{"id":102195,"date":"2020-08-07T19:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-08T00:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=102195"},"modified":"2020-08-08T02:29:26","modified_gmt":"2020-08-08T07:29:26","slug":"collectibles-column-mattel-gets-back-into-the-hulk-hogan-business-and-5-controversial-action-figures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/08\/07\/collectibles-column-mattel-gets-back-into-the-hulk-hogan-business-and-5-controversial-action-figures\/","title":{"rendered":"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Mattel gets back into the Hulk Hogan business, and five controversial action figures"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3325995966\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>It has been just about five years since Hulk Hogan\u2019s racist language from his leaked sex tape and recorded jailhouse conversations with his son Nick forced WWE to distance themselves from one of their all-time top acts.<\/p>\n<p>On July 24, 2015, I emailed Mattel and also asked them on Twitter, \u201cAny statement on future Hulk Hogan figures in your WWE line?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their response on July 28: \u201cWe are committed to embracing people from all cultures &amp; backgrounds. At this time, we will halt production on Hogan product.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What resulted was an apparent five-year moratorium on Hulk Hogan action figures. On July 23, 2020 \u2013 almost five years later to the day \u2013 Mattel revealed images of planned figures for their various WWE lines, including new toys of Hogan. They didn\u2019t trumpet the return of Hogan figures to Mattel, they just sort of snuck him in there \u2013 much like WWE snuck Hogan back into the company\u2019s universe at Extreme Rules in July 2018. Among the new Hogan figures are a New World Order Hollywood Hogan (which was scrapped in 2015) and a He-Man-like figure in Mattel\u2019s Masters of WWE Universe line.<\/p>\n<p>Mattel\u2019s WWE toy line debuted in January 2010. At that time, Hogan was appearing with TNA, so his figures were nowhere to be found in Mattel\u2019s new line. Hogan returned to WWE in 2014, which gave Mattel just over a year before his comments were made public to produce figures. Mattel was only able to release a handful of figures before removing Hogan from future releases, including the planned NWO Hollywood Hogan that collectors really wanted.<\/p>\n<p>When Mattel responded to my question on Twitter, the responses to both Mattel and me ranged from ignorant to disgusting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot fair! WWE are hypocrites!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust because he made a mistake the whole world turns their back on him, I will never buy another Mattel product again.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3101564295\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t punish fans and collectors!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis whole destroy-Hogan vendetta stinks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBunch of politically correct puppets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me a break, what he said wasn\u2019t bad, blacks say it to each other all the time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth of you can KMA!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is stupid! @HulkHogan is no racist and it is pathetic that you try to make him sound like a villain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mattel also revealed images of new Ultimate Warrior figures, whose own hateful rants had to make Hogan blush. But since Warrior\u2019s tirades didn\u2019t occur during the years Mattel was making his figures, the company never really had to answer for those toys.<\/p>\n<p>Some of WWE\u2019s other business partners have also decided enough time has passed to bring Hogan back to their products. Last spring Funko produced a Pop Vinyl figure of Hogan, and Topps\u2019 recent promotional materials advertise the return of Hogan to their products as well.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1133711576\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Mattel was quick to respond to the Hogan controversy in 2015 and give themselves a big corporate attaboy for their decision to cease production of Hogan figures. However, Mattel did not respond to numerous voicemails, emails, and Tweets regarding the company\u2019s decision to resume production of Hogan figures.<\/p>\n<p>Hogan and Warrior aren\u2019t the only controversial wrestlers to be included in toy lines marketed to kids. Here are five other cringe-worthy wrestling action figures from the last few decades.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Suicide Jakks Pacific TNA Ruthless Impact. Back in 2008, TNA created a masked character as a tie-in with the company\u2019s first official video game, and an action figure of said wrestler hit stores in 2010. The video game tie-in brought TNA some love from the that industry, and the mask and outfit were admittedly pretty cool. But seriously \u2013 TNA named a wrestler \u201cSuicide.\u201d And Jakks Pacific thought it was OK to make toys of the wrestler named Suicide and sell them in the toy aisles at Walgreens and other locations. Jakks obviously was somewhat aware of the situation, because the name \u201cSuicide\u201d doesn\u2019t appear on any of the packaging. His name is replaced by the logo on his chest, so obviously printing the word \u201cSuicide\u201d was the one step that Jakks wasn\u2019t willing to take.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/1_Sui.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102196 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/1_Sui.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/1_Sui.jpeg 419w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/1_Sui-199x300.jpeg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Roddy Piper Jakks Pacific WWE Deluxe Classic Superstars New York Toy Fair 2007 Giveaway. Roddy Piper\u2019s idea to work his WrestleMania VI match with Bad News Brown with half his body painted black \u2013 and the WWF\u2019s apparent approval of his racist ring gear \u2013 were astounding in 1990. But even more puzzling was Jakks\u2019 decision to produce a Piper figure in 2007, after the match had marinated in controversy for 17 years at that point.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/2_Piper.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102199 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/2_Piper.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/2_Piper.jpeg 375w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/2_Piper-188x300.jpeg 188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Val Venis Jakks Pacific WWF Series 7. Mattel recently released its first Chyna action figure, and two weeks ago posted photos of more figures to come. In 2014, Triple H famously told Steve Austin that Chyna\u2019s adult film career might keep her out of the WWE Hall of Fame, and posed the question of what would happen if a child did a Google search for Chyna\u2019s name. Vince McMahon and company had no such qualms in 1999, when figures of Val Venis first started hitting toy aisles in large retailers like Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us. Maybe since Venis was only a pretend adult film star, the WWF wasn\u2019t concerned about kids in the late 90s searching for Val on AOL.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/3_Val.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102200 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/3_Val.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/3_Val.png 344w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/3_Val-220x300.png 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sable Jakks Pacific WWF STOMP Series 3. OK, so wrestling action figures are basically just toys of men and women posed in their underwear. But this particular figure of Sable made a few dads blush and moms cover their kids\u2019 eyes when they came across it in the toy aisle. Up to this point, Jakks\u2019 toys of WWF women were limited to Sable in an evening gown and Sunny in a crop top and skirt. This figure had Sable\u2019s chest puffed out in a tiny top, with an accompanying bikini bottom or thong. Oh, and some snap-on armor, because this Sable fought aliens in space, or something.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/4_Sable.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102201 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/4_Sable.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/4_Sable.png 357w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/4_Sable-191x300.png 191w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Al Snow Jakks Pacific WWF Fully Loaded. Al Snow\u2019s 1999 action figure may have caused the most well-known wrestling toy controversy of all time, but also the silliest. Snow came with a barstool and Head, which looked nothing like the Head he carried to the ring. Instead, Head looked like a leftover dollar store doll piece. As noted by Canada\u2019s Slam Wrestling, Kennesaw State University professor Sabrena Parton thought Head was meant to represent a decapitated woman, and complained that the figure promoted violence against women. As a result, Walmart pulled Snow\u2019s figure from shelves. Once the controversy blew over, the Head once again appeared with new Al Snow figures. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/5_snow.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102202 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/5_snow.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/5_snow.png 357w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/5_snow-215x300.png 215w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com\">michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com<\/a> or @MMooreWriter on Twitter.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THE PRIOR COLUMN:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/07\/17\/collectibles-column-hilariously-bad-1986-monty-gum-trading-cards\/\">COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Hilariously Bad 1986 Monty Gum Trading Cards<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1170585648\"><div id=\"pwtor-1954939021\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It has been just about five years since Hulk Hogan\u2019s racist language from his leaked sex tape and recorded jailhouse conversations with his son Nick forced WWE to distance themselves from one of their all-time <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/08\/07\/collectibles-column-mattel-gets-back-into-the-hulk-hogan-business-and-5-controversial-action-figures\/\" title=\"COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Mattel gets back into the Hulk Hogan business, and five controversial action figures\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,52,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-specialists_collectibles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/08\/Collectibles_Sable.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102195"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102248,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102195\/revisions\/102248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}