Gaze into the hypno-shield… You will think Crystal Ball is the coolest GI Joe figure ever made… Repeat after me: Crystal Ball is a better toy than ’85 Snake Eyes…Crystal Ball is a better toy than ’85 Snake Eyes…
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This package art called out to me on the same day that I first saw carded Joe figures in a store. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to buy him that day. I did score Flash, however. It wasn’t long before I was able to go back and get him. It’s such a compelling painting, and the pose is very unique among
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I find the sweater wearing Action Man and Geyperman adventurers to be quite groovy. What’s even better? The packaging. Boss.
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Here’s the earliest Real American Hero cardback, featuring just nine figures in the cross-sell art. It’s amazing to look back on something like this, and imagine a kid in 1982 turning it over to see the other original members of the revamped, smaller GI Joe toys. I don’t recall if my first carded 1982 figure, Flash, had a nine or
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Can a bit of beautifully rendered package art sell a less-than-great product? Heck, yes. Check out the card art for the 1987 versions of the Cobra Action Packs, the goofy little low price point items that featured (among other gimmicks) wind-up action. Of course, the packs were often outsized and some looked just too dang goofy on the figures, but
Read moreThere just aren’t enough shouting bearded men on kids’ toys these days. What the hell, toy companies? In all seriousness, there just aren’t enough painted packages any more. I liken it to the almost lost art of the movie poster, in which photographs and photorealistic renderings have taken the place of evocative and stylized art. Oh well, at least we
Read moreToday, it’s another entry focused on GI Joe toy packaging. Over the years, my interest in toys has evolved from an appreciation of the playthings themselves, to their marketing and packaging. The situation is a bit odd for me, considering that I generally open new toys when I buy them. I have a few choice items that I’ve bought with
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Packaging sells toys, doesn’t it? We’re starting a new little feature that focuses purely on the packaging side of things. It’s The Power of Packaging. Like the other aspects of the brand that have been covered here at JAD, expect the unexpected. My tastes are always a bit eclectic. GI Joe has had a long history of striking marketing designs
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