Indiana Jones Action Figures
If you were a kid in the 80s, it’s very likely that you saw (and probably loved) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. After sweeping the nation off its’ feet, the Star Wars movies were winding down and our recognizable friend, Harrison Ford, would assume the lead position in another blockbuster trilogy. Like almost every other blockbuster of the 80s, it wasn’t long before Indiana Jones action figures hit the shelves.
Kenner Toys and the debut of Indiana Jones action figures
Much like Star Wars, however, there were simply no toys available to kids upon the release of the movie. Following the success of their Star Wars figure offerings, Kenner acquired the license to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and in 1982 began releasing toys.
While Kenner’s production run was very short, running only from 1982 to 1983, they were able to crank out some excellent figures for the line. In total, 12 figures, 2 playsets, 1 vehicle, and the Arabian Horse, of course! Kenner’s ROTLA toys, like their Star Wars successors, featured 5 points of articulation, but came packed with action features and a variety of accessories. Let’s take a closer look at the figures from the line:
Wave 1:
Indiana Jones
Marion Ravenwood
Cairo Swordsman
Toht
Mailer: Belloq
Arabian Horse
German Indiana Jones
Belloq
German Mechanic
Sallah
Playsets:
Well of the Souls
Streets of Cairo
The Map Room
Desert Convoy
12 Inch Figure:
Indiana Jones
Kenner’s Indiana Jones action figure run was very short lived, lasting only until the release of the Temple of Doom. At that point, the action figure license was awarded to LJN.
LJN’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom figures
LJN had big plans for their foray into Indiana Jones action figures, but these plans fell quite short of their original intentions. Despite having multiple waves planned, only three figures were released- Indiana Jones, Mola Ram, and Giant Thuggee.
There are a couple key variations for the Indiana Jones figure as well as the Mola Ram. Indy can be found with both a white and a brown shirt, and Mola Ram’s variation comes from the color of paint used for his skull staff- having both a white and gold staff.
The only three figures released under the line were Indiana Jones, Mola Ram, and Giant Thuggee as seen below:
LJN Unproduced Indiana Jones Figures
An amazing run of prototypes from LJN’s Indiana Jones action figures- photo credit: Waffenmeister of RebelScum
Each of the released figures featured the unreleased figures on their cardbacks. Over the years, a handful of prototypes for the unreleased figures have turned up and now reside in collector-hands.
It’s unfortunate that both lines ended so early, but both the Raiders of the Lost Ark line and the Temple of Doom series offer collectors a great challenge to pursue today. While there are harder lines to complete, these have definitely become much harder to find in recent years!
