Toyzinger
The 1980s witnessed an explosion of creativity in the world of entertainment, and the animated series “Bionic Six” (“La familia Biónica” in Spanish) did its bit.
Created by Ron Friedman and produced by TMS Entertainment, this collaboration between American and Japanese studios was released in 1987.
“Bionic Six” followed the adventures of a family who, after an accident (caused by aliens), are saved by the Dr. Amadeus Sharp thus acquiring bionic powers.
The father Jack Bennett, his wife Helen and their four children: JD, Eric, Meg, and Bunji, become the Bionic Six, a team of superheroes with enhanced abilities. Something like a cross between “The Brady Bunch” and “X-men”.
Like any good series, there is also a great villain, in this case it is the Dr. Scarab brother of the Dr. Amadeus Sharp, who seeks to use his brother’s bionic technology to achieve immortality at any cost.
A curious fact about Dr Scarab is that the English voice actor was Alan Oppenheimer, the same one who played the role of Skeletor.
Dr. Scrab has a group of loyal henchmen who help him in his misdeeds, these are: Chopper, Glove, Mechanic, Madame O and the monster Klunk.
The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, each member of the family had unique abilities, from superhuman strength to enhanced speed and telepathic abilities. This diversity of powers provided a wealth of exciting situations and spectacular confrontations throughout the episodes.
Although “Bionic Six” had a relatively short life, 65 episodes, its animation was of good quality and the fights against robots, aliens and monsters were quite entertaining.
Although it is a series created in Japan by the prestigious director Osamu Dezaki (Golgo 13), it cannot be considered an anime, since it was co-produced in the United States where it enjoyed most of its success.
“Bionic Six” did not achieve the same popularity as other series of the time, such as “Transformers” or “He-Man“, yet the series has a special place in the hearts of those who followed it.
Although the years have passed, and whether it’s the animated series or the line of figures, the Bennett family and their bionic exploits are still fondly remembered by those who lived through the magic of the 1980s.
As was common in the 1980s, the series “Bionic Six” was not only limited to the small screen, but also spawned a toy line that became an object of desire for children of the time. The toys reflected the characters and their abilities, allowing children to recreate the exciting adventures at home.
In this case, the toy company in charge of transforming the characters of the series into action figures was LJN, which chose to use a scale equal to that of “G.I Joe” but making the bodies of the figures in metal instead of plastic.
Action figures, vehicles and accessories were part of the toy collection. These toys were not only objects of play, but also valuable souvenirs that are still the object of nostalgia among collectors today.
The Battle Beasts (Originally = ビーストフォーマー, Bīsutofōmā) is a toy line that was released by the Japanese company TAKARA and HASBRO in 1987. These action figures gained popularity during the late 1980’s and were distinguished by their design of anthropomorphic animals with armor and the inclusion of a “rock, paper, scissors” game among the figures. […]
In the 1980s, an era marked by toy fever and the animations that accompanied these creations, a phenomenon emerged that captured the imagination of children around the world: Dino-Riders. Produced by toymaker TYCO, this toy line and the accompanying television series offered a unique experience by transporting youngsters to a world where futuristic technology met […]
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, is an anime released in Japan at the end of the 80’s, this anime was distributed in different countries under different names: known in English as Ronin Warriors, in Latin America as Samurai Warriors and in Spain as Los cinco samuráis. The series was created by Hajime Yatate and produced by Sunrise, […]
