Sight and Sound: Super Powers Collection

The Super Powers Collection from Kenner Toys debuted in 1984 and was heavily promoted in a variety of media. This scratchy recording of a Saturday morning television commercial promoting the line, one of the few to feature the scarlet speedster, offers a demonstration of the Flash figure's dynamic "Power Action Lightning Legs." It co-stars the Superman figure, wielding its "Power Action Punch," which these ads clearly reveal was the star of the collection. Even those quaint little mini-comics are put forth as a selling point. Of course, the true focus of this and any other toy advertisement is the emphasis on interactivity, as evinced by the Super Powers slogan, which encouraged boys and girls everywhere to play god with their favorite heroes and villains. Will Superman and the Flash be able to defeat the combined might of Lex Luthor and the Joker? "You decide!"