I will arm wrestle anyone who impugns the quiet dignity of the Cobra Pogo Ballistic Battle Ball. Like the finest art, the Pogo and its package presentation bring the inherent beauty of the natural world into sharp contrast. The fact that the Pogo does not exist except in tiny plastic toy form does not rob it of the same power
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Quick Kick gets some grief for his look, particularly when folks take his specialty out of context, or more often, when discussing his first appearance in the Sunbow cartoon. What good is a shoeless and shirtless martial artist in a military setting, they might ask. It’s also easy to point out the oddness of his being so attired in the
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I’ve long thought I could tie GI Joe and Visionaries together in a way that goes beyond the figures’ construction style. Now I don’t have to try to make up some sort of half-baked No-Prize explanation connecting the world of Prysmos to the larger Sunbow Cartoonic Universe. That’s my original term, by the way–feel free to use it. Hasbro is
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I’m a catalog nut, and particularly enjoy diorama setups from the golden age ads of the 1980s. I pored over the Sears, Wards and JC Penney catalogs enough to call them up from memory. As such, I’ve been on the lookout for ads that I haven’t seen before. UK department store Argos is of course unknown to me, but I
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I don’t even remember where or when I found this scan of an Eaton’s catalog GI Joe page (apologies if anyone knows where it originated) but I’m in love with the basic but dramatic lighting effects. Often these dio shots feature realistic skies to match the terrain, but this setup goes for a more evocative tone. There’s also some craziness
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Over the years, we’ve not covered one of the most integral elements of the 1980s Joe toys: blueprints. These little extras, printed on the reverse side of vehicle/playset instructions were yet another tool in Hasbro’s world-building arsenal. If a kid were so inclined they could pore over the more technical aspects of their new plaything. Another brilliant low-cost marketing feature
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If there’s one thing Cobra does better than the Joes, it’s to come up with outlandish and ultimately dangerous vehicles. I salute them in this regard, as it takes a special kind of nuts to knowingly develop machinery that will do severe harm to life and limb of troops. Further, that said troops will look gloriously goofy in their final
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This page has not only some ’86 and ’87 Joe favorites like the Tomahawk and Mobile Command Center, but it’s also got a sampling of non-Joe product. This one shows a couple of vehicles from the Gung Ho branded line. The amazing thing about these two molds is the fact that they continued to be produced into the 2000s. Also
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Bust out those crayons again, kids. This ain’t no adult coloring book page, it’s a blast from the past. Make sure your green isn’t worn down too far, as you’re gonna need a lot to finish the mighty Wolverine.
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Love or hate Duke, you can’t help but admire a nicely done 80s Joe cardback. Some might say this should have been an action shot like his team mates, but I like the simple and heroic pose. Boys want a leader in their play patterns, and Duke filled the bill. Sure, Hasbro could have done another Hawk, but looking at
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