We’re going off the rails tonight, but it’s still tangentially Joe related–in my eyes, at least. I’m fascinated by the myriad me-too military toy lines that arose in the early 80s after GI Joe’s relaunch broke into the big time. Sure, Hasbro cribbed the o-ring and rivet format from Mego/Takara (and Hasbro itself by proxy if you want to get
Read more
I just can’t get off the Christmas Catalog kick. There’s so much cool stuff to pore over. Now I remember why I spent so many hours staring at this stuff as a kid. Tonight we forego the usual toys to check out the miscellaneous items that were released early in the 80s line’s launch. From toothbrushes to ride-ons, there’s something
Read more
This page has not only some ’86 and ’87 Joe favorites like the Tomahawk and Mobile Command Center, but it’s also got a rarity of non-Joe product. I don’t recall coming across too much Lanard material in the 80s catalogs I’ve seen. This one shows a couple of vehicles from the Gung Ho branded line. The amazing thing about these
Read more
In the days before Cyber Monday, there was…um, Catalog Whatever Day. 80s and 90s kids probably remember the big three Christmas catalogs from Wards, Sears and JC Penney, but do you recall the lesser known holiday toy tomes? This one comes to us courtesy of Joe bud Flag Points Dave, and it’s a great flashback to the days when Joes
Read more
I remember first seeing trace plates from ads for the Mighty Men and Monster Maker kit. The commercial (see it here) was burned in my brain. This GI Joe set, released in the 90s, and based on many of the DIC era figures, is along similar lines, although you build two parts of a scene rather than new characters. Now
Read more
It’s the holiday season again here in the US, and that means toymaker Lanard is holding its annual sale at its warehouse just outside Kansas City, MO. JAD made the trip out for opening day, accompanied by Joe bud and fellow Toy Department podcast host Andrew AKA Twitziller. Andrew walked away with a huge haul that filled a large box.We
Read more
By KansasBrawler If there was one problem I had with the Resolute miniseries, it was how they handled Storm Shadow. Much like Destro, I’ve always seen Storm Shadow as an honorable villain. While the fight scene he had with Snake Eyes was pretty awesome, the overall character came across as an angry brat to me rather than someone with a
Read more
On previous Thanksgiving Day posts, I’ve focused on various turkeys throughout GI Joe history. I guess being a big fan of MST3K during my 90s college years has really rubbed off on me. I thought I’d take a break from the funny this year and reflect on the things for which I’m thankful. In relation to the blog, I’m thankful
Read more
Here’s what I wouldn’t mind seeing under my tree this year. 1987 was the last year I bought Joe toys as a kid, and I’m sorry I missed out on the vehicles from that year. I did track them down as an adult, but nothing beats memories of childhood play.
Read more
From the 1991 Hasbro international catalog comes the Arctic Blast. I love the snowy background in this one. Very Wampa ice cave.
Read more