|
|
Thread Tools |
04-14-2020, 12:34 PM | #1 |
Cobra Soldier
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Hartford
Posts: 1
|
Hi, just wondering if anybody has any insight on the dates when original ARAH toys were released? Not looking for the exact date, but just general time frame. Assuming it followed a specific pattern, but really curious about this, especially when it comes to the subteams (Night Force, Tiger Force, Slaughter's Marauders, Battle Force 2000, etc).
For instance, the Series 1 '82 Joes, were they released in March '82 or maybe June '82 (when the comic launched) or maybe Sep '82 to build demand for Christmas or something else (also the future cartoons would be released in September every year)? Then were all the '83 Joes released a year later? Or did the Series 1.5 swivel arm Joes from '82 get released first, and then the new '83 Joes 6 months later, or vice versa? But really curious when we start getting to around '87 and the various sub teams were launched. Were the toys released all at once or were the releases staggered (and if so how/when). Like were the main Series 7 '88 Joes released in March, then Tiger Force in Sep, then Night Force in Dec, etc. Going off my childhood memories, I think they were staggered, but just trying to get a grasp of when they were actually released. Any insight would be appreciated. |
04-14-2020, 06:29 PM | #2 |
Monster Maker
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Vancouver, WA.
Posts: 2,061
|
Not sure if this helps but...
I can only tell you what I remember, nothing official but the figures were some of the first product released and that was in April along with a couple of the smaller vehicles. For example; I remember in '86 the whole years figure wave released at once a few weeks before Easter with the Devilfish and Cobra Hydro Sled being the only new vehicles at the time. That years wave of figures would be steadily released throughout the year with new stuff early and the previous years figures added to the the mix usually sometime during the summer or fall. It was the vehicles that got the slow release as the year went by. If you lucked out and got one of first vehicles released in that wave you might get the new years catalog showing what was going to get released but a lot of the time you would get the previous years, kind of a gamble when you were a kid. The vehicles did seem to get released with the toys, in fact, if you look at the dates on the comics and what vehicles were featured in it you can get a good idea of what time of the year the vehicles were released. If you look at this link https://www.yojoe.com/comics/joe/joe59.shtml you can see the Pogo Bubble and the S.L.A.M. on the cover, those were released the same month and a lot of the time they would use the same commercial animation to promote both the toy and comic.
__________________
Personal sculpting blog: http://monster-zer0.blogspot.com/ Hisstank threads I've started about sculpting... General Sculpting http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...ut-sculpt.html RTV mold http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-tutorial.html The last thing you will hear is the cracking of your vertebrae, One... By... One! Last edited by r3v3n63; 04-14-2020 at 06:39 PM.. |
04-14-2020, 07:58 PM | #3 |
retro O-rings, baby!
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 829
|
I asked the same q recently and the replies I got said that there is no known database with this info anywhere on the net. Hope that turns out to be wrong but I doubt it.
As r3v3n63 (do you say it raven or revan like the Star Wars character?) wrote, comics are a good guide. Larry has confirmed that there was a coordinated effort there, but in general terms. Unfortunately there isn’t a notarized oath anywhere proving that in all cases it was exact. |
04-15-2020, 07:25 PM | #4 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SK, Canada
Posts: 406
|
I can only recall them being released early spring - March or so probably. Whether that was the whole wave or only partial, I never really considered. I do distinctly recall that issue #47 - the one with Beachhead, Wet Suit, and Hawk riding the Devilfish - being released before the figures - if that helps at all. As far as the sub teams go - I feel like Battleforce 2000 was released alongside everything else at the time.
|
09-09-2020, 05:00 PM | #5 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,335
|
Memory is of course an unreliable thing, but for what it's worth, my recollection of it has always been that my obsession with G.I. Joe started when I received the VAMP with Clutch for my birthday in April of 1982. So the first wave of toys must have come out early in the year.
|
09-09-2020, 09:57 PM | #6 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: sitting in my tin can far above the world
Posts: 3,922
|
I don't have much to add except a tale of my own.
I remember taking the comic book in which the Fred 7 battle armor Cobra Commander made his first appearance to school and a kid told me he had the figure. I told him he was full of beans, it's not out yet and he said "My dad is friends with a guy who works at Hasbro". The next day, he brought the figure into school and proved me wrong. I conceded I was indeed wrong. I don't remember the exact time frame, but it was awhile before that wave of toys were findable in stores in my area. On edit, I believe that issue came out in the spring of 87.
__________________
Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-feedback.html Last edited by Breakerfan; 09-09-2020 at 10:03 PM.. |
09-10-2020, 01:18 AM | #7 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Iowa
Posts: 4,245
|
It's hard to get any accuracy by memories unless your family went shopping a lot.
Toy Far catalogs show that GI JOE figures were usually in assortments, containing a mix of new and reshipping figures. That's why some of us saw some of the new figures before others. Were they staggered or was it some stores getting some assortments and others getting other cases? I don't know. Battle Force 2000 came in late 1987 on single cards (I never saw them, see by my memories they never existed!). The 2 packs were 1988 releases, as were the vehicles apparently. But it's all lumped in 1987 in guides with a certain site even claiming the BF 2000 vehicles were discontinued in 1988 (The only year's product folder they appeared in!) By my recollection TIGER FORCE was late 1988 and a total surprise. The Tiger Fish and Tiger Sting didn't show up until 1989, as noted by guides. Sonic Fighters were a late 1990 release, so late they have 1991 figures on their card backs, but are considered 1990 releases. The Rat and Barracuda appeared in Toys R Us fliers in late 1991, but are still 1992 releases. Likewise the Talking Battle Commanders were really fall 1991 releases, but again are considered 1992. The first two BATTLE CORPS waves were in stores in fall 1992, but again are 1993 releases as records go. |
09-10-2020, 05:44 PM | #8 |
Bridge Layer Driver
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Ft. Wadsworth
Posts: 737
|
March or late February seemed to be the norm in my area. It wasn't unusual to see the commercials a week or two, before. For instance, I remember seeing the commercial for the comic book in mid-February 1982...then freaked out a week or two later when it became a toy commercial.
In 1982, the 3 Cobra figures (Commander, Trooper and Officer) didn't come out until the summer. I can't remember if the Sears Missile Base with all 3 was released before then. Regardless, the 3 original Cobra figures came later. I think their release coincided with the TV commercial for GI Joe #5. The Bridge Layer showed up as a Sears exclusive in time for Christmas 1984. It was released, everywhere else, in 1985 on the usual schedule. BattleForce 2000 (both figures and vehicles) suddenly hit the shelves around late October or November 1987. I always figured it was a Christmas sales push. Python Patrol followed suit in late 1988. Starting in 1989, they began to release regular figures a bit earlier, like in January. Even if it was just two or three. I remember going to a Target in late 1988 and getting (coincidentally) TARGAT, a few days after Christmas, 1988. In late 1991, they released Snake-Eyes, Tracker and that weird red-faced Cobra Commander. Plus a buncha' Sonic Fighters, like Zap and Major Bludd. Sometimes, the vehicles would arrive before the figures, which drove me nuts. In 1984, I had the Bivouac, Watch Tower and Missile Defense Unit about three weeks before I got my first 1984 figures (Mutt, Blowtorch, Recondo and Scrap-Iron). In 1988, I got the Cobra Imp before any new figures had arrived in my area.
__________________
>>Chuck X Goren's GI Joe Comic Book Index<< |
09-10-2020, 08:08 PM | #9 |
I LIVE!
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Altus, OK
Posts: 6,087
|
From what I've gathered over the years, both researching GI Joe and other toy lines:
A majority of toy lines typically launch after Toy Fair, normally in the late summer as stores gear up for Christmas sales. Back in the 80s, Toy Fair WAS the place to order new toys, so aside from "major toy accounts" with a major retail presence (Toys R Us, KayBee, etc), I would not expect many retailers to have a new line until the fall shipments. That likely explains the staggered release of the Cobra figures in 1982: the "big boys" got their shipments shortly after Toy Fair, but the Cobra faction was seemingly a late addition so their figures didn't cycle in until the "second wave" of shipments that went out for the fall. The comic had a launch in May of 1982, so that would give most of summer for word to spread about the brand before the rollout of the Christmas catalogs. In terms of "early arrivals", I think it came down to retail. At the holidays, retailers will throw out EVERYTHING to make every last cent they can, so my belief is that, because GI Joe was such a staple product line by 1987, Hasbro was more willing to launch new product before an official unveil at Toy Fair. Items like Tiger Force or Battle Force 2000 simply slipped out early because of that, even though they were likely intended to be put out following the holidays. Anyone that has followed the industry has likely seen situations where retailers will just put stuff out before they're supposed to. And as you get into the 1990s, you also have to consider GI Joe's decreasing retail value and other projects Hasbro was doing. It wouldn't surprise me if Battle Corps rolled out early given the impending release of Jurassic Park merchandise, or the continued success of Batman merchandise (like the release of toys tied to the Animated Series).
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRealDubya
Any sort of panic at this stage is just pure unsubstantiated reptile brain stem fear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokePants
This is why companies are secretive -- because we all want the truth, but most of us cannot handle it.
|
09-11-2020, 12:40 AM | #10 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Brooklyn NY!
Posts: 5,238
|
Quote:
Hi, just wondering if anybody has any insight on the dates when original ARAH toys were released? Not looking for the exact date, but just general time frame. Assuming it followed a specific pattern, but really curious about this, especially when it comes to the subteams (Night Force, Tiger Force, Slaughter's Marauders, Battle Force 2000, etc).
For instance, the Series 1 '82 Joes, were they released in March '82 or maybe June '82 (when the comic launched) or maybe Sep '82 to build demand for Christmas or something else (also the future cartoons would be released in September every year)? Then were all the '83 Joes released a year later? Or did the Series 1.5 swivel arm Joes from '82 get released first, and then the new '83 Joes 6 months later, or vice versa? But really curious when we start getting to around '87 and the various sub teams were launched. Were the toys released all at once or were the releases staggered (and if so how/when). Like were the main Series 7 '88 Joes released in March, then Tiger Force in Sep, then Night Force in Dec, etc. Going off my childhood memories, I think they were staggered, but just trying to get a grasp of when they were actually released. Any insight would be appreciated. In 84 I'd swear the figures were released in mini waves. I couldn't find Roadblock, Firefly, Baroness, or Ripcord for the longest time. Found Recondo, Spirit, Mutt and Blowtorch first. Then one day TRU had an aisle reset and they had tons of Ripcord, Roadblock, Fireflys, 7 Barnoess. It's possible those figures were just really popular and I got lucky on a restock day later in the summer.
__________________
Visit my vintage Joe restoration page! https://www.flickr.com/photos/131988164@N07/albums Cross Country's super smooth feedback thread. http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...ml#post4456308 Currently available Hasbro items. PM me for your prices (DO NOT be discouraged by the listing prices) https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...nirtoys&_oac=1 Last edited by Cross Country; 09-11-2020 at 12:44 AM.. |
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
release dates & where | thecalm_7 | G.I. Joe Toys Modern & General Discussion | 1 | 08-11-2009 01:47 PM |
Release Dates? | Derrell SC | G.I. Joe Toys Modern & General Discussion | 0 | 07-14-2009 10:25 PM |
Release Dates? | t34bag | G.I. Joe Toys Modern & General Discussion | 5 | 05-21-2009 05:09 PM |
Release dates ???? | BILL | G.I. Joe Toys Modern & General Discussion | 6 | 05-06-2009 05:07 PM |
release dates ? | lclements1 | G.I. Joe Toys Modern & General Discussion | 1 | 08-29-2008 04:50 PM |
|
|
Recent Off Topic Threads |
JazWares 18th Halo |
Star Wars 3 3/4 discussion thread |
Self Checkout apocalypse 3/26/24 |
What song are you listening to? |
G.I. Joe March Madness 2024 Round 2 Night Viper vs... |