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G.I. Joe

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For the name of the homing pigeon awarded the Dickin Medal in 1946, see G.I. Joe (pigeon).
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1960s Action Soldier
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Adventure Team circa 1973

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a line of military-themed toys produced by the toy company Hasbro.

The name G.I. Joe was created by David Breger when he was asked to create a comic strip for United States military magazines during World War II. Breger came up with the title "G.I. Joe" from the term "G.I." His strip debuted June 17, 1942 in the military's YANK magazine and Stars and Stripes newspaper. In 1945, United Artists released a movie titled The Story of G.I. Joe [1], directed by William Wellman and starring Burgess Meredith as acclaimed war correspondent Ernie Pyle .

In 1964, the character G.I. Joe became a series of military-themed 12" articulated action figures produced by the Hasbro toy company. The Hasbro prototypes were originally named "Rocky" (marine/soldier) "Skip" (sailor) and "Ace" (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. The initial product offering featured members of the four branches of the armed forces as follows; Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot and Action Marine. The name, G.I. Joe, no longer referred to one specific character but to a toyline brand.

Incarnations

The following series of Hasbro G.I. Joe toys were released:

Historical overview

The 40s

The 50s

The 60s

  • Nearly 20 years later, seeing the market success of the Barbie doll, Stan Weston, toy creator and licensing agent, brought the idea of a soldier action figure to Don Levine at Hasbro. Reinforced perhaps by the television series " The Lieutenant", Hasbro saw the potential in a doll, or "action figure," for boys. In 1964, Hasbro launched the G.I. Joe line of action figures, naming it after the aforementioned movie. At that time, the G.I. Joe figures were approximately the same physical scale as Barbie dolls - 12 inches, or 305 mm, tall (also known as playscale).
  • In 1965, a black "G.I. Joe" figure was introduced in select markets.
  • In 1966, soldiers of select international armed forces joined the G.I. Joe line up, and Hasbro decided that the entire toy line would be named G.I. Joe.
  • In 1967, G.I. Joe talking figures were introduced. Around this time, the only full-sized female G.I. Joe action figure - a nurse - was produced. It was not a commercial success.

The 70s

  • By 1970, in the wake of the Vietnam War, Hasbro sought to downplay the war theme that had initially defined "G.I. Joe". The line became known as "The Adventures of G.I. Joe" for a time. G.I. Joe was now cast as the leader of the "Adventure Team", an adventuring/spy-like organization with the goal of fighting evil. The look of the doll was also changed in 1970 with the addition of a flocked beard (an innovation developed in England by Palitoy's for their licensed version of Joe, 'Action Man'). A retooled African American Adventurer was also introduced around this time.
  • In 1974, in an apparent nod to the growing cultural popularity of Kung Fu, Hasbro introduced the "kung fu grip" to the G.I. Joe line. This entailed sculpting the doll hands in a softer plastic that allowed the fingers to curl and grip objects in a more lifelike fashion.
  • In 1975, after a failed bid to purchase the toy rights to the Six Million Dollar Man, Hasbro issued a bionic warrior figure named Mike Power, Atomic Man, which sold over one million units. Also added to the Adventure Team was a Superhero, Bulletman. Both figures were not in the mold of the rest of team, and further confused the GI Joe line.
  • In 1976 G.I.Joe and the Adventure Team met new foes from outer space when, The Intruders: Strong Men from Another World, are introduced. These armored caveman-like aliens, although smaller than G.I.Joe, had a button on their backs which could be pressed to make them grab with their "Crusher Grip" arms. These were available in the bearded and gold armored commander, and the unbearded, silver armored warrior. It should be noted that up until the introduction of these cavemen-looking armored aliens, Joe and his team only had the forces of nature and animals to combat. Now he was pitted up against foes who despite their brutish appearance were possessed of keen intellect and bent on world domination.
  • Around the same time, G.I. Joe was given "eagle eye" vision--a movable eye mechanism to allow the toy to appear to be looking around when a lever in the back of the head was moved. This would be the last major innovation for the original line of 12-inch figures.
  • At this time Hasbro also releases its line of rotationally molded mannequins in the G.I.Joe style called "The Defenders."
  • In 1977, Hasbro releases the Super Joe Adventure Team, and the battle between good and evil takes to the stars. Scaled down to 8 1/2 inches. Super Joe commander, and the Adventure Team (Super Joe Man of Action, and Adventurer) with their alien comrades "The Night Fighters", Luminos and The Shield, fight against the evil Gor, King of the Terrons, The Terron: The Beast from Beyond, and his ally Darkon, the half man half monster.
  • The claim is that by 1978, the petroleum crisis had taken a toll on the profitability of the 12-inch G.I. Joe line. Drastic increases in the price of petroleum increased the cost of the plastic used to manufacture the toys. After the failure of the "Super Joe" line, Hasbro decided to discontinue domestic production, although foreign licensees continued to produce their own versions quite successfully for some time to come (well into the eighties), which tends to negate this rationale. It would seem as likely that mismanagement of the product line, and a lack of a focused product development direction caused the demise of the 12" line in the US market.

The 80s

  • 1982 saw the highly successful relaunch of the G.I. Joe product line in a smaller, 3 3/4-inch scale, of the same type employed by the wildly popular Star Wars figures. The 1982 relaunch pioneered several tactics in toy marketing. The release of the 1982 line - known to collectors as the "Real American Hero" or "RAH" line - was combined with not only traditional paid advertising, but also an animated television mini-series and comic book series. The comic book, produced for years by Marvel Comics, enjoyed surprising success, thanks in no small part to the unique television advertising and the writing talents of Larry Hama, who worked closely with Hasbro to develop a unique identity, background story, and personality for each character. The decision to use a smaller 3 3/4-inch scale for the figures also made it possible for Hasbro to produce a variety of matching vehicles and playsets that further expanded the appeal and commercial potential of the line. Over the coming years, the roster of characters expanded rapidly to include such favorites as the masked terrorist leader Cobra Commander, the prideful Scottish arms dealer Destro, the chameleon-like master of disguise Zartan, and his posse of Australian biker-gang ruffians, the Dreadnoks.

Over the 1980s, G.I. Joe's increasing popularity supported an array of spin-off merchandising that included posters, t-shirts, video games, board games, kites, animated movies, and an ongoing animated series.

The 90s

  • In 1991, the G.I. Joe Ecowarriors line was produced to raise environmental awareness. 12" figures were also re-introduced as the G.I. Joe: Hall of Fame series. The first figure, Duke (G.I. Joe), was marketed exclusively to Target retail stores.
  • In 1992, G.I. Joe joined the war on drugs by introducing the Drug Elimination Force (DEF) line of figures. The line declined with sci-fi themes again, notably the Star Brigade. G.I. Joe also jumped on the Jurassic Park bandwagon and had a set of Dino-hunters. The first full wave of the 12" Hall of Fame figures (Duke (2nd Edition), Cobra Commander, Snake Eyes, Stalker) was also released.
  • In 1994 the 3 3/4 inch line was cancelled. This was also the 30th Anniversary of G.I. Joe and accordingly, Hasbro released a series of 12 inch and 3 3/4 inch figures based on the original 4 basic services represented in the first waves of the 1964 toy-line.
  • In 1995, Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles figures debuted. They were subsequently cancelled the same year. 12" Figures continue to sell in select markets.
  • In 1996, G.I. Joe Extreme figures were introduced by the recently merged former Hasbro competitor, Kenner toy. Along with the release of toys, G.I.Joe Extreme featured a comic book, published by Dark Horse comics. 12" G.I.Joe figures see mass retail with the name G.I.Joe Classic Collection.
  • In 1997, the original G.I. Joe returned via the G.I. JOE MASTERPIECE EDITION ([2]), a unique book-and-figure product. G.I. Janes were introduced in a series called the Classic Collection, the first 12-inch female dolls in the G.I. Joe line-up since 1967; this doll was a helicopter pilot. The Classic Collection harkened back to the original all military theme of G.I. Joe with fairly realistic uniforms and gear. Soldiers from Australia, Britain, and other nations, as well as United States Forces were featured. The line also presented an all-new articulated GIJOE figure that formed the basis of many offerings until the 12" line was discontinued in the new millennium.
  • In 1997 two Nissan commercials featuring an action figure resembling an Adventure Team GI Joe rescuing a fashion doll that resembled Barbie aired to accolades, eventually winning numerous awards.

The 2000s

  • In 2000, a Navajo Code Talker was introduced, one of only two 12-inch G.I. Joe talking figures (until this time) since the 1970s--The other being "Duke" from the Hall of Fame line. The figures included a toy bomb that "detonated" if handled incorrectly. A select assortment of figures from the 3 3/4-inch "Real American Hero" line were released as Toys "R" Us exclusives to celebrate the 3 3/4-inch concept's 15th anniversary. A second assortment followed in 1998.
  • In 2000, Hasbro re-released a selection of 3 3/4" G.I.Joe figures and vehicles. This line, commonly known as the "collectors edition", lasted until 2002. The figures were sold in packs of two and consisted of repainted versions of figures from the Real American Hero line. Some of these repainted figures were assigned new identities: for example, the "Baroness" figure was repainted and sold as a new character called "Chameleon," described on the packaging as "the illegitimate half sister of Baroness".
  • In 2001, G.I. Joe honored the events of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by releasing a line of Pearl Harbor figures. Devil's Due Productions bought the license to publish the G.I. Joe comic book with Josh Blaylock as writer, Scott Wherle as editor and Steven Kurth as artist. Eventually, the entire creative team changed, with newcomer Brandon Jerwa taking over as writer and Tim Seeley as artist. Devil's Due declined to purchase the rights to reprint the Marvel Comics line.
  • Beginning in 2002, newly designed collections of 3 3/4" G.I. Joe figures and vehicles were released. Each collection centered around a unique storyline or theme, such as "Spy Troops" or "Valor vs. Venom". The "Valor vs. Venom" figures were sculpted to the same proportions as the original 3 3/4" figures, but the "Spy Troops" figures were, on average, several millimetres larger.
  • In 2003 Hasbro announced the release of the 40th Anniversary G.I. Joe line. This line featured reproductions of the earliest G.I. Joe figures and accessories originally made in 1964.
  • In 2004, the direct-to-DVD feature film G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom debuted, as well as a new trading card game based on the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra storyline. G.I. Joe celebrated his 40th Anniversary at the annual convention of the G.I. Joe Collectors' Club, held that year at Disney World in Florida.
  • 2005 saw the introduction of a new line called G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, which is in no way related to the quality management program Six Sigma. The new line consisted initially of an 8" scale selection of action figures distinguished by their extensive articulation and accessories. Sigma 6 combines entirely new characters with already familiar characters from the 3 3/4" "Real American Hero" line. Its release was accompanied by a television series produced by the Japanese animation studio GONZO and a comic book mini-series published by Devil's Due. Both the 12" and 3 3/4" lines were suspended shortly prior to the release of the Sigma 6 line. The 3 3/4" line was reintroduced after a very brief hiatus; unlike Sigma 6, however, it could no longer be purchased in stores but was instead sold exclusively on a direct-to-consumer basis, through Hasbro's website and select Internet retailers.
  • 2006 The Official G.I. Joe Collectors' Club held its 10th annual convention in New Orleans with Sgt. Slaughter in attendance as a special guest. The 3 3/4" line, while still available online, returned to retail as a Toys R Us exclusive. Hasbro also expanded the Sigma 6 line to include a 2 1/2" scale selection of vehicles, playsets, and figurines with limited articulation.
  • Also in November 2006 a reproduction Land Adventurer GI Joe was released as an exclusive to Hot Topic stores. The figure was a reproduction of the Land Adventurer with the Kung Fu Grip and came in the "Coffin" style box. A reproduction Talking Adventure Team Commander was also released in a limited run of 1,970 issues.
  • 2007 Marks the 25th Anniversary of the "Real American Hero" line. To commemorate the event Hasbro is releasing 25 all new sculpted 3 3/4" figures based on the more popular characters such as; Duke, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Gung-Ho, Roadblock, Cobra Commander, Destro, Baroness, and Cobra Enemy Trooper (the first 10 which can be viewed on Hasbro's offical G.I.Joe.com web site). These figures will feature more articulation and will be remincent of their original incarnations, and scheduled for a summer release.

Additional background

The basic premise of the 1982 series based on the figures is "good vs. evil". G.I. Joe is a highly capable branch of America's military whose purpose is to defend the world against enemy attack. Their main adversary is the COBRA Organization, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.

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GI Joe Image/Devils Due comic book cover from the early 21st century incarnation 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'

The cast of each group is full of colorful and eccentric characters, each of whom have interesting abilities. The content of the animated show, although dealing with war and fighting, was still relatively mild as characters rarely, if ever, died even in the most dangerous circumstances. One example of this can be seen whenever an airplane was destroyed in combat; the characters inside were invariably shown parachuting out of the wreckage in the nick of time.

The show was also known for its public service announcements, where one of the Joes would give an important safety lesson to a group of children engaged in risky behavior. These PSAs always ended with the famous exchange: "Now we know!" "And knowing is half the battle".

Video games

There were several video game adaptations of G.I. Joe, some are Cobra Strike by Parker Brothers for the Atari 2600 (1983), G.I. Joe by Epyx for the Apple II and the Commodore 64 (1984), G.I. Joe by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System (1991), Action Force by Virgin Games for the Commodore 64 (1987), G.I. Joe by Konami for arcades (1992) and G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System (1992). [3]

Comics

G.I. Joe has also appeared as a comic book, with many of its characters being made into action figures. The comics, in contrast to the cartoons, were much more realistic in their portrayal of violence; some characters were even killed (but no major ones, except for one "special" issue in which more than a dozen named Joes were executed by a random Cobra soldier, an event which initially distressed Cobra Commander). Comic book writer Larry Hama is credited with developing most of the characters for the updated toy collection.

According to its 1980s animated series, "G.I. Joe is the code name for America's daring highly-trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against COBRA, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world."

G.I. Joes represent characters of all branches of the United States military, both male and female, to fight against their "enemy", Cobra, also produced by Hasbro and marketed under the G.I. Joe brand.

Bodies

The original G.I. Joe Action Figures, hitting the marketplace in 1964, were toys similar to Ken Carson (Barbie's boyfriend), but with a much increased articulation range, and more rugged appearance. Joe stood 11.5 inches, with 21 points of articulation, making him the first 'Action Figure' (a title that Hasbro insisted on, to make Joe more palatable to parents reluctant to let their boys play with a 'doll').

Later, a much smaller G.I. Joe was made. These figures were almost four inches (10 cm) tall and also drove kids to beg their parents for new toys, but this time for a different reason. The main difference between the two lines was that the 12 in (30 cm) figure could change his clothes to meet any challenge, while the 3 3/4 in (10 cm) team had various figures who could each meet specific challenges. This time, instead of needing a wetsuit for G.I. Joe to wear, the G.I. Joe Team had a new member called Wetsuit whose military occupational speciality was a Navy SEAL. The smaller G.I. Joes also had a variety of additional weapons and vehicles which could be purchased to assist them on their missions.

Other licensees

From 1966 through 1984, Palitoy Ltd. produced a British version of the 12-inch G.I. Joe line, under the Action Man name for the UK market. Initially these were the exact same designs as the American figures, and at first the same military theme which included figures from the Second World War. The line later expanded the line to include ALL men of action, like footballers and other sports figures. Later, they also adopted the Adventure Team line, calling themselves the 'Action Force'; the figures had the same appearance and codenames as the American G.I. Joes, but their identities and histories were international rather than purely American or British. In the 1980s sales in the UK fell off and in 1984 UK production ceased, replaced by G.I. Joe imports. Action Man under Hasbro has since made his reappearance.

The GI Joe line was also licensed to Germany under the Action Team name, including female figures - which were notably absent from the UK Action Man line. In Spain, Geyperman was the Hasbro licensee, although the products were more based on Palitoy's line, down to the logo design. In Japan as "GIJOE" and "Combat Man" from Takara (Hasbro Licensee), and also in Japan from Tsukuda (Palitoy sub-licensee). In Argentina he was known as "Falcon" from Estrella.

In France, the group Action Joe or Action Joe for short was the French licence for GIJOE, action figures for boys. The Ceji company developed the line in 1976 with several characters: an adventurer, a soldier, a cow boy, a black adventurer, a bearded adventurer and an Indian figure. A girl was quickly added, Jane, with blond hair and green eyes. The line expanded in 1977 and other character were added with new features like eagle eyes. For the first time all members of the team got a name:-

  • Joe, a brown bearded eagle eyes commander
  • Tom, a blond bearded adventurer
  • Bobo, a brunette soldier
  • Bill, a brunette cow boy
  • Sam, a black adventurer
  • Jane, blonde hair and green eyes
  • Peggy, a black girl
  • Daïna, an Indian maiden
  • Oeil-de-lynx, Indian with eagle eyes.
  • In 1978, Rahan, a caveman from a famous French comic.
  • An eagle eyes girl was produced, Jane, the only female eagle eyed doll.
  • In 1979, a new Sam with blond hair and eagle eyes.
  • In 1980, Mark Captain Cosmos and Bob chasseur d'images.
  • In 1981 Ted beret rouge and Zorro (under licence of Disney).

The line was a huge success, the majority of the dolls are from the life-like bodies of the 1976 Gi Joe developed in the US. The French versions updated new features and lots of outfits were created. Some of them like the French Republican Guard are very sought after nowadays. Production ceased in 1981.

End of an era

The original 12-inch G.I. Joe line ended in America in 1977. Later that year a smaller 8 and a half inch version of G.I. Joe was produced and advertised on TV. This size was close in scale but slightly taller than the Mego 8 inch action figures popular at the time. This new version was called "Super Joe," and also known as the "Super Joe Adventure Team." Some of the costumes for the line had the name "Super G.I. Joe" on a tag sewn inside the seam. The line was a hybrid of superhero and space action figures with new features incorporated such as battery powered back-pack lights and motorized accessories. The hero Super Joe characters, Super Joe Commander ( Caucasian / African American) , Super Joe ( Caucasian / African American) had a "1-2 Punch" that could be activated by pressing panels on the figure's back.

Two other heroic characters, The Shield and Luminos, were called "Night Fighters" and had lights built into their bodies.

The villains were:-

  • Gor: King of the Terrons - a reptile creature with a built in light, similar to The Intruders
  • Darkon: Half Man Half Monster - a green colored Super Joe Commander with red eyes.
  • A motorized dinosaur-like alien called Terron: Beast From Beyond that would stop moving when hit with light.

The majority of these figures used kung-fu grip style plastic in the joints and hands. With age this material degrades leaving even unopened figures missing limbs and hands. Consequently this line is not very collectable. Super Joe was discontinued by the end of 1978. The same basic body molds were used later by a subsidiary of Hasbro to produce a line of action figures based on the TV Series "Space Academy."

Real people honored with G.I. Joe figures

The G.I. Joe brand has made promotional action figures based on real-life persons, both military and civilian (such as sports and pro wrestling stars, presidents, and a war correspondent), that the company deems Real American Heroes, as the G.I. Joe slogan says. Among these are:

File:PT-109KennedyGIJoe.jpg
John F. Kennedy PT-109

Trivia

  • The character is such a part of the U.S. vernacular that a 1997 movie starring Demi Moore was called G.I. Jane.
  • As part of a tour of the Hasbro factory, and sketch for NBC's Late Night, talk show host Conan O'Brien was sculpted as a 12" G.I. Joe figure; O'Brien insisting to the creators that his figure's body be extremely pale.
  • G.I. Joe (pigeon) is also the name of a pigeon who received the Dickin Medal for his role in preventing the bombing of an Italian village of over 1,000 people in World War II.
  • In 2001, G.I. Joe collectors David S. Lane and Brian K. Mulholland were made into action figures; In 2005, an FHM contest winner also shared this unique experience.

Animation

  • Robot Chicken uses articulated action figures very similar to G.I. Joe for animation
  • The military history video series PT-109: The Next Generation uses the PT-109 John F. Kennedy G.I. Joe
Fansites

12" joes:

3.75" joes:

Other:

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