9798 Karate

Mattel’s Big Jim Karate, reference 9798, was released in 1984 as part of the European Big Jim range. This vintage martial-arts version presents Big Jim as a karate practitioner, dressed in a white karate jacket and matching trousers with contrasting black trim and a black belt. Mattel’s 1984 catalogue also depicts the figure with a martial-arts staff and a black break-apart practice board, reinforcing the training theme. The figure retains Big Jim’s characteristic articulated body and mechanical karate-punch action, designed to simulate powerful strikes during play. Reference 9798 reflects the sporting origins of the Big Jim universe at a time when Mattel was increasingly developing the line around futuristic adventures, making this karate edition a distinctive entry in the vintage Big Jim collection.