things about Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog but as an attempt to replicate the success of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers but do it completely in-house, it was a failure.
The Defenders of Dynatron City was meant to be a much bigger deal than it was in 1992. A Defenders of Dynatron City NES game was released, a 6 issue comic series from Marvel was released and a pilot episode for an animated series was broadcast. And then it all just disappeared.
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series created by Glen A. Larson that began the Battlestar Galactica franchise. It was very expensive, very short-lived and embroiled in lawsuits and controversy the whole way. And then they tried again with Galactica 1980. And it also went badly.
Ronin Warriors, known in Japan as Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers (鎧伝サムライトルーパー, Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā), is a Japanese anime series created by Hajime Yatate and animated by Sunrise somewhat riding the popularity of Saint Seiya. Ronin Warriors first aired on American television during the summer of 1995 and subsequently appeared through syndication, as well as the USA Network and later on Cartoon Network as part of Toonami. Besides being known as Ronin Warriors, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers and Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers in some parts of the world it was known as Samurai Warriors.
Mobile Suit Gundam (Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu, also known as First Gundam, Gundam 0079 or simply Gundam '79) was a ratings failure causing the episode count to be reduced and the story cut short. But it did introduce the world to RX-78-2. And then Bandai stepped in with their model kits and created what would eventually be known around the world as Gunpla. Mobile Suit Gundam was eventually imported to the US where it was again a ratings failure... twice!
Child World was an American chain of toy stores founded in 1962 known for their castle like store fronts. Child World once had 182 stores and revenues of approximately $830 million annually. From 1977 until its closure Child World also operated the Children's Palace chain of toy stores until it closed in 1992 as a result of some bad business decisions and maybe, just maybe, some sabotage!
The Legend of Prince Valiant is an oddly violent 1991–1993 American animated television series based on the Prince Valiant comic strip created by Hal Foster that ran on The Family Channel for 65 episodes. Set in the time of King Arthur, it is a family-oriented adventure show about an exiled prince who goes on a quest to become one of the Knights of the Round Table.
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is a 1993-1994 American animated television series created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. The series takes place in the fictional metropolis of Megakat City, which is populated by anthropomorphic felines, known as "kats". But it was released at a turbulent time for children's entertainment and it's possible that with everything going on SWAT Kats was destined to fail.
Is Masked Rider being erased from history? Masked Rider is a 1995 live action television series produced by Saban Entertainment and Toei Company, Ltd. It is an American adaptation of the 1988 Japanese television series Kamen Rider Black RX, and also serves a spinoff of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Masked Rider is notable (infamous?) for taking the rather dark Kamen Rider Black RX and turning it into a pseudo sitcom complete with a furry puppet sidekick called Ferbus.
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated film based on the Transformers television series. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and arrived with a thud, sinking quickly at the box office. Hasbro's exclusively toy-focused agenda demanded a product refresh, to be contrived by the on-screen extermination of starring characters, at the protest of some creators of the film and TV series. The slaughter of characters, especially Optimus Prime, inadvertently upset the young audience. But a funny thing happened on the way to 2021.
Wizard or Wizard: The Guide to Comics was a magazine about comic books, published monthly from 1991 to 2011. Toyfare Magazine, focusing on action figure collecting, was eventually spun off from Wizard in 1997. It all started great and then Wizard Entertainment grew and then it all crashed taking Wizard Magazine, Toyfare Magazine a few other magazines and lots of jobs with it.
Tron, released in 1982, was a ground-breaking science fiction film that was also a box office disappointment for the then floundering Disney. From the movie to the Arcade game, Tron to all the merch and the action figures by Tomy all the way through to today and Tron's appearance in Kingdom Hearts. Tron's story is complicated, it's legacy less so. The mark it made on Hollywood, and movie-making, has been felt for decades.
V (or V: The Original Miniseries) is a two-part American science-fiction television miniseries, written and directed by Kenneth Johnson that first aired in 1983. It was followed in 1984 by V: The Final Battle and a short-lived weekly TV series, neither of which Kenneth Johnson was involved with. What happened as the battle for V was fought over these decades with the reboot and the Second Generation novel hitting at the same time and telling 2 different stories?
Choose Your Own Adventure Books are a series of children's gamebooks where the reader assumes the role of the protagonist and makes choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. Choose Your Own Adventure Books were based upon a concept created by Edward Packard and were wildly popular throughout the 80's and 90's before kind of falling off the map. Choose Your Own Adventure Books are a part of pop culture, so much so that it has led to a few lawsuits, most notably against Netflix regarding Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
The Real Ghostbusters is a 140 episode American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy movie Ghostbusters that aired from 1986 to 1991. As a Saturday morning cartoon and a daily series, behind the scenes of the Real Ghostbusters there was a lot more going on. From a disagreement over the name of the show with The Ghost Busters to ABC bringing in a consulting agency to make over some of the characters, The Real Ghostbusters story is so much more.
Beetlejuice is an animated television series that ran from September 9, 1989 to October 26, 1991 on ABC, and on Fox from September 9, 1991 to December 6, 1991. Loosely based on the American 1988 film of the same name, it mostly followed the friendship between Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz. Beetlejuice was a breakout hit, like the film it was inspired by, surpassing expectations to become one of the most popular cartoons during the time it aired.
Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is an American live-action television series produced by Saban Entertainment, which ran on the Fox Kids network from 1997 to 1998. Nina Turtles: The Next Mutation is noticeable for introducing many new elements to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including a female mutant turtle called Venus (named after the famous statue) and new central antagonists, an army of humanoid dragons known as "The Rank" led by the vicious Dragonlord. But it is that female Ninja Turtle, Venus, that most people remember this blip in TMNT history for.
Saint Seiya (Hepburn: Seinto Seiya), also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac, Los Caballeros del Zodiaco, Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. Saint Seiya was also adapted by Toei Animation into a 114-episode anime television series which was broadcast on TV Asahi from 1986 to 1989, exported around the world as Knights of the Zodiac and then, eventually, to the United States 3 different times with 3 different names to varying success, including a brief run on Cartoon Network.
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 American science fiction film directed by Nick Castle and along with Disney's Tron, has the distinction of being one of cinema's earliest films to use extensive "real-life" computer-generated imagery (CGI) to depict its many starships, environments and battle scenes. One thing it has in common with Tron is that The Last Starfighter was a box office bomb upon initial release, killing plans for any sequels. Despite numerous comparisons to Star Wars here we are, 35+ years later still talking about it.
Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) is a former children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Fox Kids was best known for airing the most-popular programs on the network, such as Bobby’s World and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series, with the latter dominating the block’s schedule with increased ratings and creating a franchise. Other notable Fox Kids shows included Beetlejuice, Muppet Babies, X-Men the animated series, Batman the Animated Series, Godzilla and tons more. But the creation of Fox Kids can be traced all the way back to bad blood between executives over... Ducktales?
This might be our wildest video yet, from looking for old issues of Playboy magazine to trying to find newspaper articles on a mass murder this video has it all! Mouse Trap is a board game invented by Marvin Glass and Associates and first published by Ideal Toys in 1963 for two to four players. Over the course of the game, players at first cooperate to build a working Rube Goldberg-like mouse trap. Once the mouse trap has been built, players turn against each other, attempting to trap opponents' mouse-shaped game pieces.
Voltron: Defender of the Universe was an animated series that aired in syndication in the US from September 10, 1984, to November 18, 1985. Voltron: Defender of the Universe was the top-rated syndicated children's show for two years during its original run, and it spawned three follow-up series, several comic books, and a line of toys.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, also known in Japan as New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (新機動戦記ガンダムWウイング, Shin Kidō Senki Gandamu Wingu), is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. Gundam Wing aired on Cartoon Network's weekday afternoon after-school programming block Toonami, premiering on March 6, 2000 and almost immediately exploded in popularity. The Gundam franchise was finally big in America, ushering in all kinds of merch and Gunpla, making Gundam more mainstream in the US than it had ever been and paving the way for a broadcast of the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Wing's sequel Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz.
He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special is an animated Christmas television special based on the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and its spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power, originally broadcast in syndication December 1985. He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special also served another purpose in Filmation and that was as a bridge between the already finished He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the newly launched She-Ra: Princess of Power. And while there has been talk among creators to potentially bring Netflix She-Ra Princesses of Power together with Masters of the Universe: Revelation in a Christmas Special, the 1985 one remains the only one.
