Footloose (1985)
The GI Joe Collectors Club recently announced that the 2012 exclusive subscription figure will be Footloose, one of the most requested figures to not get a 25th anniversary style figure. Why is he such a fan demanded character?
1985 is regarded by many Joe collectors as the pinnacle of the vintage line. So many iconic characters and designs that continue to be produced even in the modern line had their beginning in this year. It was a year that introduced new specialized Cobra troops as well as some great new Joes that both supplemented and replaced the original characters. Footloose, the Joe team’s new infantryman, is an example of the latter, and is he ever an improvement over his predecessor, Grunt.
Don’t get me wrong, I have much love for the original 13 Joes, but there’s just no comparison with the later figures in terms of sculpt and detail . The attention to detail and the small touches are what make this figure continue to resonate with collectors. He easily fits in even with later figures, thanks to his level of detail, subtle paint apps and bulkier style. 1985 was also a great year for accessories, and Footloose gets his fair share: an awesome new M-16 with strap, rocket launcher, new backpack and a fantastically sculpted helmet with sculpted camo and web cover.
Footloose dropped out of college and moved to the west coast to “find himself”. He ended up joining the Army. He was portrayed in both his file card and the cartoon as an “out there” individual. In the cartoon, even gave us tips on what to do for a nosebleed.
Easily one of the best figures from 1985 and one of the greatest ever. I would often pair him up on missions with Dusty, as the Sunbow cartoon did once. The upcoming club exclusive is a perfect update and a must for any Footloose fans “out there.” LOL.
The 85 Cobra army.builders get a lot of the limelight but I think the Joe personalities from that year are great too.
I didn’t know Joe had an infantry position. I thought they were all Special Ops.
They’re all specialists to be sure, but when the crap goes down, everybody picks up a rifle and fights. Like my dad says, in the end, everybody’s MOS is 11 Bravo.
I agree, 1985 was a great year. My all-time favorite Joe figure, Snake Eyes v2, came out that year. 🙂
What I like best about Footloose are his uniform’s woodland camo pattern and the accessories–you can sling either his M16 or LAW from his backpack! 🙂
Snake Eyes v2 is one of my favorites too. When I sold all my Joes when I was a teen, I only kept two–v2 Snake Eyes and the Battle Armor Cobra Commander.
Brilliant! I jumped onto the Joe universe with the 85 series but it was called ‘Action Force’ then and a lot of the file cards were edited to make the characters British. Footloose was said to be from Scotland! I had totally forgotten about his accessories as mine got lost years ago. He’s pretty well tooled up for an early Joe!
I saw his Action Force file card. Interesting how the characters’ backgrounds were changed for the UK.