Articulating the Action Figure

Jonathan Alexandratos is a playwright and essayist who lives, teaches, and writes in New York City. His plays, like his academic work, usually involve action figures and pop culture, and have been produced internationally.

• Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction. Posing the Question: An Action Figure Studies ManifestoThirteen Ways of Looking at an Action Figure: Part OneDaniel F. YezbickThe (Re)Resurrection of Captain Action: Will Justice Be Done?Thomas G. EndresPlastic Military Mythology: Hypercommercialism and Hasbro’sG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero J. Richard StevensThe Same Aisle: The Intersection of Resistance and Discipline in Brony Fandom, or, Friendship Is MythologicalTracy L. BealerSelling Girl Power in the 1980s: ­She-Ra and the Gendered Dimensions of Action FiguresKeith Corson“Seeing into the life of things”: Toy Story, The Lego Movie and the Wordsworthian ImaginationGeoff KlockGet Your Freak On: The Monstrous Seduction in Mattel’s Monster HighCathy ThomasAll Dolled Up: Monster High, Project MC2 and “Action” FiguresChristopher Bell“Toys with brains”: Skylanders and the Growth of the ­Toys-to-Life MarketKimberly A. OwczarskiThirteen Ways of Looking at an Action Figure: Part TwoDaniel F. Yezbick“I was always Wonder Woman”: An Interview with IAmElemental’s Julie KerwinJonathan AlexandratosAbout the ContributorsIndex

“These toys have been literal figures in the discussion of race and politics...[offers] food for thought on the connection between action figures and gender bias and body positivity...hyper-commercialism is also considered, including a look at Hasbro, which was famously one of the first to target both children and parents.... While much is covered pertaining to how action figures stand as cultural history artifacts, through which we can explore much deeper themes, the mere mention of She-Ra and the like will send readers down a meandering and nostalgic rabbit hole. Though the sturdy foundation of this book is highly academic, the soft underbelly of bygone birthday party themes is certain to keep readers intrigued.”—Booklist ; “Alexandratos presents a collection of essays written by scholars who discuss action figures and the various ways they relate to culture, gender, literature, and society at large”—ProtoView.