Character Toys
The Museum has a varied collection of character toys. Some of our early examples are Dismal Desmond, Mickey Mouse and Shirley Temple. While their existence pre-dated the 20th century, it was only in the latter half of that century that the popularity of character toys exploded, alongside the rapid expansion in film production.
From the 1950s onwards many people had access to a television at home. New characters arrived on television for children, when Children's Hour was introduced by the BBC. During this time, programmes like Muffin the Mule, Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men were aired. Since those early days many more children's programmes have been created, and their characters manufactured as toys.
The 1980s saw a big shift in the production of character toys. Toy manufacturers realised just how lucrative this market was. They started to produce new character toys first, with the related series of cartoons to follow, as they were well aware of the marketing opportunities television had to offer. Examples of toys from the 1980s that also appear in cartoons are He-Man, My Little Pony, Sylvanian Families and Thundercats.
Masters of the Universe
The Masters of the Universe toys and comics were developed by Mattel in the early 1980s. The characters inhabited a mythical land known as Eternia, and it soon became clear that the characters had even wider appeal than expected, and an animated television series was launched in 1982.
Power Rangers
The animated television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers launched in the UK in 1994 and was an immediate hit. Bandai produced a range of toys to complement the series, winning Toy of the Year in 1995 and Boys Toy of the Year in 1996.
Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear was one of the key characters in the successful Disney film of 1995, Toy Story. He was an astronaut who landed in a boy’s bedroom and came to life. The film tells of the rivalry between the space toy Buzz and the cowboy Woody.
Muffin the Mule
Muffin the Mule was the first great star of children's television in Britain. He made his television debut as a puppet in October 1946 with Annette Mills.
Star Wars
Star Wars: A New Hope was released in 1977. The first film of George Lucas' trilogies was the most successful in American history and grossed over $290 million. Sequels released in 1980 and 1983 were equally successful.
Transformers
In 1984, Transformers, with their trademark catch-phrase, 'robots in disguise', were a new and innovative toy made in Japan and marketed world-wide by the American company Hasbro.
My Little Pony
My Little Ponies were first launched by Hasbro in 1981. Every pony had a different name, examples included: Applejack, Baby Cotton Candy and Sprinkles. They quickly became one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1980s, inspiring no end of merchandise, a feature film with the voice of Danny Devito in 1986 and an animated TV series
