DC History Club: DC Comics Toys, Games and Collectibles Through The Years - w/ quiz

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Since 1939, you could find DC greatest heroes not just in their comic series, novels, movies, television and radio programs, but on the gift wish lists of kids and adults everywhere. From the first licensed Superman button to the latest in artistically rendered action figures, the toys, games and collectibles of the DC universe have expanded how fans can enjoy and play along with their favorite characters. Join the DC History Club as we unwrap the best DC related gift ideas from The Adventures of Superman board game to Todd Macfarlane DC Multiverse figures. We’ll bring you the best that we’ve found for discussions, post polls letting you choose all-time favorites, drop a giftastic quiz, and take a few trips down memory lane.
Special thanks to @Vroom for agreeing to step into week to talk action figures and to @moro and @Wilks for the great input to @TurokSonOfStone1950 and mine normal monthly research cram session.

Discussion Topics for the Month
Holy Grail: What DC toy, game or collectibles is your holy grail that you’d love to collect? Why that item, what does it represent to you?

I Played With That: What DC action figure, game or toy did you have, or still have, that you really loved? What made it so great?

Post an Toy, Game, Collectible Image: Post the image of a DC related toy, game, action figure or collectible that you’d like to talk about or you just think is cool.

Research Wiki Challenge: We’ve done our best to gather together some of the best resources for DC toys, games and collectibles, but there were so many great items issued through the years, we’ve certainly missed something. Got a good resource, post it in the wiki.

Week 1: Board, Card and Role Playing Games
Discussion Topics:

  1. What are your favorite DC Comics related board, card or role playing games? Why, what made them special to you?

Week 2: Stay tuned for action figures with @Vroom. It’s gonna great.

Week 3: Toys, plushies, models, coin banks, lunch pals and more.

Week 4: Statues and figurines.

Note: Some of the best resources for exploring Toys, games, collectibles and more are in the business of selling these items. Any link to a seller is not intended to endorse or promote any particular seller and are intended for information only.

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DC Commercials for toys, action figures and more

Mego

Captain Action

Total Justice

Super Powers

Total Justice

Toy Biz

Super Hero Girls

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Polls Coming Soon

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Think you know your DC toys, games and collectibles? Sure you do, but let’s give it test. Take the quiz the below and have fun.

  1. What was the name of the first board game based on a DC Character?
  • The Man of Tomorrow
  • Superman: The Game
  • The Adventures of Superman

0 voters

  1. Which of the following was a Kenner 1990s DC action figure line?
  • Super Powers Justice
  • Total Justice
  • Justice Powers

0 voters

  1. The 13" tall 1940 Superman doll, considered the first action figure, had a body composed of what material?
  • Composite plastic
  • Metal
  • Wood

0 voters

  1. What DC character had a five episode animated show that launched an action figure line in 1990-91?
  • Supergirl
  • Swamp Thing
  • Teen Lois Lane

0 voters

  1. What was the name of DC role-playing game used in the DCU Universe’s All Stars original series?
  • Mayfair’s DC Heroes
  • Cryptozoic’s Justice League
  • Mayfair’s Judas Contract

0 voters

  1. What is the name of the company that produced model kits of DC characters launched in connection with the Batman television show?
  • Kenner
  • Aurora
  • Kit’s

0 voters

  1. The 1940 Superman Krypto-Raygun projector was said to be made of what material on its box?
  • Steel
  • Brass
  • Kryptonite

0 voters

  1. Mego Toys produced an action figure in the 1970s of what character then, but no longer, published by DC comics?
  • Lone Ranger
  • Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  • Tarzan
  • Six Million Dollar Man

0 voters

  1. In the United Labels Comicware produced DC Superheroes 3D Chess Game Kyle Rayner depicts what chess piece?
  • Rook
  • Pawn
  • Knight

0 voters

  1. The Adventures of Superman radio program offered a silvered brass item in 1946-47 with ‘Superman Crusader’ stamped on it. What was the item?
  • Ring
  • Badge
  • Decoder Set

0 voters

  1. What was the name of the original Superman fan club that sent out a certificate, pin, decoder and more?
  • Supermen of America
  • The Superman Fan Club
  • The Junior Superman Club

0 voters

  1. The Junior Justice Society of America replaced what original item in its membership mailer with a cloth patch?
  • Metal Decoder Dial
  • Metal Green Lantern Ring
  • Metal JJSA Badge

0 voters

  1. What line of both action figures and statues did DC Collectibles produce that was based on popular comic book depictions?
  • DC Designer Series
  • DC Essentials
  • DC Artists Alley

0 voters

  1. How many statues did DC Collectibles release in the Batman Black & White Series?
  • 52
  • 100
  • 102

0 voters

Bonus Question, 15. The final Batman Black and White Series was based on a depiction of what artists’ work?

  • Frank Miller
  • Alan Grant
  • Jim Lee

0 voters

Answer Key:

  1. The Adventures of Superman
  2. Total Justice
  3. Wood
  4. Swamp Thing
  5. Mayfair’s DC Heroes
  6. Aurora
  7. Kryptonite
  8. Tarzan
  9. Pawn
  10. Ring
  11. Supermen of America
  12. Metal JJSA Badge
  13. DC Designer Series
  14. 102
    Bonus: Jim Lee

Toys, Games & Collectibles Quiz Scorecard
1-4. You my friend, need more action figures in you life
5-8. Nice roll, move five spaces and collect hero points
9-12. Your brain is like a shiny new statue
13+. You are the ToyGameCollectible Master, please use your knowledge for good

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Games, Collectibles, Toys Research Wiki: Got a great resource on DC games, toys or collectibles click on the pencil to the right and add. But, save action figure stuff for week 2 when they get their own research wiki.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1940-adventures-superman-board-game-1811593251

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/13-of-the-rarest-superman-collectibles-on-earth-and-krypton

Superman Trading Card Checklist

Superman Fast Food Figurines Checklist

History of Superhero RPGs

https://www.dcuniverse.com/news/5-fast-facts-dc-heroes-role-playing-game/

https://www.gnomon.edu/blog/discover-how-dc-collectibles-sculpts-its-comic-book-statues

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Action Figure Research Wiki

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Captainaction.htm

Mego

Kenner Super Powers

http://www.kennersuperpowers.com/superpowersfigures.html
Kenner 1996 Total Justice line

https://www.figurerealm.com/actionfigure?action=seriesitemlist&id=253

JLU

https://www.figurerealm.com/actionfigure?ns=80&action=seriesitemlist&id=601&series=justiceleagueunlimited

DC Superheroes Girls
Latest version

Ten Best Trinity Figures

Resource for what DC action figures were produced, and when, by Mattel and DC Direct/DC Collectibles (and now McFarlane & Spin Master):

https://www.joeacevedo.com/figurezone/index.html

History

First Superman

3BF9366D-695F-49F8-AD64-8108E8955BC0
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A history of how action figures evolved

This concentrates on Batman
But includes some dates
For action.figures lines

For other dates
Use when movie or animated series came out

Miscellaneous

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DC Comics First Board Game: The Adventures of Superman
adv of super game

The object is to be the first player to move his Clark Kent piece from his starting corner into the “editorial sanctum” square at the center of the board.

Components: four different colored Clark Kent pawns, four Superman cloaks in corresponding colors, die, playing board, and two rules folders.

“Released less than two years after the very first appearance of SUPERMAN in ACTION COMICS #1 in 1938, this board game was initially sold in Macy’s department stores in 1940.”

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DC Comics Board Games '70s: Superman II
sup II bg
Be the first player to capture each of the three villains, collect at least 24 power units, gain entry to the fortress of solitude and correctly guess the mystery villain
card.

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I need this in my life. Also, this makes me want to see a DC Deck Building Game pack with Superman: The Movie

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There’s so many cool games, just going to barely scratching the surface.
Confession: I don’t think I’ve every played a DC Comics board game.

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I’ve always seen this on ebay and wanted to get it, Super Powers Skyscraper Caper (Google image search).

image
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Seems like you take turns fighting villains on rooftops, collecting points.

Some more info:

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Very cool, always like to look at the player pieces. The villains got better designs. Love both Lex and Joker looks here.

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Yeah the villains do seem to have more detailed molds, or maybe the gray allows to details to stand out.

I like the “3D” gimmick. Seems like it would be fun to play with the kids, if I could convince my 4 year old not to use the darn thing as props for her LOL dolls :joy:.

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DC Comics Board Games 1954 ‘Calling Superman’

calling superman box
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Description from the box:Calling SUPERMAN is a new exciting game for two to eight adventure minded “cub reporters.” Based upon the famous character SUPERMAN, known to millions through TV, radio, and comic strips, it will keep girls and boys interested for hours. Players are assigned to cover sensational front page stories for the “Daily Planet.” They travel by plane, train and car to report the bursting of a dam, a ship in distress and many other important events. When dangerous obstacles block their progress they may call and receive help from SUPERMAN. The first player to complete the assignments and report back to the “Daily Planet” is the winner.
Calling Superman board
Calling Superman board759×541 656 KB

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Okay, at first I thought “A Superman game, but I’m a reporter?” But looking at the images from the game, I’ve warmed to the idea. First, it brings fully in the four stars of the show with Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry, and its a colorful nice looking board with cool little Daily Planet cards. And that’s a first rate Superman playing piece.

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DC Board Games 1967 ‘The Superman and Superboy’ game.
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No great description given for this game but the boards suggest a straight forward travel game. The nice hook here is that a kid unwraps this present and gets two games in one.
pic491437

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Did anybody ever play
The Mayfair
DC Superheroes RPG?

The first edition.was in.1985,
When I was already 35

I liked the guides because it contained all the powers and abililties of the characters.

The charts intrigued me
Because
I was old enough to
Have used a slide rule
Where addition and subtraction
Replaced multiplication
And division

Some charts are given below

Basically it is
A logarithmic process
Like a slide rule
Where the next rank
Is twice as much as the previous rank

That allowed characters
Like Superman
Who was much more powerful
Than Batman
To have scores that
Were not a million times
Than the weaker character

dcheroes6
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See I look at that and think :thinking: that must be so complex to play? Is it? Or do you adjust to it quickly?

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I think
All Star Games
Used that system

https://www.dcuniverse.com/videos/dc-universe-all-star-games/200

Basically
Each characters
Hero or villain
Has attributes
Each based on this system

Dice are rolled
And adjustment are made
Using charts
Maybe subtracting
Lower score from higher score
For applicable attribute
Being tested
For the two characters?

Sometimes
Hero points
That Hero character
Has in reserve
Are used to improve
Chance of success
Before dice are rolled.

The person running the game
Has charts like this

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Here is the card for Supergirl

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