Agent Jinx (2004)

Jinx, being one of the handful of female Joe characters, has naturally become a fan favorite. Strong opinions and great expectations seem to follow fan favorites like Monday follows Sunday.

A figure like the 1987 Jinx, which was so simple in terms of design (red pajamas) would seem to be a welcome candidate for a redesign. At the very least, an unmasked head would be a nice upgrade, as she was prominently portrayed as such in the 1987 animated movie.

Fans who don’t mind a little variety in Joe design got their wish with the Valor Vs. Venom version of the Joes’ ninja intelligence specialist. The uniform design jettisons the PJs in favor of a more battle ready take. The long tunic inhibits leg movement, which is unfortunate, since a ninja figure should always be able to perform an unrestricted scissor kick to the head.

The coolest new element is the unmasked head with blindfold, a nice nod to both the animated movie portrayal as well as her training background with the Blind Master in the comics.

Elements of this design have made their way into the most recent version of Jinx, a collectors club exclusive subscription figure. I guess fans of ’87 Jinx will just have to wait and hold out hope that she’ll don the classic red outfit for the GI Joe movie sequel in 2012. Highly unlikely, unless there’s a scene of the Joe team members lounging around the HQ at bedtime.