In the Power of Packaging feature, we take a look at the paintings and other marketing images that have enticed us to pick up GI Joes from the shelves over the years. In the 80s, the Joes we loved weren’t always available in stores. Some of the most special figures to me were the mail-away exclusives, which were either released
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By KansasBrawler I think my favorite part of the 2000s Joe relaunch was the new uniform the artists at Devil’s Due Publishing designed for Storm Shadow. It was a unique look, but it really worked well for the character and it was honestly a pretty cool design. I was kind of shocked that, considering all the versions of Storm Shadow
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Right off–a few words of “shame on me”. First, this figure is not complete. I can’t seem to find his grapple rifle, which bums me out because it’s such a great accessory. Second, I’ve been missing posts here and there. Yeah, life is busy, and toy blogs come in lower on the priority list. I’m still here though, so–yay! Third,
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In my experience as a kid comic book reader, the advertisements that peppered the four-color pages of my youth fell into three important categories, each with its own unique merits. First, there are the house ads, which served the purpose of touting upcoming new comics or important events. These are interesting from a historic and marketing perspective. Second, we have
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When I was a kid, I had checked out a toy history book from the local library (from the reference section not to be taken from the building–shhh! Don’t tell anyone!) and it had old 60s and 70s catalog pages printed throughout. The 12 inch Adventure Team Joes were featured prominently, and I remember being enthralled and perplexed about the
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In the world of collecting, there’s a term I find very interesting: focus. Considering that my GI Joe collection spans the breadth of the 70s through the modern day, I’ve not paid much attention to honing in on one particular area. I’ve had thoughts of starting a 1991 Snake Eyes focus, but have yet to follow through on it. Looking
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By KansasBrawler I have a relatively complicated relationship with Sci-Fi. He’s one of the few figures my brother had growing up that I really wanted in my collection. For the most part, I preferred Cobras while my brother preferred the Joes, but Sci-Fi really appealed to me for some reason. My gut instinct says that it’s because he was a
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I covered the Rapid Deployment Force back in 2013, and I had a grand time revisiting the re-purposed Pocket Patrol Pack. It even inspired me to wear the thing out on the town. Read the sordid story here. It’s one of my faves. Now on to the real purpose. If you’re into action figure carrying cases of all stripes, I
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It’s the Fourth of July here in the US, and that means fireworks and barbecue. I did the same thing last year, but this time I thought I’d go with a Barbecue figure that is actually equipped to put out a wayward grill or firework. Sort of. Barbecue (1992)
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Buying a GI Joe vehicle in the 80s and 90s was akin to the experience of a plastic model kit. Not only did you have to put the vehicle together, there was also the fun of removing parts from a plastic sprue, and placing tiny decals on the finished build. What fun! Once the 2000s rolled around, the building experience
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