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Re: Classic He-Man Rated the mst innovative toy line ever by Toyfare Magazine
It seems justified to me. MOTU successfully employed a lot of different gimmicks in its' figures, vehicles, and playsets, and I think it's important to say that "successful implementation" is a necessary condition for "innovation". New and creative ideas that are not successfully implemented I would call "curiousities" and sometimes "abominations".
Look at Ram Man. Objectively, you'd think people would hate this "action figure" whos' "action" is basically nonexistent thanks to his gimmick! The reality is that Ram Man is a beloved character and fondly remembered toy, to such a degree, that the 200x remake of Ram Man sports the exact same gimmick, and nearly as little articulation as the 1983 version. Fans were pleased with this.
Conversely, Transformers started out with an innovative gimmick, but I'd say they struggled to find ways to avoid stagnation. The only two ideas that were really successful, in my mind, are triple changers and combiner teams. Things like Headmasters and Pretenders, in one way or another, were not as great as they could/ should have been. It would be right to say that Beast Wars was a great innovation, but in the spirit of the article, I'm limiting myself to the 80's.
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