You’ve probably seen them floating around LinkedIn, Instagram, and elsewhere on the internet: AI-generated action figures made in the image of their creators.
Naturally, I had to try it. But with a twist: I filtered the trend through an email marketing lens, and honestly? The results weren’t terrible!
Like most things AI, the output is only as good as the input, and it took a fair bit of trial and error to land on something that passed both the QA test and the vibe check.
Here’s the original photo I uploaded alongside the prompt. Not too shabby, right? (Cue the “it me” memes.)
ChatGPT held its own for the most part, but stumbled on what should’ve been straightforward changes—like fixing typos in the title text or avoiding duplicates in the accessory layout. Sometimes it would drop in an extra Dunkin coffee mug. Other times it forgot items entirely or spawned strange hybrids.
Here’s one example:
And here’s a second:
Even with ChatGPT’s Selection tool, more nuanced edits—like adding a third stripe to my sneakers (adidas loyalist here) or resequencing the floating accessories—usually led to blank stares (or worse: infinite loading spirals). Eventually, I learned it was faster (and way less frustrating) to just start from scratch with a revised prompt.
One trick that helped? Asking ChatGPT to review my prompt before submitting it for real. That unlocked some surprisingly sharp suggestions and helped rein in design drift.
(Bonus: It’s also great for squeezing more value out of your limited image requests on the free plan.)
Here’s the final prompt I landed on after a whole lot of tinkering and a lil’ bit of help from chatgpttricks:
Create a picture of a collectible action figure titled “Captain Clickthrough" in a sealed blister pack on a cardboard backing. The figure is posed confidently with arms crossed inside the transparent plastic shell. The figure is surrounded on the left by the following accessories: MacBook, Dunkin Donut coffee mug, and Wayfarer sunglasses. The figure is surrounded on the right by the following accessories: 2 Pilot G2 Pens. The character is wearing an off-white, short-sleeve shirt patterned with pinks flamingos, green chinos with a black belt, and adidas Samba sneakers. The figure has a smiling, slightly bemused expression. The packaging features a retro military-style toy design, inspired by 1980s action figures like G.I. Joe or He-Man. This packaging should be bold, colorful, and high-energy with a suggested color scheme of black, red, yellow, orange, and white. In the bottom left corner, add a circular sticker that reads: “Call-To-Action Figure”.
The visual style is playful, minimal, and toy-like, with smooth surfaces and soft lighting that mimics the look of real plastic.
I will provide an image of myself for facial reference.
If you find that ChatGPT is letting one design bleed into another, add this snippet to the end of your prompt.
”Important: Ignore all previous versions, styles, or design choices we've used before. Treat this as a brand-new, standalone project with no reference to past work. Focus only on the description provided here. Do not draw influence from earlier conversations or images.”
That’s a wrap on Captain Clickthrough. Your move, Mattel.
Got any prompt hacks of your own? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to see what you’re making.
P.S. While the “Call-To-Action Figure” bit was all mine, ChatGPT helped me workshop the “Captain Clickthrough” title (I’m a sucker for alliteration). A little snake-eating-tail ouroboros moment—AI helping name the AI-generated marketer that AI helped create.