Super Powers Collection

In 1985, DC Comics named Kenner as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great for its work on the Super Powers Collection.[17]

In 1986, discount retail chain Zayre produced a Christmas commercial depicting Batman and Robin based largely on the earlier live action television series. However, the costumes the Dynamic Duo wore were almost exact copies of the Super Powers action figures (Batman's powder blue coloring of particular note) during what ended up being the toyline's final run on stores' shelves.

Beginning in 1988, Hamilton Gifts produced a line of poseable dolls with stands using similar designs to the Super Powers line. Released under their Presents and, later, Applause banner, the figures ran from thirteen to fifteen inches in height and included Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Joker (with the release of the Batman film, the Batman doll was repainted black). With the release of Batman Returns, Penguin and Catwoman dolls were also manufactured. Similar to Mego, Hamilton also produced other popular fictional franchises such as Marvel and Star Trek.[18][19] Miniature PVC figurines were also produced based on those designs of Batman, Robin, Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Penguin (designs based on the characters in Batman Returns were also made which included Catwoman). Also in 1988, Canadian discount retail chain Zellers produced a series of animated commercials depicting Batman and Robin battling their foes in the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler. The Joker and the Penguin used the Super Powers color scheme notably including the Penguin's red, yellow, and blue umbrella.

The Super Powers line, in many ways, inspired the 1989 Toy Biz DC Super Heroes toyline in design. This line, merging with the Batman toyline (where the Batman and Joker prototypes were Super Powers repaints and some versions of those finished figures borrowed elements from the Kenner toys) would borrow design elements from many of the Kenner figures, most notably Superman, Robin, and Penguin—who were near identical copies of the Kenner Super Powers figures. In Brazil, the Estrela Batman figure was a repainted Super Powers with the Toy Biz card. Coinciding with Toy Biz's line, Ertl produced the DC Comics Superheroes miniature die cast metal figurines line using the same branding and model design. Figurines included Batman (2 poses), Superman (2 poses), Robin, Joker, Penguin, Green Lantern, Shazam, and Supergirl. In a throwback to the Super Powers line, figurines came with a collector card reprinting a classic comic book cover reminiscent of Kenner's mini-comics. Hamilton Gifts produced Christmas ornaments of Superman, Batman, and Robin using their classic designs as part of the DC Comics Superheroes line. A La Carte/Saydah also released a beach towel of Batman and the Batmobile which used the Super Powers design of the vehicle.

The same year as Toy Biz's DC Super Heroes, Comics Spain began to produce a series of PVC figurines based on their appearance in the Super Powers and DC Super Heroes lines. Released from 1989 to 1992, figurines included Superman (with two different poses), Batman (as well as a black variant based on the 1989 film), Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, Starfire, and Green Arrow. The line finished out with Batman, Catwoman, and Penguin figurines based on Batman Returns.[20]

Kenner would use the Super Powers Joker's body with a new head sculpt and different color scheme for its Sky Escape Joker from its 1990 Dark Knight Collection. Elements of that Joker evolved over the years into the Dark Knight Collection's Knock-Out Joker (1990), Warner Brothers Studio Store exclusive Batman Movie Collection's Batman vs. the Joker Joker (1997), and Hasbro's Wal-Mart exclusive World of Batman Plasma Glow Joker (2000). The Dark Knight Collection's Batcopter was also a repaint of the Super Powers one. Kenner also acquired the license for the Flash TV series and produced a prototype until the show's cancellation saw the toyline similarly concluded (Australian company LHT re-released the Toy Biz Flash with a card using Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez' style guide art for the show).[21] Kenner then gained the Swamp Thing cartoon license and made toys for the brand. Separate lines for Batman, Flash, and Swamp Thing would have aligned with Kenner's original pitch to make toylines for DC's different franchises.

Kenner's 1991 Robin Hood toyline was largely made using parts from the molds of the Super Powers line, predominantly Green Arrow. Both Robin Hood figures used Green Arrow's body and figures like Little John, Dark Warrior, Azeem, Sheriff of Nottingham, and Will Scarlett were created by combining parts of figures including Green Arrow, Hawkman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Lex Luthor, Robin, and Desaad. Some other known molded parts came from Star Wars and RoboCop.[22]

Kenner's 1992 Batman Returns toyline featured a repainted Super Powers Penguin action figure to match a color scheme more in line with the film's themes.

Kenner's 1994 The Shadow toyline employed similar mechanisms and scale to the Super Powers figures. Some collectors consider the Lightning Draw Shadow figure to be something of a lost Super Powers addition (similarly to Kenner's 1990 Snare Arm Swamp Thing).

Under its P&M brand, Gulliver released action figures for Superman and Superboy under the brand Super Powers in 1994.

In 1996, Kenner once again began producing an expansive DC Comics toyline with Batman Total Justice. Like with Super Powers, DC Comics published a tie-in comic book. Kenner produced fourteen figures before the line ended but in 1998, several figures from Total Justice (as well as unreleased figures) were re-issued for the JLA toyline.

In 1997, Christian M. Lagore opened Super Powers Inc. in Calgary as a carpet cleaning and moving company. The business name and its logo is a homage to the toyline.[23]

In 1998, CustomCon was founded as an online event to display customized action figures as if they were being presented at a Toy Fair or Comic-Con.[24] Since its inception, Super Powers has had a dominant presence as part of the event.

In 2003, DC Direct produced a Super Friends line of action figures but they were based on the original Alex Toth designs rather than the José Luis García-López art that Super Powers was based upon. The DC Direct line included Superman and Lex Luthor (with miniature Hall of Doom), Batman and Scarecrow (with miniature Batplane), Robin and the Riddler (with miniature Batmobile), Wonder Woman and Cheetah (with miniature Invisible Jet), Green Lantern and Sinestro (with miniature Hall of Justice), and Aquaman and Black Manta (with miniature Manta-Sub). By 2005, DC Direct began re-releasing figures as part of their Reactivated line with Super Friends making up its third wave. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were re-released in 2007 singularly with the addition of the Flash.

Mattel's DC Universe Classics line also draws inspiration from the Super Powers figures. Several figures that were redesigned for the Super Powers line (Mantis, Parademon, Steppenwolf, and Mister Freeze) were produced for DC Universe Classics in both comic-accurate and Super Powers-accurate versions. In addition, figures for Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh were released as part of DC Universe Classics, even though both characters only appeared as part of the Super Powers line. The Penguin released in the first wave is set to be re-released with a new head sculpt and repaint matching the Super Powers figure.[25] In total, every figure produced for Super Powers has also been produced for DC Universe Classics and associate lines and much of the figures set to be produced for Super Powers prior to the line's cancellation has also been produced for DC Universe Classics (save Mr. Mxyzptlk, Shockwave, Black Racer, Atomic Knight, and original Super Powers characters).

In 2014, Mattel produced a special series of DC Universe Classics-style figures for their online store, MattyCollector.Com, on enlarged Super Powers packaging. The assortment consisted of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, now with color schemes matching their Super Powers incarnations, a gold-uniformed Superman, which was reportedly in the works for the original Super Powers line to commemorate Superman's then-50th anniversary, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) recolored as the Riddler as he was in the South American line (complete with color variances in the green), and an all-new figure of Mr. Mxyzptlk. There was also a "Collect-and-Connect" figure of Kalibak in his Super Powers color scheme. In 2017, Mattel as part of its DC Comics Multiverse line produced Wal-Mart exclusive Super Friends figures for Aquaman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern.

A light-up Bearbrick based on the Green Lantern's lantern battery sold exclusively at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International to tie-in with the Green Lantern feature film features card art based on that of the Super Powers toyline. A Bearbrick in similar fashion was produced for SDCC in 2012 for Batman, Robin, Superman, and Plastic Man, 2013 for Cyborg and the Riddler, and 2014 for Joker and Green Lantern.

Also in 2011, Downtown Bookworks released My First Batman Book: Touch and Feel by David Bar Katz in its DC Super Heroes series which employed the Super Powers design of the Batmobile and made heavy use of depictions of DC characters from the DC Comics Style Guide by José Luis García-López. Two years later, Downtown followed this with The Official DC Super Hero Cookbook: 60+ Simple, Tasty Recipes for Growing Super Heroes by Matthew Mead which used the Super Powers shooting stars graphics inside its pages. The next year, Super Heroes: My First Dictionary by Michael Robin depicted the Super Powers design of the Batmobile and Batcopter. 2015 brought the DC Super Hero Starter Kit whose logo for the box set used a variation of the Super Powers logo. The set collected four DC Super Heroes concept board books in ABC 123, Colors and Shapes, Opposites, and Busy Bodies by David Bar Katz. There were two variations of the box set art both featuring the variant Super Powers logo. Subsequently, the publisher released more books in the series in 2016 in The Big Book of Superpowers by Morris Katz and On the Go! by Julie Merberg depicting the Super Powers design of the Batmobile (as well as the Super Powers Batcopter in the latter). Then in 2017, Awesome Activities for Super Heroes by Sarah Parvis saw the Super Powers design of Mr. Freeze (misidentified as Dr. Freeze) and The Big Book of Batman by Noah Smith featured several images of the Super Powers designed Batcopter. 2022 brought Colors and Capes, Sizes and Shapes by Morris Katz which featured the Super Powers Batmobile.

86HERO in 2011 produced Super Powers brand covers for the iPhone 4. These include covers with the symbols and colors of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash[26] and clear covers with José Luis García-López style guide art and a symbol stand for Batman,[27] Superman,[28] Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.[29]

In a parody of the Super Friends, the sketch "That's What Super Friends Are For" on Mad features the heroes from the Super Powers toyline created by DC save Firestorm, Orion, and Mister Miracle.

Westland Giftware produced a Batmobile cookie jar based upon the Super Powers design in 2012.[30]

The Robot Chicken DC Comics Special logo borrows heavily from the Super Powers logo.[31] The Super Powers Hall of Justice is used but is painted white to be more in line with the Super Friends.

In 2013, Medicom released an advertisement for its Previews-exclusive DC Heroes Sofubi figures of Batman and the Joker using the Super Powers card art graphics as its background. Packaging and promotion for the anime Wanna Be the Strongest in the World also used a variation of the Super Powers card art for its character backgrounds. Also in 2013, Trevco Child Code produced a t-shirt entitled DC Universe that presented a multitude of DC Comics characters from the style guide art of José Luis García-López. Depicted included the Super Powers versions of Mr. Freeze, Kalibak, Orion, Mantis, Steppenwolf, and Parademon as well as Super Powers characters Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh. 80sTees.com also produced a variation of the same collage.

In 2014, Figures Toy Company announced production of a line based on Mego's World's Greatest Superheroes called World's Greatest Heroes but with Super Powers cardbacks including the brand's logo. The figures have a switch on their back that makes the arms fling up-and-down reminiscent of the original line. Two series were initially revealed with Superman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Shazam and Batman, Robin, Joker, and the Riddler. The line grew to include the Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Plastic Man, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Firestorm, and Dr. Fate. A carrying case for the figures was also produced for the line. Darkseid, Kalibak, and Desaad have been announced to be in development. By 2015, Figures began production of a separate Super Friends line with dozens of figures.

Kidrobot announced Super Powers mini-figures in 2014 of Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Shazam, and Firestorm. Singapore Post announced the DC Comics Justice League & Batman 75th Anniversary MyStamp Collection in 2014 which featured a modified Super Powers logo with the Justice League of America shield logo wrapped in the shooting star Super Powers border. The cover also included images from the DC Comics Super Powers Style Guide.[32] Mexican retail chain Máscara De Látex produced five phone cases of DC characters with Super Powers-inspired packaging in 2014. The cases depicted Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Joker, and assorted DC super heroes, respectively.[33]

In 2015, Kotobukiya announced an ArtFX+ collection of statues based on the Super Powers toyline that included Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman.

In 2016, Monogram produced a Super Powers line of 3D figural keychains featuring Superman, Batman, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Plastic Man, Firestorm, and Dr. Fate. That same year, Huckleberry announced a Super Powers line for its Yubi's Fingerines brand. Announced figures included Batman, Robin, Joker, Penguin, Flash, Aquaman, Darkseid, Parademon, Firestorm, Plastic Man, Mister Miracle, and Samurai.

In 2017, Decopac released a cake topper based on the Super Powers Batcopter called Batman Chase is On DecoSet.

In 2018, Sideshow Collectibles announced the Super Powers Collection maquette series by Tweeterhead featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Joker, Supergirl, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Donna Troy, Starfire, Bud and Lou, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Shazam, Batgirl, Gleek, Steppenwolf, Cheetah, Black Adam, Darkseid, and variants of Batman and Cheetah. Also in 2018 at Designer Con, DKE Toys produced a limited run of twenty action figures by Bombermat Toys of BADMAL, a parody of Batman depicted on a Super Powers inspired cardback. Instead of Super Powers, the logo read "No Soy Tu Super Amigo."

Also in 2018, PinRaiders began to produce the Super Pin Powers series of decorative enamel pins. The pins based on the Super Powers action figures and sold on cards inspired by the original packaging, characters produced thus far include Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, Robin, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Darkseid, Reverse-Flash, Batman Beyond, Man-Bat, Joker, Bizarro, Diana Prince, Steve Trevor, Brainiac, Cheetah, Penguin, Kalibak, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Giganta, and Desaad with a multitude of variants. Batgirl, Riddler, Wonder Girl, and more variants are in development. A cork pin board in the image of the Hall of Justice playset emerged in 2021 with a Hall of Doom board on the way and Invisible Jet board teased for the future.[34]

The mini-series Sister Powers by Mario Wytch and Jeff McClelland from Keenspot uses a logo inspired by the Super Powers logo.

In 2020, Hasbro began to produce the Marvel Legends Retro 3.75 line. Resurrecting the Kenner brand for the figures, the series acts as almost something of re-imagining if Kenner had the Marvel license rather than Mattel during the 1980s (forming something of a Super Powers/Secret Wars hybrid). The line persists in 2023 with nearly four dozen figures. Brazil-based Sequela Boards has announced it will be releasing eight skateboards using art from the Super Powers cardbacks for its Sequela Powers line. Characters Aquaman, Batman, Cyborg, Flash, Joker, Robin, Superman, and Wonder Woman will be featured.[35]

ManOrMonster? studios announced an expansion to its Warlords of Wor line of Glyos figures in Power Tribes. Inspired by Super Powers (both in design and packaging), thirteen figures are planned with the initial wave including Power Arm (Cyborg), Swamp King Bog-Nar (Swamp Thing), Nuclear Man (Lex Luthor), and Technodemon (Parademon).[36] This was followed with wave two in Rocket Shot (Tyr), Astro-Punch (Orion), Mister Kismet (Doctor Fate), Monsieur Fyth Dee (Mr. Mxyzptlk), and Action Archer (Green Arrow) and wave three with Atomic Man (Firestorm), Quiver (Speedy), PVC Man/Monster (Plastic Man), Benthicman (Aquaman), and Terminus (Deathstroke the Terminator).[37]

In 2022, Boss Fight Studio announced the Power Stars toyline. Inspired by Super Powers and initially featuring characters from King Features Syndicate including Flash Gordon and The Phantom, Power Stars uses a similar scale and appearance as its name itself is a nod to Super Powers.[38] The line was expanded in 2023 with "Male Blank," a customizable figure.[39] Fresh Monkey Fiction and Toy Otter similarly announced a Super Powers-inspired toyline in the Longbox Heroes Collection. Teaming with Big Bad Toy Store, buyers decided with their dollars which action figures were produced by a buying threshold. Characters included the Tick, Grendel, Goon, Madman, Cassie Hack (Hack/Slash), and Mr. Monster. The Rocketeer proved so successful, it developed something of a subline with the Black Phantom, Onslaught Trooper, Oblivion Trooper, Hellfire Trooper, Subzero Trooper, and Badlands Trooper.[40]

In 2023, PinForce started a Super Powers series of DC MicroHeroes pins. Thus far, the line includes the Penguin, Golden Pharaoh, Brainiac, Cyclotron, Rocket Man, and Quadrex.[41] Desaad, Parademon, Silicon, Mantis, and the Super Powers logo are slated for release next.[42]

Trends International produced a poster entitled DC Comics - The Lineup featuring many of DC's characters predominantly pulled from José Luis García-López' style guide art. Included in the collage were the Super Powers depictions of Kalibak, Steppenwolf, Parademon, Mantis, and Mr. Freeze as well as the Super Powers character Cyclotron.

Scott Fleming of Scooter's Custom Works produced a limited line of custom action figures based on the Super Powers Collection so far as to print a color catalog of his wares advertised in the newspaper Toy Shop in the early 1990s. He hand-produced cards in the Super Powers style using bubbles from the line to attach the figures to the cards. When figures from the line appeared on eBay, they were speculated to be knock-offs possibly from Mexico until corrected by Julius Marx of Action Figure Insider who clarified the line's history. Some known figures include Batgirl, Catwoman, Kid Flash, Blue Beetle, John Stewart, Atom (Ray Palmer), Captain Atom, Guy Gardner, Animal Man, Metamorpho, Booster Gold, Black Canary, Nightwing, Aqualad, Speedy, Wonder Girl, Alan Scott, Atom (Al Pratt), Spectre, Dr. Mid-Nite, Man-Bat, Lobo, The Demon, Black Manta, and Supergirl. Marx's figures were numbered to be of a lot of 91 produced.[44]

In 2009, several action figures claimed as a lost wave of Super Powers to be found overseas began to appear on eBay. Further, they were said to be produced by Industrial Toy Werks in Astana, Kazakhstan. Julius Marx of Action Figure Insider purchased a Mirror Master from the line and discovered it to be composed of repainted parts of the Flash, Doctor Fate, and Shazam with a custom sculpted head cast in solid resin (heavier in weight than the original line). CantinaDan, also of Action Figure Insider, bought The Dragon and learned its body was a repainted Dr. Fate with a custom sculpted head and the parts held together internally by a rubber band. The back card of the figure lists Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel (without cape), Supergirl, Gleek, Zan, Jayna, Black Lightning, The Dragon, Booster Gold, Apache Chief, Captain Atom, Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog, Mirror Master, Sinestro, Black Adam, Riddler, Brainiac (in Silver Age appearance), and Black Manta as part of the so-called unknown line. Figures claimed to feature either "Wind-Up and Release Punching Action" or "Magnetic Power Parts" though Marx found his Mirror Master purchase to not have the magnetic claims. A "Display Environment" called "Darksied's Fortress" [sic] was also purported.[45][46]

In the Spring of 1997, a bootleg line of Super Powers figures began appearing out of Canada and Mexico packaged with a "Made in China" logo. Featuring Superman, Batman, Robin, and Spider-Man, the size of the figures were more like the traditional Mego line (perhaps going so far as to use them as a basis) and only the Superman figure was packaged with the official Super Powers logo.[47]