As a kid growing up in the late ’90s and early 2000s, I had a real penchant for dolls and action figures. From the diminutive, intricately detailed Polly Pocket sets to the large, hilariously misproportioned Bratz, I played with every humanoid toy I could get my greedy little hands on. Though maybe “play” is a bit too mild of a word to use, because the traumatic experiences I put my toys through for the sake of childish entertainment would likely make Sheriff Woody cringe. They would be bounced atop badminton rackets, thrown up into trees, slathered in mud, forced to pose for long photo shoots (the worst torture imaginable), and have their beautiful hair butchered into scrappy punk ‘dos.
But more than anything, I loved to subject my plastic friends to elaborate rescue mission scenarios. They would find themselves tied to bungee cords (i.e. broken rubber bands), dangling upside-down over boiling cauldrons of lava (i.e. tubs of warm water) that would surely turn them into crispy critters once the cords were cut. Oh, the humanity! But there was never anything to fear, because two heroes on horseback would always leap in at the most critical moment to save the day. And who were these magnificent heroes? Why, none other than my beloved Zelda action figures: Link, the courageous Hero of Time, and Impa, the dignified Sage of Shadows!
The now-defunct company known as Toy Biz has a bit of a complicated history. It was originally founded in Montreal in the early 1980s under the name Charon Toys, but by the time 1990 rolled around, it had been purchased by an American businessman and rebranded as Toy Biz. Soon after, it signed a contract with Marvel Entertainment Group to create a line of toys modeled after characters in the Marvel Comics universe, and it would go on to merge with the company in 1998 to form Marvel Enterprises. Renamed Marvel Toys in 2006, the company served as Marvel’s primary toy subsidiary until the division was shut down in 2007 due to financial troubles.
But Toy Biz didn’t produce Marvel-branded toys exclusively throughout its tenure. It also licensed brands such as Batman, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Xena: Warrior Princess, and from 1999 to 2001, the company partnered with Nintendo to create the Video Game Superstars line of action figures. These toys were modeled after characters from three prominent N64-era titles: Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, and, of course, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The Ocarina of Time line came with three separate sets of toys, with at least one human and one horse action figure included in each one. The first set featured a slightly derpy-looking Link and his trusty steed Epona, along with a sheathed Master Sword and Hylian Shield to aid the hero in his battle against evil. Pushing a lever on Link’s back would cause his left arm to swing up and down, allowing him to slice away at any enemy that came his way. And best of all, Link could actually be manipulated into a seating position and locked onto Epona’s saddle; now the two could ride off into the sunset without fear of falling off!
The second set came with two figures, Impa and a young Princess Zelda, accompanied by the elegant white horse that they used to flee Hyrule Castle. Impa worked pretty much the same way that Link did, with an identical lever on her back that could be used to swing her right arm. Interestingly, even though we never see Impa wield a weapon in the game, the toy set included the dagger that we see strapped to her back in the official artwork; eight-year-old me absolutely loved that, because even back then, I desperately wanted to see the woefully-underutilized Impa team up with Link in battle and unleash her inner Sheikah warrior. The Princess Zelda figure, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as impressive as Impa. She had limited mobility, only able to bend her waist and stiffly move her head and arms, and her skin was painted an odd shade of orange that didn’t align with her character model at all. However, I will happily acknowledge that her outfit was beautifully designed.
And last but not least, we have the Ganondorf set, the only one that I never owned. I must say, the level of detail that went into the designs of both Ganondorf and his armored black stallion is astounding; they look like they defiantly smashed right through the TV screen to wreak havoc on the real world. Since Ganondorf fights with magic and thus doesn’t use a weapon in-game, Toy Biz made the brilliant decision to have the Gerudo thief double as the shadowy Phantom Ganon, incorporating the entity’s skull mask and staff into the set. Rotating Ganondorf’s torso allowed him to swing the staff with his right arm, perfect for hurling balls of energy at our heroes. I didn’t find out that this set existed until this year, and now that I know how amazing it was, I’m rather bummed that the King of Evil never got to be the villainous mastermind behind my childhood rescue missions!
These three Video Game Superstars sets vary in terms of rarity, so they command different prices in online auctions. The Impa and Zelda set, which seems to be the most readily available of the three, floats around in the $40-$50 range. The price jumps to between $90 and $100 with Ganondorf, and I’ve seen unopened Link sets listed at over $200! But I seriously doubt that I could earn that kind of money from my toys. Link and Impa both lost their pointy ears at some point, and Zelda’s left arm is permanently glued to her side after snapping off many years ago, so all my playtime definitely took its toll. But I don’t regret it for a single moment. My action figures were all well-loved, and I intend to keep them as precious mementos of a fun, carefree childhood.
