They are not dolls...are they?

A friend of mine bought me a gift a few months ago. It was a Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk action figure from the Wrath of Khan. While I have been tempted to open it up, I have decided to keep it wrapped in its original packaging. I have it proudly displayed in my TV room.

While I have never been a big fan of collector items, I must say that I am starting to see the appeal in them. I have bragged to many of my friends about my new possession. Yes, many roll their eyes (I am a full grown adult most days). The eye rolling does not offend me, since I imagine I would have done the same thing myself before I received the gift.

I was shocked, however, when one of my friends said, "Allan, it's a doll." She explained that males like to call them "action figures" because they see dolls as feminine. I was a tad offended. How can James T. Kirk be a doll? But then as a toy, I guess action figures and dolls are very similar - moving limbs, heads that turn, detailed facial expression. But, still, this "toy" is an action figure, not a doll! Right?

In an age of political correct thought, I was not sure how far to argue my side. After all, to claim dolls are dolls simply because they have "feminine" features would be opening up a can of worms. Children today play with a wide assortment of toys. Sure, there are many toys that are still mainly for boys, but there has been a lot of movement on where the line is drawn. Today, it is perfectly acceptable for a boy to play with a doll. However, I imagine most of them call them "action figures" and like to try to fit them in a Tonka truck, remote control car, or a spaceship. Gender specific toys do still exist today.

But this is not the argument I want to make. So I need to go to the basics. What do we mean by doll and action-figure? A dictionary definition for a doll claims it is "a child's usually small toy having the likeness of a human." Well, I am no child (most days) and there is nothing "small" about the character James T. Kirk. Captain Kirk did everything in a big way. But I have to admit if this is the standard definition, then I guess many action figures are dolls. As long as they have the likeness of a human, apparently. So I wonder what we call alien "action figures"? Is a toy of Odo a doll or action figure? He has the likeness of a human being, but he is not one of us.

It seems to me, at least in the realm of fantasy and science-fiction, that the best term for these toys is "action figure." Since "action figures" are a "posable plastic figurine of a character." Note the word "character." So now our alien friends like Quark, Odo, Worf and many more can be included under this definition.

I know. I am splitting hairs on the words "human" and "character." But James T. Kirk is not a doll. He is an action figure. And if my friend wants to continue to claim these toys are dolls, then she can argue it out with Commander Worf.