Crazylegs (1987)
Crazylegs would seem to be a weird code name for airborne assault, but I was used to the name in some respect, as my Dad was prone to mention Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch when I was young. Why did he? I have no idea. But that’s my crazylegs story.
Crazylegs to me is one of those figures who just always seem to show up. When I was a kid, he seemed to be perennially available. You know the kind of toy–when your parent(s) tell you that you can pick something out and there’s just not much to choose from. As a kid, it’s impossible to just tell them you’ll wait until you’re at another store. So you pick up a figure like Crazylegs. Later, as an adult collector, he always seemed to be in the lots I came across. I’m not disparaging the character or the figure, just remembering how I picked mine up. And I was pretty picky when it came to the ’87 Joes, so he ranked pretty high to me.
He’s a nice addition to previous jumper favorites like Airborne and Ripcord. His color scheme seems more suited to a performing skydiver than military, but the Joes always need a little flash in the ranks. The cool rifle and jump pack are most of what drew me to the figure back in the day, and they’re still my favorite elements of the toy.
If I had one wish, it would have been for a removable helmet. I always found the Joes had a little more personality when you could remove their headgear. However, Crazylegs has a pretty unique and expressive face. He certainly looks like he’s enjoying his work. He must be happy to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
Loved this figure as a kid, still love em.
My only gripe would be about the gray shoulders. I wish they would’ve made the upper arms red and painted the gray on to address this.
That damn Saw viper [sad face]
As a kid, I wasn’t high on this figure. The lack of air mask was what did him in for me. But, I’ve grown to appreciate him much more as a collector. I always thought the gun was as close a proximity to the cartoon rifle as we got in the vintage line.
I also had a couple of them as a kid. So, he ended up an army builder for the Joes.
”Looks like a throw-back action figure, from The Action Force(British G.I.Joe)version of World War 2 para-troopers.”
My very first Joe,always had and always will have a soft spot for him
“Crazylegs to me is one of those figures who just always seem to show up. When I was a kid, he seemed to be perennially available. You know the kind of toy–when your parent(s) tell you that you can pick something out and there’s just not much to choose from. As a kid, it’s impossible to just tell them you’ll wait until you’re at another store. So you pick up a figure like Crazylegs.”
For me, it was Hardball. Every time I went to the store, he was there and I’d never buy him. I’d choose a different figure. But, over time, the selection of available Joes that I didn’t already have got slimmer and slimmer, so I finally just bought him one night. This would’ve been at the end of ’91 or the beginning of ’92. The only other ’88 Joe I was able to pick up that late at a local store was the ’88 Storm Shadow. Thank God for that score.
I don’t know if it was his smirky face or bright red, but Crazylegs never did it for me. Got him new (somehow), so he had his neat folding rifle stock, but I was never very interested in him. Ripcord, even with his weird boots, was far superior to me. Now if I’d gotten the Night Force Crazylegs, maybe I would’ve appreciated him more.
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I liked him even if the red was a bit much. I liked the expression. It’s more subtle than some and gives him character. The problem with a removable helmet, is you’d probably lose the chin strap look..
Downside to the pack is that you can’t do much with him while he’s wearing it. Either he’s going to jump or he’s not. the only vehicles he could jump out from his release years were the Tomahawk and the X-19.