Official Name of the 'Steve Austin' Doll[]
I think we should stay true to the official names under which all merchandise was manufactured. Yes, we all referred to the doll as the Steve Austin doll, but was that the official name? Could it have been referred to as The Six Million Dollar Man doll or The Bionic Man doll? Both are prominent on the box. Anybody have an old Kenner catalogue? — Paul (talk) 20:16, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
- Sorry that was my fault for labeling them as "action figures". Keep in mind that I was born in 1976 so by the time I was old enough to collect them, they were refered to as "action figures". I guess it was the way I was raised by both my father and grandfather who insist that dolls are for girls and action figures were for boys. As for the official names, the boxes clearly states "Six Million Dollar Man" or "Bionic Woman" not "Steve Austin" or "Jamie Sommers". Only the Oscar doll is called "Oscar Goldman".--Agent X 18:23, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
- "The Bionic Man" is also printed on the box, just under "The Six Million Dollar Man." But I think you're right; I was looking at some stills from Jim Sherrard's commerials video and the print is always "Bionic Woman" and "Six Million Dollar Man." So I guess we'll go with those for now. — Paul (talk) 14:16, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
- Should we call them "dolls" or should we use the more politically correct term "action figures" ? --Agent X 14:32, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
- I just went to youtube and watched the commercial again. The intro referred to "The Bionic Woman/Jaime Sommers" doll, but the box just said "Bionic Woman". They did call it a doll.--Bionic4ever 12:18, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
- But what if my friends find out that I use to play with dolls when I was a kid instead of action figures ? They will all pick on me.--Agent X 01:28, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
- I'm sure you're used to it by now, Mark! ;) Okay, so then this Talk thread is closed? I'll remove the tag from the article page. — Paul (talk) 14:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
- Well I guess I'm the odd man out, here. They were called action figures. Yes it was giving boys something to call it that wasn't a "doll," they knew their target demographic. Just the same, it was not sold as a doll. Look the ad with Lee Majors inspecting it. The print clearly refers to an "action figure." Be sure you're not engaging in your own version of political correctness, by inserting a term you think is more "reasonable" and "well-adjusted." Of course, the Bionic Woman could and should have been marketed as a "doll;" they knew their target demographic. Historically, at the time, Steve was marketed as an "action figure." --Major Sloan 02:48, October 25, 2009 (UTC)
- Actually, Joe, the term was employed without much thought given to PC in any form, my "own version" or otherwise; I simply used the most immediate, explicit term that came to mind -- because, you know, they're dolls, irrespective of marketing. "Action figure" is a type of doll, sure, and this article refers to them as such. — Paul (talk) 07:53, October 26, 2009 (UTC)
- I guess action figure comes more easily to my mind when thinking back on these things. There was a bit of a contemporary debate that I recall, with older kids and women deriding the term and insisting they were "dolls." I think it's more about the connotation and perception than anything literal. The article seems to use dolls for the overview, then switches to action figure for the following sections without comment. Perhaps commenting on the term in the overview would provide an adequate segue.--Major Sloan 18:34, October 26, 2009 (UTC)
- Actually, Joe, the term was employed without much thought given to PC in any form, my "own version" or otherwise; I simply used the most immediate, explicit term that came to mind -- because, you know, they're dolls, irrespective of marketing. "Action figure" is a type of doll, sure, and this article refers to them as such. — Paul (talk) 07:53, October 26, 2009 (UTC)
- Well I guess I'm the odd man out, here. They were called action figures. Yes it was giving boys something to call it that wasn't a "doll," they knew their target demographic. Just the same, it was not sold as a doll. Look the ad with Lee Majors inspecting it. The print clearly refers to an "action figure." Be sure you're not engaging in your own version of political correctness, by inserting a term you think is more "reasonable" and "well-adjusted." Of course, the Bionic Woman could and should have been marketed as a "doll;" they knew their target demographic. Historically, at the time, Steve was marketed as an "action figure." --Major Sloan 02:48, October 25, 2009 (UTC)
- I'm sure you're used to it by now, Mark! ;) Okay, so then this Talk thread is closed? I'll remove the tag from the article page. — Paul (talk) 14:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)