G.I. Joe Day

G.I. Joe Day is observed annually on February 1st.

Some facts about G.I. Joe

1. G.I. Joe is indebted to Barbie. That's right - in 1963, toy creator Stan Weston thought that because Barbie was so popular, he might come up with a similar toy for boys: a line of Barbie-sized dolls with a military theme for boys. He took the idea to toy manufacturer Hassenfeld Brothers (who later shortened the name to Hasbro).

Three prototypes were created: "Rocky the Marine", "Skip the Sailor" and "Ace the Pilot."

2. G.I. = "Government Issue"

3. The name G.I. Joe comes from a 1945 American war movie called The Story of G.I. Joe, with participants including Ernie Pyle and Robert Mitchum.

4. The world's first action figure. Because they thought boys wouldn't play with dolls, Hasbro coined the words "action model" to market the toy.

5. "Knowing is half the battle" - G.I. Joe's catchphrase comes from the animated series in the 1980s. At the end of each episode, there's a public service announcement showing the kids in a situation where they've gone wrong and Joes offering advice. . PSA always ends with "Now we know!" "And knowing is half the battle!" Joe's headquarters has a list of these PSAs.

History of G.I. Joe Day

G.I. Joes was introduced to the market by Hasbro in February 1964. Hasbro had hoped to successfully recreate their Barbie doll with a similar toy for boys. At that time, people didn't want their son to play with "dolls" because dolls were girls' toys. Therefore, Hasbro chosen the term "action figure" to market G.I. Joes. This branding has led to great success. This term are used today by Hasbro and many other companies. Toy-inspired cartoon, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero aired from 1983 - 1987 and further solidified the toy in American culture. They may not be the most popular toys today, but the G.I. Joes had a tremendous effect on the industry by inspiring many of the toys that followed. It's definitely something to celebrate!

How to celebrate G.I. Joe Day

Took some photos for National G.I. Joe Day. GI Joe as the first action figure was first released by Hasbro in 1964. In the meantime some of my collections. At least 20 photos are required to get the entire collection.

Photos 1 and 2 are Green Berets. They are from a Sears’s exclusive set.

Photo 3 is from the Soldiers of the World Series. This is based on World War II. Can be seen here are Australians, French, Germans and British.

Finally some Marines in Uniform and Air Force.

Happy G.I. Joe Day!