last year, my response to this prompt was my Star Wars action figures. by 1982, my interest in the Star Wars franchise was already waning. Like virtually every member of my generation, I endured the 3 year wait for Return of the Jedi, only to be, in my opinion, somewhat letdown by the conclusion of the Star Wars trilogy.
In 1982, eight year-old Rob had discovered a new toy line. One that was based somewhat on the military. Only this toy line would eventually have a comic book and an animated series based upon it as well. I’m talking about G.I. Joe: a real American hero
You could bend their knees! And their elbows, and their waist as well. By 1983, Hasbro had a feature they called “swivel battle grip“ where the characters arms could turn a full 360° just above the elbow. Later on, they added a ball joint at the neck so that the characters head could twist up and down as well as left and right. This is to say that they were much more articulate than Star Wars action figures. And they were colorful! And by 1983, the FCC had overturned its previous ruling, now allowing that animators to make cartoons and eventually comic books based on toy lines. The GI Joe comics book and eventual animated series would serve 22 page or 22 minute commercials for the toys; making them even more popular than ever.
Also, I would be somewhat remiss if I didn’t add that this was really the start of “Reaganism“ in America in the early 1980s. I was eight years old and stupid. I let myself get swept up and all the patriotic further of the era. Like most little kids of my time, I played “army“ I would buy camouflage, almost like I was my own G.I. Joe. Looking back today, it was kind of a sick situation, as kids were Ro indoctrinated into and glorifying the idea of warfare.
The G.I. Joe: a real American hero toy line lasted from 1982 to 1994. When the toy line ended, I was 20 years old. But just a few years before that, the United States got involved in operation: desert shield, and operation: desert storm; series of military campaigns that would later become more collectively known as the Persian Gulf war.
By this point, G.I. Joe had done pretty much everything you could think of: they ranks had grown to include international team members. They had gone into space. They had a futuristic side team. Their enemies had a motorcycle gang. The creative well had run dry. In addition to this, the idea of war came became much more real to the average American. It was no longer as glamorous as they had believed it to have been
I even though I was no long playing with the toys, I was still collecting them. By the end of the run, there were literally hundreds of Gi Joe action figures just United States alone. This is to say nothing about the variance and figures that were available only overseas; let alone with the numerous knock off toys that came along over the years
This day, I still own most, but not quite all of the G.I. Joe toys that I collected as a child a few years back, I sold off some of the toys that I still had in packages, as they had attained the most value. And while I’m as sentimental as I’ve ever been, I’m also starting to look at the reality of the situation. Some of these toys are now 40 years old or more. It was not unusual, even back in the fraud, to have some of the hands thumbs or your limbs snap off of figures.
After 40 years, go Joe toys are starting to show their age. The plastic with which they are made has become very brittle. The rubber bands inside the figures holding them together have completely dry rotted. The white plastic that many of the toys were made with has now taken on a yellowish tint. The figures are starting to fall apart, as many people in the G.I. Joe Facebook groups will attest. If I’m going to sell any of them to make money, I better do it fast.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts
- Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
- A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
- The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
- Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
- The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie
The article “my greatest childhood keepsakes“ first appeared on Rebuilding Rob
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