Mutt (1989)

Mutt and Junkyard were favorites of mine back in 1984. With a host of great accessories, a cool uniform and an animal companion, the figure got a lot of play in my Joe adventures. I was surprised to see, upon returning to GI Joe collecting in the early 90s, that Mutt had another release. I was also surprised to catch Mutt in a few scenes of the DIC mini-series Operation: Dragonfire alongside other members of Sarge’s sub-team. I believe the poor guy had just a few lines, a far cry from his Sunbow glory days.

Mutt (1989)

The weirdest bits about the Slaughter’s Marauders figure set for me have been not only the paint scheme but the apps themselves. The odd swaths of green don’t quite seem to work on some of the figures in the sub-team, and the electric blue is off-putting in some cases. I find in Mutt’s case that the placement of the colors, and the entirely blue vest make the scheme come together more effectively than his teammates. The blue vest also gives off more of a police vibe than the original ’84 Mutt.

The color weirdness continues with the head. Mutt’s gone from jet black to brown hair. Maybe he’s just aged, or he’s been in the sun a lot. Okay, probably neither. Has this ever been explained? Does it in any way relate to Marauders Spirit’s missing eyebrows? Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that his original helmet had gone missing? Was Mutt replaced by Cobra with a double and they got these details wrong? Hey, that could be a good solution to offer instead of “someone was probably just lazy.”

Mutt (1989)

Mutt (1989)

5 comments

  • The face sculpt makes him look like he’s about to sneeze

  • Bouncy Bengal

    Agreed on all points. This “Cobra’s Captives” hypotheses might also explain why Low-Light turns up later with jet black hair & beard, sans his blonde locks of ’86.

  • I remember how strange Slaughter’s Marauders seemed at the time with their sloppy paint apps (I’ve likened it to the whole team falling asleep as a series of paint rollers went over them). The paint apps, the inconsistencies, the lost eyebrows, the inferior plastic, that was all a result of the Marauders figures being made in Brazil. They evidently had a slightly different plastic blend. The molds were down there for manufacture and release in that region.

    I remember how strange the plastic seemed of Junkyard. GI Joe was normally so consistent. I didn’t put it together as a kid the Made in ___ on the bottom was the explanation.

    I found the color scheme fine, just that it was how it was applied was the issue. Mutt doesn’t look nearly as bad as others.

  • Just two accessories away from completing him. All I need is the dog and nightstick.

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