The Father of All Action Figures: G.I. Joe

Left to right- 1964 original G.I. Joe,
2013 current G.I. Joe, and
1993 'Real American Hero' 'Chun Li'. 

     Before the commencement of posting proper, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on a friend, a countryman- a moment of respect for G.I. Joe. Pictured far left, G.I. Joe was the original action figure. Marketed as 'America's Movable Fighting Man', the 12" G.I. Joe first hit store shelves in 1964. A few prominent features of the classic toy were in fact made to render the design able to be trademarked- the scar on his cheek and an inverted thumbnail on the right hand. The word 'doll' was feminine- so the team at Hasbro developed the term 'action figure'. And thus was born a market. But Joe was somewhat short-lived, at least as a serviceman- the line was reimagined as an 'Adventure Team' as sentiment mounted against war in the late 60's, and the G.I. Joe line was dormant by the end of 1976.
     However, G.I. Joe did not rest for long. In 1982, G.I. Joe would return. By that point, action figures had become much simpler in mobility, because most action figures were produced in a smaller, 3 3/4" scale.  But while most of its contemporaries maxed out at five points of swivel articulation- the four limbs and a neck- G.I. Joe went above and beyond the call of duty. The standard G.I. Joe of the Real American Hero line had a whopping 12 points of articulation, with new design concepts like ball joints and a unique rubber-band waist joint. Since then, versions of this Real American Hero line have been a test-bed for action-figure innovations, allowing Hasbro to develop ideas they would translate to other action figure lines such as Star Wars and Marvel Universe, and the line continues to this day.
    First and a continuing innovator, G.I. Joe is a cornerstone of geek history. Without G.I. Joe, there would be no action figures- and without action figures, there would be no Transformers, no Masters of the Universe, no Power Rangers- not to mention no way to tangibly show your dedication to your own favorite geeky fandom! G.I. Joe, we salute thee- for what you are and what you have done for geeks everywhere.