G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

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G.I. Joe from Devil's Due Comics
G.I. Joe from Devil's Due Comics

G.I Joe : A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys. Produced by Hasbro, the toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the present day. It was supported by two animated series as well as a major comic series published by Marvel Comics.

Contents

[edit] Origin

"A Real American Hero" was a revival of the original 12" (30cm) G.I. Joe brand of the 1960s and '70s. After the 12" figure had been absent from toy shelves for a few years, G.I. Joe was re-introduced in a 3 3/4" (9.5cm) action figure format following the success of the Star Wars and Micronauts 3 3/4" scale toylines.

Prior to G.I. Joe's relaunch in 1982, Larry Hama was developing an idea for a new comic book (to be called Fury Force) which he was hoping would be an ongoing series for Marvel Comics. The original premise had the son of S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury assembling a team of elite commandos to battle neo-Nazi terrorists HYDRA. The idea was nixed, but Hama was able to use the basic premise when he learned of Hasbro's plans to resurrect the G.I. Joe toyline. Each G.I. Joe figure included a character biography, called a "file card." Hama was largely responsible for writing these file cards, especially for the first ten years. When developing many of the characters, he drew much from his own experiences in the US military.

The toy line was appropriately supported by a Marvel comic book series, also written by Larry Hama, which gave him the chance to flesh out the characters even further. The 155-issue comic book series is one of the longest running comic tie-ins to a toyline. Sunbow's animated promotions for the comic paved the way for the ongoing cartoon series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, that ran in the 1980s, as well as a gamut of merchandising tie-ins. The overall premise for both the comic and cartoon storylines revolved around an elite counter-terrorist team, whose main purpose is to defend human freedom from Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. The comic series tried to feature threats and situations other than Cobra, especially in the secondary G.I. Joe title, Special Missions. However, in all incarnations Cobra has remained the primary adversary of the G.I. Joe team.

Although the original line ended in 1994, several Toys 'R' Us exclusive figures and vehicles were released as part of a 15th anniversary line in 1997 and 1998, and the line was again revived as the "Real American Hero Collection" in 2000 to the mass market. In both cases, previous molds were reused and some characters had to be renamed due to copyright issues. Another relaunch was made in 2002 under the theme "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra" and new designs and characters were introduced. It should be noted that the collector community does not usually refer to new-sculpt figures as "Real American Hero" or "RAH" figures in order to differentiate them from the older method of construction used during the 1980s. The comic was also relaunched when Devil's Due Publishing launched a new series in 2001, that aimed to continue the storyline of the Marvel series.

Hasbro.com officially announced a new line of "25th Anniversary" 4" G.I. Joe figures on January 18, 2007, which has since been hailed as a success. The line is primarily based on the characters and designs from the early part of the Real American Hero line.

[edit] The Toys

The figures were 3 3/4" (9.5cm) tall, at roughly 1:18th scale. Throughout the original toy line production from 1982 through 1994, figure construction remained relatively the same. The most notable changes were the second series' addition of "swivel-arm" articulation in 1983 (initial figures had "straight arms"), and the fourth series' ball joints replacing the former swivel necks, both dramatically increasing a figures poseability. Likely inspired by the success of Kenner's Star Wars line of action figures, Hasbro designed vehicles and playsets to be used with the figures. They were likely influenced by theoretical or real military technologies that were being developed during the 1980s, or actually existed at some point in time. Some examples are the G.I. Joe Sky Striker fighter plane based on the F-14 Tomcat, the Cobra Rattler, similar to the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the Dragonfly, modeled on the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter. Examples of similar army equipment include the MOBAT tank, which resembled the M551 Sheridan tank and the Mobile Missile System (MMS), which was a carbon copy of the HAWK surface-to-air (SAM) missile system.

It should also be noted that there was also a distinct science-fiction element to the line, which seemed to increase as the line went on with toys like the Battleforce 2000 and the Star Brigade series. Fans have debated the impact of this trend on the line's declining popularity and eventual cancellation in 1994, but other contributing factors, such as the lack of a television series and competition from popular new toylines likely had an effect as well.

In 1994, Hasbro shifted its G.I. Joe brand to the newly acquired Kenner division, which made drastic design and theme changes. Almost every aspect of the A Real American Hero toy line disappeared, and a whole new toy line theme of "Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles" was produced in a larger size.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Popular Characters

G.I. Joe has a very extensive cast of characters which is too numerous to list completely, but some of the more prominent have been highly developed in the comic and cartoon incarnations of G.I. Joe, and have been repeatedly featured in the toy line. Some of these include:

  • Hawk - Brigadier General Clayton Abernathy is the commanding officer of the Joe team. One of the first G.I. Joe figures, he was originally a colonel included with the Mobile Missile System (MMS). In 1986 he received a new, more distinctive figure, and was promoted to brigadier general (one star). Beginning in 1991, new versions of his figure are sometimes given a rank of major general (two stars), and he is sometimes known as Tomahawk or General Abernathy, likely due to trademark issues.
  • Duke - Conrad S. Hauser is the First Sergeant and the team's field commander. Although the first Hawk figure predates him, Duke was featured as the commander of the Joe team in the Sunbow cartoon series prior to Hawk's second incarnation as a figure in 1986, when he became the second-in-command. His figure was introduced in 1983 as a mail-away exclusive, and a regular retail release followed the next year.
  • Snake-Eyes - One of the first figures introduced in 1982, Snake Eyes (real name classified) is the mute disfigured commando upon which much of the comic book series' stories revolved. He served on the same LRRP team in Vietnam as Stalker and COBRA ninja Storm Shadow did. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were trained within the same ninja clan. His 1985 "version 2" figure included his wolf Timber, and is one of the most popular figures in the entire line, and is considered by some to be the one of the most renowned action figures of all time.
  • Scarlett - Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara serves as the team's counter-intelligence specialist. She is also proficient in martial arts and holds her own well against Cobra's ninjas. In the comics, she is romantically linked with Snake-Eyes, but seems to be closer to Duke in the Sunbow cartoon series. Scarlett was one of the original Joes introduced in 1982.
  • Roadblock - Sergeant Marvin F. Hinton is a heavy machine-gunner and strongman who's also a gourmet cook. He often carries the heavy Browning .50 calibre M2 Browning machine gun. He was featured prominently on the Sunbow cartoon and often spoke in rhymes. His first figure was introduced in 1984.
  • Flint - Dashiell Faireborn is a Warrant Officer. In both the comic and cartoon incarnations, he has a romantic relationship with Lady Jaye. His figure was introduced in 1985.
  • Lady Jaye - Introduced in 1985, Corporal Allison R. Hart-Burnett is a covert operative and intelligence operator. She is Flint's girlfriend and in the comics, eventually became his wife. In the comics, she was eventually killed.
  • Gung Ho - A prominent and popular character on the cartoon and in the comic, Etienne R. LaFitte is the team's first US Marine and holds the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. His first figure was introduced in 1983.
  • Wild Bill - Chief Warrant Officer William F. Hardy is a helicopter pilot, originally included with the Dragonfly in 1983. Although never a major character, he appeared very frequently in both the Marvel comics series and Sunbow cartoon, and has several figures to his name. He is known for taking a lot of risk and crashing his helicopter. A common misconception that he wears a cowboy hat, which is actually a U.S. Cavalry hat.
  • Stalker - Sergeant Lonzo R. Wilkinson is a close friend of Snake-Eyes, and served on the same LRRP team in Vietnam along with Storm Shadow. Stalker often served as mission leader especially in the early days of the comic series. Stalker was one of the original figures introduced in 1982.
  • Rock 'n Roll - Blond-bearded Machine Gunner, surfer, and guitar player, Craig McConnel was one of the original 13 Joe figures introduced in 1982. Rock 'n Roll was featured in the early cartoons, and in the comics, where he was frequently seen alongside his buddy, Clutch.
  • Shipwreck - US Navy sailor Hector Delgado never played a major role in the comics but is well remembered for his appearances in the cartoon. His figure was introduced in 1985.
  • Cover Girl - Former fashion model Courtney Krieger is one of G.I. Joe's tank jockeys, specializing in the Wolverine missile tank, with which her first figure was packaged in 1983. She appeared in both the cartoons and the comics. In the most recent comics she has begun dating Shipwreck.
  • Tunnel Rat - Introduced in 1987, Tunnel Rat was featured in the animated movie, and like most figures released after the "Sunbow era" never quite reached the iconic status of earlier figures. However, his figure, whose likeness was reportedly based on Larry Hama himself, was extremely popular and the character has been featured in every subsequent incarnation of the RAH brand.
  • Jinx - A cousin of Storm Shadow, she was recruited by Snake-Eyes. In the movie, she is romantically involved with Lt. Falcon.
  • Falcon - 1st Lieutenant Vincent R. Falcone is a second generation Green Beret, and was the most prominent character introduced in 1987's GI Joe: The Movie. In the film, he is portrayed as having extremely poor discipline and is court martialed, where it is revealed that he is Duke's half-brother.
  • Sgt. Slaughter - USMC Gunnery Sergeant who is the primary drill instructor for the team. Slaughter, a professional wrestler, was the first real person to become a G.I. Joe, originally offered as a mail-order exclusive in 1985. The following year, a repainted version was included with the Triple T tank. While his comic book appearances were brief, Sgt. Slaughter was frequently featured in the cartoons, merchandise and advertising from 1986 through 1990.
  • Beachhead - Beachhead's real name is Staff Sergeant Wayne R. Sneeden, US Army Ranger. Formerly stationed as a lane instructor at Ft. Benning, home of the Army Rangers. In the animated series, he shares fourth (with Sgt. Slaughter) in the G.I. Joe line of command (behind General Hawk, Duke, and Flint). First appearances: animated - Arise, Serpentor, Arise & Many Comic of GI Joe

[edit] Enemies

  • Cobra, also known as the Cobra Organization or Cobra Command, is the primary enemy of G.I. Joe. The group is led by the Cobra Commander. See the Cobra main page for more detailed information.
  • Dreadnoks - Led by Zartan, the Dreadnoks are gang of bikers who pull jobs for Cobra when finesse is not required and brute force is needed. Zartan used them for backup and brought them with him when he joined Cobra.
  • M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) is a private company under the leadership of James McCullen, 24th Baron of (Laird) Destro, who also fields his own private army of Iron Grenadiers which has matched forces with COBRA and G.I. Joe or any other organisation which has gotten in Destro's way as he pursues his own goals of supplying weapons and military technology. Using tactics such as sabotage and assassination, Destro has used his Iron Grenadiers to force otherwise peaceful nations into war so he can increase his weapons sales.
  • Cobra-La - A predecessor to Cobra previously unknown before 1987's G.I. Joe: The Movie.
  • Headhunters - A private army under the command of the drug dealer known as the Headman. They are the arch nemesis of the G.I. Joe sub-team, Drug Elimination Force.
  • Lunartix Empire - An assorted lot of hostile extraterrestrial lifeforms. The Lunartix aliens are opposed by G.I. Joe's Star Brigade team. To date, their only media appearance outside of the toy line was a cameo appearance in the first issue of Devil's Due's GI Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3: Black Horizon where their ship was devoured by Unicron.

[edit] Sub-Groups

The G.I. Joe line spawned several sub-lines of figures and vehicles packaged with distinctive group names and themes. Some of the most prominent of these were featured in the comic and cartoon series as well, and remain popular with collectors.

  • Battleforce 2000 - Hi-tech group of Joes whose task is to field-test experimental weaponry in battlefield conditions. In the comics, six of the seven (Dee-Jay is a later addition routinely overlooked) members were killed during the Battle of Benzheen.
  • Drug Elimination Force (D.E.F.) - This group is led by DEA Agent Bulletproof. Their mission is to stop the flow of illegal drugs into America. Their arch nemesis is the drug-running Headman, who leads the Headhunters. The rest of the officially labeled D.E.F. team is made up of Shockwave, Cutter, and Mutt (with Junkyard). Unofficially labeled D.E.F. character figures include: Barricade, Long Arm, Mace, Muskrat, and Law. The D.E.F. utilized the Shark 9000 intercept motor vessel.Several of the D.E.F. codenames come from another action figure/cartoon tie-in called C.O.P.S.
  • Eco-Warriors - The task of the Eco-Warriors is to go after environmental criminals. Flint is the leader. Clean-Sweep and Ozone help fill out the team.
  • Mega Marines - A group led by Gung-Ho to combat Cobra's Mega Monsters creation.
  • Night Force - This group conducted missions under the cover of night. Lt. Falcon appeared to be the leader, based on his filecard. The toys produced in this line were repainted figures from earlier years and were Toys R Us exclusives.
  • Ninja Force - Storm Shadow recruited several former members of his ninja clan to aid the Joes in rescuing Destro from a vengeful Cobra Commander. The original members known for their garishly colored uniforms, they remained with the Joes since then until the team's decommissioning.
  • Renegades - On paper, this group, led by Sgt. Slaughter, is not officially considered a part of the Joe group. They take on missions that would be considered too sensitive to involve the Joes. Mercer, Red Dog and Taurus are part of the group.
  • Sky Patrol - Despite the toy's tagging them as providing air superiority over COBRA for the Joes, their file cards indicate that they engage more in airborne reconnaissance and survey of enemy territory. Their designated leader is Skydive.
  • Slaughter's Marauders - This is another group led by Sgt. Slaughter. They engage in quick strikes, first ground assaults, and make the way for Joe ground forces. The figures from this subline were repainted figures from 1984-1986, but the vehicles were, interestingly, new designs derived from modifying existing toys. Their uniforms have a common color theme (brown, green and blue).
  • Sonic Fighters - Lt. Falcon leads this contingent of Joes that use sonic-powered weapons. In regards to packaging, there was the first assortment that was labeled "Sonic Fighters," and then the following year under the label of "Super Sonic Fighters." While not specifically linked, there was also the "Talking Battle Commanders." Vehicles with the same packaging labels were the Fortress America, and the AH-74 Desert Apache.
  • Star Brigade - The Joes' outer space unit. Payload is a key member. The sub-series originally began with classic Joe versus Cobra counterparts. Later, it spun off into its own storyline that had the Joes combatting the Lunartix Empire.
  • Tiger Force - This special assault group strikes the enemy deep behind their lines using captured enemy equipment. Their uniforms and vehicles have tiger stripe patterned camouflage. The toys were repainted figures and vehicles (both Joe and Cobra), primarily from the 1983-1985 lineup. Several other Tiger Force figures were released in European markets only, and are of particular interest to collectors.

[edit] Line History

[edit] 1982

The first eleven characters were introduced in carded packs while four others were bundled with vehicles. The launch of the toy line was supported by a comic series from Marvel Comics and a series of animated commercials, several of which advertised the comic itself (a first for its time). As mentioned above, the first series of action figures had straight arms with elbow joints. While it is common for many characters to share the same mold for producing a body part, it is much more noticeable in the first year. (i.e. for the original 13 G.I.Joe Team members, only six head molds were created. Three unique molds were assigned to Stalker, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett, while the other ten characters utilize one of the other three generic heads.) Despite these limitations, the new toy line was a success.

[edit] 1983 to 1985

With the success of the first line of toys, Hasbro followed the next year with more new characters and filled them up with more original body part designs. In 1983, "swivel-arm battle grip" articulation and some extra tweaking were added to the new characters as well as the originals, in order to make them more poseable. In 1985, the base of the action figures' heads were given a ball joint which gave the figures' heads the ability to look up and down.

The years from 1983 to 1985 are considered by many to be the golden years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. There were two five-part mini-series followed by a popular animated series, and the comic was one of Marvel's most successful series at the time. Many of the most popular characters were introduced around this time. Vehicles and playsets became bigger and seemed to top the design of the previous year, culminating in 1985's impressive USS Flagg playset, an aircraft carrier that measured 7 ½ feet long.

[edit] 1986

Like Hasbro's other main franchise at the time, Transformers, G.I. Joe saw its popularity peak around this time but at the same time, it would be the last year that it would receive most of its multimedia support. This was to be the final year of the Sunbow cartoon series, which was a prime component of G.I. Joe's marketing. This year is also notable for the overhauling of toy packaging. The most noticeable is the change in the background for the artwork that accompanies them, as the familiar explosion background in the card artwork was replaced with a pixilated pattern of the red, yellow, and white explosion.

Both the Joe and Cobra factions received new commanders to lead their teams, and many of the new characters were created to replace previously phased out figures. Specifically, a new Marine, Navy SEAL, a Ranger, medic, laser trooper, snow trooper, and Cobra infantryman characters were featured.

[edit] 1987

The long awaited G.I. Joe: The Movie was intended to be released theatrically but the box office failures of two previous movies tied to Hasbro franchises led it to become a direct-to-video feature. The movie was initially released on syndicated television. It was met with mixed reviews. Introducing a heavy science-fiction/fantasy element to Cobra, known as Cobra-La, it was intended to set up the status quo for Sunbow's intended third season of the animated series. In toy stores, two of the largest playsets of the entire line were introduced: the G.I. Joe Defiant space shuttle and the Mobile Command Center. Before the end of the year, the G.I. Joe special team Battleforce 2000 was introduced in time for Christmas.

[edit] 1988

Even without an animated series, G.I. Joe continued to sell well. A new enemy, Destro's Iron Grenadiers, was introduced. The new Cobra line-up was composed mainly of Viper-type henchmen. Issue #86 of the comics series celebrated the 25th anniversary of the G.I. Joe toy line in general. Another G.I. Joe sub-group was introduced before the year's end: Tiger Force, a line of classic characters and vehicles re-colored with Tiger-striped camouflage patterns.

[edit] 1989

Classic character nostalgia seemed to play a factor in 1989. The relative success of Tiger Force the year before inspired them to come up with two teams with similar themes, Slaughter's Marauders and Cobra's Python Patrol. By this time however, the lack of an animated series was taking its toll on the toy line's performance. In response, DiC Entertainment (who had picked up the rights to produce a new G.I. Joe television series two years earlier) finally began airing new episodes with a five-part miniseries entited "Operation: Dragonfire".

[edit] 1990

The lackluster performance of 1989 convinced Hasbro to scale back on production. They concentrated on the action figure line-up and reduced the number of new vehicles for that year. The timely premiere of the new animated series would prove instrumental in giving the toy line another lease on life. In time for this renewed success is a slightly redesigned G.I. Joe logo.

[edit] 1991 to 1992

Once more, Hasbro concentrated on action figures rather than vehicles, and coming up with new gimmicks for them. Special teams such as Ninja Force, Eco-Warriors and Star Brigade were introduced. The second animated series lasted for only one more season before being cancelled.

[edit] 1993 to 1994

In the final two years of the line, characters who were not part of any sub-group were branded as part of the all-encompassing Battle Corps. The background for the card art was replaced by a design featuring laser-like lines. The Star Brigade sub-series was revamped with a more science-fiction storyline involving an extraterrestrial enemy, the Lunartix Empire. The popular videogame Street Fighter II managed to become part of the G.I. Joe line up as Hasbro bought the toy rights to the popular video game characters. Although the line would officially end in 1994, design elements of the G.I. Joe figures and vehicles would continue in later toy lines, such as a line based on Street Fighter's motion picture (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia), as well as another based on the game's equally popular competitor, Mortal Kombat. 1985's AWE Striker vehicle was also converted to accommodate larger figures for Hasbro's Stargate line.

[edit] 1997 to 2001

In 1997, G.I. Joe returned in a limited Toys "R" Us exclusive line. The Real American Hero Collection, as it is called, included Team Packs of three figures grouped together by a common theme such as Commando and Cobra Command, and Mission Packs, which featured classic figures packaged with a small vehicle like a Cobra Flight Pod or Silver Mirage motorcycle. The "Stars and Stripes" boxed set was also released, featuring members of the original thirteen Joes from 1982.

One of the rarest G.I. Joe figures, the so-called "Pimp Daddy Destro" (or PDD for short), was released for a short time before being replaced in production by the regular version in the Cobra Command Team pack. It is said that only a handful were released into the market.

The line, as it was limited, did not have a consistent run, skipping a year in-between.


[edit] 2002 to 2006

Main article: G.I. Joe vs. Cobra

The A Real American Hero concept was relaunched in a newly-sculpted design as G.I. Joe vs. Cobra, subsequently becoming the Spy Troops, Valor Vs. Venom and "Direct-to-Consumer" (or DTC) lines.

[edit] 2007 to 2009

Hasbro announced the release of G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Edition figures, which features figures primarily based on A Real American Hero designs but with updated sculpting. The line continued through 2008, and Hasbro has implied that it will continue into 2009, with a new line of figures to coincide with the release of the G.I. Joe movie.[1]

[edit] Comics

Main article: G.I. Joe (comics)

[edit] Animated series

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero spawned two animated series in two different periods, each produced by different animation companies.

[edit] Legacy

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero continues to play a large part in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The few times they deviated from the idea resulted in failures. This version of G.I. Joe is still much recognized by many people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, overshadowing even the original G.I. Joe. Despite being an American-centric property, its popularity was able to cross over to several countries.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ G.I.Joe Q & A: April 2008 (HTML). Figures.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.

[edit] External links

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