Card of the Day: 1981 Fleer NFL Team Action High Gloss Stickers – Philadelphia Eagles

Under The Tree: 1992 JusToys NFL Quarterback Club Bend-Ems

It might be easier to list the properties JusToys didn’t make bendable action figures for throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. The list is quite extensive – WWF, WCW, Marvel, Star Wars, Lassie, Free Willy, Universal Monsters, Disney, etc… Doing a quick eBay search will take you down nostalgia lane.

NFL fans got to see four of the most popular quarterbacks in 1992 receive the “Bend-Ems” treatment – Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, John Elway, and Randall Cunningham.

Figures could be purchased in two different ways. Individually or in a gift set.

JusToys Bend-Ems were relatively inexpensive when they were originally released, and for the most part still remain cheap today. Although there are a few exceptions.

Bendable wire and rubber are the only two components to this toy line. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Football collectors can easily add them to their collection without difficulty.

They all look like they were hit with Joker’s laughing gas.

Card of the Day: Walter Payton 1991 Pro Set NFL Team 34 #1

Card of the Day: Milton Berle 1992 Pro Line Portraits Team NFL #2

Under The Tree: 1977-80 Pro Sports Marketing NFL Action Team Mates

Remember the days of flipping through a catalog and circling all the stuff you wanted for Christmas? Those days are long gone.

Sold exclusively through the Sears and J.C. Penney Christmas catalogs between 1977 and 1980 were the Pro Sports Marketing NFL Action Team Mates. Measuring 7.5″ tall, these NFL-themed action figures came with two sets of interchangeable numbers, removable helmet, football, playbook, and display stand. They aren’t player specific, but you could certainly place whatever jersey number you wanted on them and pretend it was Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, etc…

Figures which have never been removed from their box can easily come in pieces. Small rubber bands were used to hold the limbs together. Over the years these rubber bands can disintegrate leaving you with a box of loose body parts.

Today these figures are highly sought after. Triple digit sales are not uncommon for loose figures. Individual parts even have a strong demand.

Compared to the collectible figures we have today, these look quite generic. For a long time this is how sports action figures looked. When these were released, we were still years away from Starting Lineup figures.

I wonder if any of these guys found their way over to Barbie’s Dream House and told Ken to take a hike?

Product Highlight: 1994 Action Packed NFL COASTARS

Action Packed lasted longer than most new card companies that got their start during the junk wax era.  They made football, baseball, basketball, racing, and wrestling cards.  Getting into the hockey card business was a top priority, but it never fully panned out.  Almost all of their hockey products were issued as promos.

Given the amount of sports cards that flowed into the hobby during the 80s and 90s, Action Packed needed to do something in order to separate themselves from their competitors.  Their answer was thicker card stock, rounded corners, and “puffy” pictures.  I call them “puffy” because the images are raised resembling those stickers that became popular during the 80s.  The “puffy” picture became Action Packed’s signature style for all of their products.

Action Packed sure had it’s share of unusual products to collect.  In 1994 they introduced their line of COASTARS.  These are actual coasters that you can throw on the table and place your drink on.  Six coasters come shrink-wrapped to a sheet.  You need to punch-out the coaster from the sheet in order to use it.  The checklist features players like Boomer Esiason, Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, and Jerry Rice.  One side of the coaster has the player in their home uniform.  Flip it over and you’ll find them pictured in their away uniform.  COASTARS is one of the only products Action Packed made that doesn’t include “puffy” pictures.  Probably so you wouldn’t spill your drink.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but COASTARS didn’t catch on.  Fun novelty, but no major demand.

Under The Tree: NFL SuperPro

In the long history of sports cards and comic books, NFL SuperPro is probably one of the most gimmicky ideas to come along.

Written by comic book writer and editor Fabian Nicieza, NFL SuperPro tells the story of a rising football star named Phil Grayfield.  After sustaining a knee injury while saving a child from falling, Grayfield’s playing days seemed behind him.  Upon finding out that he could no longer play the game he loved, Grayfield became a sports reporter.  One day Grayfield was interviewing a superfan, who also happened to be a scientist.  This scientist had created a new, almost indestructible football uniform that needed to be molded on an “individual basis”, and cost five million dollars to make.

During the interview, thieves broke into the scientist’s home.  They stole a bunch of NFL merchandise (not the uniform), and then set the place on fire.  Grayfield attempted to escape while tied-up.  In the process he knocked over some chemicals, and in combination with that and the rare football memorabilia going up in flames turned Grayfield into a superhero.  Grayfield made it out alive with the scientist’s uniform, and then dedicated his life to fighting crime.

NFL SuperPro ran for twelve issues, plus one special edition.  He’s called one of Marvel’s biggest flops, which in turn makes him a cult object.  They tried to boost sales by teaming him up with Spider-Man and Captain America, but it just didn’t work.  The story is basic, and it had too many football puns.  Almost everything about this comic is football related, which I think is it’s real downfall.  Nicieza has openly admitted that he only wrote the comic for free NFL tickets.

Nobody has heard from NFL SuperPro since the comic ended in 1992.  If you’re reading this Disney, please name a future Marvel film character Phil Grayfield.  He doesn’t have to turn into NFL SuperPro, but it would be an interesting nod to this lost character.

Marvel Comics NFL SuperPro Special Edition #1

1990 Pro Set NFL SuperPro

1991 JusToys Bend-Ems NFL SuperPro action figure

Under The Tree: 1983 Tonka NFL Players Figures & Vans

Sports toys of the past can be quite interesting to look back on.  Your options are entertaining.  One of these options comes from Tonka.  There aren’t too many kids who didn’t play with a Tonka Truck growing up at one time or another.

In 1983, Tonka released a line of NFL themed toys featuring figures and vans.  These figures are not player specific, although each one does come with a bunch of stickers containing jersey numbers that you can place on the figure and imagine its a certain player.  They are cheaply put together, and the helmets don’t even have the team logos.  Tonka describes them as: “NFL Players are the collectible, fully articulated action figures, from your favorite NFL Teams.  Each player comes with his own display stand, decal sheet for decorating, and a team emblem.  There are figures for all 28 NFL Teams.  Be the first on your block to collect them all.”

Painted on helmets make these things look like Hannibal Lecter.

That same year, Tonka made NFL inspired team vans.  Each van came packaged with an according NFL figure and bench.

Card of the Day: John Madden 1994 Roger Staubach’s NFL Football Chalkboard Legends #68

Card of the Day: 1994 NFL Properties Santa Claus Checklist