The police procedural show, The Rookies, debuted in September 1972 and would go on to run for four seasons until the spring of 1976. The series told the tales of three rookie police officers cutting their teeth as the new members of the Southern California Police Department.

It was set during a time when police-public relations weren’t great due to incidents that had happened during the late 1960s and early ‘70s, particularly at protests. The Rookies drew its success by humanizing its police characters, showing the struggles they go through while learning the job and trying to make the right decisions on any given case.

It primarily followed rookie officers Mike Danko (Sam Melville), Willie Gillis (Michael Ontkean), and Terry Webster (Georg Stanford Brown), as well as their mentor and Lieutenant Ed Ryker (Gerald S. O’Loughlin). A pre-Charlie’s Angels Kate Jackson played Danko’s wife, Jill, and when Ontkean left after season two, the show introduced new rookie Chris Owens (Bruce Fairbairn) in season three.

The Rookies inspired a line of LJN 8” action figures based on Danko, Webster, Gillis, Owens, and Ryker that were released while the show was on the air. They came in three body types that featured different options for movement. One had biceps that swiveled with pin-jointed wrists and ankles (that could move forward and backward), one had ball joints in the wrists (that could move in a circular motion) and pin joints in the ankles, and the other had ball joints in the wrists and ankles. They came fully dressed for work in uniform with a tie, belt, and work boots.

The figures were packaged on blue cards, black cards, or in mailer boxes. The cards presented the figure in the center with photo images from the show surrounding it, and the mailer boxes had an image of the figure and a few photos from the show glued on the front.

LJN also released accessories for the figures, such as the Official Rookies Police Car. Based on the police cars in the show, if has a sticker for the S.C. Police Department on the side doors and red bubble lights on the top. The Super Stars Rookies accessory set was packed with items for the officers that included a megaphone, helmet, radio, handgun and belt, larger gun, SWAT vest, handcuffs, and other pieces.