In this
entry I am presenting for the first time in this blog the toy-line “Golden
Girl” by the American toymaker Galoob. I had a chance to get a few of these
dolls, so I couldn’t resist. In this entry and the following one (#300) I will
be presenting three dolls and 1 outfit, that’s all I currently own in this toy
line.
Golden Girl
was first mentioned in the entry #34,
where we talked about a “Goddess of the Ultra-Cosmos” doll which was (I didn’t
know that when I wrote the entry) copied from a Golden Girl. I just said at the
time that Golden Girl was one of the toy series that came after Mattel’s
Princess of Power (She-Ra), and the one that got better sales after the “original”
line.
Galoob’s
Golden Girls are exactly the same size than Mattel’s Princess of Power. Both
have the same articulations, both have nice hair, both include a comb and fancy
(interchangeable) clothes… both toy lines are based in the same concept.
One might
think that Galoob created a toy line which is size-compatible with Princess of
Power just expecting to profit from Mattel’s tailwind, but the fact is that
both trademarks were registered almost simultaneously: Princess of Power the 23rd
October, 1984 and Golden Girl the 2nd November of the same year, so
now comes the question which toy line was first. Mattel was a bigger company,
so they could probably manage to produce the dolls faster. Some collectors
recall having seen Golden Girls first, while others say it was She-Ra, probably
they all are right, depending on which city, state or country the live in.
As Mattel’s
Princess of Power got comic books and cartoons, many people think this toy line
was first. Unfortunately, Golden Girl never had a cartoon. It was planned, but
it was never done.
To my
knowledge, Golden Girl sold pretty well, specially in the United States and also in Germany, a country where the
Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power also had amazing sales. In Germany, by the
way, Golden Girl was distributed by Siso.
I got the
advertising in the header of this article from a German comic book for children published in June 1985. Maybe
you know the magazine: “Walt Disney’s Micky Maus” (which has been published in
German with great success since 1951).
The story
of Golden Girl, as printed on the package was:
GOLDEN GIRL
– Princess of the Gemstone Guardians: The beautiful and strong winner of the
Argonia competitions against Dragon Queen. A gentle leader, Golden Girl, along
with her able Guardians, faces constant conflict with the defeated and evil
Dragon Queen. Even with the amazing power from the gemstone shield and the
magical help from her magnificent steed, Olympia,
she is always on guard against an attack. Will she always be able to protect
the good people of Argonia and the precious powerful Gemstone?
The line
had one single wave, but it had many many references: 11 characters, 27
outfits, one big playset (“Palace of the Gems”) and two chariots carried by
horse or an unicorn (“Shadow and Charriot” and “Olympia and Charriot”). Both the playset and
the chariots can be seen in the ad above.
The figures
were:
- Prince Kroma
- Golden Girl
- Saphire
- Rubee
- Jade
- Onyx
- Dragon Queen
- Vultura
- Moth Lady
- Wild One
- Ogra
The first 6
are the Gemstone Guardians and the rest 5 belong to the Evil Forces. Numbers 1
and 11 are men, the rest of the figures are female. The figures carry in their
shields a gem, which looks very nice, and is the perfect gimmick for such an
epic/fantasy adventure.
The figures
reviewed in this entry are:
JADE –
Mystic of the Secret Jewels: The green-eyed warrior from Emraline Island,
Jade is a beautiful and brave fighter whose broad sword and mystical insights
work together to defeat any enemy. But even with the power of the Gemstone, can
this trusted Golden Girl Guardian stand up against the Evil Forces of Dragon
Queen?
DRAGON
QUEEN – Ruler of the Evil Forces: Defeated by Golden Girl in the contest for
the Gemstone, Dragon Queen retreated to the abandoned island of evil, Storm
Isle. There she now rules over her own kingdom. Dragon Queen and her trusted
followers are cruel yet strong and smart. They are very capable of mean dark
magic. Certainly, the wicked warriors may one day steal the precious Gemstone,
thereby getting the power to conquer the good land and people of Argonia. And
perhaps, even Golden Girl herself!
OGRA –
Skull-Masked Barbarian Warlord: Leader of the Barbarian Hordes, Ogra joins
Dragon Queen on Storm Isle and plots the invasion of Argonia with the Evil
Forces. This mean and powerful warlord meets his match, Prince Kroma, again and
again. But the Dual of the Ancients is yet to be fought. Will Ogra finally
succeed in defeating this valiant protector of Argonia and claim victory for
Dragon Queen and her Evil Forces?
FACTS and
FIGURES:
- Name: JADE,
DRAGON QUEEN and OGRA
- Toy Line:
GOLDEN GIRL
- Year: 1985
- Company:
Galoob (U.S.A.)
- Size of the
figures: Around 13 cm
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