Intro 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

1994 1995-96 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

COMPLETE GUIDE TO G. I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO

2000 (Series 16)

NOTE: Sorry about the harsh color, but this is what Hasbro chose for their filecard backgrounds this year!

Overview:

Hasbro-Kenner, always tight-lipped about upcoming projects, ended 1998 with no announced plans for more G. I. Joe toys. Early on, there was mention that if the 1998 series performed well, the next year they might put the line into general release. A new G. I. Joe comic book series was also discussed. For a number of reasons, both ideas fell through, and perhaps this was fortuitous: on May 3, 1999, the toy world was taken by storm with the release of Star Wars: Episode I merchandise (much of it produced by Hasbro-Kenner). The new Star Wars movie was in theatres all summer and was re-released just before Christmas, so other toy lines had little opportunity to compete. (The 12-inch Joes were targeted at adults, so their sales did not suffer.) By spring 2000, however, the fever had passed, and the overproduced Star Wars toys were soon sitting on clearance racks. That summer, Hasbro-Kenner announced plans to release G. I. Joe figure two-packs and a few vehicles. This time, the toys would not be Toys 'R Us exclusives, and they were more specifically targeted at collectors; a "Special Collector's Edition" seal appeared on the new packaging. The first wave of what was dubbed the Real American Hero Collection, ten new figures began appearing in October/November, but the vehicles did not show up in some areas until after Christmas. This year's figures and vehicles were again repaints, with two new characters, Chameleon and Rip It. The MOBAT sold in 1998 was re-released unchanged but with the new 2000 packaging. Due to expired copyrights, Hawk was renamed Tomahawk, and the Dragonfly was dubbed the Locust. The innovation this year was to use paint wiping, a process in which a painted figure is dipped in a different colored paint (usually black); the new paint is quickly wiped off, but traces remain on the figure. Filecards also got a new look, with character art replaced by a photo of the figure. Fan reaction to these releases has been very positive, and many were impressed with the attention to detail, especially to vehicles and packaging. However, the paint wipes ignited a controversy when they proved unpopular with many collectors, most prominently Thomas Wheeler, who had helped revive the Joe line in 1997.

Locust XH-1	Item # 57718	Boxed Vehicle ($19.99) w/ Wild Bill
Assault Copter		Accommodates: 4 figures
Appearance: beige helicopter with clear sloped canopy, beige landing struts and black nose-mounted cannon; several missiles; cannon on right strut; spinning blades with red tips.
Associated Figures: 2000 Wild Bill on box art.
Toy notes: Repaint of 1984's Dragonfly XH-1; also repainted as the Tiger Fly in late 1988 for Tiger Force. Not to be confused with 1990's Locust; the name "Dragonfly" was changed to "Locust" due to copyright expiration.

HISS III	Item # 57758	Boxed Vehicle ($9.99) w/ Rip It
High Speed Sentry		Accommodates: 4 figures
Appearance: blue tank on two mud-smeared, triangular treads; darkened clear front canopy and black double-cannon turret on top
Associated Figures: 2000 Lamprey and 2000 Rip It on box art.
Toy notes: Repaint of 1983's HISS; also repainted in 1985 as part of the Sears-exclusive SMS, in 2002 as the Convention-exclusive Crimson HISS, and in 2004 as part of the Kay Bee-exclusive Operation Crimson Sabotage. Repainted again, with a new turret, as the Septic Tank in late 1991 for Eco-Warriors. The HISS II was released in 1989, the HISS IV in 2002 (repainted in 2005), and the Built to Rule HISS in 2004. The most recent HISS design was a direct-to-consumer release in 2005.

Man-O-War	Item # 57717	Boxed Vehicle ($9.99) w/ Lamprey
One-Man Attack Sub		Accommodates: 1 figure
Appearance: silver submarine with black bottom and red stabilizer fins; black top with missile launcher; red periscope, missile, and 2 torpedoes
Associated Figures: 2000 Lamprey on box art.
Toy notes: Repaint of 1992's Barracuda. Some Man-O-Wars had a black-silver-black color pattern for the hull, and some had a black-silver-black pattern.

Intro 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

1994 1995-96 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

COMPLETE GUIDE TO G. I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO

2000 (Series 16)

NOTE: Sorry about the harsh color, but this is what Hasbro chose for their filecard backgrounds this year!

Overview:

Figures:

Equipment:

Intro 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

1994 1995-96 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008