Lots of little boys – and even some little girls – want to be soldiers when they grow up. The children who don’t play video games spend hours marshalling imaginary troops into battle, waging wars on real and imagined enemies. As a parent, you can build up their motor and mental skills by giving them army men toys to play with. You can go with basic pieces that cost $10 or less, or you can invest in more pricey ones, depending on your child’s age, skill level, and ability to break toys.
GI Joe has always been a popular option. GI Joe toys come in versions based on soldiers in the US Army, Navy, Airforce and Marines. The figurines are sometimes called action figures, and they come complete with miniature weapons, tanks, cars, and other products related to war. GI Joe was first developed by Hasbro in 1964, and he was just 12 inches tall. A parallel action figure based on the UK Armed Forces was nicknamed Action Man. GI Joe fought with enemy forces known as the Cobra Squad. By 1982, the toy’s dimensions had shrunk to 3.75 inches a piece, but they were just as popular. The GI Joe movies and video games made the toy even more famous.
GI Joe toys diversified to grow with the times. In the 1970s, GI Joe could be bought with or without a beard, and his hair was more lifelike. His clothes also bore the AT logo, short for Adventure Team. This was to counteract the negative backlash from Vietnam. An African American GI Joe joined the team. The 70s also saw the addition of eagle-eye vision controlled by a lever at the back of the figurine’s head, and kung-fu grip which allowed the figurine to hold things. GI Joe became less generic, with individualised toys being developed. These included Mike Power, Eagle Eye Joe, and Bullet Man.
In the 80s, 3.75 inch toys were popular because of Star Wars. GI Joe followed the pattern, created animated series and comics, and added GI Joe vehicles to the set of toys. A GI Jane was added to the collection. She was a helicopter pilot. Navajo Code Talkers were introduced as well. This military team is accurate, familiar and loveable, and no collection of army men toys is complete without a few pieces from GI Joe.
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