Rocky (Phoenix Toys)

Rocky
Phoenix Toys
1983

We touched a whole lot on the Rocky films in our post on the Jakks Pacific series "HERE". As such, we're not going to go very far into depth on the actual films themselves.

These particular Rocky figures were produced and released by a company known as Phoenix Toys in 1983. Unfortunately it was also the only line of toys they produced, and they have not been seen or heard from since.

The figures themselves are actually pretty awesome. They're designed in the style of the highly popular wrestling figures of the era, and incorporate rather nicely into such a collection. They're also right in line with the size and design of lines such as Masters of the Universe and The Lost World of the Warlord (post coming soon).

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky

Only four figures were ever released, though some action figure collector's like to suggest that a fifth, Ivan Drago also made its way to shelves. This is doubtful as the figures were released in 1983, and Ivan Drago was not introduced as a character in the films until the 1985 Rocky IV film. We would love to be proven wrong, but the suggestion that a figure would be produced and released two years after the fact for a series and company that were long gone by this point is highly unlikely.

 Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed

For those unfamiliar with the actual Rocky films, most of these particular characters are all designed to coincide with their look in the third Rocky film which was released in 1982. We love how each figure showcases the actors name, and states that they're depicted as, and then lists the character's name. That's rather unique, and adds a little fun to the card.

 Mr. T as Clubber Lang

Both Mr. T and Hulk Hogan were up and coming stars of this era, and as such were popular among not only Rocky fans, but fans of WWF and the A-Team.

Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips

The cardback for the series lists several other Rocky related items to collect including a Rocky Sock'Em set. The concept was simply a re-make of Mattel's Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots. We tried desperately to track one down, but found no remnants of one anywhere. We honestly wonder if this item was ever produced. It's possible that when Mattel caught wind of the product being produced that they shut it down. They may have even been the demise of Phoenix Toys in general. All of this is speculation of course.

The figures aren't necessarily difficult to find. However, they are difficult to find at a reasonable price. Carded figures sell between $60.00 and $150.00 (each) with Apollo and Thunderlips being the most difficult (but not impossible) to track down.

Loose figures are far more common, and you can typically nab a full set for around $40.00. The downside to this is that they typically don't have any of their accessories.

All and all, this is really an awesome series of figures, and one we highly recommend to collectors of Rocky, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan toys and memorabilia.

Join us next time when we take a look at G.I. Joe: The Pursuit of Cobra!

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