25 Crazy Valuable Action Figures

Toys have been around since 3010 BC when scientists discovered toy monkeys with a string for sliding and small carts from the Indus valley civilization. The idea that kids enjoy playing with toys continued through the many ages of the world we live in today. Even the Egyptians had toy dolls with movable limbs and the Greeks created a mechanical puzzle.

However, during the 20th century, toys became more than just something kids played with. They turned into collector’s items that grown-ups would go crazy over, spending insane amounts of cash just to get the rarest of them all.

Thanks to the invention of the television, toy companies marketed their toys to kids as part of series, not just one part. This worked best following the success of Star Wars in theaters, when Kenner started shelling out 22 million figures a year during the 70’s.

The most beautiful thing about toys is that, no matter how old you are today, everyone was once a child and had a favorite toy they loved to play with, or collect. For us boys, most of us had our favorite action figures and that is what we are here to look at today. Here are twenty-five awesome action figures of days past, ranked by value.

Note: For sake of variety, we have excluded Star Wars figures, which we’ve previous featured : The 30 Most Valuable Star Wars Toys

25) Slimer, Ghostbusters

  • Year: 1986
  • Company: Kenner
  • Value: $900
  • Condition: Mint In Box

24) Cobra Commander, G.I. Joe

  • Year: 1983
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $900
  • Condition: Mint In Box

23) Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark

  • Year: 1982
  • Company: Kenner
  • Value: $1,000
  • Condition: Loose, No Box

22) Shawn Michaels, AWA

  • Year: 1986
  • Company: Remco
  • Value: $1,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box

21) Macho Man Randy Savage, WWF

  • Year: 1990
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $1,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box

20) Megator, Masters of the Universe

  • Year: 1987
  • Company: Mattel
  • Value: $1,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box

19) Aqualad, Teen Titans

  • Year: 1976
  • Company: Mego
  • Value: $1,010
  • Condition: Mint In Box

18) Action Pilot, G.I. Joe

  • Year: 1964
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $1,100
  • Condition: Mint In Box

17) Marion Ravenwood, Raiders of Lost Ark

  • Year: 1982
  • Company: Kenner
  • Value: $1,125
  • Condition: Mint In Box

16) Tytus, Masters of the Universe

  • Year: 1987
  • Company: Mattel
  • Value: $1,200
  • Condition: Mint In Box

15) Scratch the Cat, TMNT

  • Year: 1993
  • Company: Playmates
  • Value: $1,250
  • Condition: Mint In Box

14) Snake-Eyes, G.I. Joe

  • Year: 1982
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $1,300
  • Condition: Mint In Box

13) Cyborg, DC Comics

  • Year: 1986
  • Company: Kenner
  • Value: $1,300
  • Condition: Mint In Box

12) He-Man, Masters of the Universe

  • Year: 1982
  • Company: Mattel
  • Value: $1,500
  • Condition: Mint In Box

11) Mumm-Ra, ThunderCats

  • Year: 1987
  • Company: LJN
  • Value: $2,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box

10) Dusty Rhodes, WWF

  • Year: 1991
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $2,350
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: Dusty Rhodes career came to an end in 1991 and Hasbro took over the WWF toy line from LJN. Apparently, all of those moving parts created a serious issue with supply and demand and this version of the Dusty Rhodes action figure quickly became tough to find. Over time, it became tougher to find and today, it has grown into a major find for any fan.

9) Green Beret, G.I. Joe

  • Year: 1966
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $2,400
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: Due to its’ name, the Green Beret became one of the most popular G.I. Joe action figures of its’ time due in part to the classic John Wayne film featuring the song, “The Ballad of the Green Berets”.

8) Aquanaut Adventurer, G.I. Joe

  • Year: 1964
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $2,700
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: The Aquanaut Adventurer was one of the first G.I. Joe dolls that was focused on a non-military theme because of America’s involvement in the very unpopular Vietnam War. Because of it’s scarcity, it has become one of the most valuable of all the G.I. Joe’s prior to 1970.

7) Batman, DC Comics

  • Year: 1978
  • Company: Mego
  • Value: $3,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: This version of the classic Batman superhero toy from DC Comics was issued in the United Kingdom and came in the first ever carded packaging for action figures. Mego was the first company to ever come up with such a design that showcased the figure’s completely.

6) Aquaman, DC Comics

  • Year: 1978
  • Company: Mego
  • Value: $3,150
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: This version of Aquaman became valuable because of its’ rarity but also because it was one of the original Mego toys from the DC Comics line.

5) Soundwave, Transformers

  • Year: 1984
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $4,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: Soundwave was one of the most surprisingly popular Transformer from the original Hasbro toyline because of it’s transformation into something similar to a Walkman. He was actually designed from a figure from Takara’s Microman line that was called Cassette Man. He was literally a re-painted version of Cassette Man and it has become tough to find today.

4) Computron, Transformers

  • Year: 1986
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $6,500
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: Without the Star Wars action figures dominating the top ten, the next toyline to take over and dominate seems to be the Transformers. Computron was only available in a giftset and was a combination of five other technobots (Scattershot, Afterburner, Lightspeed, Nosecone, and Strafe).

3) Kamala, WWF

  • Year: 1992
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $9,600
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: The story behind the Kamala action figure from the 7th series of WWF toys is involving the stomach area on Kamala’s body. His trademark is the moon painted on his belly but when Hasbro released the figure, it had a yellow star. Regardless for the change, the moon belly version is rumored to have around 24 of them in existence, making them even more rare and that much more valuable.

2) Optimus Prime, Transformers

  • Year: 1984
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $12,000
  • Condition: Mint In Box
  • Details: As with most of the higher priced action figures on this list, the 1984 Optimus Prime Transformer is extremely valuable because it is almost impossible to find still mint in the original box. This particular version is also the first production of the action figure and that usually means the supply was already smaller to begin with.

1) Original G.I. Joe Prototype

  • Year: 1963
  • Company: Hasbro
  • Value: $200,000
  • Condition: As-Is
  • Details: Unlike the rest of this list, the G.I. Joe Prototype was never sold on the shelf of a toy store, it was instead purchased at an auction because it was the first ever model created for the G.I. Joe brand. It is the world’s first action figure and the first time a doll was marketed to boys.