Over the weekend, I found a wonder 1975 newspaper flyer/catalogue from Eatons. For those not in the know, Eaton’s was Canada’s department store chain and a really big deal back in the day. When I saw these images, I felt like I’d seen them before and immediately bought this (best ten bucks I’ve spent in a long time). I’ll share more pages from this but this one particularly resonated with me.

I was ALL ABOUT Mattel’s Big Jim at this time, I had many of his sets and like a lot of kids that Sports Camper was a birthday gift that year. However, the big memory here was figuring out that Mattel was using Barbie tooling to make Big Jim toys. The Big Jim Sports Camper was Barbie’s Country Camper, his Sky Commander plane was the Barbie friendship. I think at the time I felt like I had really uncovered something, a toy conspiracy, not realizing this was obvious to anyone with eyes.

None of this deterred me from enjoying Big Jim.

Check out this awesome Big Jim Catalog from 1975

1979 Italian Big Jim Catalog

We have a new book out called “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” it’s a 132-page tribute to bootleg toys.

You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop , On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or on eBay (eBay Link)

Our book Rack Toys, Cheap, Crazed Playthings is now available again! Order through our Affiliate Link

Order Rack Toys 2.0 Here through our Affiliate Link►https://amzn.to/3Bkm9z1

Toy-Ventures Magazine is our newest creation, an old-school print magazine about vintage toys! Professionally laid out and written, each issue is brimming with obscure and rare toys from companies such as Mego, Kenner, Remco, AHI, and much more. Monsters, Superheroes, Adventurers, Knock Offs, Apes, and so much more, it’s in Toy-Ventures.

Toy-Ventures Issue 5 is available now:
Ebay: https://ebay.us/XSS1X7
Plaid Stallions Store: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop/
Amazon Affilitate Link:https://amzn.to/3d9Q0AS

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass!

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs of Mego action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman! It’s a really fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoy, and other generic greats.

Remco Energized Spider-Man

The post Eaton’s 1975: Big Jim and Barbie appeared first on PS.

This comic originally came rolled up in Big Jim Gold Commander figures, I had this as a kid and I have to say it was one of my favourite memories as a kid. The pre-curser to stuff like Marvel’s run on Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and GI Joe, which I devoured as a kid as well.

Get our new Toy Magazine here, supplies are limited.

“Hang on to your Wolf Tattoos” Does dialogue get any better? The story begins with the origin of the P.A.C.K, the comic glosses over Big Jim’s origin, which is pretty wise. According to his earlier packaging, he was an Olympic skier (nice tie-in Mattel!) who saved a wolf cub while fighting an avalanche, when he came out of that mess he decided to fight crime. Not exactly Batman is it?

Dr Steel, Whip and Warpath have already established characters when this comic got made, so they’re very on model in this piece. “Torpedo” was eventually called “Torpedo Fist” when he hit toy shelves and he looked a little different.

If I were in the P.A.C.K I don’t think I could watch Torpedo use his arm power, it’s kind of gross! Here we learn what P.A.C.K stands for, Professional Agents/Crime Killers, you’re not going to win the acronym award fellas. We also meet Jim’s boss, Prof. Rolf who never got his own action figure…..

The origin of Zorak has to have been done or at least inspired by Marvel Comics, it’s so familiar, the scientist goes rogue, journeys below the earth’s surface and becomes a deformed madman complete with a cool costume and henchmen.

Zorak is terribly off-model here, for some reason he’s adorned in purple tights which some might think is better than what he actually came with……

Now we just veer off into a big toy commercial for the Blitz Rig and the double trouble outfits. From the looks of the comic, the Blitz Rig was supposed to be a revamped Big Jim camper, it turned out to just be a Gift set combining the Howler and the BEAST pick-up truck. The double Trouble outfits were pretty cool, one set had a “surprise” feature, the other set was just outfits.

I always wonder how insane, monstrous madmen build high tech lairs and get henchmen. Do they have job fairs? I guess you shouldn’t try to dissect a comic shoved into an action figure box. I love the little “montage” of the P.A.C.K getting ready, this should be backed up by some music by “Survivor”.

Note the sequence where Big Jim’s face changes, this is the ad for Double Trouble Big Jim. You see Zorak had a device where his face switched around from Human to Monster, so Mattel made a Jim figure where he goes from Mad to “I’m having a really big poo”, the device was hidden under some really big Micheal Landon Hair. 

A lot of “hunh” moments here, firstly why didn’t Torpedo just put the paper down himself and pull out his rifle? Was there a really good Mary Worth he wanted to clip? Of course, you’ll be ready to forgive when you see what The Whip is doing below.

Warpath is wearing the coolest (IMO) double trouble outfit in the set, the construction workers jackhammer turns into a machine gun. You know the P.A.C.K couldn’t look more like the village people at this point. They have a native American, a cop outfit, construction worker and a pirate!

I love the “to be continued” ending, it reminds me of the Doc Savage movie. Just like the Savage movie, Jim’s exploits were cut short much to my chagrin. I loved the Wolf P.A.C.K as a kid and I still remember the day they disappeared from toy shelves. Thanks for reading!

GET Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures here!

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others.

The post 1975 BIG JIM WOLF PACK COMIC-MATTEL-MARVEL appeared first on PS.