Big Jim
Big Jim was a popular line of action figure toys produced from 1971 through 1986 by Mattel for the North American and European markets. Inspired by G.I. Joe, the Big Jim line was smaller (closer to 10 inches in height compared to Joe's 12) and each figure included a push button in his back that made the character execute a karate chop action. The action figure's arms were made of a soft plastic/vinyl material and contained a mechanism that simulated the bulge of a biceps when the arm was bent. Big Jim was less military-oriented than the G.I. Joe line, having more of a secret agent motif, with a variety of outfits and situations available including sports, space exploration, martial arts, hunting, and even unusual choices such as fishing and photography.
Big Jim's P.A.C.K. was an extension of the main toy line in 1975. Several different toys were released, including Warpath (a Native American archer), the Whip (a weapons specialist armed with a bullwhip), Dr. Steel (a bald villain with a steel hand, later recycled into a hero), Torpedo Fist, (a former sailor), and a special (and very popular) Olympic Games-themed version of the title character.
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The earliest toys were made from materials found in nature, such as rocks, sticks, and clay. Thousands of years ago, Egyptian children played with dolls that had wigs and movable limbs which were made from stone, pottery, and wood. In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, children played with dolls made of wax or terra cotta, sticks, bows and arrows, and yo-yos. When Greek children, especially girls, came of age it was customary for them to sacrifice the toys of their childhood to the gods. On the eve of their wedding, young girls around fourteen would offer their dolls in a temple as a rite of passage into adulthood.
As technology changed and civilization progressed, toys also changed. Whereas ancient toys were made from materials found in nature like stone, wood, and grass modern toys are often made from plastic, cloth, and synthentic materials. Ancient toys were often made by the parents and family of the children who used them, or by the children themselves. Modern toys, in contrast, are often mass-produced and sold in stores.
This change in the nature of toys is exemplified by the changes that have taken place in one of the oldest and most universal of human toys; dolls. The earliest and most primitive dolls were simple wooden carvings and bundles of grass. Egyptian dolls were sometimes jointed so that their limbs could move realistically. By the early 1800s there were dolls that could say "mama". Today there are dolls that can recognize and identify objects, the voice of their owner, and choose among hundreds of pre-programed phrases with which to respond. The materials that toys are made from have changed, what toys can do has changed, but the fact that children play with toys has not changed.
