The Six Million Dollar Man - Merchandise

Merchandise

The Six Million Dollar Man spawned a number of toys, Two Parker Brothers boardgames,("The Six Million Dollar Man", "Bionic Crisis") and other licensed merchandise. Everything from lunch boxes and running shoes to children’s eyeglasses and bedsheets all carried images of Steve Austin. The 12 in (30 cm) tall Steve Austin action figure marketed by Kenner in the mid-1970s was particularly popular and intact Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman toys continue to attract premium prices on the collector’s market. Besides the lead characters, 12 in (30 cm) scale action figures were also produced of Oscar Goldman, equipped with an "exploding" briefcase similar to the type used by James Bond in From Russia with Love, "Maskatron", an android character based upon a robot duplicate of one of Austin's friends, Major Fred Sloan (both Sloan and his robot double were played by John Saxon in the first-season episode "Day Of The Robot"), a Fembot (from a Bionic Woman episode) and the recurring character of Bigfoot (the Bigfoot doll was more than 12 in (30 cm) high). Associated merchandise for use with the action figures included a rocketship that could transform into a bionic repair station, an inflatable command base, auxiliary bionic arms (critical assignment arms) with different features (such as one that included a flashlight), auxiliary bionic legs (critical assignment legs) with different features.

Fully intact Steve Austin action figures are rare. The bionic right arms of the dolls/action figures were covered in an elastic, skin-like material that was intended to be rolled back to reveal bionic modules underneath, and this material tended to deteriorate over time. Early versions of the arms also included removable bionic modules that could be easily lost; later versions of the action figured included modules that could not be removed.

Hasbro, makers of G.I. Joe, produced a G.I. Joe Adventure Team figure called "Mike Power, The Atomic Man" that was very similar to the Six Million Dollar Man figure, presumably to try and cash in on the success of the Kenner toy.