The Avengers - Dead Duck

Dolls

3.  The Purdey doll

Purdey doll - carded (front)
Carded doll - front

Purdey doll - carded (back)
Carded doll - back

The Purdey doll - loose (no skirt)
Uncarded doll

Finally, we have the Purdey doll, which is definitely kosher.   This was produced in 1976 by the Denys Fisher company, who also produced The New Avengers Board Game and The New Avengers Shooting Game.  It features Purdey in the purple leotard she wore in The Eagle's Nest, and came with tights, shoes and a patterned skirt.  More outfits were advertised on the back of the box: 'Purdey leads such an exciting life, she needs an outfit for every occasion.'.  It is uncertain if these extra outfits were ever produced.

Two items which were, according to Dave Rogers, advertised in the Denys Fisher 1977 catalogue but never issued, were the Steed and Gambit figurines.   These sound like they were Action Men style figures, with the Steed figure having 'cut and thrust' sword-stick action, and the Gambit one featuring karate chop action courtesy of a button on his back.  Now that would have been something!!

An addendum to the story of the Steed and Gambit figures comes with the information related in the book, Doctor Who: The Seventies by Howe, Stammers and Walker.  Describing the Tom Baker Dr. Who doll made by Denys Fisher they say, "Although the figures were popular, the one of the Doctor was criticised as bearing more similarity to Gareth Hunt from The New Avengers than to Tom Baker.  The explanation for this was that the head was of Gareth Hunt from The New Avengers!  Between the prototypes being produced and the company being given the go-ahead by the BBC, the die for the Tom Baker head had been lost or damaged.  Rather than go to the expense of creating a new one, the company made do with what they had, namely Gareth Hunt."  I'll have to get my Doctor Who doll out of the loft, pull it's head off and add it to my Avengers collection, now!  A tip of the mullet to Andrew for that one.

on to the Steed and Mrs. Peel Gift Set