Ideal All Cracked Up! Charley Stevens

"A man is only as crazy as he seems,
we're movin' on to a life of silly dreams.
Most of us haven't a clue of which way's up,

That's why we're All Cracked Up!
All Cracked up!"

Who can forget that theme song and who can forget ABC's 1978 mid-season replacement sitcom, "All Cracked Up!" ...the show about a family that moves from the suburbs to the heart of Chicago so "Dad" can take on the new job of head doctor at a hospital for the mentally insane. This is only son, Charley Stevens who was played by actor Todd Rogers. In an effort to adapt to the new change in his life, Charley seems to become a bit wacky himself...pretending to become many different imaginary characters. It was always fun to see the "patients" on the show interact with Charley's different characters that he would pretend to be. I'm sure most people still remember the "grapefruit" episode to this day. A true classic.

In the Seventies, there was no shortage of toys from non-superhero or non-sci-fi tv shows. We saw toys released from such programs as Welcome Back Kotter, The Love Boat, Emergency, and even the Waltons. So, the figures from All Cracked Up might seem out of place on a child's toy shelf these days but were right at home in the climate of the 1970s. I knew at least 3 or 4 other kids that had figures from this show and that's a true testament to the popularity it enjoyed then. Other figures in the line included Charley's Dad (Dr. Stevens), Roy "Peanut Butter" McAllister (patient), and Satchel Geronimo (another patient).


This is Charley pretending to be the space cadet (no one said 70s show writers were original), Neemor.

This was probably the best choice for a figure over Charley's other characters like cowboy, Slim Bill or psychiatrist, Dr. Id. Science fiction was riding at an all-time high in the late 70s with properties like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica in the public consciousness. Although Charley's Dr. Id character might have been more fitting considering the premise behind the sitcom, Charley's Neemor outfit is certainly more exciting than a white lab coat.



This particular figure is missing his blue plastic shovel. Charley would pretend that his shovel was all sorts of things and it was a constant in the show. As Neemor, Charley would pretend that his shovel was a laser gun. As Slim Bill, the shovel became a revolver. You get the idea.

Charley should come with his gray and blue spacesuit, two gray boots, and his blue shovel (not pictured).

"Who should I be today?"