Welcome, one and all to yet another Super Powers highlight. Today I’m showcasing perhaps the most common of the Gulliver Super Powers releases, Wonder Woman. Keep in mind that when I use the term "most common" I mean it’s still rarer than nearly every single US carded release and most of the Super Amigos. So, in essence, it’s just the one that most SP collectors seem to have when they have a Gulliver carded figure.
For those that don’t know, Gulliver Juguetes was a Brazilian toy company pretty much known for one figure…El Capitan Ray. This Wonder Woman is part of their Super Powers line of figures (naturally), however Mister Lightning is not on the back of the package. The lovely Amazon warrior was obviously released first, and the cardback shows only 7 figures in the first wave. More on them later on. Gulliver released two waves of Super Powers figures, Secret Wars figures, and their own line of characters, the Future Warriors. However, I don’t know anything about that last line at all. 
Heh. Anyway…
The first thing that jumps out at you when you see this figure is how small the cardback is.
One of the intriguing things about this piece is the use of a different logo color scheme and card artwork. While it’s a nice picture of Diana, she’s not really facing the camera and she blinked when the flash went off! The US artwork was sourced from the DC Comics Style Guide, but since I don’t have one (yet) I’m not sure if this was also taken from there. As of yet it hasn’t surfaced on any other Super Powers merchandise.
Gratis, gratis, gratis! I’ll tell ya, toy companies outside the US sure do love giving away free items with their action figures! In this case it’s a free poster, which is the same as the European Trilingual releases. Apparently outside of the US people really aren’t a big fan of comic books…or the cost was too high to manufacture them to include with the figure. These figures do have copyright info on them, so at least this first wave was licensed by DC Comics.
There are seven figures on the back, so at least seven of their releases were legal. I currently have Aquaman and Batman, and that rat Joe recently beat me to the punch on a Robin. (Hi Joe! Heh.) I don’t have any of the second wave (which includes El Capitan Ray), so I’m not sure if there’s any copyright info on those cards at all. Since two Hulks and a Spider-Man are pictured on the backs of those, I doubt it. You’ll notice the bio card to cut out was a pretty popular thing, since it is similar on all other countries’ releases. The figures pictured on the back sure look like they were beaten with an ugly stick repeatedly over a several year period when they were young, eh? Very very scary, indeed!
See what I mean? Presenting : "Toupee Superman!" "Constipated Batman!" "Starched Cape Robin!"
(Yes, those are plastic capes and not fabric like the US releases.)
Finally, I leave you with some wonderful Engrish…
Thanks to everyone who has given me positive comments since I started doing these highlights. If you’d like to see a particular character or piece featured in my blog, please let me know and I’ll get to it. I’m also toying (heh) with the idea of starting Secret Wars and Future Warriors highlights, as well. If that’s something you think you’d like to see, drop me a line! Until next time…
Peace,
Chip
ooh. she sends of bullets! lol
awesome item Chip! WW was my first SP figure. Always cool to see her or another version of her on the web. And i kinda like the image they used.
Hi, Chip! I’ll take lots of pictures of Robin once he arrives. Heh.
My favorite things about Wonder Woman have always been her truth-rope and her long life spaw. Also I like how Superman and Batman are looking at each other in that picture, like they’re saying to each other, ‘What the hell happened to YOU?!’
Also, I just realized that that Wonder Woman art is found on the front of the carrying case. Check it out, she’s in the top left corner: http://toyotter.com/sp/images/carryingcase.jpg
Very curious to see up close pics of the others from this line, they look cool. I also love that this Wonder Woman can send bullets from her bracelets:)
Nice feature as usual. I didn’t realize there were actually two different waves. Thought they were all lumped together. Who all was in the second wave?
Chip, the Brazilian version had the comic books included. You can download some of them (in Portuguese) here http://www.box.net/shared/tmchb8r8co
Hey Chip, the figure that you’re showing was made in Colombia and belong to the last batch of figures, that didn’t have the stars printed in Diana’s shorts and the Superman’s shield in the cape. The figures showed in stores way back in December, 1986, and were avaliable until 1995, when Gulliver used the molds to create their own superheroes brand and made two Superman figures in a short lived line with a limited release. (I own both figures. One is Supes with the mullet hair and the other one is Superboy, with the leather jacket).
The colombian figures wer made of cheap plastic (The figures’ capes and necks were broken easily) had only 5 points of aticulation, and later they included the infamous Capitan Rayo. (The eigth figures were avaliable in a collector box in the 1987 Christmas). Also, the figures were heavely promoted in Colombia. Superman was a gift for the first 5 customers that buyed a ticket for the weekend premiere of “Superman IV” in the christmas of 1988 (An unforgettable date for me, because I was only 13 years old back then) and the next year with the movie release of “Batman”.
I still own the Superman figure. Created a new neck and made a fabric cape. Anothe Superman figure was costumized into a Bizarro figure.
Thank God someone like Wonder Woman is protecting my United States National Sovereignity!
I can sleep easier at night!