G.I. Joe

This article is about the action figure line. For the original character referred to as “G. I. Joe”, see General Joseph Colton. For other uses, see G.I. Joe (disambiguation).
G.I. Joe
Created byDonald Levine[1][2]
Original workAmerica's Movable Fighting Man (1964)
OwnerHasbro
Years1964–present
Print publications
ComicsG.I. Joe
Films and television
Film(s)Animated
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Spy Troops
Valor vs. Venom
Ninja Battles
Live action
The Rise of Cobra
Retaliation
Snake Eyes
Animated series1983 series
1989 series
Extreme
Sigma 6
Resolute
Renegades
Games
Video game(s)List of video games
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)List of toy series
Related franchisesTransformers
Action Force
Official website
https://shop.hasbro.com/en-us/all-products?brand=gi-joe

G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro.[3][4] The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier (U.S. Army), Action Sailor (U.S. Navy), Action Pilot (U.S. Air Force), Action Marine (U.S. Marine Corps) and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.".[5][6][7] The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.[8]

The G.I. Joe trademark has been used by Hasbro for several different toy lines, although only two have been successful. The original 12-inch (30 cm) line introduced on February 2, 1964, centered on realistic action figures.[9] In the United Kingdom, this line was licensed to Palitoy and known as Action Man. In 1982 the line was relaunched in a 3.75-inch (9.5 cm) scale complete with vehicles, playsets, and a complex background story involving an ongoing struggle between the G.I. Joe Team and the evil Cobra organization which seeks to take over the Free World through terrorism. As the American line evolved into the Real American Hero series, Action Man also changed, by using the same molds and being renamed as Action Force. Although the members of the G.I. Joe team are not superheroes, they all had expertise in areas such as martial arts, weapons, and explosives.[10]

G.I. Joe was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York, in 2004 and into the Pop Culture Hall of Fame in 2017.

  1. ^ "Father of G.I. Joe Donald Levine Dead at 86". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  2. ^ "Donald Levine, toy exec who developed G.I. Joe, dies at 86". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  3. ^ Fletcher, Dan (2009-08-07). "A BRIEF HISTORY OF G.I. Joe". Time. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  4. ^ Wharton, David (1994-07-05). "Boys and Their Toys". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  5. ^ "Why Do We Say "g.i."?". Archived from the original on 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  6. ^ "Gi | Define Gi at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. 1999-01-27. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  7. ^ "Wordorigins.org". Wordorigins.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  8. ^ Gittleson, Kim (2014-02-18). "BBC News - How did GI Joe become the world's most successful boys' toy?". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  9. ^ "February 2, 1964: G.I.Joe Released". Day in Tech History - Daily Tech History Podcast & Blog 365 Days a Year. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  10. ^ Truitt, Brian (2010-04-14). "Larry Hama relaunches his '80s 'G.I. Joe 'series". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2010-05-15. Retrieved 2010-09-01.