Magazine Archive: Sgt. Slaughter's elusive LJN (Patreon)

By Jimmy Van

In the summer of 1984, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) signed its first-ever toy licensing agreement with LJN Toys Ltd. for the production of a line of action figures. It became arguably the most recognizable series of wrestling figures ever, the 8-inch rubber wrestlers most of us still fondly remember. The figure line remains a popular nostalgia item with collectors today. Over the years, information has surfaced about plans that didn’t materialize, including the last-minute shelving of one wrestler’s likeness under unique circumstances.

Earlier that same year, Sgt. Slaughterbecame one of the WWF’s most beloved characters after he went to battle with the Iranian villain, The Iron Sheik. LJN planned to capitalize on that popularity by releasing a Slaughter figure as part of its initial launch, along with such stars as Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan.

Fate took Slaughter in a different direction. He was contacted by Hasbro, the maker of the G.I. Joeaction figure, with an intriguing proposal. “They said they wanted to go in a new direction and wanted to have a real live G.I. Joe as their ambassador, spokesperson and hero,” Slaughter explains on his YouTube channel, Sgt. Slaughter’s Slaughterhouse. “So we worked out the deal, and I couldn’t wait to tell Mr. McMahon about it,” referring to WWF boss Vince McMahon. Slaughter believed that Vince would be happy about the Hasbro connection and exposure but found out that wasn’t the case. “He said, ‘That’s great Sarge, but I can’t let you do it because we just signed a contract with LJN, so it’d be a conflict of interest,’” Slaughter says.

Slaughter was at a crossroads but knew there was only one choice to make after a conversation with his wife. “She said, ‘Well, it’s very simple. You can always be a wrestler. You can’t always be the first living G.I. Joe.’” Slaughter gave the WWF his notice and left to take the Hasbro opportunity. He became a part of the G.I. Joe brand for several years and was featured in cartoons and toy lines.

Most notable to LJN fans was an 8-inch rubber wrestler of Slaughter released by Hasbro as a special mail-order item, inspired by the LJN line. Hasbro even bought magazine ads showing their Slaughter figure standing triumphantly over several of his WWF LJN counterparts. To this day, many collectors consider that Slaughter figure to be an unofficial part of the WWF LJN line.

For many years, there were rumors LJN had been so far along in the production of a Slaughter figure that prototypes existed. Occasionally, a photo would pop up on social media of both painted and unpainted Slaughter LJN figures, but often they were disregarded as custom-made fakes.

In October 2014, things started to come to light when a user on the WrestlingFigs.com message board posted photos of an 8-inch Slaughter prototype he owned that had bendy wires. Knowing how difficult it would be to produce a custom figure with those wires, this looked like a legitimate item, and I managed to cut a deal to acquire the figure. In April 2020, I conducted an interview for Fightful.comthat finally solved the mystery behind the unreleased Sgt. Slaughter prototypes.

Bill Stanhope was the product design manager for LJN Toys during the peak period of the WWF line. In recent years, he has become known to collectors as the owner of several prototypes he’s found boxed away in his attic. In our interview, he not only confirmed that Slaughter had been scheduled for the first series, but he also revealed that the original plan was to make a 4-inch bendy wrestler as the primary line. Larger 8-inch prototypes (known as 2UPs) were made in order to provide more detail to the decision-makers who would approve the design. The reaction to those larger figures was so positive that they had to pivot. “The buyers just went crazy… it really was a problem,” Stanhope says.

LJN then experimented to see if they could still get the bendy wires into the larger figures but decided to abandon the idea and go with solid vinyl. “They tried to put the wires in just to see if they could get a thick enough wire inside that would keep it bent in position. It just wasn’t going to work,” Stanhope says. When I told Stanhope that I had an 8-inch Slaughter prototype with the wires inside, he was surprised that it existed but confirmed that was their original plan.

As for those painted prototypes I thought were fake, there’s a theory behind them as well, with renowned collector and former WWE superstar Zack Ryder(aka Matt Cardona) providing some clarity. It’s known that there was a mold, with my bendy Slaughter being proof of that. Cardona told me he believes that the other prototypes in existence were made by LJN employees using the original mold, painted in the same colors as the Hasbro version. To me, that’s close enough to be considered a legitimate prototype, and I subsequently sought out and acquired a painted Slaughter.

Oftentimes, in pro wrestling, the stories behind the scenes are more interesting than the product itself. In the WWF LJN world, the mystery behind Sgt. Slaughter was, for many years, one of those stories, but it’s not the only one. In future editions of this article, we’ll tackle others, including the unreleased Killer Khan, the reason variants exist, and even the story of a certain WWF commentator who went to LJN wanting to know why he didn’t have a figure. Look for those soon in The Toy Box!