Action Man reports for duty!

Pollocks Toy Museum on October 23, 2025

New Arrivals: Action Man has flown in to Pollock’s Toy Museum, Croydon, on urgent operations.

A vintage Action Man figure in a red jumpsuit and yellowed-white helmet pilots a vintage plastic toy helicopter, which has landed on a table at Pollock's Toy Museum in Croydon, in front of some building block structures. In the background are other exhibits from the museum's collection.
A vintage Action Man figure from Palitoy, dressed in a red jumpsuit, pilots a vintage Action Man Army helicopter.

Action Man was Palitoy’s UK answer to Hasbro’s American military action figure, GI Joe. He was launched in 1966 and produced until around 1984, together with a large and varied range of accessories, clothing, and vehicles. Some of the figures had special features, like pull-cord voicebox mechanisms, or “Eagle Eyes” that could be switched to look from left to right.

Carla Stevens generously donated this Action Man collection, which belonged to her sons, to the museum. The items include a number of figures and additional outfits and equipment, such as a rifle rack and diving suit. The wonderful helicopter pictured above, with blades that rotate, is on display in the Croydon museum now.

Did you play with Action Man as a child, or do you collect the range? We’d love to discover what Action Man and his service history mean to you. We would also like to hear from Action Man experts interested in helping identify the items in the collection. Email us at info.pollockstoymuseum@gmail.com.

Four vintage Action Man figures lie in a row on a checked tablecloth. Three have flocked brown hair and the fourth is blond. They are dressed in different vintage outfits. From left to right: a khaki jacket with stripes on the sleeve, khaki jersey scarf, khaki trousers and black boots; then a blue football outfit of a long-sleeved t-shirt with the number 9, shorts, and black football boots; a dress uniform with a red jacket, gilt buttons and other embellishments, dark blue trousers, and black boots; and finally, a camouflage shirt over a khaki jersey top, with camouflage trousers and black boots.
Four vintage Action Man figures dressed in various outfits. From left to right, Army fatigues, football kit, dress uniform, and camouflage combat uniform. They have been well played with and so some are missing hands, fingers, or feet!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *