In the vast world of action figures, perhaps none was ever as schizophrenic as Captain Action, a hero of a thousand faces - and an equal number of costumes. Well, maybe not a thousand, but enough to endear him to droves of kids who have always had a soft spot in their hearts for the “many toys in one” concept.

For all of his multiple personalities, Captain Action was a superhero in his own right. Introduced in 1966 by Leisure Concepts – a company founded by Stan Wetson (thanks to the money he made from his idea for another action figure named G.I. Joe) – Captain Action was equipped right out of the box to save the day. With a captain’s outfit, sword and a ray gun, the good Captain was ready to do battle with the forces of evil from any era.

 

But there was more…much more. Captain Action wasn’t just one action figure; he was a multitude of recognizable action figures. You just had to purchase the many expansion packs of accessories that were sold separately. With such luminaries as Superman, Batman, Aquaman, The Phantom, Captain America, Steve Canyon, Sgt. Fury, The Lone Ranger and Flash Gordon (whew!) available, Captain Action gave you the ability to have a whole army of choices at your disposal. And it wasn’t just the costumes that were changed, but, in an innovative twist, the faces as well.

One might think that these possibilities would be enough to satiate the desires of Captain Action fans but the company wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. In 1967, they enhanced the line to include Buck Rodgers, Spiderman, The Green Hornet and Tonto. Take that, G.I.Joe. And coincidentally, it was discovered later that, since G.I. Joe shared the same measurements as Captain Action, his entire line of garb could also be used in conjunction with this versatile superhero. How’s that for versatility? The only thing left was a sidekick and Captain Action would eventually join forces with Action Boy, a younger hero with a few personalities up his own sleeve - such as Aqualad and Superboy. And just for good measure, and to make things more interesting, archrival Dr. Evil (no, not the same guy you are thinking of) was introduced with a few multiple identities of his own.

Throw in the nimble Silver Streak vehicle for good measure, a carrying case a few other accessories and you had a toy that just kept on giving, offering hours of endless adventure, all thanks to the Sybil of superheroes, Captain Action. Unfortunately, the Captain’s days of glory were short-lived, even his own comic book couldn’t save him from being discontinued in 1968. But the legend lives on in the hearts, and on the shelves, of many a toy collector. And thanks to toy company, Playing Mantis, newer generations of fans are being introduced to the chameleon-like qualities of Captain Action. While the cast of available characters isn’t as impressive as in the glory days (most of the superheroes are noticeably absent) Captain Action can once again be called upon to save the world from wherever evil lurks. Just give him a few minutes in wardrobe first.