# Re the GI Joe TV series is there a GI Joe subculture or something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026 "2004-11-28T19:13:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/1 "2004-11-28T19:13:48Z")
I’m a bit confused. I watched it once or twice while the kids were younger on Saturday morning, and got the impression that this was a run of the mill action series with a strong toy tie in, and that it ran it’s course. Now per[this other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288919) there’s apparently this new GI Joe straight to DVD movie [Valor Vs Venom](http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/experience/default.cfm?ILC=GIJOEVVVCN&adtype=100&page=movie) with lots of glossy computer animation for the true believers. What’s the scoop on this? Is there some cohort of hard core GI Joe fans out there that this is aimed at? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/2 "2004-11-28T19:17:02Z")
More likely than not it’s just a rehash of an old idea to sell to kids and those adults who remember it fondly. Don’t forget that Transformers, He-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have all been dragged out of the pop culture dumpster in the last year or so. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/3 "2004-11-28T20:36:58Z")
The “small” G.I. Joe action figures (3 3/4", to differentiate them from the older 12" figures) came out in 1982 and sold steadily up through the mid-1990s. Many '80s kids like myself grew up with G.I. Joe toys, cartoons, and comic books, and remember them fondly. Around 2000, Hasbro relaunched the toy line with old molds of the same figures and vehicles, as well as releasing new ones, many of which updated the old familiar character designs. These new toys are aimed at both kids (who are loving them, just like we used to), and the 20-something fans who now have discretionary income and are awash with '80s nostalgia. Valor vs. Venom is just the latest subset of G.I. Joe toys, so the computer-animated film is essentially a long toy commercial, just like the '80s cartoon was also an ongoing toy commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/4 "2004-11-28T23:41:13Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > More likely than not it’s just a rehash of an old idea to sell to kids and those adults who remember it fondly. > > Don’t forget that Transformers, He-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have all been dragged out of the pop culture dumpster in the last year or so. Quite so. Consider: if your kid is bugging you for a toy, are you MORE likely or LESS likely to buy it if that toy is: (a) some new damn thing based on some damn new cartoon or other (b) an improved and updated – but still very recognizable – version of something _you_ really liked when _you_ were a kid? I’ve glanced at several cartoons – _GI Joe, Ninja Turtles, Transformers_, and \*Masters Of The Universe \* – and the new versions are a great improvement over the old crud available in the 1980s. (Of course, I was a \*college student \* in the 1980s, so I didn’t exactly _play_ with the toys so much as I would laughingly watch the cartoons while drunk, which gave me a certain fondness for them, but not in a way readily exploited by toy manufacturers). Why _not_ remake and rerelease 'em? They’re proven moneymakers, and some of 'em are even made using the same dies as the originals (Transformers, in particular), which makes them even cheaper to produce… and now they can get you on the nostalgia angle, as well! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/5 "2004-11-28T23:43:57Z")
\ The original figures, from the 80’s are much-sought-after by toy collectors. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/6 "2004-11-28T23:48:54Z")
_sigh_ I’m old enough to have owned and played with an original-model 12" G.I. Joe action figure - along with its removable uniforms and weapons. This was when Joe still looked and dressed like an honest-to-goodness American Soldier. Great fun. Damn I wish I’d held onto that thing… ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/7 "2004-11-28T23:50:54Z")
I wish I held on with a King Fu grip ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/8 "2004-11-28T23:52:45Z")
:smack: that would be “Kung Fu grip” … & the Board Learns why the stand-up career never really took off ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/9 "2004-11-29T00:30:15Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > _sigh_ > > I’m old enough to have owned and played with an original-model 12" G.I. Joe action figure - along with its removable uniforms and weapons. This was when Joe still looked and dressed like an honest-to-goodness American Soldier. Great fun. > > Damn I wish I’d held onto that thing… You can still get them today. Look for the Hasbro GI Joe page. You can find them in several uniforms, including various historic garb. [http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/default.cfm](http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/default.cfm) And for 9 pages of full-sized Joes [http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/pl/page.browse/category.30/search.collection/pg.1/subbrandid.44/dn/default.cfm](http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/pl/page.browse/category.30/search.collection/pg.1/subbrandid.44/dn/default.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/10 "2004-11-29T00:45:44Z")
As the/a resident SDMB **Transformers** junkie, I’ll just point out that (a) a live-action _Transformers_ movie is currently in the works, for release sometime in 2006, and (b) comic book publisher Dreamwave Publicans has gone from completel non-existence to big-money publishing house primarily on the strength of their numerous _Transformers_ comic book titles. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/11 "2004-11-29T01:30:29Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > As the/a resident SDMB **Transformers** junkie, I’ll just point out that (a) a live-action _Transformers_ movie is currently in the works, for release sometime in 2006, and (b) comic book publisher Dreamwave Publicans has gone from completel non-existence to big-money publishing house primarily on the strength of their numerous _Transformers_ comic book titles. Let me get this straight. I can understand watching a (nominally) free TV show, but you are claiming that there are people with disposable income who spend that money on comic books about big robots that turn into various vehicles? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/12 "2004-11-29T02:10:16Z")
> [@](#): > > and some of 'em are even made using the same dies as the originals (Transformers, in particular) They’re making the original designs again? I’ve obviously got to head out to a toy store. As a kid growing up in the proper demographic, I knew _exactly_ why the line eventually failed, the first time around: The later toys sucked. Their last attempt to salvage it was to make Transformer action figures which _didn’t transform_. You can’t get much lamer than that. But original dies? Sounds like maybe I need to fill in the (extensive) gaps in my childhood collection. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/13 "2004-11-29T02:25:05Z")
For GI Joe Humor, click on the link below, then on the Toyfaire cover image. Navigate at the bottom. Enjoy! 🙂 [http://www.geocities.com/gijoeuniqueart/humor.html](http://www.geocities.com/gijoeuniqueart/humor.html) ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/14 "2004-11-29T02:27:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > They’re making the original designs again? I’ve obviously got to head out to a toy store. As a kid growing up in the proper demographic, I knew _exactly_ why the line eventually failed, the first time around: The later toys sucked. Their last attempt to salvage it was to make Transformer action figures which _didn’t transform_. You can’t get much lamer than that. > > But original dies? Sounds like maybe I need to fill in the (extensive) gaps in my childhood collection. Same here. I loved the line and still have quite a few of the toys in a box somewhere. I started losing interest around the time they went from “interesting designs” to “Copies of real stuff with a motor in it”. The Dominator was Sweet! A tank that turns into an attack chopper…What’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-gi-joe-tv-series-is-there-a-gi-joe-subculture-or-something/277026/15 "2004-11-29T07:33:10Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Let me get this straight. I can understand watching a (nominally) free TV show, but you are claiming that there are people with disposable income who spend that money on comic books about big robots that turn into various vehicles? Hoo yeah, big skippy bucks. Check out [Dreamwave Productions’](http://www.dreamwaveprod.ca/!2K4/index.php?home) web page, and compare the number of \*Transformers-\*related titles to non-\*Transformers-\*related titles. I’d be annoyed by the blatant pimping of the franchise except for the fact that Dreamwave has also managed to give a number of long-time _Transformers_ fan writers and artists their first professional jobs in the industry (“Yeah, I remember when Guido and Don were just regular slack-jawed fans like us’um…” 😉 ). > [@Chronos](#): > > They’re making the original designs again? I’ve obviously got to head out to a toy store. To be nitpicky, they aren’t _exact_ reproductions of the original toys – the missile weapons, for example, have been made larger to comply with modern child safety regulations. On the plus side, the toys get the super-deluxe “collectors’ keepbox” treatment, which look even cooler than the originals did. And as long as you’re in the store, check out the _Transformers: Alternator_ toys. WOO!