The 1st Superhero Toy

The man of steel made his debut in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. The comic became an instant hit. Within a year, he’d get his own self-titled solo series, which at the time, he was the only DC Comics character to do so. On February 2, 1940, fans would all run to the radio. Why? That’s when Superman made his debut on the radio with his very own show titled The Adventures of Superman. Also, that December, we would see him starring in Superman’s Christmas Adventure, which was a comic of him teaming him up with Santa Claus. And in between those points, Ideal Toys immortalized him as a toy. What is Ideal Toys?

Ideal Novelty and Toy Company is a toy company that began in the year 1906. By 1938 they changed their name to Ideal Toy Company. Ideal originally produced plush teddy bears but by the 1930s Ideal had created some of their best-known dolls. What were they? Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin. But in the late 30s, they created the groundbreaking doll.

This wasn’t just the first licensed Superman product; this was the first ever superhero toy that was mass produced. This toy was released for the Christmas season following the first big marketing push for Superman over the summer of 1939. The Superman figure was a 13″ wooden doll with sixteen points of articulation. The doll came with a cloth cape and a lacquered finish.

How much was the doll originally? Well, according to Harry Matetsky’s book Adventures in Superman Collecting, the Ideal Superman doll originally sold for 94¢. Because of its rarity, a superb, fully complete doll with the original cardboard box was sold at auction in 2015 for $5,060 (includes a 15% buyer’s premium).