The Energon Pub

What the title says, for those with the semantic hang ups on what to call their figures.

Are the Takara/Hasbro main line of action figures dolls or action figure? No "sugar coating: this time.

Justify your answer with quotes from a neutral source and not just you own personal prejudice.

Are you serious?
I think there is a pretty definitive line between dolls and action figures. The line may not be as clear when it comes to things like the "12 G.I. Joes, but a solid chunky plastic toy that transforms into a war machine is as close to "Action" figure as one can get.

I only refer to them as dolls when I am being sarcastic and snarky.

Asking us to justify our responses with quotes from a neutral source? HUH?!?
Why would our own personal preference not come into play?
O.K. when you look up transformers on ebay or HTS, you search under action figures, not dolls.

Since dolls or most commonly con-notated with dressing up,

Should we consider the G1 Ultra Magnus or better yet FP City Commander a doll? You technically "dress them up with their "power armor" augmentation parts.

What about the gestalts? You add some connecting pieces, breast and hip guards before they appear to be their super robot form. Is that not denote "dressing" them up?

On an unrelated/related toyline of the original Bandai "Valkyrie" which you add the Armor 101 parts (same with the Yamato 1/48 and 1/60 incarnation) are we not "dressing" them up?

Btw, I'm being silly because of this:

cm-s-corp-headmaster-minerva-and-ginrai-images-t84353s80.php#p1356642

Maybe the Actionmasters and Robot Heroes could count as dolls, but I think most of the Transformers are action figures.

Chaoslock wrote:Maybe the Actionmasters and Robot Heroes could count as dolls, but I think most of the Transformers are action figures.

I think the Robot Heroes count as figurines.

AFAIK, it's pretty basic. If it's for girls, it's a dool. If it's for boys, it's an action figure. As transformers are marketed primarily to young males, they're action figures.

I read a lot of topic debating whether is it a "doll" or "action figure", well, I just don't care that much as long as I like the figure that I'm buying. Never care if they call it "doll" or "action figure" in the end they are just toys and most of us like it!

Trying to think of a clear definition for "doll" and "action figure", but I keep finding exceptions for everything. I'd say "action figures "do" stuff instead of just posing", yet Barbie gets to drive cars and have pet dolphins and stuff. Conversely, I could say "dolls have cloth clothing you can change" yet I got a General Grievous figure with a cloth cape that can be removed.
I guess I go with this. Don't care if it's sexist, it's true:

Nemesis Primal wrote:If it's for girls, it's a doll. If it's for boys, it's an action figure.

Didn't mean to be sexist (may have meant to imply that the market is), just that it's a matter of what they call it for the target audience.

Underneath that, toys is toys.

...srsly? Action figures. No one I've ever known in my life, even my grandma when she was still with us, called them dolls.

next!

I think for those who know there is no question...'nuff said!

The first action figure ever was a Ken doll with a custom made army suit sold over a catalogue. Marketed as an Action figure so boys would buy it. After that Hasbro made the GI Joes, which where basecally the same, just with a little more articulation and a different head.

So basecally, action figures are a kind of doll, which makes all action figures dolls.

I always though of dolls as the Barbie line, and Action figures of more of any other super hero toys.

So TF is probably an action figure.

This is really a dumb thread.

Dead Metal wrote:The first action figure ever was a Ken doll with a custom made army suit sold over a catalogue. Marketed as an Action figure so boys would buy it. After that Hasbro made the GI Joes, which where basecally the same, just with a little more articulation and a different head.

So basecally, action figures are a kind of doll, which makes all action figures dolls.

Well said my friend. The term 'action figure' was only ever coined in the toy industry as a means of making dolls attractive to boys. It's a marketing gimmick that has become part of the everyday lexicon in the industry and in collecting circles but at the end of the day it's just semantics and marketing. So by all means call your toys action figures, but be aware that all action figures, by default, are dolls.

Since people using this site are mainly adult toy collectors I really don't see why such labelling should really be an issue any way. We are (pretty much) all grown ups, right?

I know why this question is being asked.

My opinion is that toys are toys. Doesn't matter how you want to classify them they're all equally awesome and/or embarrassing.

Anyone trying to say this one is OK but this other one is not, for whatever reason, is showing a dose of immaturity.

If I had the money to, I would buy dolls. The craftsmanship of what is out there now is beyond amazing:

I came up with this differentiation when I was collecting Famous Covers and Megos in the 90's: dolls either have or need cloth clothing. I would say rooted or flocked hair but I know that would open the floodgate on MOTU MossMan and Mach Kick's tail making them dolls and that's not what I mean at all.

After reading this thread, I suddenly realized that I have a very impressive doll collection.

I like the Transformer dolls that cry and wet themselves.

It's... a toy.

Insidious wrote:After reading this thread, I suddenly realized that I have a very impressive doll collection.

Me too! I need to dress up my Ultra Magnus for the TF party he's attending

I would like to thank my daughter's Barbie for lending Terrosaur this fabulous outfit

My Dictionary at home defines a 'Doll' as...

...'A child's usually small toy having the likeness of a human'.

As I don't think you can really consider TFs to be having the 'likeness of a human' then I don't think you could really consider them to be 'Dolls' even if most TFs do have some human characteristics.

For those Saber dolfies CP used as an example if I only have the moolah!

@ discharge



What have you done to Terrorsaur?

fenrir72 wrote:For those Saber dolfies CP used as an example if I only have the moolah!

@ discharge



What have you done to Terrorsaur?

I think he looks lovely!