GO FIGURE BLOG # 18: G.I. JOE : A REAL AMERICAN HERO

[D. MARQUIS]

IN MY OPINION I THINK GI JOE WAS MARKETED IN SUCH A CREATIVE  WAY DURING ITS DEBUT AND REIGN ON THE TELEVISION IN THE 1980'S- THAT YOU COULDN'T  HELP TO TO YELL "YOOOO JOE! WITH THE FIGURES  YOU WERE ABLE TO COLLECT. GI JOE WAS BRILLIANTLY HYPED THROUGH COMMERCIALS DESIGNED TO SELL THE COMIC BOOK SERIES- TO SELL THE ACTION FIGURE LINE- WHICH I COLLECTED UP UNTIL ABOUT ISSUE #60.

IT WAS EXPERTLY WRITTEN - AND THERE WERE LOTS OF CHARACTERS TO SPOTLIGHT.  THE GI JOE SPECIAL MISSIONS SERIES WAS PHENOMENAL. 

                   GI JOE Issue #1 (1980'S)

GI JOE Special Missions #1

THE GI JOE CARTOON WAS ON POINT IN EVERY WAY. IT WAS ABOUT THAT ACTION. COBRA  LED BY THE MANIACAL COBRA COMMANDER  WASN'T  PLAYING, AND HAD MULTIPLE PLOTS TO CRIPPLE THE WORLD UNDER HIS TOTAL COMMAND. THE ANIMATION WAS EXCELLENT (SAME PRODUCTION TEAM AS TRANSFORMERS)- THIS WAS THE TOY LINE OF CHOICE FOR ME AND MY PEERS IN THE 80'S. 

THE FIGURES , VEHICLES,  AND ACCESSORIES FOR GI JOE WERE SECOND TO NONE. THE REPRESENTED VERY REAL REPRESENTATIONS OF OUR MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES AND THE COBRA CONTRIBUTION WAS TOTALLY AWESOME TO BALANCE THINGS OUT. THE BATTLE SCENES YOU COULD CREATE WERE LIMITLESS. 

Our First Joe display at our OG Fallbrook Shop early 90s

SO GI JOE WAS A FAVORITE TOY LINE OF MINE IN THE 80'S. IN MY OPINION THIS WAS THE MOST COMPLETE LINE OF THE 80'S TOYS DUE TO THE NUMBER OF GI JOE SPECIALISTS AND VEHICLES THAT WERE AVAILABLE. RUMOR HAS IT THAT HASBRO WAS LOOKING TO COMPETE WITH THE KENNER "STAR WARS" LINE- AND I'D SAY THEY DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB. MY FRIENDS AND I WERE SERIOUS GI JOE FANS. I HAD 3 PLAY PALS DURING THIS TIME AND BETWEEN THE 4 OF US WE WERE ABLE TO AMASS ALMOST 2/3 OF THE COLLECTION INCLUDING THE VEHICLES- SERIOUS GOOD TIMES. YEARS LATER WHEN CGG CAME ALONG I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RE-UNITE WITH SOME OF THE JOES THAT I WAS FAMILIAR WITH IN MY PRE-TEEN DAYS ALONG WITH MANY MANY NEW ONES (NEW TO ME)TO DO DISPLAYS WITH.

OUR FIRST ONE (ABOVE)WAS AT OUR 1ST FALLBROOK LOCATION BEFORE WE MOVED INTO THE Q-ZAR SPACE. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAD STARTED BUILDING OUR TALL BOX DESIGNS YET- SO THIS ONE WAS REALLY OPEN- SORRY FOR THE OLD PICS (DISPOSABLE CAMERA DAYS)THE PIC BELOW  WAS THE GI JOE DISPLAY WE WERE ABLE TO PUT UP ONCE WE MOVED OVER TO THE Q-ZAR SPACE. IT WAS OUR LEAST SEEN DISPLAY DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS LOCATED IN ONE OF THE OUTSIDE WINDOW DISPLAYS-SIGH. NOT BAD THOUGH.

Once CGG moved to the final location we relocated the Joes to the outside window. 

DID YOU KNOW? THE GI JOE LINE FIRST ORIGINATED IN FEBRUARY 1964 and they were 12 inches tall. THE LINE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TERM "ACTION FIGURE" BEING COINED. EACH REPRESENTATION OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES WAS REPRESENTED IN THE LINE THROUGH ONE PARTICULAR FIGURE-OR CHANGE OF UNIFORM. THE SAME LINE WAS LICENSED IN THE U.K AS ACTION MAN. IN THE 1980'S (THE FIGURES I GREW UP WITH, WERE REDUCED TO 3.75 INCHES WITH TONS OF VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES-ALONG WITH A COMIC BOOK SERIES AND TELEVISION SERIES THAT RAN CONCURRENTLY TO PUSH THE TOY LINE.

Storm Shadow / Snake Eyes

HERE'S A SHOT OF WHAT THE ORIGINAL GI JOE LOOKED LIKE.

IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER WE WERE ACTUALLY LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A SET OF ORIGINAL JOES IN OUR MAIN DISPLAY CASE WHERE OUR "TRANSFORMERS"- THE ONES WITH BEARDS TOTALLY LOOK LIKE STONERS-SO WE POSED ONE ACCORDINGLY-YOU CAN SEE A BIT OF THEM IN THE PIC BELOW. CONTINUE THE CGG BLOG TOUR.

GI JOE HAS CONTINUED ITS SERIES RUN OF ACTION FIGURES AND TOYS- MANY HAVE BEEN RE-RELEASED UP UNTIL THE CURRENT DAY. IF YOU WANT TO RE-LIVE ANY OF YOUR CHILDHOOD MEMORIES THRU GI JOE- THEN YOU'LL FIND THESE LINKS TO PRODUCTS VERY COOL!
(Links provided by Amazon Associates)

COBRA COMMANDER ( NEW CLASSIFIED SERIES)

GUNG HO (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

ARCTIC STORM SHADOW (CLASSIFIED SERIES) 

SNAKE EYES

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GI JOE (1982-1994)

GI JOE RETRO COBRA HISS TANK

DUKE (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

SCARLETT (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

ROADBLOCK (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

RED NINJA (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

DESTRO (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

GI JOE RETRO AWE-STRIKER VEHICLE (HOT!)

GI JOE TEAM SHIRT

TARGET EXCLUSIVE GI JOE SPECIAL MISSIONS: BARONESS (RARE!)

DARKLING (CLASSIFIED SERIES)

COBRA LOGO T-SHIRT (AWESOME!)

GOLD COBRA COMMANDER (RARE!)

BEACH HEAD (CLASSIFIED SERIES (HOT!)

COBRA FACE SCARF (NICE!)

RETRO SNAKE EYES (WALMART EXCLUSIVE)

GI JOE 25TH ANNIVERSARY VILLIAN 5 PK

COBRA VIPER (30TH ANNIVERSARY)

25TH ANNIVERSARY VEHICLE 2PK VEHICLES (NICE SET)

30TH ANNIVERSARY SKYSTRYKER (AWESOME)

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