Mail-Away Offers

Written by Neil (Blackiecats)

Mail-Away Mummy Mumm-Ra Action Figure

During the life of the Thundercats toy line, 2 different mail-away offers were made to promote the Thundercats toys. The first of these offers was to send off for a free Mumm-Ra figure (in his decaying form) This was the exact same action figure that came packed with the Mumm-Ra’s Tomb playset. All series 2 cards as well as re-used series 2 cards with series 3 figures packed on them promoted the free Mumm-Ra figure offer.

Offer from right corner of a series 2 card	Mummy Mumm-Ra action figure

As far as I’m aware all American, Canadian, UK and European series 2 cards featured this offer. To receive your free Mumm-Ra figure you would need to collect proof of purchase tokens that were found on the reverse packaging of most toys. All the figures and small vehicles had a token on the packaging to the value of 2 points. The Fist Pounder, Mumm-Ra’s Tomb and Tongue-A-Sauras boxes had a proof of purchase token to the value of 4 points, while the Cats Lair box had a token to the value of 6 point.

2 points proof of purchase token from a figures card back	4 points proof of purchase token from the Fist Pounder box	6 points proof of purchase token from the Cats Lair box

The amount or value of tokens you needed to collect varied country to country. In the USA and Canada, you needed to collect 6 points worth of tokens. In the UK and Europe you needed to collect 4 separate tokens (I’m assuming their points value did not matter) Once you had your tokens you would need to send them together with your name, address and a cheque or money/postal order for P+P. The collector would then receive their Mumm-Ra figure within 1-6 months (depending on country) The offer expiry dates for each country were as follows:

USA = 31st March 1987
Canada = 31st March 1987
UK = 31st December 1987
Otto Simon cards = 31st January 1991

However some series 3 cards have a sticker (click image below) placed over the original expiry date. The sticker says that the free Mumm-Ra figure offer ends on the 31st March 1988. It certainly looks like the offer was extended for another year, but I have no idea for certain if this was definitely the case.

Click each image below for the full offer details for the USA, Canada, UK and Otto Simon headed cards (Otto Simon distributed in the Netherlands, Belgium and Hong Kong):

Image above taken from a USA LJN card	Image above taken from a UK Rainbow Toys card
Image above taken from a Grand Jouets Canadian card	Image above taken from a Otto Simon/Childbro Euro card

It’s likely that the offer was also available in other European countries where LJN Thundercats were sold, however the above card backs with the offer details are all I have at the moment.

For more details on the Mummy Mumm-Ra figure please see: Mummy Mumm-Ra

Thunder Warrior Club Offer

The second mail-away offer from the Thundercats toy line was only available in the UK through Rainbow toys. This offer could be found on all 22-back Rainbow Toys headed cards released in 1988. It was also advertised in the 1988 Rainbow Toys mini catalogues.

Image above taken from a 22-back card back	Image above taken from 1988 Rainbow Toys Mini Catalogue

On the bottom corner, on the reverse of the card you would find a small form to cut off the card to enter your details. You were required to send the form, together with a proof of purchase token (a token was attached to each 22-back card) and a cheque for £4.99, for the yearly membership.

I’m assuming the £4.99 was only charged the once as I don’t think the club lasted past a year. The card back states that each member would receive 3 activity packs a year, receiving their first, within 28 days. The packs would contain exciting stories, action puzzles and secret Thunder Warrior messages. I believe only one activity pack was ever sent out. The registration for the club expired on the 31st December 1988 (same date, but a year later as the previous offer for a Mumm-Ra figure).

Please click the images below for scans of some of the items that came inside the first Thunder Warrior club activity pack:

Code of Thundera	Lion-O fact file (front)	Lion-O fact file (back)
Mumm-Ra fact file (front)	Mumm-Ra fact file (back)	Thunder Warriors Thunderbolt (cover)
Advertising the full range of figures from Rainbow Toys	Secret Thunder Name (front)	Secret Thunder Name (back)

During spring/summer of 1988, the Thunder Warrior club was advertised in many issues of the UK Marvel Thundercats Comics. They featured a small comic strip story with a puzzle to solve at the bottom in order to continue the adventure. The story was blantantly obviously done to sell the current toys at the time. What is extra special about these comic strips is the fact that the continuing story features The Stinger!

The Stinger is teamed up with The Driller in the comic story and with The Stinger being coupled with The Driller in the toyline under the series Ram-pagers the two teaming up in these stories makes sense. The Stinger never had an appearance in the cartoon series and as the toy had been made this was probably the only way they could introduce him into the Thundercats story in order to sell him as a toy. I believe this is the only appearance The Stinger ever made in a Thundercats story (TV cartoon or Comic) I am almost certain he never appeared in any American comics. Please view the images below of the 4 comic strip adverts for the Thunder Warrior Club. They are taken from issue 60, dated 7th May 1988, issue 66, dated 18th June 1988, issue 70, dated 16th July 1988, and issue 74, dated 13th August 1988. These adverts were repeated in other subsequent issues.

Advert above from issue 60 of the UK Marvel comic	Advert above from issue 66 of the UK Marvel comic
Advert above from issue 70 of the UK Marvel comic	Advert above from issue 74 of the UK Marvel comic

If you have questions regarding the Mail-Away Offers or have any additional information to add to this topic, feel free to contact blackiecats.