Black and white television shows have a very specific charm. Their time was brief, and their era will never return. As a kid, black and white television shows were a staple of syndication. To me, they were just another program that happened to be on TV, and I never equated them with being “old” or “outdated,” just different. When I was a kid, I seemed to be alone in this thinking, which is why other kids were often confused by my references to Mr. Ed or My Favorite Martian. I was the only 73 year old 10 year old in the world.
It’s always nice to get action figure representations of things I like, but for black and white TV shows, I have a very specific way I’d like them to be represented: I’d want the figures themselves to be in black and white. I know the popular line of thought is to offer them in the version they’d be in real life, but, again, black and white TV shows have a very specific charm, and I’d love for that specific aesthetic to be carried over into toy form, with grayscale toys without a speck of color.
So here are the top five shows I’d love to have black and white toys of. In no order:
I Love Lucy
I love Lucy was a groundbreaking show that remains beloved to this day. It has been merchandised to death over the years, with dolls and figurines and statues and everything else you can possibly imagine, but there has yet to be a dedicated action figure line. And it would only require four figures to have a complete line: Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and Fred and Ethel Mertz. That’s it. With those four characters, you can have a complete line. Just like with another show on this list, there was very little supporting cast to have to worry about. Pop out those four in a black and white, super-articulated set and a need would be satiated.
Andy Griffith Show
I said no order, but if I’m being honest this one would be my absolute top pick. While The Andy Griffith Show did shift to color for a few seasons, the most remembered, most loved and, simply, the best seasons aired in black and white. These were the seasons where the Andy family was whole, when Barney Fife was still the deputy, and Floyd still cut everyone’s hair.
I’d need a far more expansive line for the Andy Griffith show than for I Love Lucy. This was a show where the personality lay in the supporting cast of townsfolk just as much as in the central characters, so I’d need multiple waves to cover everything. I’d need, at minimum: Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee, Barney, Helen, Thelma Lou, Floyd, Otis, Gomer, Goober, and Mayor Pike. And a box set of Darlings.
Addams family
Another insulated cast, The Addams Family was one of two TV shows to feature a bizarre family that aired at the same time, the other being, of course, the Munsters. While I would dig a set of Munsters as well, if I had to pick only one strange family, the Addams family would have to win. A lineup of Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Thing and special guest Star Cousin Itt all in a grayscale color scheme would be super.
Honeymooners
The Honeymooners made it onto another recent list, but it needs to be repeated here. Lasting only a single season, The Honeymooners would be wrapped up with a four figures, much like I Love Lucy. With Ralph, Alice, Ed and Trixie. Sell them all together in a little kitchen diorama and you’ve got everything you need.
And finally,
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn doesn’t require an entire cast. Sure, there’s the police detective friend and his girlfriend, but really, if you get Peter Gunn, you’ve got all you need for the show. Put a craig Stevens Peter Gun in a special package that plays the famous Peter Gunn theme song, have it all in black and white, and I’d preorder on the spot. What spot, I don’t know, but some spot, somewhere.
That’s my list. Any other black and white TV fans out there? What toys would you want? Would you want them in black and white or in color?