Note: If you're looking for the
Action Man Doll,
you're in the wrong place
The Official Action Man Home Page
Who is The Action Man?
Nobody knows The Action Man's true identity and chances are that we'll never find out for sure. The Action Man was a mysterious fixture of the Boston-area college fraternity scene from the late 1980's through the early 1990's. His modus operandi was to call the fraternity's main number and ask for a generic-sounding, male name in order to strike up a conversation. He always spoke in a low mumble. At some point in the conversation, he would ask whether the recipient of the call was "looking for some action." If prompted further, he would clarify that he was offering "BJ action." The Action Man was never willing to divulge any information that might compromise his true identity.
While some students were repulsed, offended and even frightened of The Action Man, many found his mumbled overtures amusing. Some students took great joy in being able to engage The Action Man in drawn-out and extremely graphic conversations. The Action Man usually asked whether the person he was talking to was a freshman, and seemed more excited if they responded affirmatively. He also seemed to have a foot fetish, and sometimes indicated that he felt sexually gratified when the recipients of his calls described their feet to him.
Over time, many residents of the M.I.T. fraternities on the Cambridge side of the Charles River became aware of The Action Man and his phone calls were eagerly anticipated. It was considered great fun to hand a call from The Action Man to an unsuspecting freshman.