Set in the 1930s, the story follows Dick Tracy’s efforts to eliminate the organized crime gang led by Al “Big Boy” Caprice (Al Pacino) and other wild cartoonish gangsters such as “The Brow,” “Mumbles,” and “Flat Top.” Also featured in the film is Tracy’s romantic run-in with his girlfriend Tess and nightclub singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna).
I was 6 years old when all of this occurred in 1990. While I’m sure Disney’s target audience was a few years older than 6-year-old me, I’ve always been an old soul at heart. My father got me interested in older TV shows at a very early age, especially with Nickelodeon’s new “Nick-at-Nite.” Some of my fondest memories were watching old black and white classic shows on Nick at Nite’s “Block Party” summer evening programming. I can still hear my Dad laughing that signature laugh of his well into the night. While not found on Nick-at-Nite, two of my all-time favorite things as a kid were the 1960s Adam West version of Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These bright, colorful, comic-book-style crime fighters were right up my alley, and I was primed to love Dick Tracy.
The Ninja Turtles were my absolute favorite, though, and I consumed everything I could Ninja Turtles. I collected videos, magazines or posters, but most importantly for me at the time, I was enamored with the TMNT toys from Playmates Toys company. I took those toys everywhere, and I looked forward to every birthday or holiday so that I could get a few new ones to add to my collection.
It’s in playing with these TMNT toys by Playmates that I
discovered Dick Tracy. Before the days of the internet, if you didn’t
catch a certain advertisement live on TV, you often were left in the
dark regarding future movies, TV shows, or pretty much anything.
It was one day at the local Toys R Us that in the action figure aisle, while searching for TMNT toys, I stumbled upon the Dick Tracy figures. These brightly painted figures with the colorful artwork of Dick Tracy himself on the cardboard backing immediately grabbed my attention. I grabbed one off the rack and devoured the information on the back!
Even more artwork of Tracy’s office at the Police Station awaited on the back, with some sample comic strips and other artwork. Also included was a little biography on the specific character, along with photos of the entire 14-figure lineup. Who were these guys? Flat Top? Pruneface? Rodent? This was awesome!
The set of toys included 14 characters from the movie, although only 13 were ever mass-released. The elusive member of the set, “The Blank,” was very hard, if not impossible, to find. From what I can tell through research and word of mouth, the toy revealed the pivotal ending plot point of the movie that The Blank was indeed (30-year-old spoiler) Breathless Mahoney. Since the toys were released before the film, Playmates and Disney did not want the toys to ruin the ending, so they delayed The Blank’s release, but it seems that it was so delayed that when it finally hit store shelves, nowhere near as many were ever made available to the public. I’ve also read on a few blogs in recent years that it may have been hard to come by because it was only made available in Canada, yet I’ve been unable to confirm that. The Blank was included in the lineup on the back of the card for each toy to tantalize children everywhere, though, and can be included in your own set today for a very hefty price tag of around $1,000 and up (based on current prices online.)
Another interesting tidbit about this collection of figures is that a handful of the bad guys, such as The Brow, The Rodent, and Shoulders, are literally killed off in the opening scene of the movie. Other characters, such as The Tramp and Lips Manlis, are only in the film for a minute or two.
I absolutely loved the Playmates Toys figures from this era. Just like the Ninja Turtles line, these Dick Tracy toys were sturdy, well detailed, and painted with vibrant colors. The packaging (or card in toy parlance) had colorful images kids would love and loads of details about the character that I’d read over and over. These toys aren’t as articulated (moveable joints) as modern toys, but they have plenty of detail and accessories that make for great playtime. I just love the cartoonish yet somehow realistic look. Each figure came with their own firearm, either a Tommy gun style machine gun or a handgun, along with a unique accessory such as moneybags, cement shoes, or a garbage can lid.
If I had to give a criticism of the toy line, it’d have to be my disappointment that Dick Tracy himself, while donning his signature yellow fedora, does not come with the even more iconic yellow raincoat. I’d also have liked to have had other figures like Breathless Mahoney, the Kid, or a few of the other great gangsters included in the line. Perhaps maybe another good guy like Bug Bailey to help out Tracy and Sam Ketchum as the lone 2 good guys against the 12 villains.
The Police Car and a villain’s Getaway Car were also available for purchase as part of the line but I never had either of them. Also from Playmates, a pretend Transmitter Wristwatch styled just like Tracy’s was among the other items shopped to eager children. I distinctly remember my Mom buying me the watch at Caldor’s to shut me up when I kept complaining about how much I wanted to go home. The watch face would light up when you pressed the side button to simulate giving and receiving messages, and if I remember right, it made some static noise as well. The watch broke pretty early on in my childhood, but I kept it until very recently when it did not make it through a purge of items during a spring cleaning.
Today, the figures are found plentiful in varying conditions online both loose (opened) or on-card for pretty affordable prices. Certain figures, such as The Tramp, are found in Mint-On-Card (MOC) condition in abundance at pretty low prices. Others, such as The Blank, not so much. My personal hunt for The Blank is on but as mentioned earlier, it’s out there, but the prices need to come down a little!
If you have a love of Dick Tracy, and especially the Dick Tracy figures by Playmates, or if you have a Blank figure you’d like to get rid of, let me know!
***This post originally appeared on The Retro Network. It is my own work as a submission to their Essay Entry Contest in September of 2019. Please give their website a visit!***
It was one day at the local Toys R Us that in the action figure aisle, while searching for TMNT toys, I stumbled upon the Dick Tracy figures. These brightly painted figures with the colorful artwork of Dick Tracy himself on the cardboard backing immediately grabbed my attention. I grabbed one off the rack and devoured the information on the back!
Even more artwork of Tracy’s office at the Police Station awaited on the back, with some sample comic strips and other artwork. Also included was a little biography on the specific character, along with photos of the entire 14-figure lineup. Who were these guys? Flat Top? Pruneface? Rodent? This was awesome!
The set of toys included 14 characters from the movie, although only 13 were ever mass-released. The elusive member of the set, “The Blank,” was very hard, if not impossible, to find. From what I can tell through research and word of mouth, the toy revealed the pivotal ending plot point of the movie that The Blank was indeed (30-year-old spoiler) Breathless Mahoney. Since the toys were released before the film, Playmates and Disney did not want the toys to ruin the ending, so they delayed The Blank’s release, but it seems that it was so delayed that when it finally hit store shelves, nowhere near as many were ever made available to the public. I’ve also read on a few blogs in recent years that it may have been hard to come by because it was only made available in Canada, yet I’ve been unable to confirm that. The Blank was included in the lineup on the back of the card for each toy to tantalize children everywhere, though, and can be included in your own set today for a very hefty price tag of around $1,000 and up (based on current prices online.)
Another interesting tidbit about this collection of figures is that a handful of the bad guys, such as The Brow, The Rodent, and Shoulders, are literally killed off in the opening scene of the movie. Other characters, such as The Tramp and Lips Manlis, are only in the film for a minute or two.
I absolutely loved the Playmates Toys figures from this era. Just like the Ninja Turtles line, these Dick Tracy toys were sturdy, well detailed, and painted with vibrant colors. The packaging (or card in toy parlance) had colorful images kids would love and loads of details about the character that I’d read over and over. These toys aren’t as articulated (moveable joints) as modern toys, but they have plenty of detail and accessories that make for great playtime. I just love the cartoonish yet somehow realistic look. Each figure came with their own firearm, either a Tommy gun style machine gun or a handgun, along with a unique accessory such as moneybags, cement shoes, or a garbage can lid.
If I had to give a criticism of the toy line, it’d have to be my disappointment that Dick Tracy himself, while donning his signature yellow fedora, does not come with the even more iconic yellow raincoat. I’d also have liked to have had other figures like Breathless Mahoney, the Kid, or a few of the other great gangsters included in the line. Perhaps maybe another good guy like Bug Bailey to help out Tracy and Sam Ketchum as the lone 2 good guys against the 12 villains.
The Police Car and a villain’s Getaway Car were also available for purchase as part of the line but I never had either of them. Also from Playmates, a pretend Transmitter Wristwatch styled just like Tracy’s was among the other items shopped to eager children. I distinctly remember my Mom buying me the watch at Caldor’s to shut me up when I kept complaining about how much I wanted to go home. The watch face would light up when you pressed the side button to simulate giving and receiving messages, and if I remember right, it made some static noise as well. The watch broke pretty early on in my childhood, but I kept it until very recently when it did not make it through a purge of items during a spring cleaning.
Today, the figures are found plentiful in varying conditions online both loose (opened) or on-card for pretty affordable prices. Certain figures, such as The Tramp, are found in Mint-On-Card (MOC) condition in abundance at pretty low prices. Others, such as The Blank, not so much. My personal hunt for The Blank is on but as mentioned earlier, it’s out there, but the prices need to come down a little!
If you have a love of Dick Tracy, and especially the Dick Tracy figures by Playmates, or if you have a Blank figure you’d like to get rid of, let me know!
***This post originally appeared on The Retro Network. It is my own work as a submission to their Essay Entry Contest in September of 2019. Please give their website a visit!***
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