KISS started it all back in the 1970s being the first band to have their very own line of action figures, it was the first time anyone had ever thought a band’s merchandising could go beyond t-shirts, posters and stickers and cross over into the world that really only existed for G.I Joe and Barbie. Rock ‘N’ Rollers didn’t play with dolls … or did they?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQPwpuduyNs

Since then more bands have taken this page from the KISS playbook and the collector world has become big business for some people. Everyone from Motorhead to to Jimmy Page, to The Beatles have since released various lines of action figures. One of the reasons we’re even writing about this right now is because of the announcement this week that the Beastie Boys (who are no strangers to the world of toys having released a set for cancer research in 2011) are the latest band to rejoin the word of toys when they released their ‘SABOTAGE’ action figures modelled after their 1994 music video.

We can’t wait until someone recreates this video with the new action figures.

How do these Beatie Boys compare to other Rock ‘N’ Roll action figures? We wanted to share some of our all-time favourites.

 

FREDDIE MERCURY

One of the most iconic images in the history of Rock ‘N’ Roll is Queen playing Live Aid at Wembley Stadium and this Freddie Mercury perfectly captures that moment. The rest of the band was not made into toys so Freddie is flying solo on this one and he’ll look great on a mantle somewhere in your house.

Photo from Toy Ark

 

JIMI HENDRIX

McFarlane Toys have led the pack when it comes to replicating our favourite moments in rock history to stick on our mantle, the famous Jimi Hendrix pose from the Monterey Pop Festival with his guitar on fire is an iconic toy that is a must have for collectors.

Jimi Hendrix/McFarlane Toys

 

AC/DC

Brian Johnson and Angus Young 2-pack was released around the Who Made Who album period and would look perfect on top of your stereo during a Saturday night house party.

KISS ALIVE!

KISS have had a number of collections released over the years, every make up era of the band has been covered ALIVE II, Love Gun, Dynasty, Creatures Of The Night, Reunion Tour, Psycho Circus and more… none of those sets hold a multibranched candelabra to the KISS ALIVE! set that was released in sometime in 2002 recreating the iconic album cover KISS ALIVE!

KURT COBAIN – UNPLUGGED

One of the last memories we have of Kurt Cobain is their MTV Unplugged concert that was recorded late 1993 and was released after Kurt’s death in 1994. This Unplugged version of Kurt features all the details from the winter night in NYC right down to his upside down acoustic since Kurt was a lefty.

 

MOTLEY CRUE – SHOUT AT THE DEVIL

In 2005 Motley Crue were on their Carnival Of Sins Tour, their greatest hits compilation “Red, White & Crue” was at the top of the charts and the band was more popular than ever before. To introduce the new audiences to their past, they released an ultra-realistic looking “Shout At The Devil” set. This set has looks that kills for sure.

 

Do you have a collection or rock action figures or memorabilia? Share your favourites with us on social media!

Filed under: acdc, beatie-boys, jim-hendrix, kiss, motley-crue, Nirvana, queen, toys