This list is not intended as a comprehensive FAQ on G. I. Joe, but (1) as an introduction to those unfamiliar with the toys and (2) as an answer to questions I routinely see (or would like to see) in my e-mail box and on message boards. Most of the information here can be found elsewhere on the site, but this summarizes the essentials on one page.
As I visited various Joe sites on the Internet, I found myself dissatisfied at having to go to different locations for information about figures, vehicles, filecards, variations, cartoons, and mail-in offers. Why not just put it all in one spot for easier reference? I designed this guide in an effort to bring a vast amount of data to one place, with all the entries arranged into a single chronological format. After completing the Guide itself, I created an appendix (the right column on the intro. page) that contained comprehensive lists of various sorts, as well as information that covered larger (multi-year) aspects of G. I. Joe.
My desire is that any G. I. Joe information that isn't available elsewhere, or is hard to track down, can be found here. Of course, I also want to include the basic information no self-respecting Joe site can be without. I want to maximize the "one-stop learning" experience.
I'm Christopher Pope, a church minister who began this site while in seminary. A more detailed description of me can be found here and here.
You should be able to find the basic information on all the official, 3 3/4"-compatible Joe toys released in the US, supplemented by pictures from my own collection. I also have selected (and growing) information for the cartoon. Everything can be accessed from the intro. page, but here's a breakdown of what's on the site:
There are a number of topics I've chosen not to address due to a lack of expertise, a lack of resources, or (frankly) a lack of interest. In such cases, however, I have listed as many sites as I could find that do cover those topics, accessed through my links page. Here are the things the site is not designed for:
My regular updating of the site ended around January 2006. Additional updates will be very occasional (meaning once a year or less). In the meantime, I hope I've provided enough on the site already to occupy your interest until I get around to the particular update you're waiting for.
You're very welcome to! With the exception of the categories listed above, I'm happy to receive and consider any suggestions on improving the site. I'll use my own discretion as to when and whether to implement them, but I am open to new ideas and am currently trying to think of ways to expand the site.
I'm not a control freak or anything, but I use this site as an opportunity to give something to the communities from which I've received so much benefit. This Joe site reflects my original work as much as possible, and I'd like to maintain that personal touch that comes from just being some guy who's sharing what opinions and information he's picked up over the years. Other sites can coordinate their work among many people, even paying them full time, to become the recognized authority on whatever topic, but I see my own pages as more of a personal project. (It's sort of like bathing—people appreciate the fact that I do it, and other people might do it more thoroughly, but you'd have to be really special to assist.) Besides, I enjoy the work I do, and it's not so time-consuming that it costs me anything, as long as I pace myself.
That being said, I do welcome small contributions, such as corrections, bits of information, and ideas for future projects. In particular, see my list of Needed Information for particular things I'm looking for. For those of you who'd like to take on 100-hour tasks for the good of this site, you could easily take the same step I did and start your own site. We're not in competition, but you'll have more control over your material and can pursue your projects as you desire. Try it; it's fun.
Probably not. I'm not quite ready to say, "If it's not posted, I don't know it," but I hope to get there some day. Feel free to send information along. If it's not already here on the site and I find it interesting, I'll respond and may even post the info. If you're the first to tell me and the information is substantial, I'll put your name in the Acknowledgements. (E-mail addresses will be kept private.)
Probably. I'm not a very good judge of coolness, but anything G. I. Joe rates pretty high in my book. Again, extended discussions on the coolness of this or that aspect of G. I. Joe should probably be directed toward a message board rather than to the personal e-mail of a busy webmaster, at least unless we've gotten to know each other.
A full explanation of how the Guide works is on the intro. page, underneath the Table of Contents. Here are the basics:
I prefer not to steal pictures from other websites. The catalogs I have provide pictures for most vehicles through 1994, and for the exceptions I've provided links to Yojoe.com's entries. I'm not generally collecting vehicles from 2002 onward, and so I can't scan in the boxes as I have with 1997-2001 equipment. But filecards are easy enough to come by, and so I use those for the figure pics and alter the colors in PhotoSuite to match the figure where necessary.
Some figures and accessories are listed with different years of release in different sources. This is the case with several figures that were first available by mail order, or that hit the shelves around the Christmas season of a certain year. There may also be confusion about release dates because of uncertainty about store exclusives, due to date stamps on reused body parts, or because the comics and cartoons did not always introduce a figure in the same year it was released in stores. I have addressed the key issues on the page titled Straddling the Years.
I give credit to my most important helpers in the "Acknowledgements" section on the intro. page. People, sites, and organizations that have been important sources of information or helped me bring my collection toward completion are listed there. If you are making a common suggestion or correcting a typo or slight error, your name probably will not appear here. But if you're the first to provide needed information, inspire a new section for the site, or stir my interest in an aspect of G. I. Joe I'm currently neglecting, you can expect to be acknowledged there.
If you're referring to the credits to the Sunbow cartoon, you can access them from the transcripts portion of the site. There I have shot-by-shot descriptions of the five opening sequences, the five different sets of closing credits, and transcripts and reviews of the show.
G. I. Joe is essentially a line of toy soldiers that are articulated to allow the maximum flexibility for posing and playing. The Hasbro toy's history goes all the way back to 1964.
Every character is on somebody's list of favorites. The ones I most commonly hear praised include the leaders (Duke, Flint, Hawk, Cobra Commander, Destro, and Serpentor), other early Cobras (Firefly, Storm Shadow, and Zartan), stars of the cartoon and/or comic (Stalker, Snake-Eyes, Gung-Ho, Roadblock, and Shipwreck), and the leading females (Scarlett, Lady Jaye, and the Baroness).
Among traditional fans, the Joes most likely to be rejected are those that most depart from G. I. Joe's military mission (e.g., celebrity figures, Crystal Ball, Eco-Warriors, and Star Brigade), and those with outlandish looks (e.g., monsters and aliens, neon colors). Some "ugly" or poorly articulated figures (e.g., the original Deep Six) are also widely disliked.
From 1982 to 1987, only one female figure was released per year for sales reasons. The target group (boys 6-10) simply did not buy the "girls" back then. Scarlett sold poorly, and the creators put Cover Girl in a vehicle to raise sales. She and her Wolverine likewise flopped. The Baroness did a little better, but Lady Jaye, Zarana, and Jinx were also disappointments. Likewise for 1993's Scarlett and Chun-Li (who was essential to the Street Fighter line). The 1997-98 releases saw more female figures because they were aimed at older collectors who prized the characters. Recently the line has been aimed at kids again, but we're still seeing frequent releases of women both good and evil.
When's the last time you saw a mint-condition, in-the-package 1982 Grunt for $1.99? For me it was 1983, and I'm glad I bought him back then instead of waiting until now. The minimum prices listed in this Guide reflect only the original cost of the toy (and usually before retail mark-up), not the current value. The money for which any G. I. Joe toy can be sold varies from person to person and from year to year, so any price guides would have a high margin of error. Generally speaking, most loose figures can be had for ten dollars or less, and very few are worth more than twenty, even with all their accessories. Figures from the first few years in their original packaging can sell for over 1,000, though don't expect this ever to apply to more recent selections. There are certain rare variations, store exclusives, and figures released at conventions that can fetch anywhere from thirty to a hundred dollars, but they must be in perfect condition in order to do so. If you're looking to put a price on a Joe, browse a classifieds page or several on-line stores to see what people are paying. It's probably best to avoid e-bay as a reference since auctions operate differently from straight sales.
(Please do not ask me to estimate the value of your particular collector's item, especially for classic 12-inch figures. Since I'm not into Joe for the money, I don't keep up with the collecting market.)
Early special teams, such as the Dreadnoks, Special Mission: Brazil, Tiger Force, and Night Force, were either mercenary forces or units designed for specialized military assaults. But toward the end of the original line, special teams were geared toward ninja action, drug prevention, space exploration, and mutated monsters. According to Vincent Santelmo's 30th Anniversary Salute to G. I. Joe, Hasbro exec. Kirk Bozigian explained the expansion: "The idea is to make G. I. Joe appeal on different levels. So, if the kid isn't into military, maybe he's into this martial arts stuff. Maybe he's into Capcom Street Fighter as a video game. Maybe he'll want to buy into these characters. Maybe the kid who's not into military, but into space, is going to buy our Star Brigade which is something else we've come out with. So, as we go forward, G. I. Joe is going to live in many different worlds" (p. 153). In other words, the creators wanted to broaden the appeal of the Joe toys beyond the demographic that played with military toys.
The first step would be to keep in mind the principle that there is a direct correlation between the quality of your product and its success. If you look at the history of G. I. Joe, you'll see that the marks of quality that set the line apart are the articulation, intricate/realistic detailing, continuity, and characterization. True excellence will be better in the long run than gimmicks such as sound, lights, and springs. The nostalgic character art and packaging for the direct-to-consumer and 25th Anniversary products are steps in the right direction. Second, the line needs to be kept "fresh" to keep both kids and collectors interested. Once upon a time, someone dreamed up Destro, Flint, Zartan and other super-popular characters. There's no reason that can't be done again. You may need to combine fresh staff with seasoned Joe creators to balance consistency and originality. Your recent decision to sell the toys directly to consumers is an excellent solution to the perennial problem of uneven distribution across the US (and Canada, which has a respectable contingent of hard-core Joe collectors). One final improvement would be advertising. The "golden years" of G. I. Joe featured not only quality cartoons and comics, but great TV commercials with memorable music and animation. The figures and vehicles were sold with mail-in brochures and annual catalogs with photos (not artistic renderings) of all the latest toys. You're a big company with a proven toy line that's both culturally relevant (patriotic, anti-terrorist) and universal in its appeal to boys (toy soldiers). If you aggressively follow the above principles, you could see the line regain its momentum and take off like it did in the 80s.
Much of the quality of the Joe line depends on consumers, too. You the buyer have to actually purchase the toys in order to make Hasbro's investments pay off. This is why no vehicles have been released recently. If wonderful toys turn out to be peg-warmers, Hasbro will have to stop making them.
Sunbow Productions, Inc., was the company that produced the G. I. Joe animation in cooperation with Hasbro. They also created the cartoon series Transformers and Jem. Animation from the comic advertisements was adapted for the toy commercials beginning in 1982. In 1983 and 1984, Sunbow produced two five-part miniseries that fleshed out the Joes and Cobras as characters with an ongoing storyline. A regular cartoon was released in 1985 and 1986, with each of the two seasons leading off with its own five-part miniseries. Sunbow finally produced a feature-length, straight-to-video Movie in 1987, and continued animating commercials through 1990. More information about Sunbow's Joe cartoons can be found locally on this page and in the Transcripts section. To learn about the operations, history, and staff of Sunbow, I recommend you visit Quick Kick's Theatre.
Sunbow had sketchy plans for a third season of the cartoon, but it was cancelled. The continuation would have seen Tomax and Xamot return to prominence, and taken the series to the proverbial "whole new level." Instead, Hasbro chose the animation company DIC, which was famous for Inspector Gadget.
DIC began in 1989 with a five-part miniseries called "Operation: Dragonfire." The story begins where the Movie left off, but with all the older characters in new uniforms (perhaps to avoid copyright infringement from Sunbow's model designs). As Cobra seeks to harness a strange energy force called Dragonfire, Cobras disillusioned with Serpentor's leadership use it to transform Cobra Commander from a snake back into a humanoid. The Commander takes over by turning Serpentor into an iguana and using Dragonfire to create the Python Patrol. The other side of the story concerns Scoop, a Crimson Guard posing as a journalist. Scoop eventually defects to the Joes. Many of the 1989 Joes and Cobras appear in this miniseries.
DIC produced its own cartoon series in 1990 and 1991 and (I think) provided the animation for a couple 1994 commercials. The quality of DIC's material is low enough that I have actively avoided it. Unlike the Sunbow series, DIC's episodes have not stood the test of time (not even an imdb entry until 2003). Most fans know of the show only through the video released with the figure Rapid-Fire. For the present generation of kids, cartoon DVDs were released in 2003-2005, featuring the Joe vs. Cobra storyline. Most recent is the animé-style Sigma Six cartoon for the eight-inch figures.
Each of Sunbow's five-part miniseries introduced new opening and closing sequences. "A Real American Hero" features the older Joes and mentions Destro in the lyrics. "The Revenge of Cobra" opens with a shot of Joe Headquarters and takes place on a wharf. The first season's opening (beginning with "The Pyramid of Darkness") features Flint leading the Joes' attack on the Cobra mothership. The second season's opening (beginning with "Arise, Serpentor, Arise") has the Joes destroying the Terror Drome. The Movie has a famous opening sequence centered around the Statue of Liberty.
Syndicated reruns in 1988-89 sometimes had their own opening sequences built from Movie footage and animation from the 1987-88 commercials. This theme opened with an alarm going off and Falcon punching a Tele-Viper. (I believe these were the reruns hosted by a live-action Sgt. Slaughter.) DIC's "Operation Dragonfire" had its own sequence, poorly animated and with the lyrics changed to "international hero." The main DIC opening sequence features many of the then-new characters and vehicles, to a new theme titled "Got to Get Tough." I have heard that the USA cable network used the DIC opening theme for its Sunbow reruns.
The Sunbow cartoon generally disregarded Joe rank, except in the Movie, when Falcon tried to pull rank on Duke and failed. The various team members usually treated one another as equals, and leadership on a mission was more a matter of functionality and experience than official rank. The only Joes addressed by rank on the series were Sergeant Duke Hauser, Sergeant Slaughter, Lieutenant Falcon, and General Hawk, plus "Colonels" Dial-Tone, Lifeline, and Shipwreck.
G. I. Joe's leadership as reported in Arise, Serpentor, Arise, Part 1 and The Most Dangerous Thing in the World had Hawk at the head of the team, followed by Duke, then Flint, and finally Sergeant Slaughter and Beach Head. In the absence of these, Scarlett, Ace, and Lady Jaye usually took the lead on their missions, and Stalker, Gung-Ho, Cover Girl, Cutter, Roadblock, Dusty, and Tollbooth also took on leadership roles at times. Shipwreck was not averse to shouting orders to his teammates, but he apparently never carried legitimate authority over anyone. In addition, Cutter sat next to Flint at Dusty's court-martial in The Traitor, Part 1, and Slip-Stream, Wild Bill, and Admiral Ledger were alongside Hawk at Falcon's hearing in the Movie. Admiral Ledger was in charge of the USS Flagg but seemed to be outside the Joe team itself, on a par with Colonel Sharp.
The Sunbow writers were not allowed to kill characters on-screen and had to keep the violence down to an acceptable level. This is why guns shot lasers instead of bullets and why wounded characters simply dropped unconscious and almost never bled. There were usually parachutes popping out of exploding planes and soldiers barely escaping their burning cannons and vehicles. Even the coyote in "Lights! Camera! Cobra!" landed in a river. (Wile E. was rarely so lucky.) There were a few off-screen or presumed deaths, as in the alternate-world in "Worlds Without End," and when vehicles exploded without any visible escape for the operator. This may also include the Cobra-La citizens who failed to escape the Ice Dome when it was destroyed at the end of the Movie. In the DIC cartoons, the character Headman died at the end of the 2-part story "The Greatest Evil," which had a strong anti-drug theme.
Originally the Movie was slated for a theatrical release, and Duke was supposed to die after being struck by Serpentor. Early storyboards are written this way. What changed this was the release in 1986 of Transformers: The Movie. It did poorly at the US box office and angered fans by killing off many of the older characters to make room for the new ones. The death of Optimus Prime hit especially hard, partly because of the younger audience—many of whom were not yet old enough to understand death. (Remember, this was before The Lion King, and the scene is very moving, thanks to Vince DiCola's musical score.) Sunbow decided to play it safe and redubbed the relevant lines so that Duke merely went into a coma and was restored at the end of the film.
Videos and DVDs, both official and bootleg, are easy to find and not too expensive. Selected episodes of the Sunbow cartoon were shown on TV at 1:00 a.m. on the cable Cartoon Network in July/August 2002. A few months after that eight-week experimental run ended, the same episodes began cycling through several days a week. Frequency then dropped to once a week. I believe the reruns were dropped some time in 2003, but some of the Joe sites and message boards circulate petitions to make the show a regular feature with a decent time slot.
The comic is about as far from the cartoon as it could be, from the selected characters and their personalities, backstories, and connections, to the realism and style of humor, to the freedom given to the creators, to continuing storylines, to the length of its run. Whereas the cartoon Joe headquarters was an above-ground installation on the coast, the comic's "Pit" was underground and was rebuilt in new locations throughout the series. Certain Joes and Cobras did indeed die (most notably Breaker, Doc, and Serpentor), and a few of those were brought back to life (such as Dr. Mindbender). The medium is really so different that the two series can hardly be compared. Which of the two you prefer basically depends on whether you prefer cartoons or comic books in general.
Marvel produced the comic monthly from 1982 to 1994, with 155 issues in the regular run, plus several spin-off titles, such as Special Missions. The stories were written by Larry Hama, who also wrote the filecards that appeared on figure packaging during the 1980s. (He has recently resumed writing the filecards after a long absence.) The comic was revived in 2001 by Devil's Due and Image Comics.
Beyond simple spelling and grammar errors, there are some inconsistencies in the filecards, particularly when it comes to new file names ("real" names) and birthplaces for certain characters. It appears that although Larry Hama and others wrote the text of the filecards, Hasbro retained editorial license and sometimes provided names of their own for established characters. For kids who grow out of the figures after a few years, the difference is hardly noticed, but it's difficult for lifelong fans. Hama has graciously provided us with some insight into the production of the filecards:
This is a perpetual debate that in the end is mostly subjective, on a par with who would win in a no-holds-barred fight. Each of the leaders of Joe and Cobra has a different style of leadership. The Joes have always been ultimately victorious, and Cobra's greatest plans have always been foiled, so it's not really a question of results. There are also shades of difference between leaders in the comic and the cartoon.
In the cartoon, Duke was characterized as the action-hero-in-charge. He was mostly task-oriented and had a sense of urgency about him. He placed a high priority on camaraderie but expected the highest effort from his troops. Flint, perhaps even more so than Duke, was always more at home in the field than at headquarters, and was more laid-back and people-oriented. There were usually more wry comments and personal moments when Flint was around. He was the most resourceful one, and necessarily, considering his penchant for getting himself into jams. Hawk had the most formal style of leadership. As a commissioned officer, he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the top brass, and the Joes respected him more as a superior than as an equal; he was almost always addressed as "General" Hawk. (And one can hardly imagine a relationship between him and a female Joe, as was the case with Duke and Flint.) Some of the younger Joes were nervous and flustered in Hawk's presence, but he cared about his men and fought alongside them.
On the Cobra side, Cobra Commander usually failed by taking matters too much into his own hands and being too confident in himself, while Serpentor delegated tasks but demanded too much of his subordinates. When the Commander was in charge, it often seemed that Cobra had the potential to conquer the world, if only it could have a more competent leader. But during Serpentor's reign, it appeared that Serpentor was a dangerous villain frustrated by the inadequacies of the Cobra organization. Both leaders suffered from egomania and a lack of patience. Destro had the seriousness, restraint, and subtlety necessary to command true respect and accomplish his missions, but his greatest weakness was a lack of understanding the human love of freedom. Given the chance, he might indeed force a victory for Cobra, but that victory would be short-lived when, against his expectations, people rose up, preferring to rebel against overwhelming odds than submit to his rule. But one doubts Destro even has such aspirations. He is by nature more a military leader than a political ruler and would be at a loss if he were no longer planning future battles.
Check my alphabetical list of figures. If the character is not listed there, then a figure was never released officially in the US. (There may yet be a foreign or custom figure out there.) The writers of both the comic and the cartoon felt free to create characters and equipment that were not available in the stores, and only rarely (as with the Baroness and Night Creeper Leader) did these ever become toys. Comic-exclusive characters include Billy, Cool Breeze, and various Arashikage ninja masters. Among the cartoon-exclusive characters are Admiral Ledger, Colonel Sharp, Big Lob, and Pythona. I have a page dedicated to Cartoon-exclusive characters and equipment.
Thanks. I probably will.
As time passes, the line continues to develop, and the site is reorganized, some pages become outdated, redundant, or simply too cumbersome to keep up with. When that happens, I usually take the page off-line until I can figure out something better to put in its place. The code for pulled pages is still saved somewhere, but such pages are not updated along with the rest of the site.
Contact me at propadeutic@hotmail.com.
