Toy Biz X-Men 1991 Toy Line Launch Retrospective | Toysplosion

Welcome to Toysplosion - the show all about the hobby of toy collecting and getting nostalgic about toy history!
In today’s episode, we’re jumping back to 1991 to explore the launch of the Uncanny X-Men toy line from Toy Biz! This line of Marvel Super Hero action figures would go on to be massively successful, and a staple of the toy aisles through the 1990s and early 2000’s! Learn about the beginnings of one of the post popular Marvel X-Men toy lines of all time today on Toysplosion!
Toysplosion is a Patreon supported show. Get early access to episodes and more by becoming a supporter: / pixeldan
Special thanks to Brent Scarano and BobaKhan Toys for help with this episode.
Music in today’s episode by Izioq
izioq.bandcamp...
/ @izioq
Sources:
The Ultimate Marvel Super Hero Toy Collector’s guide Year One by Marvel Comics
Company-Histories.com: www.company-his...
Raving Toy Maniac: www.toymania.co...
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[@Pixel-dan]

Nine figures. 6 Heroes (not five like I said) and 3 villains. Here's my reminder to have someone proof these video before I upload them. :-)

[@babystacks]

Please emote less in your videos. You exaggerate every word physically with your mouth and with your expressions. Its just a little too much. Be a little more natural. Drink a pint or pop a percocet before you film these. This isn't Entertainment Tonight or A Current Affair.

[@b_side8669]

Pixel Dan daaaan bro your making feel extremely old man lol talking about these old uncanny x-men toys damn lol I’m 32 I had wolverine the tan one & yellow one because he is one of my favorite superhero’s lol 😂

[@bBearyWhite]

Stop doing videos on these lol I haven’t collected the full set yet and the price is going up on them lol! I remember when these were the most hated marvel figures I’ve always loved them I have a couple of the 12 inch figures also in my collection

[@mrwest626]

Hey Dan, not sure if you read comments on old videos, but thank you for putting out such positive content. I've found other channels focus on issues and complaints. I'm loving your enthusiasm and care in these videos.

[@onyx7ven10en5]

Wait you said nine figures...man that's a lotta money I wanna see how many people get what I said

[@bigcali4life]

These figures so much to me. My grandparents would take me to Toys R Us all the time to get these X-Men, the 93 X-Men line and the 94 Spider-Man figures. They were just $5 a pop and I loved them. Even though I am an adult with kids of my own, when my grandma passed away about three years ago, I brought a Wolverine figure she bought me in my pocket to her funeral. I didn't tell my wife and kids that I did, but it was kinda my way of holding onto the past watching her being laid to rest.

[@Tobiassini]

thats a nice story.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

anthony hernandez Bless you. That’s a lovely story. Rest in Peace to your Grandmother.

[@Peppers19781978]

That is such a nice story anthony. My grandmother passed in May 2017 and she played a massive part in my toy collection as a kid. Would always take checklists to stores with her. I have a picture of her in my room on a stand with my Orko figure next to it. That figure remains a favorite as I got it for Christmas one year. It was nearly impossible to find but she found it, surprised me with it Christmas eve.

[@edwinbarrera2]

Great story. I'm sure she is happy you did that. RIP ❤

[@randymiller4978]

These action figures were my childhood. I still to this day have probably 200 comic figures ranging from marvel to image comics the old ones are opened as i was young and played with them

[@ShartimusPrime]

Whoa, one of those pieces of space junk looks like the ultimate nullifier! Great vid Dan!!

[@splatmouth9201]

Shartimus shartimeeeeeeeeesss

[@swivelman1313]

Shartimus prime:comments My brain:Sings intro

[@LordProteus]

Wolverine: "I want a custom built motorcycle." Mechanic: "OK anything special you want me to do?" Wolverine: "I want my face on the front." Mechanic: "Uhh..." Wolverine: "Got a problem bub?" *SNIKT*

[@snakes3425]

Mechanic: yeah sure anything you say just don't hurt me

[@libbycouch9923]

😡🔱🙌

[@kermitmuppet5610]

Libby Couch 😂i see what u did there

[@OpGamer56728]

Also put some claws in the front bub.

[@trashcanhands19]

Anyone else cut off Nightcrawler's suction cups (or was that just me ; )

[@splatmouth9201]

My dad tore them off

[@LScardigno28]

I don’t have the heart to, but I have been looking for one like that online

[@kurtoogle4576]

Immediately!!!

[@majorjoe23]

I did.

[@JLovrak]

I popped mine out so I could still use them when I wanted to. Same with Spider-Man.

[@Dusty_B]

These figures launched my toy addiction

[@freddyvidz]

It furthered mine

[@clintsaines9274]

I liked this series of action figures the best. The animated series helped make them so popular

[@lastavenger8532]

christmas 1991 i got wolverine,cyclops,magneto, still have them to this day

[@random_gamer_guy82]

Similar year I got wolverine, cyclops, magneto and some type of battle car for him a purple blue thing. Strange thing my magneto didn't have a removable helmet like it showed on the box.

[@stoopiosproductions3130]

So long ago I wasn't even sperm yet.

[@paulo2322]

me too!

[@nonsense9437]

I have the news action figure with a comic and wall mountable stand from 1991 and I also have a few of those toys like I have magneto and to this day I know this may sound stupid but as the 11 year old i am I p!at with them

[@PatTheNESpunk]

This first series of X-Men figures are "so bad, they're good." My favorites were Cyclops and the Storm!

[@user-ht6px9wb9x]

Make my day and say what's up to me pleazeeeyou rock, ill make my day for serious.

[@freddyvidz]

That's exactly right, but we didn't know any better in '91.

[@Amazin-ji8sn]

Pat the NES Punk all they did were have lights in them. I had them all. My night crawler broke (tail fell off) and colossus tab for his arms broke off.

[@BenderBurgers]

I hated the first wolverine and nightcrawler. Didnt get a decent nightcrawler until like 1996 or something. Cyclops and Juggernaut were my favorites

[@frankiesamo1563]

Hey bruh what you talking about

[@zombiejlt1]

I am a huge Xmen fan and when I saw these toys advertised years ago with this same commercial I had to get them. Wolverine was always my holy grail. No matter where I saw it, Walgreens, Sams Club, my mom never got it for me. I had Colossus, Apocalypse, Cable, and a few others but never got me Wolverine. Imagine how rewarded I felt when I was able to buy one as an adult, still on card. It hangs on my wall still and I dont know if I will open but it is a monument to my die hard collecting attitude. Well done Dan, great episode and trip down memory lane.

[@cancel.lgbtq.6892]

Im glad that you finally got your grail piece. For me , I was into m.a.s.k. and silverhawks but I could never be able to afford them when I was younger.

[@ToyBro]

One of my all time favorite toy lines for sure, quintessential 90's toys.

[@Pixel-dan]

Same! And definitely! Defined an era!

[@acewillingham]

I absolutely agree

[@Frankh747]

"I got claws and I can use them" god I remember playing that over and over again, gotta get mine out of storage.

[@ILoooooveCamels]

"I got clawwws, I can use 'em!" It's up there with Colossus's scream from the Konami game.

[@Cautious_Gamer]

That Archangel figure though. I could not withhold my laughter.

[@Pegwarmers]

This was the first toy line I ever owned an entire wave of figures. That first wave was so much fun.

[@Pixel-dan]

I definitely think this line bridged the gap for many of us between being a kid playing with toys and being a toy collector. :-)

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Mine was Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1994. That got me back into toys.

[@Grail640]

Great job Dan! I love this show, it reminds me of the things that Glen Webb use to do. Action Figure Evolution and such like that. I miss that stuff very much and this definitely scratches that itch. Keep it up!!

[@Pixel-dan]

I'm so glad you enjoy! Glen's stuff was amazing, for sure.

[@DrGonzoOBoogie]

I miss Glen Webb, he was great

[@libbycouch9923]

Rip

[@t-rex4622]

Yeah he was great it makes me so sad whenever I think about it. But it makes me really sad he died around the time that marvel legends really got good and now we will never know what he thinks or get to see him enjoy them.

[@riseofloganxlogan4230]

i had alot of the first wave then replaced them with the later waves, they now sit proudly on my shelf among my marvel legends. Im still collecting them still till this day and they got me started collecting marvel legends. Great stroll down memory lane, thanks pixel dan!

[@c.glazercrush3994]

Funny how the magneto toy without the helmet looks a bit like ian mckellen.

[@Heavymetalrille]

The X-men figures never where big here in Sweden but the comics sure had it's followers and fans, however i still enjoy seeing them and listening to the history of the toys and such. Well done Dan, great work! I found it very interesting, i wonder what will come next :)

[@renmysterio]

WOW!!! Ok...so, i still have all of these, unpackaged, in excellent condition! They were still being sold when I got my 2nd ever job, my dream job....TOYS R US, Chicago Brickyard mall. I was about to turn 16 and I had recently become a serious collector. Believe or not, the light-up features still work! This was my 2nd "adult collection". I'm now teary eyed lol. This totally took me down memory-lane Thank you!

[@froggy7570]

Awe... such wonderful fun nostalgic memories, before the dark times, before the RISE OF THE SCALPERS: THE PHANTOM GREED!!! When KB Toy's and Toy's R' Us' shelves were always overflowingly stocked with these precious gems. Gotta go back in time!

[@Dudewitdaplan22]

I owned all of these ToyBiz figures and all the ones that came after this first wave. Even had the Danger Room play sets and the Blackbird vehicle that fit those figures. By today’s standards, I agree that the figures look pretty bad but boy were they great back in the day. This video brings back all the nostalgic good feels. Keep up the great work, man. Hope you do more educational type videos in the future like Glenn Webb did. God, I miss those. R.I.P. Glenn.

[@Summertimeblues28]

Brings back great memories. Loved this line. X-Men was my fave comic as a kid & still is my all time fave team book. Thanks for such a comprehensive video

[@CrissWolfman]

There is nothing quite like the disappointment of being 10 and having Nightcrawler be your favourite Marvel character and THIS is what Toy Biz offers as a first action figure. I was absolutely heartbroken when i saw those suction cups.

[@Drinkabeerandplayagameofficial]

I had so many of these. My friend had the light up storm and I was always so jealous. These toys were my childhood

[@metalwill1118]

This is my childhood in one video. I remember owning every figure in this video.

[@NerdNewsToday]

Super informative, I never knew that tidbit about Storm and female characters - kind of amazing when you think about how many X-Women there are and how few figures they got in the first five years.

[@CSick27]

"i got claws, i can use 'em" will always be my favorite made up catch phrase

[@TheBorderGeek]

Ah, yes. A battering ram for the living wrecking ball and a giant BIC pen for a character with infinite powers lol! Loved these though, and really, who didn't? I'd love to see a follow-up video to see just how crazy deep this line went!

[@CPBuff22]

I still have these in a box someplace in the basement. I loved them as a child.

[@JonLikesToys]

These were a cornerstone of my childhood

[@muisverriet]

Great video! These figures might not seem like much today, but back then they were amazing. I'd love to own some of these.

[@geekspeakmadechic4003]

Jarmo Verriet I still have most of them

[@danielhance1467]

These were hands down the action figures that defined my childhood. Well, these and Nina turtles, and the marvel masterpiece comic card series as well.

[@skabcat242]

I used to have all these figures. The first X-Men figures toybiz did back then were very simple but they got better over the years.

[@tadeuferreira4059]

The playsets altough simple on it's visuals, are AWESOME on its gimmicks, such an neat and creative idea to play with the figures!

[@OakCityGamers]

I found a Magneto and Apocalypse in a thrift store recently... had both when I was a kid, had to dig through the old bins... couldn’t find any of these. I did find my Gambit, Weapon X, Cable, all from later lines. Awesome video! We love pixel dan vids! Thanks for doing what you do!

[@Pixel-dan]

I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thank you!!

[@R3troZone]

I was heavily into collecting comics in the early 90s and X-Men was my favorite title. So I had all of these figures.

[@leevaughn436]

Love these figures, I grew up with these and I think still have them all.

[@brycevo]

These X-Men figures were seriously cool

[@proolio]

Dan you are just nailing it with this series. I love seeing all the toys I grew up playing with.

[@ShadowACE1998]

I had this entire wave when I was 11. I absolutely loved them. What's cool about 2020 is Hasbro has made it possible to recreate this line in Marvel Legends form. I have brown suit Wolverine, X-Factor Cyclops, black costume Storm, Nightcrawler, Archangel, and Classic Colossus. Classic Colossus even comes in a 2 pack with Juggernaut. Magneto and Apocalypse are also available.

[@1978pq]

I remember ordering a bunch of these from the Sears Wish Book that year. It was my last real action figure haul until I grew out of figures. At least until I got older and became a toy collector as an adult.

[@Ballpython77]

ah the memories! nostalgia slapped me in the face. :) thanks Dan.

[@Pixel-dan]

Awesome! Exactly what I was going for. :-D Thanks for watching!!

[@jamesberryjr5300]

I enjoy the new releases of the new action figures but, toy biz was to me the best figures made. They were made to play with and able to survive the rough play that kids gave. Toysplosion episodes are amazing. Thank you Pixel Dan.

[@Pixel-dan]

I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!!

[@2uitdoesntmatter]

Totally agree. Figures today are so delicate. The joints are awful. These hold up so well.

That first wave was pretty fragile tbh. Not all, but apocalypse and magneto have some problems with the metal rivet joints.

[@Saintbow]

I still have all of them! My younger brother tried to get me to sell them on ebay. I still have first edition action figures of all of them. Even have Deadpool and Cable! I traded many lunch money to get these bad boys.

[@Megared82]

I had most of these and I can tell you the fate of each one I had; Cyclops- still have, the handle fell off on his back Wolverine- Still have, no mask/ring. Storm- Head came off Archangel- missing Nightcrawler- literally exploded out of the blue Apocalypse-still have, missing a foot. Yeah, I could play a little rough with my toys.

[@thedude2897]

I had all of these,but my holy grail was when the next set came out with Iceman. I could never find him until one day I went to my usual TRU and searched through an end cap with tons of figures. Found the only one way up top in the back. I was so happy.

[@cancel.lgbtq.6892]

These brought back so many memories. Shopping at toys r us on saturday after watching morning cartoons. Today toys just arent the same. These are nostalgic and timeless.

[@Charles-jj2su]

Ah I remember the X-men cartoon! Cyclops was probably my favorite hero and Apocalypse my favorite villain.

[@joshua2814]

Great vid. When Stan Lee died, I pulled some of these out of storage for display and my Cyclops still lit up.

[@windblade1205]

X-Man is an awesome cartoon show and I love Nightcrawler because he's a cool character and I love his his personality and wit and and creative mind.

[@JoseGonzalez-yq4gw]

Cyclops was my first Xmen toy ever. I have a sentimental value for that figure which i still have today.

[@nickmuaythaiandfitness]

I have so many of these toys still in packages! I love to look at them from time to time

[@nickmuaythaiandfitness]

@Choua Lor Amazon and eBay have so many! It’s such a fun hobby.

[@forshootsandgiggles]

Had the whole wave as a kid! Archangel was my fav out of the bunch!

[@BevanBoychuk]

These toys are just a couple of years before my time with action figures, but I had no idea how AWESOME these really were!! Thanks Dan

[@jclyde9761]

These figures are the reason why I collect now!

[@kingslayer6406]

J Clyde how much are they worth

[@colinj5291]

I remember going to Kay-Bee toys at the malls in the mid and late 90s and seeing bins and shelves crawling with the Spider-Man, X-Men and X-Force Toy Biz lines. Many of them were eventually sold on clearance They were so mass-produced they don't hold much value other than for nostalgia. The 1991 line is probably the most valuable because it was the first and because the characters looks had changed drastically when the animated series came out.

[@RamonJuarez]

This was my introduction to the X-Men

[@jflack6]

The most size accurate Wolverine EVER! Still have this action figure!

[@GlassesnMouthplates]

That Colossus action gimmick looks like something he'd do on Wade in the Deadpool movies.

[@maximpact24]

Wish I had these guys growing up, would see them all the time in toy aisles. But what a great episode Dan, hope to see some of the later line on another episode.

[@whatwedointheshadows3349]

that constant smile is uncanny valley.

[@dolphennoizez1345]

Toy biz are the masters of saterical action figures...

[@askillington]

I dont know whats better. The toys themselves or the Venture price tag for 4.99. Great coverage Dan. I love the Toysplosion

[@thecollector616]

Man these bring back soo many memories

[@Thunderbird66623]

X-Men was definitely one of the big lines for me as a kid

[@kryten09]

Awe man... The memories of being 7 years old. My allowance went to toybiz for years after these came out. Always a fun time hunting for figures I didn't have/wanted at "toys r us" in the 90's.

[@lenardregencia]

Playing these X-men ToyBiz Toys while watching X-men: The Animated Series.

[@jemmoto9323]

i dig the unpopular/ underrated famous cover series toy line by toy biz. when kb toy store was going under, you could pick up these large mego style figures in their beautiful packaging for about $2-$3 per figure on clearance which normally retailed $15 per figure. it was a great way to get started on that line & score a few extras for trade bait later.

[@frankf684]

Your interview on Pat's podcast brought me here.I think I had all of these as a kid,except Storm.Used to leave Nightcrawler stuck all over the house,pissed my mom off lol

[@saintlouis1087]

I had a bunch of these when I was a kid!

[@culeroconnor1686]

Doodle I had most of them in the 90's thanks for being not just an amazing collector but also a humble and nice human being greetings from Mexico hope you come back soon

[@Pixel-dan]

Thank you! I'd love to come back!! :-)

[@replicatedmartyr]

Dan I gotta tell ya, I’m loving these toysplosion episodes. Great companion pieces to people who enjoy Toys That Made Us

[@Rustyjamesman]

remember having some of these as a kid! always thought they were really cool

[@ryanthomas8955]

I remember getting these at “KB TOYS” as a kid:):)

[@MrAce-lm8es]

Happy 30th Anniversary to the Toy Biz Marvel Comics The Uncanny X-Men Toy Line Collection. That 1st Wave from 1991 was the Starting Point.

[@gaoutlaw]

I had several of these back in the day...Nightcrawler is the only one I still have, because he was always my favorite.

[@JoeyMartz]

I had all these figures :) great memories

[@50TBRD]

Loved this video. My brother and I had so many X-Men figures. We were very lucky.

[@graemegoodwin9814]

Great Video Again, with great content. I consider watching your video's part of my toy collecting hobby. Going slightly off topic i still remember my first Pixel Dan video was your review of King Grayskull which kick-started my Classics collection over 10 years ago. I've always kept my Storm and Cyclops from this line, watching this has made me want to complete the set!

[@webbers4life146]

Mechanic: What kind of bike you looking for? Wolverine: I just want the bad guys to know it’s me when they see it coming. Mechanic: Say no more fam, I gotch you.

[@super9248]

Toysplosion is great! Keep 'em coming, cant wait for the next one. A Toysplosion on Kenner would awesome!

[@shaneoid361]

After this vid I immediately hit Ebay for that Colossus figure! Great show Dan, thanks so much!

[@emiratexaaron6144]

I love the video, it brings back a lot of good memories from my childhood, thanks for uploading it!!!

[@jessewahwah]

I still have my originals. Hahaha. I just watched this and all this time didn't know Apocalypse could "grow" like that.

[@10o.-.-_-.-o010]

I had Forge, Sabertooth, and Wolverine. And yes the claws were awesome fun.

[@IStandForTJandTAW]

My dad got into comics via the X-Men. That first wave of figures looks alright, I like the early sculpts, They’re not extremely buff.

[@actionfigurescollectionssu7854]

I grew up with those old toys and I have those old toys for my collections

[@nicholasdickens2801]

That deal giving Marvel access to ToyBiz’s equity kept Marvel alive during chapter 11 bankruptcy.

[@TheCosmonauty]

My little boy loves these

[@chadevans9390]

great flashback of being a kid and going to kaybee toy stores and childworld and beggin my mom to buy me these action figures lol..thanks for the memorys

[@impossiblepie]

These are great I don't think I ever owned a figure growing up. Awesome video Dan!!

[@jenhaley]

I had the following figures; wolverine, cyclops, nightcrawler, and then got the cyclops with the matching cartoon series paint job.

[@Ronno4691]

I've still got most of these from back in the day! Mine came from the Toys R Us on the high street of Wood Green in North London in 1991 or 1992, I think! Toybiz historians/collectors will remember their amazement when Toybiz got serious and released THE best ever sculpted wave of Marvel figures that included an amazing Spider-Man, a cool Silver Surfer AND an incredibly realistic and proportioned Deathlok. Juggernaut was a bit slim but hey, he was comic book perfect! There was also a great Fantastic Four set released. Hope you cover the subsequent Marvel Toybiz lines!

[@porcupinefizzy2908]

I grew up in Tottenham and I used to go to Toys r us in Wood Green during my childhood. I used to buy my X Men, Incredible Crash Dummies and Terminator toys there.

[@dman3438]

Oh wow.....I used to have some of those. The fox kids cartoon was the best also and you had the x-men coin op, comics, and a few early console games on nes and genesis. These figures were so fun back then to trade or play with. Some kid at school always had all of them. The action was cool too. Too bad kaybee toys closed. Thanks for the 4th grade nastolgia. I like that cyclops because it was in my spider-man/ x-men game. I dropped the figure in a pool once and it still worked but eventuslly melted lol Oh if you use your finger nail, the darts fire aceiss a room or can poke an eye out. Dude very creepy music btw....where is your music from? I had apocalypse and later series figures. The second magneto release was waaay better. with the sparks chest.

[@wardogthreeisanidiot6561]

Gah, I remember the toy commercial advertising Mister Sinister. Those were the days! Of course, my parents never had the money to buy me one of those.

[@e.spanto154]

Great vid! I can’t believe that it was 1991 when these were released lol! I had thought maybe 93-94 yowch time flies!

[@kagemaru259]

My birthday 1991- I got Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Magneto. For Christmas that year I got Archangel, Storm and Colossus.

[@kryptikus29]

Oh my god, I loved these so much

[@dknightwalker7269]

Wow! Great episode Dan. Nostalgia toy hahaha 90's

[@CulturePoppa]

Oh man! So awesome. Takes me back.

[@xtianDESTROYER]

..this line started my love for colossus and i still have him after all these years..so much fun ❤👊