Articulating the Action Figure: Essays on the Toys and Their Messages

by Jonathan Alexandratos (Editor)

Overview

Action figures are more than toys or collectibles--they are statements on race, gender, class, body positivity and more. This collection of nine new essays and one interview argues that action figures should be analyzed in the same light as books, movies, television shows and other media. Through an examination of the plastic bodies that fill our shelves and toy boxes, "Action Figure Studies" can inform the next generation of toys.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476628479
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	03/10/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	188
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Alexandratos is a New York City–based writer, professor, and toy scholar. They were featured in the Emmy–nominated documentary Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids and teach at Queensborough Community College and Sarah Lawrence College.
Jonathan Alexandratos is a New York City-based writer, professor, and toy scholar. They were featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids and teach at Queensborough Community College and Sarah Lawrence College.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction. Posing the Question: An Action Figure Studies
Manifesto
Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Action Figure: Part One
Daniel F. Yezbick
The (Re)Resurrection of Captain Action: Will Justice Be Done?
Thomas G. Endres
Plastic Military Mythology: Hypercommercialism and Hasbro’s
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
J. Richard Stevens
The Same Aisle: The Intersection of Resistance and Discipline
in Brony Fandom, or, Friendship Is Mythological
Tracy L. Bealer
Selling Girl Power in the 1980s: ­She-Ra and the Gendered
Dimensions of Action Figures
Keith Corson
“Seeing into the life of things”: Toy Story, The Lego Movie
and the Wordsworthian Imagination
Geoff Klock
Get Your Freak On: The Monstrous Seduction in Mattel’s
Monster High
Cathy Thomas
All Dolled Up: Monster High, Project MC2 and “Action” Figures
Christopher Bell
“Toys with brains”: Skylanders and the Growth of the
­Toys-to-Life Market
Kimberly A. Owczarski
Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Action Figure: Part Two
Daniel F. Yezbick
“I was always Wonder Woman”: An Interview with
IAmElemental’s Julie Kerwin
Jonathan Alexandratos
About the Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

These toys have been literal figures in the discussion of race and politics...[offers] food for thought on the connection between action figures and gender bias and body positivity...hyper-commercialism is also considered, including a look at Hasbro, which was famously one of the first to target both children and parents.... While much is covered pertaining to how action figures stand as cultural history artifacts, through which we can explore much deeper themes, the mere mention of She-Ra and the like will send readers down a meandering and nostalgic rabbit hole. Though the sturdy foundation of this book is highly academic, the soft underbelly of bygone birthday party themes is certain to keep readers intrigued.”—Booklist ; “Alexandratos presents a collection of essays written by scholars who discuss action figures and the various ways they relate to culture, gender, literature, and society at large”—ProtoView.

From the Publisher