In the wake of the Vietnam conflict, Hasbro began to downplay the war theme, fearing that people would be put off by the idea. The early days were successful and profitable for the line, but nothing lasts forever. With 12-inch-tall dolls, the first range featured four types - the three armed services from the prototypes and the US Marine Corps.Īnd of course, accessories - such as rifles and other gear - were sold separately.ġ965 saw the first black soldier introduced, though not nationally, while female Joes would have to wait until 1967, and the poorly-selling Action Nurse.ġ967 also saw the first talking action figures, while around the same time a space version and foil-suited astronaut Joe was launched to capitalise on US enthusiasm for the space race. The toy line was originally launched on 2nd February 1964, based around a World War Two theme - despite the fact that some of the uniforms actually represented Korean War fatigues. So the term "action figure" was coined instead. They were never referred to as "dolls" - after all, what boy would be seen dead demanding something that girls played with? Joe (the name comes from the term "government issue").
#THE STORY OF GI JOE MOVIE MOVIE#
Joe based on the 1945 movie The Story Of G.I. Levine liked the idea, and with the two men figuring that the show's soapy elements could spin off a line of military-themed dolls, Weston set about to make it happen.Ī trip to a New York store known as The Soldier Shop brought the inspiration for the eventual toys, with prototypes created for Rocky (army), Skip (navy) and Ace (air force).īut Levine had another bright idea - and named the range G.I.
#THE STORY OF GI JOE MOVIE TV#
He held the merchandising rights to the US TV show The Lieutenant, and took a couple of episodes to Don Levine, creative director at toy giant Hasbro.
Well, not directly.īut back in 1963, toy creator and licensing agent Stan Weston noted that the girls' doll - which had launched in 1959 - had become a worldwide sensation.įiguring that boys could be tempted with something similar, yet military-based, Weston lucked into the perfect opportunity.
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