Thunder Cat - Action Figures, Statues and Other Merchandise

Action Figures, Statues and Other Merchandise

LJN produced the ThunderCats action figures from 1984–1987. The ThunderCats line was based on the animated series which was actually created in 1982. Due to difficulties, it would not air until 1985. Each figure had an action feature of some sort, and the line also included a unique "laser" light-up feature that interacted between the Cats' Lair playset, some figures, and some accessories. Lion-O's eyes and Mumm-Ra's eyes would illuminate when a special battery-powered key ring that came with the figure was pressed into a slot in their backs. PVC companions were packaged with some figures in 1986, including WilyKat with Tygra, WilyKit with Cheetara, Snarf with Lion-O, and Ma-Mutt with Mumm-Ra. The PVC companion figures were also produced as full size articulated figures.

LJN did produce a few variant figures including the young Tygra version and the silver rat-eye daggers for Rataro. There are also a few slight color variations of Lion-O, such as red and orange-haired versions. The third series of figures from 1987 are harder to find along with the Tongue-A-Saurus and Astral Moat Monster. Driller and Stinger are the toughest figures to track down; Stinger's wings are very fragile, making it next to impossible to find a loose, complete figure.

An unproduced final series of figures would have included The Mad Bubbler, Red-Eye of the Lunataks, Ratilla, Cannon-Blaster and Quick-Jaws from the Bezerkers as well as the Feliner, Thunderstrike and Luna Tacker. The Mad Bubbler is rumored to have been produced, but this has yet to be proven. Photos of these were featured in the 1987 LJN catalog.

In 1987, Elite Systems released the game ThunderCats: The Lost Eye of Thundera, for Commodore64/128 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum personal computer systems. Many years later, Cartoon Network's official website featured a game that allowed visitors to play as Lion-O and rescue fellow ThunderCats while venturing into Mumm-Ra's tomb (this game, titled, "Thundercats: Tomb of Mumm-raa," can be found on an archived Toonami database).

Other ThunderCats merchandise of the 1980s included, among other items, a board game, TV tray table, an electronic racing set, tin lunch box and apparel. A retro spurt occurred in the mid-1990s and 2000s (decade) that began with the familiar 1980's ThunderCats emblem on t-shirts and has since grown to include new t-shirt designs and various other ThunderCats-themed apparel such as hats and belt buckles.

In May 2009, Warner Brothers gave Hard Hero the rights to produce a line of collectible statues based on the ThunderCats characters.

In June 2010, Bandai announced that new toylines will be released, based on both the classic and the 2011 series.

In July 2010, a Warner Bros press announced that Icon Heroes, a company specializing in collectible pop memorabilia, released their new line of classic ThunderCats statues, dioramas and vehicles.

On November 29, 2010, Jordan Hembrough, President of Hollywood Heroes Inc, posted on the ThunderCatsLair.org forum the very first picture of an actual working prototype of the Mad Bubbler slated to go on sale at a future date to be determined. Hembrough also announced that Hollywood Heroes would be the sole broker for a large collection of prototype toys and original artwork.

At the time of his post, Hembrough commented on the collection, stating it be "the largest in recorded history." Hembrough added that the value lay not only in the incredible pieces that made up the inventory, but also the fact that the items came from the personal collections of LJN designers and could be traced backed to them directly.

Mezco Toyz announced in February 2011 that they acquired the ThunderCats license to produce large scale rotocast figures based on the 1980s animated series. Lion-O was the first announced figure and is expected to be released sometime in July.