I previously established that we had some pretty lame toys back in my day. Following that theme, I’d like to reacquaint you with the Power Lords.
This was the kind of toy that I was probably given by my grandma who got it for me on a whim while shopping at K-Mart (I know I certainly never would have asked for it on purpose). Not that there’s anything wrong with grandma’s generosity, it’s not her fault she was out of touch with what little boys wanted back in the 80s (I love you Grandma!).
Looking at these toys I think it’s fairly evident why no one is clamoring for the Power Lords movie, the Power Lords 8 part mini series on SyFy, or the complete Power Lords reboot by DC Comics to wipe away all the years of bad continuity and make him more accessible for today’s new comic reader.
I had to consult Wikipedia to remember the basic storyline, In a nutshell, Adam Power was a huge nerd with a big nose and bad hair who liked to dress up in a bright orange jumpsuit to fight the evil extraterrestrial despot known as Arkus.
When Adam Power harnessed the power of the cosmic Power Jewel (at the push of a button) he became (feigned excitement) Lord Power (yawn)! As Lord Power, Adam now had blue skin and protruding red veins, his hair was even worse than ever, he had a jewel stuck in the middle of his forehead, and he was still stuck wearing the same orange pants from his jumpsuit.
It’s not worth going into the even lamer supporting cast of heroes and villains, it would only bore you to tears. However, if you’re reading this late at night and feel the urge to click a link you can check out images of all the action figures and vehicles over Action Figure Archive or read all about them back at Wikipedia .
This is one misfit toy that Santa should accidentally leave on the island. I’m sure most kids would rather have a Charlie-in-the-box over an Adam Power action figure any day of the year.
What’s the dorkiest toy you remember from growing up? Did you have one? Did you despise it or secretly love it? Sound off in the comments below?
All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.
Related articles
- The 36 Worst Action Figures From Iconic Toy Lines (neatorama.com)
slightly insightful 
I thought the kenner dc superheroes were pretty lame, i hated the nylon capes. though I forgot about Lord Power. I didn’t even know that there were more toys in that line.
What I remember about the Super Powers line of toys was how cheesy their “actions” were. Squeeze Superman’s legs and he punches. Squeeze The Flash’s arms and he runs. Squeeze Green Lantern’s legs and he . . . lifts up his lantern!?!
I don’t know, that dinosaur/shark thing on the left in the last image looks like it had potential.
Wow you were not lying those are some terrible looking toys. Did your grandma hate star wars or something?
She didn’t hate anything. That’s the problem. She bought what they had at K-Mart, for good or bad.