Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 25, 2025 | 1 comment

The TOYHEM Finale!

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Welcome to TOYHEM! For the seventh straight holiday season, we brought you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! 

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By CHRIS FRANKLIN

Last year when I ranked the TOP 13 RETRO SUPERHERO TOYS OF 2024, I discussed how nostalgia for decades past was the fuel really driving collectibles aimed at adults. Another year passes, and we have an even bigger embarrassment of riches. Manufacturers continue to comb the deep recesses of our minds and pull-out characters we thought we’d never see again in various formats… or perhaps ever!

Given this is 13th Dimension, we’ll limit ourselves to comic-based toys and collectibles, but lines like G.I. Joe: Classified and Masters of the Universe: Origins are also out there fighting the good fight, brightening the hearts of us older kids who refuse to fully grow up.

As last time, the criteria are that these toys must have been primarily released in 2025 (although a few may have squeezed out in late 2024) and evoke some nostalgic vibe from comics’ first three primary ages: Golden, Silver and Bronze. Again, like last year, these are the ones that jumped out at me. Some because of what they meant to me personally, some because they were yearned for by others like me, and others because they were so niche, I was gobsmacked to see them get made! Your mileage may vary, and please let us know some of your favorites in the comments.

More nostalgic figures are on the way in 2026, so let’s hand out the awards to the best of the best for 2025, with a few Honorable Mentions to start us off!

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Honorable Mention #2: Marvel Legends Warbow (Hasbro). In 2024 Hasbro stunned fans with their release of the Marvel Legends Crystar figure. Based on a very short-lived Marvel comic series from the ’80s, and the tie-in Remco toy line, Crystar is about as niche as you can get for a mass retail action figure. Until you start diving into his supporting cast and get to Warbow! The jade-like warrior has fans wondering what obscure Marvel character may get the plastic treatment next… Woodgod?

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Honorable Mention #1: Page Punchers Shazam!/Captain Thunder Variant (McFarlane Toys). I usually don’t care for variants of action figures. I think the practice of offering limited run, hard-to-find figures only fuels scalpers and after-market gougers. But every once in a while, one comes along I just can’t resist… if I can find it. And this one I found.

It’s a Platinum Edition variant of the Shazam figure from McFarlane’s Page Punchers line. But it’s not really Shazam/Captain Marvel/The Captain at all… no, it’s CAPTAIN THUNDER. DC began publishing Fawcett’s long suspended Shazam Family in the early 1970s. But before they had the Big Red Cheese meet the Man of Steel proper, they snuck in an alternate universe homage in the memorable Superman #276 (June 1974).

Superman #276 (June 1974). Cover by Nick Cardy

There Superman met Willie Fawcett, who with his magic word “THUNDER” and a rub of a mystic belt buckle, became Captain Thunder. You don’t get much more obscure than this but having encountered the alternate Captain in a digest reprint in Best of DC #16 (Sept. 1981), I couldn’t buy him fast enough! Too bad the packed-in comic wasn’t changed from the most recent Shazam! #1, to Captain Thunder’s REAL debut, however.

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13. The Joker (Crisis on Infinite Earths) Page Punchers (McFarlane Toys). If you are looking for a quintessential Bronze Age Joker figure, look no further. Ostensibly based on George Perez’s interpretation from Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (which is included as a packed-in reprint), this 7-inch figure represents nearly every artists’ version of the Joker from the late ’70s through early ’80s.

Whether it’s Jim Aparo, Marshall Rogers, Walt Simonson, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Praised Be His Name) or Perez himself, THIS is the Harlequin of Hate you read in those epic tales by the likes of Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, and Doug Moench.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (Dec. 1985). Cover by George Perez

The slouched fedora isn’t removable, but that way it doesn’t look oversized or clunky. The cloth overcoat isn’t Mezco-level quality, but it presents well and captures that sartorial style the later Earth-One Joker was all about. The body is reused from McFarlane’s previous Silver Age (also really Bronze Age) Joker figure, but I find this one superior.

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12. Marvel Legends ROM: Space Knight (Hasbro). Announced late last year, fans of ’80s Marvel Comics FINALLY got their wish when Hasbro allowed ROM to enter the much beloved Marvel Legends 6-inch-scale line. Hasbro obtained the ROM copyright when years ago it bought Parker Bros., which made the original large electronic figure in the late ’70s/early ’80s. ROM was a dud on the toy shelves, but writer Bill Mantlo and initial penciller Sal Buscema made a silk purse out of that sow’s ear, creating a comics tie-in series that became a cult favorite, and outlasted the toy by years, ultimately running 75 issues and four annuals! And now he gets to rejoin the Marvel Universe on your toy shelf.

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11. Mego 50th Anniversary World’s Greatest Mighty Marvel 4-Pack: Fantastic Four (Mego). Following up their first box set of reproduction Marvel figures last year focusing on Spider-Man, Mego released a four-back based on the Fantastic Four this year, to tie into their latest (and easily greatest) cinematic excursion. Available exclusively at Disney’s parks and online store, the FF were recreations of the figures first released by Mego in 1976. So unfortunately, no new figure like Electro in the Spider-Man set.

But really, which member of Marvel’s First Family would you replace to slip in Doctor Doom? The figures are nicely reproduced minus a few niggles (I think Sue’s eyes are a little off myself), and they have some nice upgrades that don’t detract from the nostalgia. The men have bandless bodies with bicep swivel, and The Thing has wrist and torso articulation for the very first time. The packaging is nice too, with an attractive box and a nice collector coin.

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10. DC Retro: Super Friends (McFarlane Toys). Morphing from their Batman Classic TV Series line, McFarlane’s 6-inch Super Friends line has surprised fans with their diversity and deep cuts. This is no more evident than the inclusion of variants of Superman and Batman from the fan-favorite World’s Greatest Super Friends episode “Universe of Evil.”

“Universe of Evil” Superman, Jayna (with Gleek), “Universe of Evil” Batman, Toyman and Captain Cold.

Those figures, and Jayna of the Wonder Twins are chase variants, so that is a bit of a downer on an otherwise fun and nostalgic line. I’m cheating a bit by lumping the whole line into one entry, but I think the sum is greater than its parts when it comes to a series like this. Here’s hoping they finish up the Justice League, Legion of Doom AND Universe of Evil line-ups before McFarlane’s license runs out next year.

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9. DC Multiverse Classic Animation Superman / DC Direct Superman: The Silver Age (McFarlane Toys). Another set of figures I featured in a previous article, they nonetheless deserve a place here. The “Classic Animation” Fleischer-style Superman hit very late 2024/early 2025, so he didn’t make the cut last year. I’d have a hard time picking between him and his decades-later brother.

Both capture their particular era of the Man of Steel exceedingly well. Sure, the “Silver Age” Superman is really a Bronze Age version, directly based on the style-guide artwork of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Praised Be His Name), but we’ll let that minor quibble slide. For me, these are the Earth-Two and Earth-One Supermen in their prime, and that makes little Chris Franklin very happy.

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8. Batboat and Trailer (Corgi Toys). By the time Dan runs this article, HOPEFULLY, I will have found this beauty under my Christmas tree. I’ve never owned a Corgi Batboat, so when they announced they were following up last year’s wonderful Batmobile reproduction with this one, I was stoked. Sure, the black body isn’t accurate to the blue model in the 1966 film and subsequent appearances on the TV series, but hey, it’s close enough, and looks better when pulled by the Batmobile via the included trailer. I would love to see Corgi make a Batcopter that is authentic to the film and create a retro-style box that fits in perfectly with these two.

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7. DC Multiverse Batman & Ace the Bat-Hound – Silver Age/ Batman: Batman Classic TV Series (McFarlane Toys). I just couldn’t choose between these two, and they both deserved a spot here. Both started popping up late last year, I believe, but not soon enough to make my list. The Silver Age Batman captures that late ’50s/early ’60s, pre-New Look style well, melding McFarlane Toys’ aesthetic with the art of Sheldon Moldoff and Dick Sprang. The fact that they packed in a very realistic looking Ace, with mask and all, is just the icing on the cake!

It was great to finally get a 7-inch scale Adam West Batman so he can join the other McFarlane figures of actors who essayed the role and of course stand out among them. The likeness isn’t 100% and the ears are a bit off, but overall, it’s a nice figure. They even made a Batmobile for him late this year, which is scaled pretty well! If only they’d give us a Burt Ward Robin before they close up their DC shop…

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6. DC Multiverse McFarlane Collector Edition Superman: The Movie (McFarlane Toys). It was a great year to be a Superman fan with the new film (which I loved) and all the nostalgia for the 1978 original. I already discussed these figures in my Top 13 Christopher Reeve Superman Collectibles article, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about them some more! McFarlane did a nice job with the standard figure, capturing Reeve’s likeness and the costume details nicely for the scale and price point.

The fact that the Platinum Variant is the “evil” Superman from Superman III is just a wonderful little bonus. Maybe it’s the washes used, but I think the paints help capture that version of the character just a bit better!

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5. One:12 Collective The Joker: Golden Age Edition (Mezco Toyz). Last year I featured the Robin figure from this line, but I think the Joker here tops that one. Like the series’ Batman figure before him, Joker here is primarily based on the artwork of my favorite Bat-artist of the Golden (and early Silver) Age, Dick Sprang. The grotesque, stretched out cheeks and elongated chin, and the mad but playful expressions really capture Sprang’s manic Clown Prince of Crime.

Mezco packed him with a lot of great accessories, but none’s better than the fabled Joker’s Utility Belt, from the classic Batman #73, and in the episodes of the ’60s Batman TV series that adapted it. For more on this figure and the other Golden Age Batman offerings from Mezco, click here.

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4. One:12 Collective Captain America – Silver Age Edition (Mezco Toyz). I waxed Cap’s shield here in a previous TOYHEM article, so I will keep this brief. I love this figure, and the fact that Mezco chose to base it on Jack Kirby’s Silver/Bronze Age take on his famous co-creation with Joe Simon. This figure perfectly encapsulates what I see in my mind when I think of my favorite Marvel superhero. Bravo.

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3. Super Powers Cyborg (McFarlane Toys). It seems that McFarlane Toys has abandoned their retro-fueled Super Powers 5-inch action figure line, a year short of losing the DC license back to Mattel. But they managed to appease a lot of old-school fans of the original Kenner Super Powers Collection by releasing a Cyborg figure in their final wave. Cyborg was one of the characters featured in Kenner’s last series, which had much lower production runs, resulting in a very rare figure that commands insane prices on the aftermarket.

McFarlane Toys Super Powers figure packaged, and loose, with custom chrome paint job by the author

I missed out on Cyborg in 1986, passing him up for Captain Marvel (Shazam!), who is also hard to come by. While not an exact duplicate and lacking the swappable hand attachments and vac-metal paint job, the McFarlane Cyborg scratches that itch. And with a little help from a metallic paint marker, I and many other Super Powers fans have righted a wrong that long plagued us.

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2. DC Comics x Ben Cooper Costume Kids Collection (NECA). I have been a fan and collector of NECA’s line of action figures dressed in classic Ben Cooper Halloween costumes since their introduction with the Universal Monsters releases. But my interest skyrocketed with the release of their DC Comics inspired subset.

Featured in several articles here on 13th Dimension, I must agree with Dan; this is as close as I’m going to get to an action figure of myself as small kid. I dressed in the Superman and Batman costumes seen here, and I still have my original Batman playsuit (the sturdier, cloth version of the Halloween costume). The packaging is even based on the era of boxes those costumes were in, like the Batman I now have in my collection. The bonus of the Super Friends pillowcases (just like the ones I had on my bed in childhood) for their candy loot is just a wonderful extra.

I would love to see NECA expand the line with figures based on Supergirl and Catwoman seen on the packages above, and on the wacky costume versions of Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman from the ’60s. But my real wish would be for them to get the Marvel license, and give us the Hulk, the Thing, Captain America and of course, the iconic, yellow-hued, fuzzy tarantula Spider-Man costume!

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1. Marvel Legends Spider-Man ’77 (Hasbro). I’ve already written two articles on 13th Dimension about this figure, covering the announcement and then reviewing the figure in hand. So, I won’t say much more, other than it was shocking that this was birthed into existence, and the fact that this is my favorite retro figure purchase of the year.

Yes, the ’70s live-action Amazing Spider-Man TV series is incredibly flawed (and practically disowned by Marvel and Disney) but tell that to my inner 3-year-old. He still loves it. Just last month, Hot Toys solicited a 12-inch, high-end Spidey ’77 figure in VERY limited quantities that sold out in seconds, so this is likely to be my final word on Nicholas Hammond’s Peter Parker in plastic form, and I’m fine with that.

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MORE

— The Complete TOYHEM INDEX of Stories and Features. Click here.

–– Dig This Gallery of Glorious JACK KIRBY CAPTAIN AMERICA Covers — MEZCO Style. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor CHRIS FRANKLIN is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and podcaster, who co-hosts and produces several shows on the Fire and Water Podcast Network, including Superman Movie Minute. Check out his illustrative and design work at chrisfranklincreative.com.