A Blast From the Past: James Bond Jr. Jaws Action Figure

Jaws Action Figure for James Bond Jr. cartoon series from Hasbro

“You’re the ultimate secret agent in the dark world of international espionage with James Bond Jr. action figures, vehicles and spy gear. Battle it out against enemy agents from the evil S.C.U.M. [Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem] organization, and whatever you do, don’t blow your cover!”

Having just watched Moonraker this past weekend, the arrival of this little gem this week is timely. A novelty gift from my thoughtful boyfriend, the chomping jaw-crushing action figure comes with a steel bar (well, really plastic) and a decoder strip, because on the back of the packaging, there’s a specially coded section that includes a bio, weapons profile (I think we all know it’s the teeth!), and mission details.

What's the back of the packaging

Jaws (played by Richard Kiel, who is an incredibly kind person in real life) is just one of twelve figurines licensed by Eon Productions and manufactured by Hasbro in 1991. Jaws is outfitted with a rather bright blue suit that includes slacks that are too short to fit his 7 foot plus height, which in conjunction with his yellow tie, makes Jaws look silly. The large mouth of teeth is glaring and creates an imposing caricature of the filmic version. While no disrespect to Jan Rabson who voiced Jaws and several other characters in the cartoon, but it would have been cool if Mr. Kiel had lent his voice to this series.

There are four variants for James Bond Jr. 

James Bond Jr. has four variants ranging from his daily wardrobe to specialized mission gear (i.e. scuba gear). Junior has several villains that include Dr. No (green complexion by the way), Dr. Derange, Walker D Plank, and their henchman, Odd Job and Jaws. And thankfully, James Jr. does not have to face these dastardly characters alone – IQ, Gordo Leiter, and Buddy Mitchell are ready to help. No collection is complete without vehicles – one being James Jr.’s red sports car (I want one!) – and every up-and-coming spy in the making must have a gadget or two at their disposal when fighting the S.C.U.M. of the world! If that is not tempting enough, there are Bond points to collect! Well, perhaps that may be obsolete at this point.

Jaws even has a mission - don't forget your decoder! 

It seems that 20+ years on, the action figures are still readily available via Ebay, Amazon, and other online retailers. Prices range from about $5 to over $30 for James Bond Jr. Now, I have to decide if I want to try to collect the rest – Jaws does look lonely on my shelf – or just keep the collection to Jaws alone?

A couple of links:

Virtual Toy Chest James Bond Jr. Action Figure Photos

Behind the Toys James Bond Jr. Prototypes