Fifty Years of G.I. Joe!!!
Next month, at the New York Toy Fair, Hasbro will be in a position to celebrate fifty years of the G.I. Joe action figure brand. I’m a little surprised that I haven’t already fallen over multiple press releases trumpeting fifty years of G.I. Joe, but hopefully someone at Hasbro is gearing up for a big push starting at Toy Fair.
Until Hasbro launches an official celebration it’s up to us to have fun in our own way. I recommend poking around the Wikipedia page a little, but to really enjoy the classic G.I. Joe action figures you may want to try watching GI Joe: The Story Of America’s Movable Fighting Man*, a relatively decent documentary that would have benefited greatly from better sound editing.
Even better than the documentary, though, is GI Joe: The Complete Story of America’s Favorite Man of Action*. This is a book every action figure fan and collector — even if you don’t collect G.I. Joe — needs to read at least once. The stories behind the creation of the brand, and then how Hasbro saved the warrior from war and made him an adventurer, are incredibly fun to read.
Happy birthday, G.I. Joe! Here’s hoping that Hasbro shows you some serious love this year.
(Check this joebattlelines.com post for more on G.I. Joe’s fifty years.)
Related articles
- Uncommon Cold with G.I. Joe (battlegrip.com)
- Affiliate Link – Collectible GI Joe: An Official Guide to His Action-Packed World (battlegrip.com)
- Outfit Set vs. Accessory Set (battlegrip.com)
Knowing how poorly Hasbro treats the property I’d be amazed if we get anything beyond a couple of collector club-exclusive figures…
Yeah, I really hate how Hasbro treats what is one of their core brands. Not a lot of companies, in general, can say that one of their ideas is fifty years old and still maintains an avid fan base. I’m not sure why they ignore the property when there are tons of collectors and kids that would buy the toys if they were actually on the shelves. It’s just odd.