Doll-A-Day 290: GI Joe

Yesterday was Veteran's Day, and today's doll,(Better call him an 'action figure'!) is GI Joe.

In fact, GI Joe is where the term 'action figure' originated.

I got this guy recently at a garage sale. He's exactly like the GI Joe I have from when I was a kid. (Except his owner didn't have a sister who shaved his scar off with a razor blade.)

However, this guy comes with a few extra wounds.

He has the hard head and red hair like mine, but a different uniform.

This is my childhood Joe, which I named John, since my sister got to name hers Joe.This is what he always looked like when I was a kid. All that posability isn't all it;s cracked up to be when you're too little to control it!

Hasbro debuted GI Joe in 1964, and the line up included figures based on all four branches of the Armed Forces.

"America's Moveable Fighting Man" ironically his clothes are made in Japan and the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Check out that price: $2.99!

In Britain Joe was called Action Man, but the same molds were used.

The 12" line was discontinued in 1976.In 1982 Hasbro shrunk Joe to 3 3/4" tall! Eventually the 12" figure was brought back. Joe moved away from the strictly military to the random adventurer. Fuzzy has a Joe that is very Indiana Jones inspired.

But back in the early 60's Joe was all about soldiering.

"GI" originally referred to galvanized iron. It was during World War I that the letters GI were used to stand for 'government issue' or 'general issue'  in reference to soldiers and air men's equipment.During World War II GI Joe became the standard nickname for any member of the United States armed forces.
See you tomorrow for another doll.