G.I Joe

G.I Joe (Government Issue Joe), also known as the “All-American Hero” or “America's moveable fighting man” was the first action figure to enter the world of toys. This action figure was also the first doll-like toy marketed specifically to the boy consumer market. Inspired in part by the success of Barbie, G.L Joe was invented by Don Levine. Produced by Hasbro, G.L Joe entered the market in 1964 and continues to be an iconic childhood toy for many men and boys.

Before G.L Joe came to plastic life, he experienced an earlier existence as a comic book hero from 1951 through 1956, with 68 issues published. Informed by the success of Barbie and the accompanying market of accessories, Levine sought to develop a similar type of toy to tap the boy-based consumer market. Hasbro simultaneously produced four figures to represent the four armed forces as iconic heroes: Rocky the Movable Fighting Man (Army), Skip (Navy), Ace Fighter Pilot (Air Force), and Rocky (Marine). The generic name of G.L Joe was created to encompass the entire collection to facilitate marketing and brand identification.

The name was inspired by the 1945 movie The Story of G.L Joe. These first action figures were just under 12 inches tall, making them slightly taller than Barbie, and sold at $4 apiece. The full articulation of the figures' joints was innovative and drew much attention. These first figures were marketed with a variety of accessories available for purchase: guns, tents, rifles, mess kits, and holsters, for example. Given the difficulty of trade-marking a human being, the figure's trademark scar on the cheek was added to distinguish the real figures from knock-offs. The first-year (1964) sales figures for G.L Joe topped $16 million—Hasbro had tapped a new market niche.

In 1965 Hasbro introduced an African-American soldier to their line. This soldier was not a subordinate of the other figures, nor was he a mere friend—he too was a hero. This socially progressive move during an era of racial discord met with limited success, and this soldier was sold exclusively in northern U.S. states for the first several years. Inspired by the growing space program, an astronaut figure was added in 1966. Additionally, this year brought soldiers from other countries like France, England, and Germany, as well as the first talking G.L Joe figures. An action girl nurse was added to the crew of figures in 1967 but was a failure. In 1970, flocked hair and beards (brown, black, red, or blond) were added to G.L Joe figures. Lifelike upper bodies and chests were added to the figures in 1975 so the figures could be played with without their shirts. In the post-Vietnam War era Hasbro sought to reduce their affiliation with military and re-released the collection as the “Adventure Team.”

G.I. Joe dolls from the 1970s included figures with flocked hair and beards, “Kung-Fu Grip,” and “eagle eye vision.”

In the early 1980s a relaunch of products introduced smaller 3 ¾-inch action figures that were met with success. This relaunch was bolstered by the success of similar-sized Star Wars action figures. Additionally, a television cartoon series was introduced, creating a synergistic marketing and consumer culture. While for much of G.L Joe's history there was a lack of a foe or evil to fight, the cartoon was based on the adversarial relationship of the G.L Joe team with the COBRA organization. This cartoon series also incorporated public service announcements [Page 271]at the end of each episode, where the G.I. Joes would teach a safety lesson to children or warn against risky behavior. These announcements ended with the recognizable phrase “Now we know!”

...