Vintage Collector Photo: Kenner Super Powers Collection

[imp]

Shortly after my family shared a photo of myself with MIB Mego Super-Heroes on Christmas Eve 1976 (posted on another thread here somewere), my mother sent me another batch of ephemera and old photos she had collected over the years. Included was this blurry shot:



My 16th birthday gift: On April 15, 1986, my mother waiting patiently at a Kmart in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while I rooted through eight or nine cases of Kenner "Super Powers Collection" action figures. She (and the store workers) kindly let me create my own hand-picked case of figures, including the rare 3rd Wave characters (I got both of only two Cyborgs to be found; talk about 'short shipping' a character!).

Later that day, I told my father I needed a full case because I was "going to open up a toy store one day" and that I needed inventory. I never opened a store, but I did finally sell the figures and Shipping Box shown above, about a year ago.

Pretty cool. I didn't know this photo existed, so it was fun to see. Thought I'd share.

-b

[Earth 2 Chris]

Great photo! I still kick myself for passing on Cyborg for Captain Marvel the one time I saw him on the shelf. Sigh.

Chris

[imp]

Great photo! I still kick myself for passing on Cyborg for Captain Marvel the one time I saw him on the shelf. Sigh.

Chris

Oh, I was right there with you, Chris. I always felt the Shazam! figure was superior to the Cyborg figure. I opted to get two Cyborgs simply because there were ONLY two amongst all those cases. I could have had four or five Shazam! figures, but there were only two Cyborgs, suggesting to me that figure was special. Turns out I was right.

-b

[palitoy]

Nice pic!

Super Powers hold a special place in my heart because I traded third series carded figures (and carded Stepponwolfs) for Megos back in the day.

A year after the line had been cancelled, Canadian Tire brought them all back in the Christmas toy assortment (They were notorious for warehousing their unsold toys in January and bringing them back the next year). On the 23rd the figures were slashed to $2.00 I still remember the rush of running for the bus with 100+ figures in my hands.

[Earth 2 Chris]

My Gawd I would have loved to have been there for that.

I got the collecting bug about 2 years after Super Powers bit the dust. I wish I'd bought up what I could have at decent prices then. Of course, I was 13, so cash was kind of limited.

Chris

[imp]

…I traded third series carded figures (and carded Stepponwolfs) for Megos back in the day. I still remember the rush of running for the bus with 100+ figures in my hands.

That is SO COOL! Brian, you (like Huckabone) were way ahead of your time in terms of acting on the collector impulse.

On that birthday, I didn't have the nerve to ask my mom for even more (the $24 she spent on that case was a seriously generous gift given the family finances), and it didn't occur to me to spend my own money on them. I mean, I knew these were going to be collectors' items, but I didn't have the sense to say, "Hmm. At a buck a pop, I should really buy all 8-9 of these cases!"

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

[Random Axe]

Kenner created the second best superhero toy line ever...and I missed them. I can't remember my reasoning at the time, but I never picked any of them up. Now I adore them even though I currently only own one, Shazam. That pic's all kinds of awesome, Ben. I really regret not getting on board the Super Powers bus back in 1985(?).

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I really regret not getting on board the Super Powers bus back in 1985(?).

Yep, 1985 is about right. That picture was April 1986, when Kmart was blowing out the entire line at $1.00 apiece -- which was really unusual, since Kmart was known for their Psychological Pricing structure (e.g. 97¢ instead of $1.00 or $1.96 instead of $2.00). By the end of that year, Super Powers were nowhere to be found in my town (Ann Arbor, MI). Save for the odd Flash figure, I never saw them on store shelves after that.

I hear you about not getting into them right away. When they first came out in 1984, I viewed them as kind of MEH. Like an ersatz Mego... they were just methadone for the really good stuff I could no longer find.

I really didn't fall in love with the line until that day, which was the first time I saw the 3rd Series figures. Cyborg, Plastic Man and Shazam! were just incredible. My favorite was always Golden Pharaoh. Not because of the character, which was unfamiliar, but because of the exquisite anatomy of that sculpt; Pharaoh had particularly long legs that made him look heroic despite a silly costume.

All of this just reminded me: Shortly after this 'score' I nailed five or six rows of thin wooden slats to my bedroom wall, and pinned all of my Super Powers Collection to look like a giant store display. I used to stare at them for hours on end. Wish I had a picture of that display. It was spectacular.

Ahh, good times.

-b

[Random Axe]

I've passed on this story a couple of times, but I think with this thread it needs to be told again.

From 19383-86, we lived across the street from a Kenner toy designer. He was mostly the guy/engineer who figured out all the moving parts. He's actually the one who came up with the Flash running/kicking leg thing. Anyway, while I was playing video games with his son, I noticed a little tiny unpainted head on his desk. It was about twice the size of a SP head, so this must have been a two-up proto. This was without doubt a black dude with a mask, full-on fro and all. Looking back it could have been John Stewart or Black Lightning. I always meant to ask him about it. Given how much fun I have on toy boards it seems like such a wasted opportunity. I think this means there was an unproduced wave of figures and prototypes that have yet to see the light of day.

My age range, I'm 42, was kinda weird cause I think I'd have been all over these guys. I was too young for original Joe and POTA, was completely smitten with Mego/SMDM/Pulsar/Micronauts, obsessed with Star Wars then RAH Joes. I completely missed He-man and Super Powers.

[imp]

…This was without doubt a black dude with a mask, full-on fro and all. Looking back it could have been John Stewart or Black Lightning. ….

Oooh I wonder what this was?! I suppose it didn't even have to be part of the SP collection, since he worked for Kenner, but it's fun to dream of what could have been. I remember seeing a Website years ago that had some purported "4th Wave" prototypes. Man-Bat. Catwoman. Stuff like that. I don't recall if any of them were African-American characters.

You should track down that guy's son on Facebook. Maybe his old man still has some loot you need to liberate from his basement.

-b

[Earth 2 Chris]

That's an awesome story Scott. I'm not far from Cincinnati as you know. But the only Kenner connection I had as a kid was at our town's annual Christmas parade. Someone in town must have worked for Kenner, because people were throwing bagged Salacious Crumb figures into the crowd from the floats!

I recognized the Kenner baggies and was hoping they were M.A.S.K. figures. I wasn't much of a Star Wars guy.

Chris

[RickD]

Great picture! I remember you selling your super powers on eBay. I ended up buying your Cyborg but lost out on the shipping box

[Random Axe]

That would be cool to track down a former Kenner guy and probe around what they're plans were and where the prototypes are hidden. Their old headquarters is still downtown, so maybe someone will unearth a box of stuff in a basement that will shed light on our mystery. It absolutely had to be Black Lightning. I still need to figure out how to make a Mego version, but a SP figure would have rocked.

[Chris]

Nice pic!

On the 23rd the figures were slashed to $2.00 I still remember the rush of running for the bus with 100+ figures in my hands.

Now that's a x-mas story worthy of publishing! Save that for an upcoming book.

[Earth 2 Chris]

That would be cool to track down a former Kenner guy and probe around what they're plans were and where the prototypes are hidden. Their old headquarters is still downtown, so maybe someone will unearth a box of stuff in a basement that will shed light on our mystery. It absolutely had to be Black Lightning. I still need to figure out how to make a Mego version, but a SP figure would have rocked.

Holy Cow! Super Powers Extravaganza!

Looks like that head was probably John Stewart! I remember reading this when it was published, but I had forgotten some of the characters unearthed. Now these figures are customs for the most part, but they are based on concept art found for a 4th series of SP and beyond. Black Vulcan was also in the works, so that African-American head was probably Stewart, and not Black Lightning. Either way, you witnessed a lost part of toy history my friend!

Chris