G. I. Joe

G.I. Joes represent characters of all branches of the United States military, both male and female, to fight against their "enemy", the Cobras, also produced by Hasbro and marketed under the G.I. Joe brand.

History Seeing the market success of the Barbie doll, Hasbro thought it needed to have an a action figure with whom boys could relate. Because of that, in 1964, they launched the G.I. Joe brand, named after the aforementioned movie. At that time, the G.I. Joe figures were about the size of the Barbie dolls.

In 1967, G.I, Joe talking figures were introduced.

In 1969, soldiers of international armed forces joined the G.I. Joe line up, and Hasbro decided that the entire toy line will be named G.I. Joe. By 1974, the Kung Fu fever had arrived in the United States, so G.I. Joes started to be produced with a "kung fu grip."

In 1975, a bionic warrior figure named Atomic Man sold over one million copies. In 1976, The Intruders, a line of outer space arch rivals, was introduced.

In 1978, the petroleum crisis directly affected G.I. Joes. Since the toy is produced with plastic and petroleum is a major component in the manufacture of plastic, the cost of producing the toy rose substantially, so Hasbro decided to discontinue it.

This was only for a short period, however, as G.I. Joes made a comeback in 1982. The new figures were downsized, being produced at about the size of Star Wars action figures. This was the beginning of the 1980s G.I. Joe frenzy that would eventually lead to the production of posters[?], t-shirts, video games, board games, kites, video movies[?], and even a cartoon series based on the characters. In 1983, DESTRO was introduced as one of the first characters at the service of the Cobra Commander.

In 1985, both Toy & Lamp[?] and Hobby World[?] magazines ranked G.I. Joe as the top-selling American toy.

In 1986, wrestler Sgt. Slaughter became the first real person to join the G.I. Joe forces. Football player William "Refrigerator" Perry followed suit in 1987. In 1988, Battle Force 2000[?] was introduced.

In 1991, the G.I. Joe Ecowarriors line was produced to raise environmental awareness. At this time also, Barbie-sized figures were re-introduced, as part of an exclusive contract with Target stores[?]. In 1992, G.I. Joe joined the war on drugs by introducing the Drug Elimination Force (DEF) line of figures.

In 1993, it was decided to separate all G.I. Joes into separate, themed armies, such as the Hall of Fame Joes, the ones with the original figure size. In 1995, figures were released in a new, 4½-inch tall G.I. Joes size.

In 1996, G.I. Joe Extreme figures were introduced, alongside a comic book. In 1997, G.I. Janes were introduced, the first 12-inch female dolls in the G.I. Joe line-up since 1967. This doll is a helicopter pilot.

In 2000, a Navajo Code Talker was introduced, the first G.I. Joe talking figure since the 1970s. The figures include a toy bomb that detonates if handled incorrectly.

In 2001, G.I. Joe honored the soldiers of Pearl Harbor by releasing a line of Pearl Harbor soldiers.

Real Life persons honored with G.I. Joe figures The G.I. Joe brand has honored some real life persons that it deemed as real life heroes, as the G.I. Joe slogan says. Among those:

• Sgt. Slaughter
• William "Refrigerator" Perry
• Bob Hope
• George Washington
• Colin Powell
• George Patton
• Dwight Eisenhower
• Ted Williams
• Robert Crippen[?]
• Francis E. Currey[?]
• Buzz Aldrin
• Theodore Roosevelt

The character is such a part of the U.S. vernacular that a 1997 movie starring Demi Moore was called G.I. Jane[?].