Toy Biz DC Super Heroes & Pacipa's Super Amigos
Since Kenner had stopped production of DC Comics character figures in 1986 when the Super Powers line folded, DC Comics granted the license to the up and coming toy company, Toy Biz, in 1989. Toy Biz first produced figures for the Batman movie tie-in, then released other DC Comics character figures under the name DC Comics Super Heroes, a name that would later be used again by different toy companies (see below). The Flash TV series character received a tie-in figure from Toy Biz as well.
Also in 1989, the South American toy company Pacipa bought old Super Powers molds to create a line of DC Comics character figures called Super Amigos. Exclusive to South America, all of the figures were reproductions of Super Powers figures, but made with a low quality plastic and poor paint jobs. This collection also gave way to a Riddler action figure in the form of a repainted Green Lantern base sculpt. A rare piece, this figure is highly sought after by collectors.
Back in the US, the Toy Biz line brought some new figures to the shelves not previously featured in the Super Powers line including Two-Face and the Riddler. Like Pacipa's Super Amigos, the figures featured low quality plastic, and the majority was slightly retooled reproductions of the Super Powers line from Kenner. Although the Batman brand of figures seemed to be initially popular in sales the others were not as successful, DC Comics noticed the poor quality of the figures, and quickly cancelled the license, awarding it back to Kenner.
Read more about this topic: Batman Toys, Mego/Kenner Transition
Famous quotes containing the words toy and/or heroes:
“As the creative adult needs to toy with ideas, the child, to form his ideas, needs toys—and plenty of leisure and scope to play with them as he likes, and not just the way adults think proper. This is why he must be given this freedom for his play to be successful and truly serve him well.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)
“Athletes are American princes and the locker room is their castle. Some of them behave in princely fashion, become legitimate heroes to us all. And some are jerks.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)