Action Boy
Encyclopedia
Action Boy is the action figure sidekick of the well known Captain Action
, the original Super Hero Action figure created by Ideal toys in 1966.
(named Khem in the Captain Action comic series).
As with Captain Action, Ideal created costumes for Action Boy including Robin
, Superboy
and Aqualad
. The packaging art on these costume boxes was drawn by famous silver age DC artist Murphy Anderson.
Action Boy was brought back briefly in 2000 under the name "Kid Action" when Playing Mantis , a mid-west collectibles company reproduced some of the original Ideal toy line. The name was changed to avoid possible legal entanglements at the time. "Kid" Action Boy was released in his original uniform. Uniform sets for Speed Racer and Hanna Barbera's Jonny Quest and Hadji were also planned, but the line was canceled before this came to be.
from Ideal Toys and released 5 issues of a comic book series. Action Boy was featured in all 5 issues and was cast as Captain Action's son, Carl Arno, AKA Action Boy!
In 2008 Action Boy was brought back to the comic world with Captain Action and Dr. Evil in tow in an all new series from Moonstone Books with new back story written by Fabian Nicieza. Action Boy is an adult now and is not cast as Captain Action's son, but merely as his former sidekick, trained by the same A.C.T.I.O.N. Directorate who trained Captain Action.
Sources at Moonstone tell us that an Action Boy one shot may be in the works in the near future!
For more information on Action Boy, check out the Captain Action Enterprises LLC website at www.captainactionnow.com
Captain Action
Captain Action was an action figure, from 1966, equipped with a wardrobe of costumes allowing him to become Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Aquaman, the Phantom, The Lone Ranger , Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Sgt. Fury, Steve Canyon, and the Green Hornet. Captain Action was the Ideal...
, the original Super Hero Action figure created by Ideal toys in 1966.
History
In 1967 Ideal Toys mirrored the tradition of teen age sidekicks by introducing a teen-age companion for Captain Action: Action Boy! As Robin is the happy antithesis of the dark Batman, Action Boy's smiling, ebullient face offers a marked counterpoint to the stoic, almost sad visage of Captain Action. The original costume was red and blue with a later edition was a metallic silver and blue similar to a space suit. Both editions came with a leashed black pantherBlack panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
(named Khem in the Captain Action comic series).
As with Captain Action, Ideal created costumes for Action Boy including Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
and Aqualad
Garth (comics)
Garth is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics, originally known as Aqualad, and later known by the codename Tempest. As Aqualad, he is the teen sidekick and protege to his guardian, the super-hero known as Aquaman, bearing the same super-abilities as his mentor that...
. The packaging art on these costume boxes was drawn by famous silver age DC artist Murphy Anderson.
Creation
Action Boy's sculpting and design are, like Captain Action's, expertly crafted, including his lean athletic body. Action Boy measures 9" in height, and features brown-painted hair and eyebrows, black-painted eyes and eyelids, a pink-painted lower lip and teeth, and rosy cheeks. The plastic figure is jointed at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles; like Captain Action, you can pose him in 1001 positions.Action Boy was brought back briefly in 2000 under the name "Kid Action" when Playing Mantis , a mid-west collectibles company reproduced some of the original Ideal toy line. The name was changed to avoid possible legal entanglements at the time. "Kid" Action Boy was released in his original uniform. Uniform sets for Speed Racer and Hanna Barbera's Jonny Quest and Hadji were also planned, but the line was canceled before this came to be.
Comics
In 1968 and 1969 DC Comics licensed CAptain Action, Action Boy and Dr. EvilDr. Evil (Captain Action)
Dr. Evil was an action figure in 1968 who served as the central villain for the well known Captain Action.-Creation and Character Description:...
from Ideal Toys and released 5 issues of a comic book series. Action Boy was featured in all 5 issues and was cast as Captain Action's son, Carl Arno, AKA Action Boy!
In 2008 Action Boy was brought back to the comic world with Captain Action and Dr. Evil in tow in an all new series from Moonstone Books with new back story written by Fabian Nicieza. Action Boy is an adult now and is not cast as Captain Action's son, but merely as his former sidekick, trained by the same A.C.T.I.O.N. Directorate who trained Captain Action.
Sources at Moonstone tell us that an Action Boy one shot may be in the works in the near future!
Today
Action Boy is currently the property of Captain Action Enterprises along with Captain Action and Dr. Eville.For more information on Action Boy, check out the Captain Action Enterprises LLC website at www.captainactionnow.com