Classic Toy Soldiers Get an American-Made Revamp Honoring Real Veterans
Little green army men have been a childhood staple for generations. Now one entrepreneur is giving them a new mission: turning real U.S. military veterans into plastic figures made entirely in America.
Real Plastic Heroes founder Tyler Donovan says the idea came after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
He saw firsthand how the end of the war hit a retired Marine who had deployed there multiple times.
“I realized at that moment, not only would making these toys be a really cool way to honor veterans, but it would also provide an opportunity to teach the rest of the country who didn’t deploy and really didn’t know what happened over 20 years about what war is actually like,” Donovan told Fox Business.
For him, manufacturing the figures in the United States was non-negotiable.
“If you’re making a figure that’s based on actual veterans about their service to our nation, the only way to do that the right way is to make that in the United States.”
Finding a manufacturer that could produce both the figures and the tooling entirely in the U.S. was the toughest part of the process.
Each figure is modeled after a real veteran. Former Air Force combat controller Eric Lionheart was drawn to the effort to preserve veterans’ stories.
“I really liked the mission and I really liked that he was trying to preserve the history,” he said.
He added that linking the toys to real service members gives them “more soul” than traditional plastic soldiers.
“I think little kids, when they do talk to their parents, and they realize that the plastic figure they’re holding is an actual American that fought in those wars, I mean, how awesome is that?”
Dean Wegner, a former Army Ranger and helicopter pilot who attended West Point with one of the featured veterans, helped bring the project to life.
He noted that choosing to manufacture in America despite higher costs was a deliberate decision.
“It’s an easy choice to make overseas. It’s lower cost.
But it was a very intentional choice that Tyler made to make right here in the U.S. It’s more challenging.
It’s difficult. But that was an intentional choice he made.”
Beyond the figures, the company is preserving the veterans’ stories. Each sat for interviews lasting two to five hours.
Families can access those stories through a QR code included with the figures.
A portion of sales from each set goes to the veterans represented, in perpetuity.
As Americans mark Veterans Day, Wegner said he hopes the toys and the stories behind them inspire a new generation to serve.
“I get a little choked up thinking about Tyler and his inspiration and what he’s doing to inspire the next generation.”
Donovan summed it up simply: “We’ve revived an industry that hasn’t really been manufactured in America for decades.”
Direct product link
(GWOT Set #1 – 32 figures): realplasticheroes.com/USAGWOT1
