G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

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G.I. Joe from Devil's Due Comics

G.I Joe : A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys. Produced by Hasbro, the toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the present day. It was supported by two animated series as well as a major comic series published by Marvel Comics.

The toyline continues to play a large part in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. This version of G.I. Joe is still much recognized by many people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, overshadowing the original G.I. Joe. Despite being an American-centric property, its popularity has crossed over to several countries.

Contents

[edit] Origin

"A Real American Hero" was a revival of the original 12" (30cm) G.I. Joe brand of the 1960s and '70s. After the 12" figure had been absent from toy shelves for a few years, G.I. Joe was re-introduced in a 3 3/4" (9.5cm) action figure format following the success of the Star Wars and Micronauts 3 3/4" scale toylines.

Prior to G.I. Joe's relaunch in 1982, Larry Hama was developing an idea for a new comic book called Fury Force, which he was hoping would be an ongoing series for Marvel Comics. The original premise had the son of S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury assembling a team of elite commandos to battle neo-Nazi terrorists HYDRA. The idea was nixed, but Hama used the basic premise when he learned of Hasbro's plans to resurrect the G.I. Joe toyline.[1] Each G.I. Joe figure included a character biography, called a "file card". Hama was largely responsible for writing these file cards, especially for the first ten years. When developing many of the characters, he drew much from his own experiences in the US military.[2]

The overall premise for the toyline revolves around an elite counter-terrorist team code-named G.I. Joe, whose main purpose is to defend human freedom from Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.

In 1994, Hasbro transferred control of the G.I. Joe toyline and brand name to the newly acquired Kenner division, who promptly cancelled the A Real American Hero toyline and replaced it with the new "Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles" toyline instead. After brief revivials in 1997 and 1998, the toyline was revived as the "Real American Hero Collection" in 2000 to the mass market. In both cases, previous molds were reused and some characters had to be renamed due to copyright issues. Another relaunch was made in 2002 under the theme "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra" and new designs and characters were introduced.

Hasbro.com officially announced a new line of "25th Anniversary" 4" G.I. Joe figures on January 18, 2007. The line is primarily based on the characters and designs from the early part of the Real American Hero line.

[edit] The toys

The figures were 3 3/4" (9.5cm) tall, at roughly 1:18th scale. Throughout the original toyline production from 1982 through 1994, figure construction remained relatively the same. The most notable changes were the second series' addition of "swivel-arm" articulation in 1983 which allowed the forearm to rotate above the elbow (initial figures could only bend their elbows), and the fourth series' ball joints replacing the former swivel necks, both dramatically increasing a figures poseability.

Hasbro designed vehicles and playsets to be used with the figures. The vehicles and playsets were influenced by theoretical or real military technologies that were being developed during the 1980s, or actually existed at some point in time. Some examples are the G.I. Joe Sky Striker fighter plane inspired by the F-14 Tomcat, the Cobra Rattler, which has similarities to the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the Dragonfly, possibly inspired by the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter. Examples of similar army equipment include the MOBAT tank, which resembled the M551 Sheridan tank and the Mobile Missile System (MMS), which was strikingly similar to the HAWK surface-to-air (SAM) missile system.

[edit] Figures

[edit] Popular figures

G.I. Joe has an extensive cast of characters, some of which have been re-released several times within the toyline due to popularity. Popular figures include the following:

[edit] G.I. Joe

  • Beachhead - Beachhead's real name is staff sergeant Wayne R. Sneeden, a gay US Army Ranger. Formerly stationed as a lane instructor at Ft. Benning, home of the Army Rangers. His figure was first released in 1986.
  • Cover Girl - Former fashion model Courtney Krieger is one of G.I. Joe's tank drivers, specializing in the Wolverine missile tank, with which her first figure was packaged in 1983.
  • Duke - Conrad S. Hauser is the First Sergeant and the team's field commander. His figure was introduced in 1983 as a mail-away exclusive, and a regular retail release followed the next year.
  • Flint - Dashiell Faireborn is a Warrant Officer. His figure was introduced in 1985.
  • Hawk - Brigadier General Clayton Abernathy is the commanding officer of the Joe team. One of the first G.I. Joe figures, he was originally a colonel included with the Mobile Missile System (MMS). In 1986 he received a new, more distinctive figure, and was promoted to brigadier general (one star). Beginning in 1991, new versions of his figure are sometimes given a rank of major general (two stars), and he is sometimes known as Tomahawk or General Abernathy due to trademark issues.
  • Lady Jaye - Introduced in 1985, corporal Allison R. Hart-Burnett is a covert operative and intelligence operator.
  • Roadblock - Sergeant Marvin F. Hinton is a heavy machine-gunner and strongman who's also a gourmet cook. He often carries a heavy Browning .50 calibre M2 Browning machine gun. His first figure was introduced in 1984.
  • Scarlett - Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara serves as the team's counter-intelligence specialist. She is also proficient in several martial arts and holds her own well against Cobra's troops. Scarlett was one of the original figures introduced in 1982.
  • Snake-Eyes - One of the first figures introduced in 1982, Snake-Eyes (real name classified) is a commando. His 1985 figure included his wolf Timber, and freakishly snake like eyes. Snake-Eyes is one of the most popular figures in the entire line and is considered by some to be the one of the most renowned action figures of all time.[citation needed]
  • Stalker - Sergeant Lonzo R. Wilkinson is a close friend of Snake-Eyes, and served on the same LRRP team in Vietnam with him and Storm Shadow. Stalker was one of the original figures introduced in 1982.

[edit] Cobra

[edit] Enemies

  • Cobra, also known as the Cobra Organization or Cobra Command, is the primary enemy of G.I. Joe. The group is led by the Cobra Commander. See the Cobra main page for more detailed information.
  • Dreadnoks - Led by Zartan, the Dreadnoks are a biker gang who pull jobs for Cobra when brute force is needed instead of finesse. Zartan uses them for backup and brought them with him when he joined Cobra.
  • M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) is a private company under the leadership of James McCullen, 24th Baron of (Laird) Destro, who also fields his own private army of Iron Grenadiers which has matched forces with Cobra and G.I. Joe or any other organisation which has gotten in Destro's way as he pursues his own goals of supplying weapons and military technology. Using tactics such as sabotage and assassination, Destro has used his Iron Grenadiers to force otherwise peaceful nations into war so he can increase his weapons sales.
  • Headhunters - A private army under the command of the drug dealer known as the Headman. They are the arch nemesis of the G.I. Joe sub-team, the Drug Elimination Force.
  • Lunartix Empire - An assortment of hostile extraterrestrial lifeforms. The Lunartix aliens are opposed by G.I. Joe's Star Brigade team.

[edit] Sub-groups

The G.I. Joe line spawned several sub-lines of figures and vehicles packaged with distinctive group names and themes.

  • Battleforce 2000 - A hi-tech group of Joes whose task is to field-test experimental weaponry in battlefield conditions.
  • Drug Elimination Force (D.E.F.) - Led by DEA Agent Bulletproof, their mission is to stop the flow of illegal drugs into America. Their arch nemesis is the drug-running Headman, who leads the Headhunters. The rest of the D.E.F. team is made up of Shockwave, Cutter and Mutt & Junkyard. Other members include Barricade, Long Arm, Mace, Muskrat, and Law. The D.E.F. utilize the Shark 9000 intercept motor vessel.
  • Eco-Warriors - Led by Flint, the Eco-Warriors' mission is to go after environmental criminals. Other members include Clean-Sweep and Ozone.
  • Mega Marines - A group led by Gung-Ho to combat Cobra's Mega Monsters creation.
  • Night Force - A group led by Lt. Falcon which conducts missions under the cover of night. The toys were Toys R Us exclusives that were repaints of previous figures.
  • Ninja Force - A team led by Storm Shadow which is made up of several former members of the Arishikage ninja clan in order to aid the Joes in rescuing Destro from a vengeful Cobra Commander.
  • Renegades - This team, led by Sgt. Slaughter, is not officially a part of G.I. Joe. They take on missions that are considered too sensitive to involve the Joes. Mercer, Red Dog and Taurus are part of the group.
  • Sky Patrol - A team lead by Skydive that specialises in airborne reconnaissance and survey of enemy territory.
  • Slaughter's Marauders - Another group led by Sgt. Slaughter. They engage in quick strikes, first ground assaults, and make the way for Joe ground forces. The figures from this subline were repainted figures from previous years, but the vehicles were new designs derived from modifying existing toys. Their uniforms have a common color theme (brown, green and blue).
  • Sonic Fighters - A team led by Lt. Falcon that uses sonic-powered weapons. The second wave of figures were labeled as "Super Sonic Fighters" and "Talking Battle Commanders." The team utilizes the Fortress America and the AH-74 Desert Apache.
  • Star Brigade - A team led by Payload that specializes in space combat. The sub-series originally started as part of the Real American Hero toyline but was later spun-off into its own storyline that had the team combatting the Lunartix Empire.
  • Tiger Force - A team that uses captured enemy equipment to strike the enemy deep behind their lines. Their uniforms and vehicles have tiger stripe-patterned camouflage. The toys were repainted figures and vehicles, primarily from the 1983-1985 lineup. Several other Tiger Force figures were released in European markets only.

[edit] Line history

[edit] A Real American Hero (1982-1994)

[edit] 1982

The first eleven characters were introduced in carded packs while four others were bundled with vehicles. The first series of action figures had straight arms with elbow joints. While it is common for many characters to share the same mold for producing a body part, it was much more noticeable in the first year as for the original thirteen G.I. Joe figure, only six head molds were created. Three unique molds were assigned to Stalker, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett, while the other ten characters utilized one of three generic heads. Despite these limitations, the new toyline was a success.

[edit] 1983 to 1985

With the success of the first line of toys, Hasbro expanded the line the next year with new characters and more original body part designs. In 1983, "swivel-arm battle grip" articulation and some extra tweaks were added to the new characters and the existing figures in order to make them more poseable. In 1985, the base of the action figures' heads were given a ball joint which gave the figures' heads the ability to look up and down.

The years from 1983 to 1985 are considered by many to be the golden years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero as many of the most popular characters were introduced around this time. Vehicles and playsets became bigger and seemed to top the design of the previous year, culminating in 1985's impressive USS Flagg playset, an aircraft carrier that measured 7 ½ feet long.

[edit] 1986

Like Hasbro's other main franchise at the time, Transformers, G.I. Joe saw its popularity peak around this time. This year is also notable for the overhauling of toy packaging, which the background artwork being changed from the familiar explosion background to a pixilated pattern of a red, yellow and white explosion.

Both the Joe and Cobra factions received new commanders to lead their teams, and several new characters were created to replace previously phased out figures. Specifically, a new Marine, a new Navy SEAL, a new Ranger, and a new medic, along with a new Cobra laser trooper, a new snow trooper, and new infantryman characters, were featured.

[edit] 1987

In toy stores, two of the largest playsets of the entire line were introduced: the G.I. Joe Defiant space shuttle and the Mobile Command Center. Before the end of the year, the G.I. Joe special team Battleforce 2000 was introduced in time for Christmas.

[edit] 1988

The toyline continued to sell well, despite its lack of multimedia support. A new enemy, Destro's Iron Grenadiers, was introduced. The new Cobra line-up was composed mainly of Viper-type henchmen. Issue #86 of the comic series celebrated the 25th anniversary of the G.I. Joe toyline in general. Another G.I. Joe sub-group - Tiger Force, a line of classic characters and vehicles re-colored with tiger-striped camouflage patterns - was introduced before the year's end.

[edit] 1989

Classic character played a factor in 1989. The relative success of Tiger Force the year before led to the introduction of Slaughter's Marauders and Cobra's Python Patrol.

[edit] 1990

The lackluster performance of 1989 convinced Hasbro to scale back on production. They concentrated on the action figure line-up and reduced the number of new vehicles for that year. The logo for the toyline was slightly redesigned as well.

[edit] 1991 to 1992

Hasbro concentrated on action figures rather than vehicles and came up with new gimmicks for them. Special teams such as Ninja Force, Eco-Warriors and Star Brigade were introduced.

[edit] 1993 to 1994

In the final two years of the line, characters who were not part of any sub-group were branded as part of the all-encompassing Battle Corps. The background artwork for the cards was replaced by a design featuring laser-like lines. The Star Brigade sub-series was revamped with a more science-fiction storyline involving an extraterrestrial enemy, the Lunartix Empire.

The characters from the Street Fighter II video game became part of the G.I. Joe line up as Hasbro bought the toy rights to the characters.

Although the line would officially end in 1994, design elements of the G.I. Joe figures and vehicles would continue in later toylines, such as a line based on Street Fighter's motion picture (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia), as well as another based on the game's equally popular competitor, Mortal Kombat. 1985's AWE Striker vehicle was also converted to accommodate larger figures for Hasbro's Stargate line.

[edit] The Real American Hero Collection (1997-1998) - Toys "R" Us exclusives

In 1997, G.I. Joe returned in a limited Toys "R" Us exclusive line. The Real American Hero Collection, as it is called, included Team Packs of three figures grouped together by a common theme such as Commando and Cobra Command, and Mission Packs, which featured classic figures packaged with a small vehicle like a Cobra Flight Pod or Silver Mirage motorcycle. The "Stars and Stripes" boxed set was also released, featuring members of the original thirteen Joes from 1982. The line continued as a Toys "R" Us exclusive in 1998.

One of the rarest G.I. Joe figures, the so-called "Pimp Daddy Destro" (or PDD for short), was released for a short time in 1997 before being replaced in production by the regular version in the Cobra Command Team pack. It is said that only a handful were released into the market.[citation needed]

[edit] The Real American Hero Collection (2000-2002) - wide release

In 2000, The Real American Hero Collection continued, this time in wide release. Figures were sold in two packs and continued using the original molds as well as 'kit-bashed' figures made from parts of various molds. The wide release of The Real American Hero Collection continued through 2001.

In 2002, the line was limited to one wave, which was only available to online retailers. Also in 2002, a set called the Sound Attack 8 pack was released as an exclusive to BJ's Wholesale Club and Fred Meyer stores.

[edit] G.I. Joe vs. Cobra (2002-2006)

Main article: G.I. Joe vs. Cobra

The A Real American Hero concept was relaunched in a newly-sculpted design as G.I. Joe vs. Cobra, subsequently becoming the Spy Troops, Valor Vs. Venom and "Direct-to-Consumer" (or DTC) lines.

[edit] GI Joe 25th Anniversary line (2007-2009)

Hasbro announced the release of G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Edition figures, which features figures primarily based on A Real American Hero designs but with updated sculpting. The line continued through 2008, and Hasbro has revealed that it will continue into 2009, with a new line of figures to coincide with the release of the G.I. Joe movie.[3]

[edit] Comics

Main article: G.I. Joe (comics)

[edit] Animated series

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero spawned two animated series in two different periods, each produced by different animation companies.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ THE G.I. JOE COMIC FORUM • View topic - ***EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LARRY HAMA***
  2. ^ JoeBattlelines: Interview with Larry Hama, Part 2
  3. ^ "G.I.Joe Q & A: April 2008" (HTML). Figures.com. http://yojoe.com/magazine/2008/04/11.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-04-17. 

[edit] External links

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