LJN, unfortunately, failed to secure the action figure license however, it is safe to say that the detail and durability of the Coleco Rambo series produced a phenomenal line of toys in the mid-’80s.Ĭoleco Industries, Inc. In 1985, LJN manufactured a line of Rambo branded electronic water guns and survival toy gear. When Rambo defies his orders, he is abandoned by the government operation and forced to rely on his rugged skills of combat to save the American POWs.Ĭoleco was not the first licensed toy company to produce toys for the Rambo franchise. Along with the returning Richard Crenna, who reprises his role as Colonel Sam Trautman, the two find themselves under strict orders not to rescue any POWs or engage with any combatants. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as former US Army Green Beret John James Rambo, an incarcerated post-Vietnam war protagonist, who strikes a deal with the government to document the possible existence of missing POWs held in Vietnam. A sequel to the popular 1982 movie First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II is the second installment in the Rambo franchise.

The blockbuster action film Rambo: First Blood Part II was released to theaters on May 22, 1985, and grossed over 300 million at the box office. Joe a Real American Hero toy lines, Coleco decided to produce a more prominent six and one-half-inch articulated action figure with a variety of realistic weapons and accessories. Pulling away from the popularity of the three and three-quarter-inch size action figure made famous by Kenners Star Wars and Hasbro’s G.I. Joe a Real American Hero roadmap, Cleco decided to take a chance with an in-demand child demographic and enter the military toy space with a licensed release of one of the most popular films in 1985.

Taping into the recent success of the G.I.

80s toy playsets