In 1975 Kenner released a series of 12" figures based on the Six Million Dollar Man.
The show was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin. It aired on the ABC network as a regular series from 1974 to 1978, following three television movies aired in 1973. The title role of Steve Austin was played by Lee Majors. A spin-off of the show was produced, The Bionic Woman, as well as several television movies featuring both eponymous characters.
The show was very popular during its run and introduced many pop culture elements of the 1970s, such as the show’s opening catch-phrase: "We can rebuild him — we have the technology.", the slow-motion action sequences, and the accompanying “electronic” sound effects.
In 1975, a two-part episode entitled "The Bionic Woman" introduced the character of Jaime Sommers, a professional tennis player who rekindled an old romance with Austin, only to experience a parachuting accident that resulted in her being given bionic parts similar to Austin. Ultimately, however, her bionics failed and she died. The character was very popular, however, and the following season she was revived and was given her own spin-off series, The Bionic Woman, which lasted until 1978 when both it and The Six Million Dollar Man were simultaneously cancelled.
The Steve Austin doll was the basic component of the whole line of Six Million Dollar Man-themed toys from Kenner. At 13", he stood slightly taller than the Jaime Sommers doll, allowing for the two to appear properly scaled when used together.
The original action figure came out in 1975, and carried a Kenner product ID of 65000. It was sold with an engine block that the user could slide into Steve's right hand in order to demonstrate the lifting power of what Kenner called the "Bionic Power Arm", which was activated by pushing a lever-button on the doll's back.
The 1977 model with bionic grip was very like the original, except for the addition of "bionic grip" to the right hand. This allowed the user to press a button near the doll's wrist, which made the fingers clamp down around an object. This version of the action figure came with a simulated steel beam that that arm could clamp down on and lift.
Bionic Bigfoot was one of several action figures produced by Kenner in the mid-1970s to tie in with The Six Million Dollar Man. Based upon the recurring character Bigfoot, the doll included a pressure switch that, when pressed/punched, caused a compartment on the front of the doll to open, revealing bionic-style circuitry inside, in keeping with the character's android nature on the TV show.
The Oscar Goldman doll was one of several large-size action figures relased by Kenner Toys in the late 1970s to tie-in with both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Unlike the dolls based upon Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers, 12-inch Oscar Goldman doll came with no special features on its own, and was dressed in a sports jacket and pants indicative of the late-1970s style worn by the character on TV. The doll came packaged with a briefcase containing several items; if the briefcase was opened incorrectly, however, the briefcase self-destructed, bouncing into the air and the interior changing to appear as if it had been destroyed.
