This list is definitive proof that there was no better decade for toys than the ‘80s. (Note: toy lines are listed in no particular order.)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Made by: Mattel (1982–1988)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is the biggest and most successful toy line of the 1980s. The toys actually debuted a full year before the cartoon series began; once the toys took off Mattel approached the animation studio Filmation about creating a series. This resulted with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe being the first cartoon ever to be based on a toy.
One interesting design feature of the line was that all the figures (except Teela and Evil-Lyn) used the same body and head mold, making it easy to manufacture them quickly.
Fun fact: Originally it was Beast Man — not Skeleltor — who was going to be He-Man's main arch rival. Also, Stratos was an evil warrior, and Mer-Man and Tri-Klops were both intended to be heroic warriors. This changed shortly before the lines release.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe commercial:
ThunderCats
Made by: LJN (1984–1987)
Following the success of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, LJN produced their own toy line based on a cartoon series, Thundercats. But unlike the He-Man toy line, each ThunderCat action figure featured an individually sculpted body, head, and accessory.
Another memorable feature of the toy line was the ability to make Lion-O's and Mumm-Ra's eyes light up through a special battery-powered key ring.
Fun fact: The action figures from the third series of figures released in 1987 are the toughest to find, with Driller & Stinger being the rarest.
Via: whatculture.com
