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12-07-2008, 02:29 PM | #21 |
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Quote:
Simply Put Yes Transformers kicked G.I. Joes ass back then and still do to this day. (I hope that Cobra Coffee isn't lurking around he may throw me into the Arena of Ssssport for saying such a thing.)
But while we're on the subject I was thinking of listing the most popular toy lines of the 80's in order, BTW my observation, I can't back it up with numbers but if someone wants to throw down the gauntlet I'll be savy and go get those numbers 4 you. 1. Star Wars 2. Transformers 3. Masters of the Universe/G.I. Joe (tied for third) 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which only had two years in the 80's) BTW 5. Thundercats/DC Super Powers 6. Silverhawks 7.M.A.S.K 8. Go-Bots 9.C.O.P.S. 10.Inhumanoids 11. Battle Beasts 12. The Real Ghostbusters/ and Ghostbusters 13.Voltron Take into consideration, I'm basing this on how much product was available of each line and how long the line lasted on Shelves. I.E. Was there a playset(s) how many figures + variations, how expensive was each toy, how long the cartoon/comic ran for, was there a coresponding movie? All those questions I've thought about, but if you want numbers just ask like I said, I know there's one person on here I can count on challenging me. |
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12-07-2008, 02:37 PM | #22 |
I Brake For Asari!
Join Date: Apr 2008
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care bears.....cabbage patch kids...pound puppy/kitty
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12-07-2008, 03:03 PM | #23 |
Cobra Viper
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Quote:
Simply Put Yes Transformers kicked G.I. Joes ass back then and still do to this day. (I hope that Cobra Coffee isn't lurking around he may throw me into the Arena of Ssssport for saying such a thing.)
But while we're on the subject I was thinking of listing the most popular toy lines of the 80's in order, BTW my observation, I can't back it up with numbers but if someone wants to throw down the gauntlet I'll be savy and go get those numbers 4 you. 1. Star Wars 2. Transformers 3. Masters of the Universe/G.I. Joe (tied for third) 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which only had two years in the 80's) BTW 5. Thundercats/DC Super Powers 6. Silverhawks 7.M.A.S.K 8. Go-Bots 9.C.O.P.S. 10.Inhumanoids 11. Battle Beasts 12. The Real Ghostbusters/ and Ghostbusters 13.Voltron Take into consideration, I'm basing this on how much product was available of each line and how long the line lasted on Shelves. I.E. Was there a playset(s) how many figures + variations, how expensive was each toy, how long the cartoon/comic ran for, was there a coresponding movie? All those questions I've thought about, but if you want numbers just ask like I said, I know there's one person on here I can count on challenging me. |
12-07-2008, 03:07 PM | #24 |
The Mighty
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Canada
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Personally, I found that in the 80's, everyone owned at least a few Joes. Those who weren't total Joe-freaks were more into He-Man or Transformers. But even though it's arguable as to when GI Joe lost it's steam (to me, it was 93), Hasbro stopped making Transformers, for the most part, in '88. Oh, sure, there was the odd attempt, and even Generation 2; when they brought the G2 cartoon out, however, GI Joe was STILL going strong.
Now, I was born in '82, so I didn't know too much about the original 13 (when I first saw them, I thought they were so crappy, I believed they were dollar-store knockoffs), so my big introduction into Joe came in '87 when I inherited my brother's collection. I was a Joe fan until the final days, even though the figures severely lacked in quality by that point. I only had one friend who still remembered Transformers, and even he had a ton of Joes. Honestly, it wasn't until Beast Wars, in my opinion, that Transformers became cool again. I jumped on the band wagon, and even started buying old Transformers from people at school and garage sales whenever I could. Oh, I was a huge Transformer fan for much of my highschool life, until it dawned on me one day... these old 80's figures suck 'cause they have almost no articulation! When Beast Wars started getting weird in it's final days, I lost interest, and ventured into different giant robots, mostly Gundam. Oh, sure, Hasbro re-released a few Joe vehicles and repainted figures over the years through Toys'R'Us, but when they started with the whole "Valor vs Venom" thing, I was out. These days, I would definitely say Joe loses out to Transformers, but then again, the recent Micheal Bay movie surely had something to do with that. I can only hope Sommers can do the same for GI Joe. So to recap, I think in the 80's GI Joe was found to be vastly superior to Transformers, starting earlier and lasting a lot longer, but times have since changed. I always felt that during the 80's, when all we had was the 'cold war,' GI Joe was cooler and easier for parents to accept. Into the 90's, and to this day, there have been a lot of REAL wars, and just like the old 12" Joes from our parent's days, war toys aren't so cool when there's actually a war going on (a controversial one at that). I'm sure that if Earth is ever invaded by seemingly genderless robots which disguise themselves as cars and trucks and jets and tricked-out vintage WWII handguns, well, I'll bet Transformers toys will take a drop in popularity, too. |
12-07-2008, 03:20 PM | #25 |
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Quote:
1. Star Wars
2. Transformers 3. Masters of the Universe/G.I. Joe (tied for third) 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which only had two years in the 80's) BTW 5. Thundercats/DC Super Powers 6. Silverhawks 7.M.A.S.K 8. Go-Bots 9.C.O.P.S. 10.Inhumanoids 11. Battle Beasts 12. The Real Ghostbusters/ and Ghostbusters 13.Voltron It is really hard to define any sort of top 10 list without numbers simply because of the volume of different toylines released between 1982-1989. I noticed other "flash in the pan" lines like Visionaries, Sectaurs, Chuck Norris, Karate Kid, Dino Riders or dozens of others, not counting old stand bys like How Wheels and/or Matchbox diecast (who also did their experimentation with various concepts). In the end, DOZENS of toyline all had a few minutes in the limelight or trailing the coattails. I think, all said and done, GI Joe DID manage to attain a market penetration comparable to Hot Wheels, at least until a new era of competition from Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and other factors did them in in the early 90s.
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12-07-2008, 04:24 PM | #26 |
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Hard question to answer accurately. Hasbro sold A LOT of G.I.Joe figures, and the line was very popular in quite a few international markets too.
IIRC, Hasbro have also said that where they made most of the money from G.I.Joe was on the accessories. There was some evidence floating around a few years back (sorry can't remember where) that Transformers weren't necessarily as profitable for Hasbro in the early days as some may think. Why they wouldn't be i'm not sure... Perhaps because manufacturing them in Japan was not cost effective. (After the early run of the '86 line production in Japan was reduced considerably) This really shouldn't descend into a TFs are better than G.I.Joe or G.I.Joe is better than Transformers argument though. The two are very closely linked. Takara marketed 12 inch Joes as Action Joe, this in turn lead Takara to create lines such as Henshin Cyborg, Microman, and then Microchange and Diaclone. As many of you know the first two years of Transformers were almost entirely composed of toys from Diaclone and Microchange. Takara did attempt to market some Diaclone toys in the U.S. as Diakron... but the line wasn't too successful. It took Hasbro's financial and marketing resources to make the line a success, those resources being made available probably through the success of G.I.Joe. Last edited by miscreant; 12-07-2008 at 04:27 PM.. |
12-07-2008, 04:52 PM | #27 |
Mega Super Stoned Viper
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great question!
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12-07-2008, 05:03 PM | #28 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Irving, TX
Posts: 325
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G.I. Joe was definitely more popular.
The transformers toyline fizzled out and got discontinued around 1990, while G.I. Joe kept going. And G.I. Joe was routinely Marvel's top selling title in the mid-late '80s. |
12-07-2008, 05:07 PM | #29 |
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Actually they keep TF on the shelves in some Form......GI Joe may have kept going but it wasnt selling.........nor was tf till Beast Wars......Joe was behind in sales all through the 90s......but TF stayed on top....Joe just made it back, but it still gets out sold......it was big untill 89...
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spacemonkeymafia |
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12-07-2008, 05:16 PM | #30 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Irving, TX
Posts: 325
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no in 91 and 92 GI Joe was still pretty huge
this was around the same time they tried to bring back the G2 Transformers and they pretty much bombed. by the late 80s the transfromers had pretty much disappeared. They may have still had some toys in the late 80s but they were nowhere near as popular as they had been. Their cartoon was off the air while G.I Joe was still in syndication and still had the DIC cartoon till 92. Transformers basically had 3 big years from 84-86 but Joe had a whole decade. |
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