In the early 1980s Dungeons & Dragons caused quite a bit of controversy. Many parents let their imaginations and superstitions get the better of them and would not allow their kids to watch the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series or have anything to do with the popular role-playing game. Like Harry Potter in the early 2000's, people objected to the idea of make believe sorcery and magic. In my opinion all the fuss is rather silly. How could people not realize that D&D is all just make believe?!!!! LOL
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, by LJN, 1983-1984
With the exception of the dragon shown below, I bought my "D&D" action figures in the early 1990s from a schoolmate who was selling off his collection.
Here are the two horses from the series. The Strongheart knight figure is shown with "Good Destrier: Mighty Battle Horse" on the left, and the villain Warduke is shown with "Evil Nightmare: Flying Horse-Like Creature".
The Nightmare horse and rider are my favourite pieces from this collection. I don't have Warduke's sword, so he is shown with the sword from the Metta Flame figure from this series (which I no longer have). Both of Nightmare's front hooves are removable rubber pieces that can be easily lost. The heads on both of the horses turn side to side and their tails can be moved up or down. The horse's armor is removable but it is difficult to do so without damaging it, so it's best just to leave it alone.
The backs of each horse have a trap door to allow the figure to "sit" on the horse, the same way Kenner made the Taun Tauns from the Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back action figure series. The corresponding figure's leg is molded and painted onto the side of the horse's saddles. A Bronze Dragon figure with a saddle was also made for Strongheart to ride on. Unfortunately, I'm still missing that dragon from my collection.
Here is the gang (L to R): Zorgar: Evil Barbarian, Kelek: Evil Sorcerer (who doesn't look so evil without his fabric robe), Strongheart: Good Paladin, and Warduke: Evil Fighter.
There are many other figures in this series to collect! The first series alone had 12 figures. I found the names of these four characters in Tomart's Price Guide to Action Figure Collectables. The Zorgar figure has a button on the back that operates his arms, similar to Kenner's Super Powers collection figures.
Here is "Dragonne: Half Dragon, Half Lion". This was a very popular toy in it's time. I received this one as a Christmas present! Dragonne's wings were removable but unfortunately the tabs that hold them in place have broken off. Below are other views of Dragonne and the wings.
I also have the Hasbro D&D action figures that were made in 2022 to add here, so there is still more to come!
