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There were 7 figures released for the Six Million Dollar Man line during its run from 1975-1978, but 3 of them were just different versions of Steve Austin and another (Dr. Kromedome) wasn’t even made by Kenner. Still, these figures were truly iconic and a real highlight of toys produced in the 1970’s.
The coolest of the features on the Steve Austin doll was his bionic strength. If the owner twisted Steve’s head and pushed a button on his back, his right arm could lift up to two pounds. This feature was made even cooler by the fact that the figure would make “bionic sounds” while Steve was lifting.
- Overview
- Original
- Bionic Grip
- Bionic arm modules
- Fake skin
- Promotion and product placement
- TV commercial
The Steve Austin doll was the basic component of the whole line of Six Million Dollar Man-themed toys from Kenner. At 13", he stood slightly taller than the Jaime Sommers doll, allowing for the two to appear properly scaled when used together. He featured many interactive items, including a bionic eye the user could actually look through, an arm that would lift items when a trigger on the back was pushed, and roll-back skin that would display interchangeable bionic elements. It was also possible to switch out both the bionic arm and legs with mission-specific limbs. The doll eventually had a range of clothing, somewhat akin to Jaime's Designer Collection. The basic wardrobe worn by the doll is based upon the tracksuit Austin wears during his test run in the original pilot movie and subsequently in the opening credits of the series. Due to the rather large trigger in the doll's back, however, all of the doll's shirts and jackets needed to incorporate holes to allow for it.
Various other toys, such as vehicles and "sets" were scaled to accommodate the doll.
The original action figure came out in 1975, and carried a Kenner product ID of 65000. It was sold with an engine block that the user could slide into Steve's right hand in order to demonstrate the lifting power of what Kenner called the "Bionic Power Arm", which was activated by pushing a lever-button on the doll's back.
The 1977 model with bionic grip was very like the original, except for the addition of "bionic grip" to the right hand. This allowed the user to press a button near the doll's wrist, which made the fingers clamp down around an object. This version of the action figure came with a simulated steel beam that that arm could clamp down on and lift.
The original release of the action figure included two modules that could be removed from the bionic arm, one on the forearm and a larger one on the bicep. Later issues of the doll, however, had a modified bionic arm design without the removable modules. This was in part due to the beginning of parental backlash over the use of small, removable par...
The bionic arm was covered in a rubber-like fake skin that was intended to be rolled back to expose the bionic modules. This material tended to break down with repeated use and age; as a result, it is uncommon to find a Steve Austin doll with its original skin still intact.
The Six Million Dollar Man action figure was heavily promoted with TV ads and print advertisements in comic books and magazines. Direct references to the doll also occurred in licensed spin-offs and the series itself. The second issue of the Six Million Dollar Man comic book featured the action figure in a starring role, with the villain using it in a voodoo doll-like manner to try and kill Austin; the issue ends with Austin breaking the "fourth wall" and telling readers about the action figure, which is shown prominently on the comic's Neal Adams-drawn cover. A subtle reference to the doll can also be heard in "Elves' Revolt", one of the stories on the Christmas Adventures story record, when Santa Claus suggests that a Steve Austin action figure would be a popular Christmas gift.
The most obvious reference, however, occurs in the televised episode "A Bionic Christmas Carol", where Steve Austin visits a toy store and a shelf filled with Kenner's action figures is clearly visible.
In 2018, Lee Majors provided the voice of Steve Austin for a television commercial for "Honda Days," a promotion for Honda automobiles. The commercial featured a stop-action version of the Steve Austin doll running around the car. Two notable differences from the original is that its mouth moves, and it has two eyes. The animation style is similar ...
Therefore, they entrusted the Mego company with the mission of creating a figure that could stand up to the famous Steve Austin, and what better than an evil doctor with bionic parts that protrude from his body, although to tell the truth, he looks more like a baron of royalty.
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is rebuilt with bionic implants that give him superhuman strength, speed and vision.
The Kenner Six Million Dollar Man action figure of the seventies used a rubbery layer and hinged parts to conceal the inner workings of the character’s bionic limbs. Today, clear plastic with printed circuitry takes the place of the more elaborate bionic limb design of the seventies action figure; unfortunately, I have to say that the toy from almost forty years ago (okay, let’s not think ...
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by MegoRobyn • August 23, 1977. Figures are coming July 2012, see everything we know below. Wave 1 is believed to be Steve Austin and Bigfoot.
