Visionaries
We hardly knew ye.
Ep. 004 is live!
When a show only clocks in at one short season of 13 episodes with one wave of toys, how on earth is a kid supposed to connect with it? In the spirit of this line as a whole, this write up and my connection with this property will be summed up in one word: short. Because when all is said and done, what is there really to say about Visionaries?
Visionaries was a property that didn’t wildly pop on my radar as a kid. I have distinct memories of seeing the figures hanging out on the pegs once upon a time. I happened to have been with my maternal grandma, doing some shopping. The packaging was pretty compelling, in my opinion; the card art definitely caught your eye, and the holograms kept your attention engaged a little longer. Ultimately, though, I left with a Real Ghostbusters figure instead. The reason for this choice? I had a connection with the Ghostbusters mythology, the world-building and storytelling had already resonated with me. Visionaries couldn’t do that, and I wasn’t the only kid that felt that way.
Looking back, I honestly don’t recall any of my friends having much in regards to Visionaries fare. I think a few of my friends had one, maybe two, that happened to sneak into a collection by way of a kind aunt or uncle who saw an action figure marked down and figures “oh, they’ll like this!” for a birthday or Christmas. One kid, in my first-grade class, had a Visionaries lunch box...outside of this, I have only one other “experience” related to the property. Once I lived with my dad, I would try to catch it in different programming blocks, but given its heavy use of magic...watching it was forbidden.
Now, as a kid, I was drawn to the show because of the animation. For its time, it was very well done. The few times I did manage to catch the show, I always managed to enjoy the look of it, but the storytelling could not keep me engaged. I can’t quite say exactly how or why I couldn’t get into it, but something about it made it seem as though it was geared toward older kids.
In reviewing the show for our episode covering the series, there was a fascination that was ignited in me, though. The animation, in my opinion, still holds up. Looking back at the toyline, and diving into the toys we didn’t get, really makes me want to buy up this collection. As an adult, I find myself beyond impressed with the wildly talented voice cast. The storytelling, however...still not great. I can watch He-Man with my son, Henry, and still enjoy it. I can say the same with GI Joe, Bravestarr, Jem, and so many others. I just cannot get into this show, even as an adult. Perhaps the problem with Visionaries lies in the fact that this suffered what I call “Marketing Fatigue.” 1985-1988 saw so many toy lines competing for our parents' money. Couple that with the fact that the NES was kicking off the home gaming craze once more...did Visionaries even really stand a chance? Especially at a slightly higher price point with their fancy holograms? Who is to say, really?
There have been some attempts at revisits. Mighty Mugs made Leoric, there was also the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con IDW (IDW Publishing/Idea and Design Works, LLC) Revolution set that had a new Leoric packed in with Jetfire, Roadblock, Rom the Space Knight, a Dire Wraith, some Micronauts, Matt Trakker, and Action Man. The SDCC Leoric did not have a hologram, he instead had a foil sticker that recreated the look of the chest piece in the cartoon. Both figures, the exclusive and the Mighty Mug figure, boasted epic mustaches.
If you’d like to see more of what the Visionaries line had to offer, including what a second wave would have looked like, check out TheVisionaries.net. Jump on YouTube and check out Michael Mercy’s channel for additional coverage of Visionaries, and the toys we didn’t get from the line. That’s it for this week, but please let us know what you think of our coverage. Thanks, and enjoy! -Derek
