Laser Force

Laser Force is a vintage toy-line from the 1980s.

The Laser Force toy line consists of (toy) vehicles and action figures in the 3¾ inch scale.

Although the (toy) vehicles seemed to be the focus of the Laser Force toy line. Children seemed to often use Laser Force vehicles with other compatible toy lines.

Action Figures

The label “action figure” is said to have been coined by Donald Levine in 1964 while he was doing work Hasbro.

As the story goes —

Action Figures are just dolls. But it was felt that the label “doll” had taken on a connotation where many felt that dolls were toys just for girls. So a new label was created — “action figure”; which is a “doll” for boys.

Compatibility

Being in the 3¾ inch scale made Laser Force compatible with other 1980s era & 1970s area toy lines in the 3¾ inch scale; such as:

• Adventure People by Fisher Price et al.,
• A-Team by Galoob et al.,
• Black Hole by Mego et al.,
• Buck Rogers by Mego et al.,
• CHiPs by Mego et al.,
• Dukes of Hazzard by Mego et al.,
• G.I. Joe by Hasbro et al.,
• Metal-Man by Zee Toys, Zylmex, et al.,
• Micronauts by Mego et al.,
• Pocket Super Heroes by Mego et al.,
• Star Wars by Kenner et al.,
• etc.

And one can speculate that this may have been the intent of Laser Force's creators. That they were making (toy) vehicles to be used with other toy lines made by others.

Corporation

Laser Force was created, by people, through the company which is today known as — American Plastic Toys Inc.

Although “American Plastic Toys Inc.” was not the company's original name. The company's previously was named — Gay Toys Inc.

Why the name change‽ —

This is speculation, but the common meaning for the word “gay” used to be —

gay (adjective): joyous, joyful, happy.

It was likely this is the meaning for the word “gay” that the previous company name (“Gay Toys Inc.”) was derived.

Most people nowadays aren't aware of this meaning for the word “gay”. And would probably assume a company named “Gay Toys Inc.” makes sex toys (rather than children's toys) which could be why the company changed its name. The company makes childrens' toys, and may not have wanted to connote anything sexual (as it violates common taboos in common contemporary North American culture).

Laser Force toys seemed to be released both when the company was called ‘Gay Toys Inc.’, and when the company was called ‘American Plastic Toys Inc.’.