Mayday (Unproduced GI Joe Extreme)

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As much grief as the GI Joe Extreme concept gets, there were some interesting aspects of Hasbro’s ill-fated second attempt to follow-up the Real American Hero era. The animated series and comic book were decent, for what they were, and certainly surpassed the toys in terms of overall entertainment value. As lackluster as the toys were, I do have a soft spot for the Iron Klaw/Lt. Stone two-pack. But that’s a story for another day.

Unable to catch GI Joe lightning in a bottle for a second time, the Extreme series died on the vine before some of its second assortment could get to shelves. Mayday was one of those unfortunates who were pictured on the back of later figure packages like Black Dragon and Harpoon, but who just didn’t have the luck to make it to retail. Some carded examples apparently exist, and have been posted online over the years. So, did we miss anything, not having received the line’s only female figure? Perhaps more importantly, does anyone really care?

Aside from some nice detail in the sculpt, the figure looks to be more of the same that was seen among the Extreme toys that were released. Mayday falls more along the lines of the Lt. Stone figure, with an upright, only slightly pre-posed look. Stylistically, I’m reminded of the X-men’s 90s Jean Grey. Maybe that’s just down to the fact she’s got red hair and some padding on her outfit.

Mayday was equipped with an all terrain ski backpack. I have no idea what that does, but on the package back, she’s shown standing on the backpack in what I assume is ski mode. She did come packing a ginormous gun, a staple for the time. It looks like something Cable, or any of the forty seven other completely interchangeable, hulking Liefeld lunkheads or the era, would carry into battle. If nothing else, Mayday is most definitely extreme.

12 comments

  • That particular all-terrain ski backpack would later be recolored and packaged with a Robin figure from the Batman: The Animated Series toyline. I should know, I have that one.

  • She deifatley looks like Leifeld designed her.

    If you ask me, the reason Extreme tanked was because of the lack of variety. 98% of the figures were Lt Stone and Ironklaw there was no variety.

    I never saw any of these hideous lumps down here. I remember seeing them advertised in the Kenner ’96 catalouge [alongside Dragonheart figures] that came with some of the Star wars POTF2 items and my little brother really wanted them but we never saw them hit shelves. Was probably due to the shelf warming of the tail end of the battle corps stuff?

  • I vaguely recall the first wave of G.I. Joe Extreme figures growing up. I never purchased any of them, but I do recall seeing them and thinking they were pretty stupid. Apparently kids in my area must have all thought the same thing, because I only remember ever seeing them once, never to be seen again because they got clearanced off. The designs were definitely a product of the 90s and while I think some of them were pretty atrocious, I do have to admit, unproduced Mayday does appear to have a lot more potential than the released Extreme figures did.

  • The 90s were in love with large figure sizes. Star Wars was really all that was left in 3 3/4″ scale. The next closest was Marvel Superheroes. If it wasn’t the large figure sizes they went super small, like Exo Squad and Micro Machines Action Fleet.
    ARAH. Would have been so awesome as a dedicated Action Fleet line in the 90s.

  • A GIJoe Action Fleet line would be cool.

    I had one Extreme figure, an Iron Klaw (one in package, and one found at a Goodwill or something). As a whole line, I wouldn’t mind having (or seeing) an Extreme line up on display (here or in photos elsewhere). It’s a small enough group, I would think, and would just make a nice display of figures, much like the Sgt. Savage and Screaming Eagles line.

    Probably won’t happen here, I made the call to go all old school ARAH only years back, so not much variety in my toy mix.

    This figure picture really does feel like the ’90’s to me.

  • i had some loose Extreme figures and disliked them so much I gave them away. Guess I’m not a real GI JOE fan. I can appreciate most Joe scales, but the Extreme stuff just epitomized everything wrong with 90’s toys and GI JOE with minimal articulation is not GI JOE to me. I see those 12″ Retaliation figures in stores now, what some call “shampoo bottles”. Seem like bootlegs to me.

  • Man, the 90’s stunk.
    Still, this isn’t the worst Extreme figure I’ve ever seen.
    But that’s barely a positive.

  • She’d be a good G.I.girl…

  • IIRC, Extreme never showed up in Australia. Then again, we still had Battle Corps and Star Brigade remnants clogging shelves well into the late 90s, so that could be a part of it.

    With that being said, Mayday there is definitely one of the better looking Extreme figures, which is a loaded statement in and of itself. As is typical of the 90’s “extreme” era, the women, while insanely proportioned, still are less so then the men; tiny little wasp waists and such but at least it’s a break from the grotesque overmuscled awfulness of the male Extreme figures. Mayday seems to have gotten off likely by those standards. She doesn’t look like some of the terribad artists of the day (Lifield, J. Scott Cambell, etc) drew her which is a plus

  • @Deadborder
    I used to live in Cootamundra and the woolworths there had Battle corpse, Starbrigade, Streetfighter and mortal kombat stuff well into ’96. AND the small toyworld had a Crystal ball until ’98. I’m guessing thats why i never saw any of the Extreme stuff.

    I did have a freind who claimed to have seen “Really dumb looking Joes that didnt hardly move” when he went on a trip to Cambeltown but i’m not sure if he meant Extreme or not.

    Maybe if Mayday got to star in a video game she would have made it to shelves?

  • I watched the first episode of the cartoon and Mayday might as well have been Scarlett. She had the same attitude and would talk back to guys like Savage who were not only older than her, but probably outranked her.

    The figure has 90’s Kenner written all over her. Minimal articulation, a “fixed” or pre-posed stance, and a massive accessory.

  • @Clutch
    Is the series worth watching? Guess i’ll have to watch it as i intend to have site dedicated to all Joe cartoons one day. Doubt it could be any worse than “Revenge of the pharo’s”

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