When and How did you fall in love with GI Joe?

[Tanksmasher]

So does everyone remember the defining moment when you really fell in love with GI Joe?

For me, it was the Easter of 1984, I think. I was about ten and when my brother and I got up to hunt for eggs I found three GI Joe comics in my Easter basket--issues 21, 22 and 23. You gotta love my mother, I mean, who gets comic books for Easter?! Anyway, before then I had a couple of GI Joes like Zap, Baroness, Cobra Commander and Cobra Officer--my cousins were big collectors at the time--but I was never that excited about them. Until I read these three comics. I still have them, in fact, and issue 21 is still my favorite of any comic ever made.

I never had the vintage Duke and Roadblock but always wanted them because they were so badass--and the Rattler of course. I loved the end of issue 22 when Roadblock smoked one with the M2 and Duke was firing a PISTOL for crying out loud! Sure it was far fetched, but in a child's mind it was f..king brilliant.

It just snowballed from there and all of the sudden I began to cherish the figures I had, took better care of them and started collecting more. Snow Job and Storm Shadow were early favorites and then came Snake Eyes v2, and later I had every figure from 1985 and 1986 except Airtight and Wet Suit. These were the best years for GI Joe I think.

And to this day, there is something about those cards with the fiery backdrop, the cool character art. I used to love cutting out the tiny character pics on the back of the cards, and separating the ones I didn't have, and lying on my bed and thinking of when I might amass them all. It still strikes me as strange yet cool how so many people experienced this bizarre but incredible phenomenon that is GI joe--a toy line, a comic book, a cartoon--and that has brought us all here today.

[meyerc13]

I wish my memory of the early 80's was as good as some of the other members... I'm about your age but can't remember the specific details. That's what having kids will do to your memory (at least it did mine).

However I do remember bits and pieces. When I look at a cobra trooper I remember the original cobra troopers I had as a kid, there's a rush of emotion... I'm sure others have felt it with these new figures and vehicles recreating our childhood favorites.

I remember finding a MMS with Hawk at a little General Store while camping with my family. I remember finding the Polar Battle Bear for the first time and falling in love with it.

It's all of these little memories and emotions that come back to me, but I can't say specifically when I fell in love with GI Joe, but I remember loving the original Stalker and Snake Eyes, before they even had swivel arm battle grip. So for me it was back in the beginning, but I don't remember where I found them or how I got hooked on them before there was a comic or cartoon.

[jack138]

The very first commerical in 82...

"Cobra's captured our attack cannon! Calling GI Joe!!!"

still shivers me timbers.

[Snow cat]

It all started for me in 1982 at TRU. I was 10 and was shopping with my parents and walked into the joe isle and stopped and know thats what i wanted. Then i found the comics later on and seen commericals and then cartoons.

I even made deals with my parents that i would do my homework then stop to watch joe and then finish my homework after it ends.

[copperhead33]

in '82. i'd see the commercials. it was spring.
They'd show the animated ads for the comics. I didn't know anything about who they were or what the story was.
a few weeks later, i was camping and i remember my mom showed up, and she brought me, Breaker, Grunt, Stalker, Short Fuze and Snake Eyes. they were loose, no file cards or anything. I didn't know who they were, or any of their names.
In my mind, Snakes Eyes was the bad guy. He didn't look like the rest of the army guys so he must be bad.

[B.A.T.]

First I saw the MMS at Kay-Bee. Then I saw Cobra Commander in Woolworth, I was hooked. Then I saw the Skystriker in Bradlees, that one totally blew me away. Then the Rattler in Sears. Those were the 4 main things that got me into it.

[joshdahl]

I remember just being captivated by them.

Something about the understated realism, the utilitarian gear, and the posability....there was just action and drama tied up in there.

By comparison, He-Man figures did nothing for me. They just looked like they were trying too hard to be awesome and cool. It was like they did the imagining for us. With G.I.Joe, on the other hand....if Torpedo happened to look super cool, that was because he needed super-cool looking gear to get his job done.

Some of my friends had them. And then the MASS Device cartoon happened. And then it was my birthday.
That year my mom took me to Toys R Us for my birthday and I got a bunch of Joes and vehicles and stuff. I also got a tank/carrying case from the MASH line of toys. I remember I was dithering over wether or not to get it and my sister called me out on it by saying "he just doesn't want it because it is not the real G.I.Joe brand"

She was right. But that was it for me. I was hooked.

I memorized the filecards and any information I could get my hands on. Because i loved that there was backstory and personalities with the toys, it always frustrated me when I would meet kids who didn't know the Joe's names or what their speciaties were.

And though I eventually stopped actually PLAYING with them, I never lost interest.

Josh

ah man, i remember going to Toy City when i was a little kid and running to the Joes. The Joe aisle must have been 10 ft high and 30 ft long just packed to the "T"!

For me, joes captured everything i wanted in a figure. Before them it was all stiff joints and lame weapons. Then we were blessed with perfect articulations, great weapons, and even greater vehicles. Back then, Gi Joe toys perfectly captured what a "boys toy" needed to be!

The 25th is "ok" The figures themselves arent great (with a few exceptions) but the packaging is what does it for me. When i go to the toy aisle now and see that artwork back on the pegs it brings back some of the best memories i have ever had.

Good times!

[brock Samson]

There we were, my brother and I in 1982. We were 6 and 10. We're sitting in our living room in a rural town in North Florida. Channel 35 WESH-TV (the far off predecessor of fox at the time) has their cartoons in the morning before school and they have a commercial for the first mini series. We see it and both thought it looked cool. The next week we watch it. It was all down hill from there.

He was older and was into the comics while I started with the show and then moved onto the comics. We both had our collections of Joes. Those were pretty good years for my dad so gift giving times were plentiful with new recruits.

I remember Hannukah Harry brought the Mobat to me that year and my brother got the Vamp. He got the Skystriker for his bday and I got the Rattler for mine. We were really into the mail aways because we didn't have the shopping opportunities to pick up some vehicles. That's how I got the HISS Tank and some other vehicles. I really liked the first run of vehicles with the asp, vamp, hal laser, whirlwind, stinger etc. They were very playable and you could hitch the trailers. The HAL really looked like a laser cannon. The Flak was bad ass too!


I had a particular fondness for the original 13 and was actually happy about the reuse of the bodies whether for cost reasons or as an homage. If they could have put that fricken knife sheath on the lower leg and a holster on the thigh I'd have been a lot happier!

[ParatrooperCarbine]

It was after school in fall 1982. Iwas in second grade. I'd done well on something at school, and as a reward my mother bought me a VAMP and Rock N Roll at the PX. I loved them immediately. Not long after was either my birthday or Christmas (Christmas, I think) and I got four more Joes: Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Flash, and either Zap or Stalker. I think it was Zap.
in 1983 I discovered the comic, beginning with #9, and got every one from that point forward until the 90s. I think I missed #10 but found it later, along with the earlier ones I found at local used bookstores.