Starcom, Captain Power, and G.I. Joe on Sale in 1987

November 26, 1987. If it wasn’t for the addition of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe action figures, this ad from the Asbury Park Press newspaper would have been a great snapshot of failed action figure lines of the eighties. By the time that Captain Power and Starcom hit store shelves, the toymakers had mastered the art of using television shows to sell toys. Both Captain Power and Starcom had shows — the Captain Power live-action show was especially wicked since the toys interacted with the show — but neither managed to become the big success that the makers were hoping for.