50 Fun Facts About G.I. Joe

Which toy company owns and produces G.I. Joe?

The company paid a Manhattan licensing agent $100,000 for the concept in 1963. The name is an old nickname for an American soldier.

The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of which now-generic toy term?

Marketing wisdom said boys would not play with 'dolls', so the toymaker banned the word entirely and called it 'America's movable fighting man'.

In what year was the original 12-inch G.I. Joe introduced?

It launched on February 1, now celebrated as G.I. Joe Day, and was shown at the New York Toy Fair a week later.

The original 1964 G.I. Joe line represented four military branches. Which figure covered the Air Force?

The others were the Action Soldier, Action Sailor and Action Marine; an Action Nurse followed later.

Which Manhattan licensing agent came up with the idea for the G.I. Joe figure in 1963?

Executive Don Levine told him 'You will make a fortune with these' and bought the whole concept for $100,000.

What were the three working names of the G.I. Joe prototypes before the final name was chosen?

One of those prototypes sold at a Heritage auction in 2003 for $200,001.

Which deliberate feature on the original G.I. Joe's face let the toymaker sue makers of cheap imitations?

The human figure itself cannot be copyrighted, so the scar, and an accidental thumbnail on the underside of the right thumb, served as protectable marks.

Which British company produced Action Man, the UK version of the 12-inch G.I. Joe, from 1966 to 1984?

Its innovations, flocked hair and softer gripping hands, were later imported to the American Joe.

What was the name of the 1970s hand innovation, developed in the UK, that let G.I. Joe hold objects?

The soft plastic broke down quickly, so fingertips often snapped off within weeks. It arrived in 1974.

What was G.I. Joe's 1976 innovation, the last for the original 12-inch line?

A lever in the back of the head moved the eyes. The 12-inch line ended in America that same year.

Which bionic G.I. Joe figure did Hasbro release in 1975 after failing to buy Six Million Dollar Man toy rights?

A million units sold. Bulletman, a superhero, joined the line the same era, along with recurring enemies The Intruders.

Following the Vietnam War, the toymaker de-emphasised combat and rebranded the 12-inch line as what in 1970?

'Life-Like' flocked hair and beards, developed in England for Action Man, arrived with the new direction.

In what scale was G.I. Joe famously relaunched in 1982?

It matched Kenner's Star Wars figures but with far more articulation, and made vehicles and playsets affordable to produce.

What was the name of the evil organisation the G.I. Joe Team fights in the 1982 relaunch?

Marvel editor Archie Goodwin invented Cobra and its Commander; nearly everything else came from one writer.

Which comic writer created most of the Real American Hero characters and wrote their file cards?

He was a Vietnam veteran and firearms expert who had been pitching a spy-team spin-off called Fury Force when Marvel handed him the Joe job.

The unused Marvel pitch that became G.I. Joe was a spin-off about which character's special force?

The Fury Force concept was adapted for the Joe comic. Hama also co-created Bucky O'Hare and wrote Wolverine.

What is the small biography insert packaged with each Real American Hero figure called?

Hama wrote them for the first eight or so years, based on the dossiers he kept for the comic. Early cards even listed the characters' military schools.

Which bestselling horror novelist supposedly wrote the packaged bio for the Cobra hypnotist Crystal Ball?

Crystal Ball came out in 1987 and remains one of the line's least-loved figures despite the famous byline.

Which publisher produced the Real American Hero comic that ran 155 issues from 1982 to 1994?

The first issue was published in June 1982. At one point it was Marvel's most-subscribed title.

What is unusual about G.I. Joe issue #21, 'Silent Interlude'?

The wordless Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow story is regarded as a landmark of comics storytelling and was praised by Scott McCloud.

What was the official military designation of the G.I. Joe Team, revealed in the first Marvel issue?

The 2009 film later reimagined the team as a Brussels-based 'Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity', to fan outrage.

What was the title of the stand-alone story in the final Marvel issue, #155?

Marvel cancelled the book in 1994 over low sales. Hama later resumed the numbering at IDW.

Why did early G.I. Joe TV spots advertise the Marvel comic instead of the toys directly?

Marvel Productions made fully animated 30-second commercials for the comic, a tactic that pioneered toy marketing of the 1980s.

The 1983 G.I. Joe mini-series that launched the cartoon centred on which Cobra weapon?

The Weather Dominator drove the 1984 sequel mini-series, and the Pyramid of Darkness opened the full 1985 season. Ron Friedman wrote all three.

What was the response to 'Now we know!' in the cartoon's closing public-service segments?

The safety-lesson tags became one of the most parodied things about 1980s cartoons.

How many episodes of the original Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon were produced?

It ran in syndication from 1983 to 1986: two mini-series, a 55-episode first season and a 30-episode second season.

Which professional wrestler was written into the G.I. Joe cartoon and toyline in 1986?

He debuted in the 'Arise, Serpentor, Arise!' mini-series and later ran the 'Slaughter House' training camp in the movie.

Which Cobra scientist genetically engineered Serpentor from the DNA of history's conquerors?

Serpentor promptly usurped Cobra Commander's leadership. The dream that inspired Mindbender was later revealed as a Cobra-La plant.

Who provided Cobra Commander's shrill, raspy voice in the 1980s cartoon?

Latta, credited as Christopher Collins on the later DiC series, was also the voice of Starscream in The Transformers.

The 1987 animated G.I. Joe: The Movie revealed the enemy leader was an agent of which hidden civilisation?

The Himalayan society, led by the half-serpent Golobulus, had ruled Earth 40,000 years earlier. Fans loathed the twist.

In G.I. Joe: The Movie, which Joe leader falls into a coma after being struck protecting Falcon?

He was originally scripted to die, and that plan inspired Optimus Prime's death in The Transformers: The Movie; the backlash to Prime's death got a coma dubbed in instead.

What is the name of Snake Eyes' pet wolf?

He was living in seclusion in the High Sierra with the wolf when recruited. Junkyard is Mutt's dog.

According to the comics, how was Snake Eyes' face disfigured?

The accident also damaged his vocal cords, which is why the character does not speak. He usually wears a balaclava and visor.

Snake Eyes trained with which ninja clan, alongside his sword brother Storm Shadow?

He had served in long-range reconnaissance patrols in Vietnam with Stalker and Storm Shadow before leaving to study martial arts.

Which fellow Joe is Snake Eyes romantically involved with in most continuities?

Scarlett was one of the original 1982 figures. Marvel had urged the toymaker to include women in the line, which it feared would not sell.

How many figures were in the original 1982 Real American Hero line-up, all released with 'straight arms'?

Swivel-arm battle grip arrived the following year. The line eventually ran to well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles.

What nickname did collectors give the early, rounder version of the Cobra sigil?

It appeared on the earliest light-blue Cobra Commander figures. The hooded version came as a 1984 mail-away exclusive.

In what year was G.I. Joe inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame?

The hall is at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York. The Pop Culture Hall of Fame followed in 2017.

Who directed the 2009 live-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra?

The Mummy director's film was panned but grossed over $300 million against a $175 million budget.

Who played Duke in The Rise of Cobra?

Marlon Wayans played his buddy Ripcord and Dennis Quaid was General Hawk. Duke was killed off in the sequel.

Which Paris landmark do Cobra's nanomite missiles destroy in The Rise of Cobra?

The Baroness and Storm Shadow launch the missile; Duke hits the kill switch and is captured.

Which actor played Rex Lewis, who becomes Cobra Commander, in The Rise of Cobra?

He said his voice was half a nod to the cartoon's rasp. Eccleston played Destro and Pryce the President.

Which former Darth Maul actor played Snake Eyes in the first two live-action G.I. Joe films?

The film gave Snake Eyes a vow of silence instead of his traditional vocal injury.

Who directed the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation?

The Step Up director's film was pushed from June 2012 to March 2013 for a 3D conversion and grossed $375 million.

Which character does Dwayne Johnson play in G.I. Joe: Retaliation?

Bruce Willis played the original Joe, General Joseph Colton. Roadblock, Flint and Lady Jaye survive an airstrike by diving into a well.

In Retaliation, which Cobra master of disguise is impersonating the US President?

He calls in the airstrike that wipes out most of the Joes and then brands the survivors traitors.

Why was G.I. Joe: Retaliation delayed from June 2012 to March 2013?

Paramount also wanted to build international interest. Rumours that Tatum's role was expanded because of Magic Mike's success were never confirmed.

Who starred as the title character in the 2021 origin film Snake Eyes?

Andrew Koji played Tommy, the future Storm Shadow. It grossed only about $40 million on a budget of at least $88 million.

Which country's licensed G.I. Joe line produced the 12-inch 'Falcon' figures?

Spain had Geyperman, Mexico 'Hombres de Acción', Argentina 'Joe Super Temerario' and Germany 'Action Team'.

Which 2005 G.I. Joe reboot line replaced both the 12-inch and 3.75-inch figures during a hiatus?

Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom were the story-driven collections of 2002-04, each with a direct-to-DVD animated feature.