Let’s take a journey back in time where Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast cereal reigned supreme. Yes, I am talking about the 1980s. Back in that era, there was nothing better than watching your favorite shows and eating cereal on Saturdays. The commercials were filled with toy ads that were a continuation of the shows you were watching. I wanted to drop my list of the top five toy packaging from the 80s. Just a side note, if you checked out this site before or listen to the podcast, you know I am a big Star Wars fan. That toy line started in the 70s, so they don’t make that list since I am focusing on the 80s.
Top Five Toy Packaging From The 80s
Transformers
One of the best packaging designs ever. There was a futuristic vibe to not only the toy itself, but the box. The toy boxes for Transformers were either highlighted with the color of red or purple based on whether the toy was an Autobot or Decepticon. The back of the box told the origin story of the Transformers. In addition, the box gave you a run down of how powerful and intelligent that specific Transformer was in that box.
Masters Of The Universe
Just like the Transformers box, the Masters of the Universe box was one the best. You had the MOTU logo soaring at the top of the box. After that you were told who that character is and it had a nickname too. For example if you were getting Skeletor, it would say Evil Lord of Destruction underneath his name. Besides the action figure you would get a mini comic book in it as well as a few accessories. The back had a description of that character and other action figures in that line.
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is considered A Real American Hero. Well at least that is what the packaging said. If you asked fans of the show, they would agree with the toy box. The front of the packaging has red, white and blue colors. Underneath that there is what looks like a battle is going on behind that character. The action figure would come with some accessories. On the back you get to see a bunch of other toys in that line. You also get a backstory of the character as well in the back of the box.
M.U.S.C.L.E.
One of the most simplistic of toys, yet there was so much fun to have fun with M.U.S.C.L.E. toys. It had a wrestler looking like he was jumping off the top buckle looking to ruin someone’s day. Instead of landing on an opposing character, the wrestler is looking to take out the toys in the package. These small wrestling toys allowed you to take a handful wherever you were going.
Marvel Secret Wars
The Secret Wars comic book first run is where we got to see the black Spider-man suit. So of course there were going to be toys made from that comic book storyline. The story followed a bunch of heroes and villains fighting on another planet. The packing was one of the best. They had the Secret Wars logo on it. Each character came with a character illustration and biography, a short 4-panel comic, and a depiction of available figures in the series. They each came with a large plastic “Secret Shield” accessory that held a lenticular image.