G.I. Joe Day
February 1, 2017
In 1964, Hassenfeld Brothers later changed to Hasbro introduced its first toy named G.I. JOE which was specifically made for boys at the American International Toy show in New York.
Don Levine was a business executive at Hasbro credited as the “father” of G.I. Joe action figures. “G.I.” was used to denote “Government Issue” and became a generic term to refer U.S. soldiers.
In 1964, Hasbro released the first set of military style toys which represented the four branches of the United States Military Force – the Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force) and Action Marine (Marine Corps). They did not call them dolls, they called them action figures.
G.I. Joe was a hit and in 2003 it became a member of the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York.
Some interesting facts about G.I. JOE:
G.I. Joe’s action figures are called America’s Movable Fighting Man.
G.I. Joe action figures have been a classic American toy for more than 50 years.
Two live action G.I. Joe movies have been released in recent years. “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” in 2009, and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” in 2013.
Some of the G.I. Joes are named after real people.
G.I. Joe has a scar across his right cheek. This enables Hasbro to copyright its toys, because otherwise the human figure itself cannot be copyrighted.
In 1967, Hasbro introduced its first female Joe: G.I. Nurse Action Girl. It was a spectacular failure … and is now one of the world’s most sought-after collectible.
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org / www.neatorama.com
Image Credit: www.en.wikipedia.org
