G.I. Joe (80's, 90's)
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MEMORIES:
kendra remembers...My brother had a few of these guys.I had 'The Baroness' ,she worked for COBRA. More »
Posted on 02/29/08
PHOTOS:
Manufacturer:
"A Real American Hero"
While World War II and the Korean War gave birth to the original G.I. Joe, both as a soldier and a toy, the public’s ambivalence and distaste for the Vietnam conflict gave the Joes something of a shellacking. But with the Regan administration’s adoption of the “Evil Empire” stance in the cold war, America found itself calling out once again for heroes. So it was that in 1982, G.I. Joe made its comeback.
But the new tour of duty deployed a far different Joe from the ones of yesterwar. Gone were the foot tall Joes with changeable clothing, now replaced by a three and three quarter inch tall figure with plastic hair.
But G.I. Joes of the eighties enjoyed massive popularity nonetheless for a few reasons. First of all, unlike so many other toys, the new Joes had ten points of articulation, meaning that you could put them into just about any pose imaginable. Secondly, Hasbro teamed up with Marvel Comics and hired renowned writer Larry Hama to give pen and ink life to a world that needed the new G.I Joe. Thanks to his own experiences in the military Hama came back with a more authentic Joe, even going so far to write card files that appeared on the back of each toy box. With their success, Hasbro and Marvel found themselves cross-promoting their products in a series of commercials that featured both animation and live action. With the visions of patriotic glory dancing on the television before them, kids soon swooped into stores to purchase inexpensive G.I. Joes and the accompanying comic books.
Lastly, knowing that a hero is only as good as the villain is evil, Hasbro created Cobra, a mysterious organization bent on world domination at every turn. Kids massing armies of enemies were initially limited to Cobra Foot Soldiers and Cobra Officers while the “Real American Heroes” had a number of special operatives to play with: Grunt, Short-Fuze, Flash, Zap, Breaker, Stalker, Rock and Roll, and others. A couple of favorites from this initial group included counter-intelligence specialist Scarlett and the deadly silent ninja commando Snake Eyes.
The Marvel/Hasbro alliance soon produced a smash animated series that brought new characters to the story and the store. The best of the best from every branch of the American military gathered under the G.I. Joe banner, each one with a specially designed backstory and personality thanks to Larry Hama: Scrappy jungle recon specialist Gung-Ho, abrasive gunnery sergeant Leatherneck, jittery demolitions expert Tripwire, cold and competent Navy SEAL Torpedo, likeable master sergeant Duke, heavy gunner and gourmet chef Road Block, and wise-cracking Navy sailor Shipwreck, just to name a few. Cobra saw their share of new faces as well, beginning with the faceless, ruthless Cobra Commander (voiced in the television series by Transformers’ Chris Latta) and including metal-masked arms dealer Destro, embittered intelligence director Baroness, brilliant but cowardly brain manipulator Dr. Mindbender, martial artist Storm Shadow, and the genetic party mix of an emperor, Serpentor, among others.
Every battle featured the absolute peak of combat technology, such when the battery-powered MOBAT Tank clashed with the H.I.S.S. Tank. The Dragonfly Copter, Viper and Falcon Gliders (which still flew even with the action figures inside), Combat Jet Skystriker, and Cobra Rattler swarmed through the air above. The Sharc flying submarine attacked from calm waters while Joe countered with the Bridge Layer. Hasbro upped the ante with individual bases of operation. Joe soldiers gathered on the U.S.S. Flagg Aircraft Carrier and the Defiant Space Shuttle Complex while Cobra recoiled to the Terrordrome. In all, Hasbro has released over five hundred figures with about half that many vehicles and play sets.
The animated television series ended in 1987, but G.I Joe action figures continued. Various famous personalities joined the Joe team, including professional wrestler Sergeant Slaughter and NFL star William “The Refrigerator” Perry. As the Cold War came to a meek close, so did the Cobra threat, and Hasbro found itself looking elsewhere for villains. G.I. Joes were sold in series such as Drug Elimination Force, Eco-Warriors, Sonic Fighters, and Star Brigade. G.I. Joes did it all until 1994 when they were discontinued.
Other lines have sprung up now and then (Micro Figures, Command Rings, and so forth), the most noteworthy being 1992’s Hall of Fame Collection and a line in 1997 featuring classic veterans and new recruits. A full relaunch came out in 2002 called G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra, modeled after a test launch in 2000 called The Return of a Real American Hero. Whenever they appear, however they appear, G.I. Joes are like the soldiers they’ve been modeled after: resilient, dependable, and undoubtedly American.
