Warriors of the World    Table of Contents (click on title to move to group)
Series One	Series Two	Series Three
American Civil War - Confederate Soldiers	U. S. Cavalrymen	Mexican Soldiers - Mexican War
American Civil War - Union Soldiers	United Nations Soldiers - Korean War	American Revolutionary War - British Soldiers
American Indian Warriors	American Soldiers - Mexican War	French Soldiers - World War I
American Revolutionary War - Colonial Soldiers	American Soldiers - Spanish-American War	German Soldiers - World War I
West Point Cadets	American Sailors - War of 1812	British Soldiers - World War II
American Cowboys	American Soldiers - World War I	German Soldiers - World War II
Pirates	American Soldiers, Marching - World War II
Roman Warriors	American Sailors - Dark Uniforms	Unknown Series
American Soldiers - World War II	American Sailors - White Uniforms	Canadian Soldiers - World War II
Vikings	American Marines - World War II	English Guards
		Arab Warriors
		Ancient Egyptian Warriors
		Ancient Chinese Warriors and Women
	Back to Main Table of Contents

Most figures on this page are shown on other pages under their appropriate theme.  This page simply bring together all figure groups that are known as the Warriors of the World (WOW).  These figures are perhaps the most popular Marx "playset-related" collectibles.  Made by the company's Hong Kong and Taiwan operations in the early 1960s, Marx created -- by my count -- 31 groups of painted, hard plastic "warriors."  They are about 60mm in scale.

Marx had sold many of the WOW poses previously in vinyl or soft plastic, such as some the 60mm figures shown earlier on this page.  This tactic allowed Marx to expand its product line without spending money on expensive new molds, using some of its already-existing, best-sculpted figures.   Each WOW group included six to nine figures, painted in a glossy, enamel-based paint.  For Hong Kong figures, the words "Hong Kong" appear inside a circle on each figure, generally on the bottom of the base; Taiwan figures have similar circles -- sometimes a sticker -- that reads "Made in Taiwan" with a Marx logo at the center of the circle.With one or two exceptions these painted figures never appeared in a "usual" Marx playset with figures in 45mm, 54mm, or 60mm scale.  Of interest, however, is that down-sized versions of some WOW figures were in the Marx miniature playsets, which are approximately HO scale.  

The 1994 Special Collector Edition of the Plastic Figure and Playset Collector (PFPC) magazine includes an article with significant information on all WOW figures, as well as photos of a large number of them.  Much of the information on this web page comes from that article.

Collectors are most familiar with figures sold individually in small, colorful boxes, as shown at left.  Available in many dime stores and department stores in the U. S., each figure was given a ficticious name and an imaginative brief history, which was written on a card inside the box.  The other side of the card, as well as the box, had a drawing of the figure.  The figures were also sold in boxes with more than one figure, sometimes with a complete group of figures.  Window boxes sometimes contained tiny, flat accessories such as cannons or plants or terrain pieces, which the PFPC article claims "...are superior to the actual figures themselves."  Today, the accessories are harder to find than the figures.

WOW figures were introduced over several years in three series.  They were very popular when first sold, but the attraction apparently faded quickly.  Although Series I figures are common in today's collecting market, Series II and even more so Series III figures are harder to find and more expensive.  It is common to see Series I figures in good shape sell for $10, while Series III figures in near mint shape may cost $50 and up.

Series	Theme
Series I	American Civil War Confederates American Civil War Union American Indians American Revolutinary War Colonials West Point Cadets American Cowboys Pirates Roman Warriors World War II Combat Soldiers Viking Warriors
Series II	U. S. Cavalrymen from Indians Wars Korean War United Nations Soldiers U. S. Soldiers, U. S.-Mexican War U. S. Soldiers, Spanish-American War U. S. Sailors, War of 1812 World War I U. S. Soldiers World War II U. S. Marching Soldiers World War II U. S. Sailors, dark uniforms World War II U. S. Sailors, white uniforms World War II U. S. Marines
Series III	Mexican Soldiers, U. S.-Mexican War American Revolutionary War, British Soldiers World War I French Soldiers World War I German Soldiers World War II British Soldiers World War II German Soldiers
unknown	World War II Canadian Soldiers English Guards Ancient Chinese Soldiers Arab Warriors Egyptian Warriors

As part of the article on WOW figures, PFPC's 1994 Special Collector Edition also has brief information on two other WOW-like figures made by Marx that I do not discuss here.  These are Marx Masterpieces produced in Germany and Tiny Traders that were similar figures in HO scale.  Many of the German figures are the same as the WOW, but they 1) were painted in a flat paint rather than the glossy enamel used in Hong Kong and 2) were molded in a colored plastic that reduced required painting (such as red-brown plastic for Indians).  The German figures are stamped "Germany", usually on their base.  The Masterpiece series included a few figures not used for WOW, most notably several mounted poses.  Tiny Traders are rarely seen today, suggesting that sales were limited.  I have not seen anything that provides complete information on either the Masterpiece or Tiny Trader figures.  I'd welcome further information on them if anyone can help!

Series I

     American Civil War - Confederate Soldiers

1.  George Markstone, officer with hand on belt	2.  General Longstreet, saluting
3.  Samuel Jackson, standing with ram rod	4.  William Morris, marching
5.  Red Miller, advancing with rifle at waist Bayonet is missing from rifle.  This figure was made in Germany.	6.  Gatt Random, loading rifle
7.  Richard Travis III, firing rifle

 
     American Civil War - Union Soldiers

1.  Mike Burns, firing rifle	2.  Harry Dugan, firing pistol
3.  Richard Golden, messenger	4.  Joe Bates, marching
5.  Herb Tanner, advancing with rifle at chest Note the unusual split base.	6.  Bill Mason, bugler This figure was made in Germany.

   American Indians

1.  Swift Bear kneeling, wounded by arrow in side	2.  Black Kettle dancing with rattles	3.  Long Bow kneeling, shooting bow
4.  Slipping Bird attacking with tomahawk raised	5.  Little Crow running with tomahawk and rifle	6.  High Wolf stabbing with knife
7.  Laughing Feather dancing with club and bow	8.  Strong Eagle standing, shooting bow

American Revolutionary War - Continental Soldiers

1.  Michael Campbell, walking with flag

2.  Johnny Wilson, playing fife	3.  John Reeves, drummer This figure was made in Taiwan.

   

4.  Richard Travis, officer with walking stick or sword	5.  Randolph Jayes, walking with rifle in right hand This figure was made in Holland.

6.  Ebenezer Bray, marching	7.  Roger Medford, standing, in cold weather dress

     West Point Cadets

These were made using the molds from the 60mm Cadets shown on the Military Figures page.  Because some of the WOW figures use the same pose, the group is a increased to a total of seven figures.

1.  James Henry, marching with rifle	2.  Roger Case, marching with rifle Same pose as James Henry, #1 Photo courtesy of collector Jerry Woloshyn	3.  Carl Olson, standing at attention
4.  Walter Shea, marching with Army flag
5.  Peter Mayes, marching with sword on right shoulder Photo courtesy of collector Jerry Woloshyn	6.  Henry Cowen, marching with rifle	7.  Bert Hawthorne, marching with rifle

 

     American Cowboys

1.  Jim Ralston walking with lasso and bridle	2.  Mike Riley punching	3.  W.B. Foster standing with whip
4.  Mike Nichols twirling rope	5.  Jack Straight standing, ready to draw pistols	6.  Bad Jack Mavis standing with pistol and gold sack
7.  Roger Dawson sheriff with pistols drawn	8.  Brown Bart bandit with hands in air

     Pirates

The pirates are the figures previously issued as 60mm unpainted pirates.  Note that based on the names, there appears to be a mutiny going on, as three of the eight figures are referred to as Captain.

1.  Captain Cobham, right hand on pistol in belt	2.  Dixie, Bull, lookout with oar
3.  Captain Greaves, with treasure chest and parrot	4.  Thomas Veale, digging with shovel
5.  Steve Bonnet, pistol pointed forward in right hand	6.  Captain Flood, sword in right hand Photo courtesy of Frank Saba, Ebay ID DisabledVetUSAF
7.  Cripple Jack, on crutch with sword overhead Photo courtesy of Frank Saba, Ebay ID DisabledVetUSAF	8.  Caesar, knife held in mouth

     Roman Warriors

1.  Marius, with sword and oval shield	2.  Maximus, sword raised with rectangular shield and arm guard
3.  Tiberius, crouched with sword and rectangular shield Photo courtesy of Tom Colbert, Ebay tcthepackrat	4.  Laelius, standing guard with spear
5.  Marcus Gaius, crouched with sword and whip	6.  Flavius Stilecho, centurion with banner
7.  Septimus Pius, throwing spear with shield raised	8.  Gaius, attacking with sword, oval shield raised

     U.S. Combat Soldiers - World War II

These GIs were made from molds that were used to make soldiers for the company's military playsets.  They can be identified in various groups on the Military Playsets page of this web site.

     U.S. Combat Soldiers - World War II
 
These were made with various 60mm poses used in military playsets.

1.  Bill James, advancing with bayonetted rifle	2.   Hank Meyers, sitting with scoped rifle - viewed from both sides	3.  Jim Palozzo, advancing with pistol, left hand raised	4.  Harry Byrd, lying, shooting rifle
5.  Charley Hamilton, walking in gas mask	6.  Joe Dixon, standing, firing rifle	7.  Flip Marbles, walking with ammo box	8. Dan Warner, crouching with tommy gun

     Viking Warriors

In the 1960s, Marx' Hong Kong and offices made about 40 groups of hard plastic, painted warriors called Warriors of the World (WOW).  A few were also made in Taiwan.  These 60mm figures, which often used existing figure poses, were sold individually for the most part, but in some cases as small figure sets.  Themes ranged from cowboys to Roman and Chinese soldiers.  

Rather surprisingly, Marx made neither WOW knights nor Robin Hood figures.  However, the company did make Vikings, using the same Viking poses they had created about 10 years earlier for soft plastic figures (see above).  Included in the first series of WOW figures, they are among the more common to find, but are also very popular, so remain a bit pricey.

1.  Fighting with mace overhead and shield	2.  Throwing spear
3.  Standing with spear pointed downward	4.  Fighting with club and shield
5.  Fighting with sword and shield	6.  Gustaf, standing with spear and shield
7.  Shooting bow and arrow Photo courtesy of Dave Poll, Ebay ID Apollotoysoldiers	8.  Fighting with axe and shield

Series II

 

     WOW U.S. Cavalrymen 
The WOW Cavalry figures are very hard to find today.  I have seen very few on Ebay and do not recall that I have seen any in my searches at toy soldier shows.  I am greatly indebted to Mark Hegeman, who has provided the following photos of these figures in his massive collection of toy soldiers.

1.  Eddie Keene kneeling, shooting rifle Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman	2.  John Means standing with pistol and bugle Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman	3.  Reuben Sims kneeling, shooting pistol Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman
4.  Eben Jones mounted, firing pistol Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman	5.  Clay Dexter defending with sword raised (no hat) Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman	6.  Ken  Merrick standing, shooting rifle Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman
Complete WOW U.S. Cavalry group with boxes Horse was not manufactured for Hong Kong WOW figures.  Horse shown is Marx horse made by Charmore of Germany with factory painting. Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman.

     Korean War United Nations Soldiers

To the best of my knowledge, these poses are found only as a part of this WOW group.  They are particularly hard to find.

Front and back of biographical card included with WOW figure of Lin Chang		Box for Wally Elson

1.  Tom Gabriel, Canadian soldier	2.  Harry Oliver, British soldier	3.  Joe Sherman, U. S. Marine	4.  Wally Elson, U. S. Sailor	5.  Omar Kadim, Turkish Soldier
6.  Lin Chang, Republic of Korea (South Korean) soldier	7.  Jacques DuBois, French soldier	8.  Win Flanagan, U. S. Air Force pilot	9.  Doug McKenzie, Scottish Soldier

     Mexican War (1846-1848), U.S. Soldiers

The group has seven named figures, but only three poses.

Commander, arm raised and holding paper Doug Deland and Tex Jones	Marching, rifle on shoulder Jake Costair, Carl Merritt, and Johnny Watson	Standing, firing rifle Miguel Sanchez and William Jonas

Warriors of the World -- Mexican War (U.S. Soldiers) Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman.  Marx created more than one identifying card for each of three poses, so that there are seven WOW figures for the Mexican War.

     Spanish-American War, U. S. Soldiers

Although there are seven named figures in this group, there are only three poses.

1.  Left hand leaning on sword Sgts. Tad Carter and John Freeman	2.  Running, rifle at waist Grant Smith and Lew Homer	3.  Marching, rifle on shoulder Roger Keenan, Lincoln Manley, and Henry Ingraham

Warriors of the World -- Spanish-American War Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman.  Although Marx only made three poses, they produced seven WOW figures by printing more than one identifying card for each pose.

     War of 1812 Sailors

This group includes seven named figures in four poses.  I do not recall that I have seen these poses unpainted.

1.  Ben Smith and Ephram Sparks	2.  David Pierce and Tom O'Hara	3.  Joshua Marcy and Jack St. George	4.  George Randolph
Photos courtesy of Mark Hegeman

     U.S. Soldiers - World War I
These were made using the molds from the 60mm World War I GIs shown earlier on this page.  Note that two poses are duplicated, so that the group is a increased to a total of seven figures.

1.   Frederick Garth, advancing in gas mask	2.   Harry Powell, marching with campaign hat	3.  Brad Taylor, marching with campaign hat	4.  Mark Fletcher, throwing grenade
5.  Carl Rollins, marching officer with sword	6.  Jerry DeAngelo, marching with overseas hat	7.  Guye Wolfe, marching with overseas hat

     U.S. Marching Soldiers - World War II 
Made from 60mm poses included in playsets, this group includes only two different poses.  I assume that Marx believed boys enjoyed lining up their soldiers to march off to war.

1.  Roy Constantine, peaked cap	2.   Dick Glover, peaked cap	3.  Frank Golducci, peaked cap	4.  Chester Wordell, peaked cap
5.  Clem Bronson, helmet	6.  Bob Chilton, helmet	7.  Jake Coley, helmet	8. Cliff Adamson, helmet

     U.S. Sailors (dark uniforms) - World War II
These were made using the molds from the 60mm sailors shown earlier on this page.  Note that the group includes on seven poses of the original ten.  The guard, rope puller, and mopper were not used.

1.  Mel Park, carbine slung on shoulder	2.   Jim Maxwell, at attention	3.  Ken Lane, marching with rifle on shoulder	4.  David Ogden, officer with binoculars (gray uniform)
5.  Ken Bandoll, with duffle bag	6.  George Dempsey, officer at attention	7.  Phillip Perry, walking

     U.S. Sailors (white uniforms) - World War II

Box for Ken Bandoli figure

These are the same names and poses as in dark uniformed sailors shown above, only listed in a different order.

1.  Ken Bandoll, with duffle bag	2.   Phillip Perry, walking (African-American)	3.  George Dempsey, officer at attention	4.  Mel Park, carbine slung on shoulder
5.  Jim Maxwell, at attention	6.  Ken Lane, marching with rifle on shoulder	7.  David Ogden, officer with binoculars

     U.S. Marines - World War II
These were made with poses from the company's 60mm U.S. Marine group, which was used in many playsets.

1.  Charlie Condon, at parade rest	2.  George DeSantis, at parade rest	3.  Sam Schultz, marching	4.  Jim Talbot, marching
5.  Carl Gifford, marching	6.  Ed Hodes, at present arms	7.  Greg Campbell, at attention

Series III

     U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848), Mexican Soldiers
Mexican troops were not manufactured until Series III; they are difficult to find in today's market.  Note the sword on the soldiers' hips below, which differentiates them from the U.S. troops.

1.  Veedor Esparza	2.  Amador de Leon	3.  Bernal Veramendi	4.  Juan Abamillo
5.  Diego Sandoval	6.  Alvaro Yanez	7.  Francisco Ruiz	8.  Antonio Fuentes

 
   American Revolutionary War, British soldiers

The eighth figure in this set was General Cornwallis.  This figure was found only in boxed sets of the figure group and is very hard to find today.  Unlike the other figures in the group, Cornwallis is mounted on a small pedastal with his name on it, the same as Marx presidents and several other generals.

1.  Artilleryman with ramrod and torch (with flame at end of torch)	1.  Artilleryman with ramrod and torch (no flame on torch) This figure was made in Taiwan.	2.  Advancing with rifle at waist

3.  Standing at attention Top tip of rifle is missing	4.  Horace Swire, kneeling with rifle This figure was made in Taiwan.

   

5.  Joseph Shipman, officer with raised sword	6.  Richard Ellis, in tri-corner hat, standing with rifle at waist This figure was made in Taiwan.

7.  Standing, shooting rifle	8.  Officer, standing This figure was made in Taiwan.	General Cornwallis Available only in boxed sets.

     French Soldiers - World War I
To the best of my knowledge, these poses are found only as a part of this group.  I particularly like Pose 7, with Jules swinging his rifle like a club.  The only similar Marx figure I can recall is Davy Crockett, but I think Jules' pose is more realistic.

1.  Alexandre Delcasse, running with rifle	2.  Theophile Poincare, running with pistol	3.  Leon Pichon, marching, rifle on shoulder	4.  Maurice Valery, standing, firing rifle
5.  Andre Tredier, pointing, holding binoculars	6.  Joseph Frantz, stabbing with bayonet	7.  Jules Clemenceau, swinging rifle	8.  Chritian Gerard, throwing grenade

     German Soldiers - World War I
To the best of my knowledge, these poses are found only as a part of this group.

1.  Hans Ehlers, attacking with bayonet	2.  Heinrich Berstorff, crouching with rifle in right hand	3.  Friedrich Baden, marching with goose-step	4.  Max Hertling, kneeling
5.  Erich Haffman, throwing grenade	6.  Karl Bormann, holding sword and pistol	7.  Joseph Schnelling, standing with binoculars	8.  Anton Dunkern, advancing in gas mask

     British Soldiers - World War II
Again, to the best of my knowledge, these poses are found only as a part of this group.

1.  Robert Skinner, standing, shooting rifle	2.  Richard Cronin, advancing with machine gun	3.  Charles Brown, running with ammo box on shoulder	4.  Thomas Livingston, throwing grenade
5.  David Young, marching with rifle slung on shoulder	6.  Edward Bartholomew, running with pistol, waving	7.  Victor Robertson, marching with rifle on shoulder	8.  Eugene Black, running with rifle across chest

     German Soldiers - World War II
To the best of my knowledge, these poses are found only as a part of this group.  As shown, the PFPC article includes General Rommel as the ninth figure, standing on a pedestal base -- like the pedestal-base figures shown earlier on this page -- but I do not recall seeing any other reference to such a figure.

1.  Rudolt Ulbricht, saluting	2.  Walter Hess, throwing grenade	3.  Albert Galland, advancing with bayonetted rifle	4.  Ludwig Speer, walking with rifle held at right side
5.  Fritz Kuhn, rifle slung on right shoulder, waving with left hand	6.  Otto Schroeder, running with ammo box	7.  Martin Ferbach, standing, shooting rifle	8.  Walter Praum, standing at attention
9.  General Erwin Rommel (on pedestal base)

Unknown Series

The PFPC article cites five groups of WOW figures which are not known to be a part of any of the three figure series.  

     Canadian Soldiers - World War II

The PFPC article includes no numbers for these figures and, for six, no names.  It provides photos of two poses, and the article states that the eight figures are duplicates of the World War II British soldiers, given new names and (I assume) slightly different paint jobs.  This clearly would have been a tactic to sell the figures in the Canadian market.   I do not recall ever seeing any.

Don Yeates, advancing with rifle	Phil Bramm, throwing grenade	No name, standing, firing rifle	No name, advancing with machine gun
No name, running, ammo can on shoulder	No name, marching with rifle slung on shoulder	No name, marching with rifle on shoulder	No name, running with pistol, waving

     English Guards (United Kingdom Series)

Again, the PFPC article includes no numbers or names for these figures.  The article does not include any photos, but they are copies of the soft plastic English Life Guards which are shown on the Military Playset-Related page of this web site.  I do not recall ever seeing any of the WOW figures, but the article states that the probably were sold only in Europe.

Standing at attention, sword raised	Blowing trumpet	Marching, carrying flag
Marching, sword raised	Officer marching, sword raised

    Ancient Chinese Warriors

The PFPC article states that the Chinese warriors are the "finest of all" the WOW figures.  It points out that these "gorgeous" figures are "exquisitely painted," unlike the poor paint jobs on many figures.  The magazine includes photos of what appear to be the first and fifth Chinese warriors listed below.  In addition, each figure came with a 3-legged round base of black plastic, unique to this set of figures.  I do not recall seeing any of these figures except at the home of collector Mark Hegeman; they are rare.  I am sure they would be the highlight of any WOW collector's display.

Boxed set of Chinese warriors Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman

1.  Chang Fei, dark skin with spear	2.  Female warrior from Molan, wearing straw hat and carrying bows and arrows (Chinese Amazon)	3.  Ma Chao, with hand on spear (white and orange)	4.  Huang Chung, with hand on spear (white and red)
5.  Lue Po, spear in right hand with hand up	6.  Kuan Yu, dark skin, spear behind back (green and gold)	7.  Yau Fei, empty hands with sword in scabbard (orange and white)	8.  Chao Yun, with hand on spear (pink and green)

    And A Set of Chinese Women

Chinese females Photo courtesy of Mark Hegeman

     Arab Warriors
 
The PFPC article includes no names numbers for these figures.  The article does not include any photos.  However, the poses are from the Captain Gallant Play Set, which is shown elsewhere on this web site.   I do not recall ever seeing any of the WOW figures.

Advancing with curved sword raised	Standing with knife raised	Kneeling with rifle
Standing, firing rifle	Walking, rifle across chest

     Ancient Egyptian Warriors
 
The PFPC article includes no numbers for these figures and names for only two.  The article does not include any photos, and the pose descriptions are rather vague.  However, the article states that they are down-sized version of the Marx 6-inch Egyptian figures, which are shown elsewhere on this web site.  I do not recall ever seeing any of these WOW figures.

Unknown pose	Attacking, sword raised and holding shield	Gelal Hassan, bald with club and shield raised	Pharoah, spear raised and holding shield
Shooting arrow	Walking, with sword and shield	Tarik Selim, standing with spear and shield	Bow and arrow at waist

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