LJN Toys

LJN Toys, Limited was an American toy company  and video game publisher that was founded in 1970 by Jack Friedman. The name LJN came from the initials of Lewis J. Norman, the reverse of Norman J. Lewis, whose toy company had employed Friedman as a sales representative in the 1960’s. LJN manufactured toy lines and released battery operated water guns, video games based on licensed properties from movies, television shows, and celebrities. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City,  and later in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

LJN’s ThunderCats toyline is loved amongst collectors not just for the great toys themselves but also the many different areas to collect – from packaging variations to foreign figures, there’s a lot to learn about this great line of figures! In this section we delve deeper into the background of the toyline, where it was sold, and many other articles of interest.

 

SERIES I – 1985

GOOD THUNDERCATS LION-O [Orange Hair Variant] LION-O [Orange Hair/w Free Battery] LION-O [Maroon Hair/w Free Battery] TYGRA with WILYKAT TYGRA CHEETARA with WILYKIT CHEETARA PANTHRO EVIL MUTANTS Mumm-Ra Mumm-Ra [w/ Free Battery] S-S-SLITHE JACKALMAN Monkian

VEHICLES Thundertank Skycutter Nosediver CREATURES ASTRAL MOAT MONSTER ACCESSORIES SWORD OF OMENS

SERIES II – 1986

GOOD THUNDERCATS Lion-O Lion-O [Orange Hair Variant w Snarf] Lion-O [Red Hair Variant w Snarf] Tygra [Old] Tygra [Old w Wilykat] Tygra [Young w Wilykat] Panthro Cheetara [w Wilykit] Cheetara TUSKA WARRIOR Snowman of Hook Mountain HACHIMAN COMPANIONS Wilykit Wilykat Snarf Ma-Mutt Berbil Bill BERBIL BELLE BERBIL BERT ACCESSORIES Plush Snarf

EVIL MUTANTS Mumm-Ra Mumm-Ra [w Ravage] Monkian S-S-Slithe JACKALMAN Grune the Destroyer RATAR-O [ Silver Sais w/eyes] RATAR-O [Black Sais w/eyes] RATAR-O  [Silver Sais no eyes] VULTUREMAN BERSERKERS Hammerhand Ram Bam Top Spinner Cruncher VEHICLES Thunderclaw Hovercat Fist Pounder PLAYSETS Cats Lair Mumm-Ra’s Tomb Fortress MAIL-IN EXCLUSIVE Mummy Mumm-Ra

SERIES III – 1987

GOOD THUNDERCATS LION-O Jaga Bengali Lynx-O Pumyra EVIL MUTANTS Mumm-Ra MONGOR Safari Joe Captain Cracker CAPT. SHINER RAMPAGERS Driller The Stinger

CREATURES TONGUE-A-SAURUS TWO PACKS Thunderwings Lion O Luna Lasher Mumm-Ra LASER SABERS BLUE Orange Black Red TRANSPORTERS Luna Lasher Thunderwings Stilt Runner

 

 

 

The LJN Thundercats toy line only ran for 3 years, but in that short space of time a substantial amount of figures and vehicles had been released. Most of these figures and vehicles had colour or even actual sculpt changes come each release, especially the second series Tygra which was a completely different sculpt!

GOOD THUNDERCATS LION-O PANTHRO CHEETARA TYGRA SNOWMAN of HOOK MOUNTAIN TUSKA WARRIOR HACHIMAN BENGALI PUMYRA JAGA LYNX-O

EVIL MUTANTS MUMM-RA MONKIAN JACKALMAN S-S-SLITHE VULTUREMAN GRUNE the DESTROYER RATAR-O CAPT. SHINER SAFARI JOE CAPT. CRACKER MONGOR

COMPANIONS SNARF MA-MUTT WILYKIT WILYKAT BERBIL BILL BERBIL BELLE BERBIL BERT   CREATURES ASTRAL MOAT MONSTER TONGUE-A-SAURUS

BERSERKERS HAMMERHAND TOP SPINNER RAMBAM CRUNCHER   RAMPAGERS THE STINGER DRILLER

As said, the LJN toyline has it’s fair share of variants, but some collectors also hunt a related, but different breed of ThunDerCats toys. They are the flawed, the warped, the undocumented, the unpainted, THE ODD! Unlike variants, these oddities are the results of mistakes and errors made during the procuction process and are either a one-off or released in a very limited number.

Stay tuned for more!

 

Mail-Away Offers

LJN employed several mail-away offers to help promote their ThunderCats line – this article contains information about these, including the well-known Mail-Away Mumm-Ra figure, and also a detailed look at the British Thunder Warriors fan club!

Card Backs

A detailed look at all the different cardbacks used in the packaging of the ThunderCats toys. Ever wonder about the difference between an 8-back and 14-back? Find out all about that and more in this informative article!

Name Stickers

A detailed look at all the different name stickers used on the packaging of the ThunderCats toys.

Collector Notes

The vintage ThunderCat line is becoming increasingly populair with toy collectors all over the world, a new collector is born every day.  The secondary market is flooded with figures, vehicles and accessories. With all these items to choose from, there are a few things to keep in mind while looking for your next big buy!

Toy Background – A Closer Look at the LJN Toyline

An overview of the ThunderCats toyline created by LJN, its origins and more!

Toy Advertisements (Coming Soon!)

As with all leading 1980s toylines, ThunderCats was marketed aggressively both on TV and in print. This article showcases some of the TV commercials and print ads that were used to promote the line.

ThunderCats at UK Retail

ThunderCats were a huge hit in the 1980s, not least of all in the UK where they had a strong presence on toy shelves and elsewhere – find out more in this great article!

 

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More on the LJN Toy Line

Deeper reading on LJN’s ThunderCats line — manufacturing, distribution, and marketing.

A Look Back at the LJN Toy Line Neil’s long-form essay on how the line came together, from Telpix licensing through Rainbow Toys’ UK manufacturing. Read the article →	Distribution Overseas Where the line shipped beyond the US — Bandai in Japan, Glasslite in Brazil, Bandeirante, UNITOYS, and more. See the distribution map →
US vs UK Side-by-side packaging, sculpt, and cardback differences between US and UK releases. Compare the markets →	ThunderCats at UK Retail UK toy-shop fixtures, store display photography, and the Rainbow Toys distribution story. Walk the UK aisles →
Toy Advertisements Print and TV-spot adverts LJN ran for the line in the late 1980s. See the ads →	ThunderCats Toy Instructions The instruction sheets that shipped inside vehicle and playset boxes. Browse the sheets →

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