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Your Guide to Action Figures.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Temple of Doom. The Last Crusade. These are the three theatrical adventures of the world’s greatest fictional archeologist, Indiana Jones. The movies are considered among the best action feature films of all time, and they hold a very special place among the millions of people who have seen them. It was only natural for action figure manufacturers to try and capitalize on the box office success of these movies.

Unfortunately, while films made hundreds of millions of dollars, the action figures sold poorly when they were originally available in stores. Only a few figures for each movie were produced, and they were even discounted in an effort to move dead stock along. But because the films are so popular, the action figures that couldn’t sell in the 1980’s are now among the most desirable to collectors today. Many collectors are competing over a relatively small number of figures produced, and as such, Indiana Jones is a small but expensive toy line to collect.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Kenner, 1981)

Based on characters and scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Adventures of Indiana Jones were manufactured by Kenner. At that point, Kenner was most well-known for the success of its Star Wars action figures, and so they kept the same scale (the infamous 3-3/4 inches still used as a standard today), except they added articulation to the knees. They created a basic set of figures, a few playsets, and a 12-inch figure. While not much was made, the figures that did get made had a great visual quality and captured the feel of the movie quite well.

The basic figures included Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Toht, the Cairo Swordsman, Belloq, Sallah, the German Mechanic, and Indiana Jones dressed as a German Soldier. A ninth figure was supposed to be released on a card: Belloq in his Ceremonial Robe. This figure was offered as part of a mail-away promotion, but he was never available carded (proof cards, or prototypes of the card he was supposed to be on, do exist). Two other figures, Indiana Jones from the Map Room scene and Monkey Man, were offered in the Map Room and Streets of Cairo playsets, respectively.

While all the figures are highly prized, Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood are far and away the most desirable two figures. Indiana Jones is the quintessential Indy figure, and often times, he has condition problems. His small pistol and fragile string whip accessories are often missing, and his thumb is almost always broken. Mint loose figures are very expensive. Marion Ravenwood is simply hard-to-find because she was the supposedly unpopular female figure, since marketers didn’t think boys would want to play with a girl action figure.

The playsets are arguably the best part of the line. The Map Room and the Streets of Cairo have plenty of play value. As collectors items, they make for great display pieces with the figures. The Well of Souls is very intricately detailed and serves as a nice centerpiece for any loose Indiana Jones collection. The Desert Convoy Truck was the lone vehicle in the line, and a very hard to find Arabian Horse was also produced.

The 12-inch figure was a redressed and repainted version of the 12-inch Star Wars Han Solo doll, since actor Harrison Ford portrayed both characters. The 12-inch figure used to be the most coveted piece in the entire line, but in recent years, the value has subsided tremendously, since newer and better-looking 1:6 scale versions of Indiana Jones have been produced.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (LJN, 1984)

Because of the poor sales of the first Indiana Jones toys, Kenner opted not to produce toys based on the second Indiana Jones movie, The Temple of Doom. Instead, the license went to LJN, a toy company that was relatively new to action figures in 1984. Their most famous lines are Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Thundercats.

The figures were increased to a five-inch scale, most likely to compete with figures like Mattel’s Masters of the Universe and Kenner’s DC Super Powers, which were both very popular at the time. While five figures were planned, only three were produced: Indiana Jones, Mola Ram, and a Giant Thuggee. The two unproduced figures were Willie Scott and Short Round.

Temple of Doom was a bit of a controversial film in 1984. It was one of the first ever to receive a PG-13 rating, and it’s especially dark nature did not sit well with kids or parents. As such, these figures failed to sell in great quantities. They are extremely hard to find. Mola Ram and the Giant Thuggee are desirable, but Indiana Jones is definitely the one that collectors want to own from this line.

Not many collectors are aware that there’s a pretty stark variation on the Indiana Jones figure. The figure was produced with both a white shirt and a brown shirt. After examining multiple examples, it’s clear that this is not a discoloration but in fact an intentional paint variation. Perhaps the white shirt appeared to clean for Indiana Jones, a character known for getting down and dirty. The figure is so rare on its own that it’s hard to say which version is harder to come by. If you find one or decide to invest it one, choose the one that you think looks best for your collection.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Star Toys, 1989)

The final Indiana Jones action figures are hardly worth mentioning. Indeed, they were licensed, but they were very poorly made, and only three versions of Indiana Jones exist. So there was never a Henry Jones, Sr., or Grail Knight action figure ever made for the original movies. The figures are still rare and prized solely for the fact that they are indeed Indiana Jones action figures.

As with all vintage action figures, condition is crucial. Make sure that if you’re making the investment in any of these coveted toys, you buy them in as nice condition as you can afford. With the fourth movie approaching, interest in all things Indiana Jones is at an all-time high, and the prices for most of these action figures is steadily climbing. But if you’re up to the task, you can start hunting for your own treasures in the form of Indiana Jones action figures!