Thundercats Toy Memories

[Wakko]

I have an awesome memory or two…

Back when I first got into ThunderCats, you couldn’t find anything except the villains in stores. Droves of Mumm-Ra, Monkian, Slithe and Jackalman, but not a ThunderCat to be found.

We were out of town visiting relatives, and we went shopping in a department store. I was looking at the racks of T’Cats figures (all villains, of course), and my aunt asked me if I wanted her to buy me one. I picked Monkian, which would’ve been my first-ever T’Cat figure.

As we continued to browse the store, I heard a young boy crying, “I want Lion-O! I want Lion-O!” Me too, kid, I thought. I heard his dad say, “No, put it back.” I then watched as the kid placed a Lion-O/Snarf on the pegs. I’d ever seen him before. After the kid left, I picked Lion-O up and stared at him in awe.

My aunt walked by and said, “Do you want that one too?” We went to the register and she bought me Lion-O, Monkian and even some batteries for Lion-O. It was a good day.

Other good memories: going shopping during summer vacation and my dad giving me “souvenir” money which I used to get Tuska Warrior. I also remember the first and only time I spotted the “new” T’Cats Pumyra, Lynx-O and Bengali on the pegs. My mom bought all three and held them back until I could buy them from her with allowance.

[thezaxfactor]

My first ThunderCats toy was a Mumm-Ra given to me unwillingly by the daughter of my brother’s physical therapist (weird, I know, and weirder that I remember). Her mother instructed her to give it me, since she had another at home, but she insisted that the one at home was not Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living. I imagine it was the mail-away Mumm-Ra. Whatever, I took it. :evil:

After that, I remember not even knowing the toys were still available until I was five or six (1990-91), until my parents suddenly discovered the few that lingered in stores. Lion-O and Mumm-Ra in particular were still easy to come by at Toys R Us, as were some of the vehicles: a SkyCutter, a NoseDiver, and a LunaLasher all found their way under the Christmas tree. The rest my dad would bring back from business trips overseas, where I guess the market was less likely to snatch them up. Somewhere in the Middle East, he managed to find a FistPounder, a Cruncher, a TopSpinner, and a Pumyra with only one arm! My whole childhood, I had a one-armed Pumyra. :pumyraveryhappy:

Sometime in the early 90s, one of my cousins threw my Mumm-Ra across the room. His head split open, revealing the lightbulb inside. Fortunately, I had another Mumm-Ra, so the broken one became “Lightbulb-head”, Mumm-Ra’s blind and dimwitted twin brother. He would often defect, and I want to say he married the one-armed Pumyra.

I also remember my Lion-O figures constantly breaking their legs. I don’t think I have a single Lion-O of my own with two legs intact, and somewhere there’s a bag full of legs! Did this happen to anyone else?

Finally, and this is a weird MOTU crossover, I remember that my Teela figure was capable of standing on the carpet with her arms in the air and supporting the full weight of the FistPounder over her head without falling over. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it’s true—it was probably the carpet more than anything. Anyway, her super-strength impressed me, and so I decided that she wasn’t Teela at all, but rather Lion-O’s mother. At some point she was killed in battle, and Lion-O grieved terribly.

I also relied more on my Legos for ThunderCats play than the figures themselves. I had a Lego character built to represent every ThunderCat and villain there was, to make up for my lack of full-size figures. It would be fun to see if they’re still assembled somewhere…

[Wakko]

@thezaxfactor

Sometime in the early 90s, one of my cousins threw my Mumm-Ra across the room. His head split open, revealing the lightbulb inside. Fortunately, I had another Mumm-Ra, so the broken one became “Lightbulb-head”, Mumm-Ra’s blind and dimwitted twin brother. He would often defect, and I want to say he married the one-armed Pumyra.

This is the funniest thing I’ve read all day. LOL!!!

[Mark_M]

@thezaxfactor

I also remember my Lion-O figures constantly breaking their legs. I don’t think I have a single Lion-O of my own with two legs intact, and somewhere there’s a bag full of legs! Did this happen to anyone else?

My first Lion-O’s legs peg snapped off and my Dad had to open him up and put a screw where the leg was to keep it on. That some Lion-o would break months later after falling off a toy bird copying the scene with the crow from ‘The Terror of Hammerhand’. He broke in bits and some how one of his legs was lost. My Dad made him two wooden legs. I know he only needed one but I wanted both legs to look the same. I have a pic of it on my collection thread.

[adssse]

@Mark M

My first Lion-O’s legs peg snapped off and my Dad had to open him up and put a screw where the leg was to keep it on. That some Lion-o would break months later after falling off a toy bird copying the scene with the crow from ‘The Terror of Hammerhand’. He broke in bits and some how one of his legs was lost. My Dad made him two wooden legs. I know he only needed one but I wanted both legs to look the same. I have a pic of it on my collection thread.

I also had a Lion-O where one of the pegs snapped off. I drove a short screw in his leg and used the head of the screw as a new peg. It still holds up today!

[Wilycub]

Great stories everyone! Really am glad someone started this thread. I thoroughly enjoy the shared childhood memories. Some remind me of my own.

And Zax, your story about the “Light-bulb head” really cracked me up!

[Cap_n_Cracka]

My Lion-O’s legs were fine but my original Captain Cracker heads snapped off on a tumble down the stairs once and Cheetara’s leg was the one that snapped off for me. My dad fixed it with hot glue. After that, Cheetara wasnt nearly as fast…

[Wilycub]

@Cap'n Cracka

… and Cheetara’s leg was the one that snapped off for me. My dad fixed it with hot glue. After that, Cheetara wasnt nearly as fast…

LOL! Poor Cheetara! But I bet she could win a 3-legged race with Captain Cracker as her partner!

[Mark_M]

@Cap'n Cracka

My Lion-O’s legs were fine but my original Captain Cracker heads snapped off on a tumble down the stairs once and Cheetara’s leg was the one that snapped off for me. My dad fixed it with hot glue. After that, Cheetara wasnt nearly as fast…

My Cheetara’s head broke off about a year or two after I got her. To this day he head is still super glued in place.

Oddly enough all my Thundercats I got when I was young that came with a removable helmet all have there helmets super glued on. My Dad glued them on as he didn’t want me loosing them.

I think the biggest thing that caused Lion-O’s legs to snap was squeezing him into the Thundertank’s driving seat.

[thezaxfactor]

@Mark M

My Cheetara’s head broke off about a year or two after I got her. To this day he head is still super glued in place.

You’ve reminded me that my one-armed Pumyra’s head also broke off at some point, and no amount of glue would get it to stay. It’s probably floating around in the bag of Lion-O legs.

@Mark M

I think the biggest thing that caused Lion-O’s legs to snap was squeezing him into the Thundertank’s driving seat.

Because I didn’t have a ThunderTank when I was a kid, I used to squeeze Lion-O into the front seat of my MOTU Land Shark. That’s probably what did it!

[Wilycub]

@Mark M

Oddly enough all my Thundercats I got when I was young that came with a removable helmet all have there helmets super glued on. My Dad glued them on as he didn’t want me loosing them.

While it may sound a bit extreme, I think it’s better to have a super-glued helmet than to lose it. It was good thinking by your dad! I’m still sad about the couple of small tidbits that got lost over the years by me.

@Mark M

I think the biggest thing that caused Lion-O’s legs to snap was squeezing him into the Thundertank’s driving seat.

I’ve been there, buddy! While it was sometimes difficult to fit Lion-O into the Thundertank, it was IMPOSSIBLE to put Panthro in there! Strange how LJN didn’t think of that since Panthro was THE one that drove the Thundertank.

[Mark_M]

@thezaxfactor

You’ve reminded me that my one-armed Pumyra’s head also broke off at some point, and no amount of glue would get it to stay. It’s probably floating around in the bag of Lion-O legs.

Because I didn’t have a ThunderTank when I was a kid, I used to squeeze Lion-O into the front seat of my MOTU Land Shark. That’s probably what did it!

LOL.

I may need to get a spare Lion-O leg off you to complete mine.

The Land Shark was a cool vehicle, but I never had it. That reminds me, to this day my Mum still brings up a funny story from my childhood. My Mum and Dad found it odd one night when they had guests in that I came past the living room with some figures all stuffed in my Dad’s slipper when I had proper toy vehicles for them. I still have to saying that I was playing they were a bobsleigh team but none of the vehicles I had worked as a bobsleigh.

@Wilycub

While it may sound a bit extreme, I think it’s better to have a super-glued helmet than to lose it. It was good thinking by your dad! I’m still sad about the couple of small tidbits that got lost over the years by me.

I’ve been there, buddy! While it was sometimes difficult to fit Lion-O into the Thundertank, it was IMPOSSIBLE to put Panthro in there! Strange how LJN didn’t think of that since Panthro was THE one that drove the Thundertank.

Yeah, he realized how much I loved my Thundercats. He also did it to some of my Bravestarr figures. Thankfully though I managed to free their hats. He never did it though to my G.I. Joes or Visionaries.

It is odd but I guess it just looked cooler having Lion-O pilot it, like the box art.

[Booshman]

Found another old picture. No sure why I look so unhappy.

http://i.imgur.com/VoPQKFB.jpg

[ninja_cat]

Taken at Anderson’s in Toledo, Ohio, somewhere around 1984

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj99/gobygoby/He-Man/heman.jpg

[Pabl083]

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[Stumpwilli]

These were the days

Thundercats heman tmnt silver hawks the childhood that every kid should have

[adssse]

@Stumpwilli

Thundercats heman tmnt silver hawks the childhood that every kid should have

That would be an epic cartoon lineup! Thanks for sharing.

[ThunderianIGGY]

I have so many “fond memories” of the classic Thundercats toyline…I figured I’d share my first, and most memorable one.

It was November 14th, 1986 and it was my birthday. I was amped all month long for this day, mainly for the gifts I would receive. I remember asking my parents months in advance that I wanted some Thundercats figures…but since this was many months before, I assumed they had forgotten all about it.

My birthday party began at around 2:00PM and as much as I enjoyed the cake, and family get together…I was really looking forward to the toys that lied in wait. When the time came, my mom and dad led me to their bedroom where they had been hiding my gifts…they told me to reach under the bed, and when I did my heart just about burst. They had bought almost every Thundercat figure that was available…at least the main cast anyway! That day I pulled out from under the bed, Lion-O with Snarf, Panthro, Cheetara with Wilykit, Young Tygra with Wilycat, Mumm-Ra with Ravage, Slithe, Monkian, and finally Jackalman. I was in Thundercats heaven!

The next morning, I did something I probably shouldn’t have done…I packed all my Thundercats into my bookbag and took them off to school with me to show off to my friends. As you probably guessed, at some point during the school day, the teacher saw what I had brought to school and confiscated every last one of them. To make matters worse, she also gave me detention that same day, for having disrupted class. When 3:00PM hit and most of the class filed out, the teacher told me to stay in my seat until she returned…(she might have gone to the bathroom momentarily). As I sat there, my mind raced and all I could think about was how I wouldn’t see these toys again until the end of the school year…and that was if they didn’t get lost by then!. I knew I had to take action…I got up from my seat, took my bookbag and went to her desk…I took back all my Thundercats, and once they were all in my bag…I took off and ran as fast as I could to my bus, that amazingly had still not left.

The next morning, I returned to school and was this time given a weeks worth of detention. I took it like a man, but at least I was happy that I had saved my Thundercats toys!!! Needless to say, I never took a toy to school ever again.

[adssse]

Thats a great story. I totally cant blame you for “rescuing” your Thundercats. Sometimes you just have to take action and pay the price!

[Mark_M]

That is a truly brilliant story.