Rarities - Unproduced Brazilian Figures

While Estrela produced around 150 total figures in their exclusive Comandos Em Acao line, they  had intended for there to be more.  In the 1990's, Estrela showcased 5 figures in various forms that ended up never getting released.  These figures not only appeared as cross sells on various cardbacks, but even appeared in catalogs used to sell the products.  The 5 figures were all 1991 releases from Hasbro.  The figures were: Grunt, Crimson Guard Immortal, Mercer, Tracker and Cobra Commander.  (Their names in Brazil would have been Arsenal, Flagelo, Desertor, Correnteza and Tirano.)

Hasbro's 1991 figures were one of the rare years that didn't see a second year of release.  This was due to Hasbro trying to reboot the line in 1992 with familiar characters.  So, 1991 molds became common sights in later repaint lines and international releases.  You'll note that all of the figures that appear in the Estrela promotional material shown below are Hasbro made figures and not the Estrela figures.  So, this marketing propaganda was made prior to Estrela having their own wares to photograph.  

You'll often find international guides that list these figures as being available in Brazil.  But, many of these were from the early days of collecting before it was determined that these figures never saw production.  One early guide even features a few Hasbro figures in the placeholders for these names.  And, one thing that's constant in the Joe line is that mistakes and errors from the early collecting years are often repeated and rarely corrected.

Below are two promo photos.  One features just the 5 cancelled figures.  The other shows them interspersed with some other figures that were released in Brazil.  Seeing them all in one shot suggests to me that they were planned as a new wave at one point.  But, the entire wave was halted.  Maybe Hasbro didn't send the molds for whatever reason.  Or, it could have just been that Estrela determined they didn't want another wave.  These figures would have appeared closer to the end of the Comandos Em Acao line.  And, this was the time when Estrela was starting to move away from the standard carded figures that had defined their line and towards the themed subsets of figures that featured bigger cards and more gimmicks.

It's interesting to note that all 5 of these unproduced figures from Estrela did, later, appear as exclusive Funskool releases.  So, Hasbro did recoup more of their cost as they moved the molds around the world.  And, the molds weren't in an unusable state for Esrela.  But, the reasons for these figures being cancelled in Brazil remain lost.  

Rarities - 1986 Promotion Image (Pre-Production Figures)

Every year, Hasbro would go to the New York Toy Fair.  Here, they would showcase a catalog of their upcoming year's worth of toys.  As the Fair was early in the year, the catalog would often feature early designs and pre-production figures from various toy lines.  Below is not the 1986 catalog.  I'm not actually unsure of the origin of this image.  But, it's not from the official Toy Fair catalog.  But, in this promotional image, you can see several pre-production figures from the 1986 line.  The 1985 figures are all production level.  But, there are lots of 1986 goodies to explore.

The most interesting thing, of course, is that Mainframe still includes the little stands that were meant for his computer.  The holes into which these would have been inserted did manage to survive on Mainframe's production computer.  But, the stand was never released.  It is likely this was done to save cost as the stand didn't really add any additional play value.  But, the artifacts of it's early existence are proved out by its appearance in this photo.

Most people viewing this will likely focus on the BAT that is in the front and center of the presentation.  You'll notice that it has a different chest hologram as well as a different head.  This head appears squatter and fatter than the sleek head on the production figure.  I think the production figure looks better.  But, your mileage may vary.

Hawk also features an additional paint application on his helmet.  The goggles are painted black.  It's a very nice additional detail.  And, while it would have been great to see it at retail, it's also not enough of a change to really notice it's missing.

Several of the figures feature alternate heads.  The BAT and Dial Tone's heads are the most jarringly different from their production counterparts.  There are also lots of subtle paint differences, too.  Some of these figures might have been hand painted samples.  The awkward posing on the 1986 figures suggests that they were not production level at the time the photo was taken.  

You'll notice that Iceberg, Leatherneck, Low-Light, Monkeywrench, Zandar, Zarana and Roadblock are all missing from this display.  I'm not sure why.  I can see Zandar and Zarana being later releases while they finished up the color changing.  (Zarana is noted in some material as featuring a color changing "mohawk" which never came to be.)  All of these figures, though, do appear in  the official Toy Fair catalog for 1986...with a few pre-production oddities of their own.  By the time of the Toy Fair catalog, though, all of the pre-production figures from this photo (except the BAT)  had been replaced with production figures: even while the missing figures remained pre-production in that later photo

Stormshadow was also carried over into 1986.  This makes sense for one of the most popular G.I. Joe figures ever released.  There was a time when I was hell-bent on finding a grey Stormshadow filecard that would denote his 1986 release.  I can't recall if I ever succeeded in doing so or not.  But, check out that 6109 assortment that included Stormshadow.  You got Stormshadow, the 1985 Snake Eyes, Crimson Guard, Flint and the BAT in one case.  By Toy Fair, though, the assortment was modified to drop the Crimson Guard, but add the Eel, Low Light and Leatherneck.  That would have been a dream assortment to find hanging on the shelf at your local stores.

These old catalogs are a treasure trove of early designs and pre-production kitbashes.  In later years, Hasbro got better at including more production level figures in their materials.  At least until 1993 and 1994.  But, we'll talk about those at a later time.

Rarities - 1994 Toys R Us Advertisement

The demise of Toys R Us is a sad story.  It died not due to diminished interest in toys.  But, instead, to unfettered corporate greed.  Really, KB Toys died the same way.  And, because of this, the idea of a toy store in 2023 is simply unfathomable.  My kids were fortunate to be old enough to enjoy Toys R Us for a couple of years.  They had great fun wandering the aisles, looking at all the cool toys that you couldn't find anywhere else.  But, it also died out before they were of an age to really appreciate it.  Now, when I see them scouring Amazon for obscure toys, I realize that were they just a few years older, we'd have gone to Toys R Us for them to browse and find something that interested them.

This takes us, then, to another lost form: the print advertisement.  Sunday newspapers used to be chock full of vibrant, color ads that were the main way many stores could communicate their goods and prices to their potential customers.  And, through these ads, we have a record of products and prices from their own times.  Below is one such piece: a 1994 Toys R Us print ad that appeared in newspapers throughout the US nearly 30 years ago.  

Some of the newspaper ads from previous years would include pre-production or early prototypes of toys.  In some cases, even an unproduced item or two might appear.  But, this one from 1994 is pretty innocuous.  The main thing you see is that Hasbro was really trying to push the 12" action figure line.  I never really understood this.  I fall right into the weird demographic who just missed 12" action figures as a thing and was there right as 3 3/4 was emerging.  So, I have no attachment or interest in larger toys.  But, Hasbro was hell bent on recapturing the emerging collector market and some kids with their 12" offerings.

From the 3 3/4 perspective, the ad doesn't feature much.  The line was dying at this point.  So, just featuring 3 products makes sense.  But, the outlandish $4.99 price on Shadow Ninjas offers all the insight you need into why that line stuck around well into 1996 at Toys R Us stores.  Those figures really didn't cost much more than that until the last few years when collectors have finally started to recognize how difficult they are to find in good condition.  I am pleased to see the white elbows, though, as this photo of them fresh from the factory with that condition shows that it was a feature of their design and not degradation from age.

The Blockbuster is a great toy.  I found mine at a Meijer store, though.  I'm not sure what I paid for it.  But, $25 seems about right.  I recall seeing the 1993 Jets at Toys R Us stores into 1995 and 1996.  But, they were ridiculously expensive for that era.  The first time I found the Blockbuster, I bought it.  So, my local store was sold out of them by the time I started searching out the ghosts of the Joe line.

The big showcase here is the Power Fighters.  Not that they are something we haven't seen before.  But, the fact that they were $9.99.  Nowadays, each of the figures from the Power Fighters will reach nearly $100 if they have the filecard.  So, seeing them so cheap is shocking.  But, to be honest, if I had found these at retail in 1995 or so, I don't know if I'd have bought them.  I don't like mechs.  And, that would mean paying $10 for a figure.  So, I might have missed out on them, even if the price seems absurdly cheap today.

The one thing that stores like KB and Toys R Us brought to the table was a guaranteed buyer for items that Wal Mart and Target might not want.  These days, toy retail is dictated by the whims of those two retailers.  When Toys R Us was around, their willingness to offer products that didn't sell out in 2 weeks allowed Hasbro and other toy companies to offer things that would otherwise have never appeared.  The only upside is that the direct to consumer model of things like Pulse still allows for some exclusives.  And, Haslabs offer larger scale toys that would have once been the domain of Toys R Us exclusives.  

I think we lose out by not being able to see toys on a shelf.  To see the packaging, hold it in your hand and want it.  But, that's also nostalgia talking.  That's a remnant of when I was a kid.  And, I see my kids getting excited over seeing something on Amazon, saving up for it and then getting it and then having the same enthusiasm for it as I did when I bought something at Sears when I was their age.  But, I still miss Toys R Us and wish things had turned out differently for it.

Rarities - 1993 Mega Marines Toy Fare Catalog Pre-Production Figures

Back in the days before the internet, toy companies sold their wares at Toy Fair each year.  Smaller brands would seek out retail partners.  While, the big companies would put together impressive solicitations designed to wow their partners at the huge, national retailers of the day.  In 1993, Hasbro's catalog featured the full Joe line.  But, as the catalog was put together before the figures were in production, it contains a large number of pre-production figures that feature differences from their retail release.   

Below is the page for the Mega Marines.  There's a few, fun little differences you can spot among the figures.  Starting from left to right, you first see the original Mega Viper.  This figure features a slightly green face shield instead of the retail yellow.  You'll notice the odd purple color of his gun, too.  This color was never used in production.  But, it matches the figure quite well.  I always wonder what would have caused a change like this.  Instead of getting weapons that matched his purple trim, the Mega Viper received accessories that matched his yellow instead.  To me, that would see like a personal preference/coin flip type decision.  But, knowing Hasbro of the day, it was very likely a conscious decision that was made to make the figures more attractive to buyers.

The Joe side of the page features the biggest differences.  Aside from the fact that the figures have been given random accessories that Hasbro likely just had lying around, there is one major change from the retail figure.  You'll notice that in this photo, Clutch still has his goggles and Mirage's eyes are uncovered.  Originally, these goggles were meant for Clutch.  (See this Rarities post from 2016.)  And, they appear on the figure in the solicitation photos.  

Again, this would be an interesting piece of trivia to track down.  Why were the goggles changed from one figure to another.  Mirage's head looks bare without them.  But, that's a function of the fact that we've always seen the figure with the goggles.  Had he not included them, it wouldn't seem so out of place.  And, Clutch's specialty as the driver makes more sense for a goggled head.  But, this reasoning is probably lost to time.

The whole diorama is action packed.  Hasbro did similar things for Street Fighter and the DEF.  And, those pages also feature some interesting early takes on the toys that were ultimately released.  As far as this page goes, though, the figures frozen in the plastic blocks got a lot of attention when this image first surfaced.  Many thought they might be unproduced figures.  But, they are likely just production figures painted white for use in this display.  But, really, the idea of people frozen in ice is a bit macabre for a child's toy solicitation.  But, the intended audience was adult buyers.  And, there are monsters in the toyline.  So, I can see this just being a fun modeling session for the photographer.

Old Hasbro print pieces are chock full of pre-production and prototype toys.  They are a treasure mine of original intentions and also provide the provenance for many pre-production and VSP figures that survive to this day.  As I'm a Mega Marines fan, this layout is really cool to me.  But, even if the Mega Marines aren't your thing, the earlier designs for the toys are a valuable part of Joe history.

Rarities - Unproduced Funskool Shark 9000

We do know that Funskool had plans for the G.I. Joe line that extended beyond Windmill.  There was a new Rock and Roll figure that used the 1989 mold that was planned.  And, Funskool was also toying with the idea of releasing a new character that would have been an amalgamation of molds that would have been more "Indian" in origin.  We don't know what this would have been.  But, it's likely the figure would have been fun and interesting.  

The last Funskool new vehicle that we really know of was the 1993 Detonator.  Funskool created it in 2001 or so.  (Can't remember the exact date.)  But, this Funskool catalog below shows another vehicle that, to my knowledge, never saw the light of day from Funskool: the 1993 Shark 9000.

The catalog below is an interesting amalgamation.  The Sky Striker and Battle Hawk are clearly the Funskool versions.  Whereas the Detonator and Shark 9000 use old Hasbro catalog photography from the 1990's.  As such, the Shark 9000 that does appear is the Hasbro version.  So, we have no idea what Funskool's take on the vehicle may have looked like.  

Again, to my knowledge, the Shark 9000 was not actually released.  But, if you have information to the contrary, or pics of a sample, please let me know.

 

The Top 10 - 2020

 So, 2020 was a weird year.  It was bizarre in that Joe was popular, but also not.  Items that, historically, collectors showed interest in were simply ignored.  Yet, common items that no one would ever care about now get massive attention.  And, in all this, the most popular post in the site's history debuted this year.  Yes, there is a new number one post in this site's long life.  And, you'll never guess what it is.

With that, here's the top 10 posts of 2020 on the site.

10. European Force Tonnerre

The European Force figures have always been solid performers during Rarities Month.  This year, I focused on the one figure that I see the least: Tonnerre.  This orange repaint is weird and odd and lots of fun.  I'd love to someday own one.  Until then, though, Rarities write ups like this one will have to suffice for me.

9. 2006 Viper

Army builders are always popular.  This Viper Pit set, though, has turned into a dud due to the poor quality of the figures.  Despite that, this figure got a lot of page views just due to the Viper name and the fact that it's been 14 years since he was released.  

8. Black Major Cobra De Aco

Black Major figures tend to perform well.  Especially when you consider that I can't promote the profiles of them in many of the largest social media groups.  Despite this blackout, people find the write ups of the figures.  Other Joe bloggers report the same.  The De Aco is a famous figure in its own right and people were interested to see how the Black Major release compared to one of the first foreign figures to really capture the community's attention.

7. 2020 Retro Hiss Tank

This isn't really a surprise.  A classic and iconic vehicle re-offered at retail for the first time in a long time was certain to draw in viewers.  Naturally, you see video reviews from large toy sites that have massively more numbers as they pull in the retail only collector crowd.  But, even Joe collectors wanted to see this one and it dropped into the top profiles of the year.

6.  1987 Fast Draw

I never considered Fast Draw an overly popular character.  But, his profile garnered a lot of attention.  It wasn't the time of year or anything.  In fact, the two profiles the surround Fast Draw (1984 Chameleon and 1997 Ace) were among the lowest performing posts of the year.  So, the popularity is entirely attributable to the Fast Draw figure.

5.  Sgt. Savage P-40 Warhawk

The Warhawk is an incredibly obscure item of which most fans had little recollection.  So, it getting a prominent post attracted viewers.  Some loved the design.  Others hated it.  But, the reality is that Sgt. Savage toys are almost as forgotten as G.I. Joe Extreme and it's getting rarer and rarer to see them in any capacity. 

4. Terror on the Tundra Mail Away Promo

I don't look at a lot of paperwork.  But, little items like this Terror on the Tundra promo tend to be popular.  Most collectors have these things lying around.  But, they aren't something that they take the time to look at.  And, now that some of the items in them have reached astronomical prices, it's interesting to look back at what you could have bought when they were released.

3.  Rarities - Later Series Lucky Bell Power Commandos

While I had a good crop of Rarities posts this year, only two really broke through.  This look at the later series of Power Commandos, though, was the most popular Rarities post of the year.  Again, this showcased a bunch of figures that most collectors were not aware of and, in many cases, had never seen.

There still lots about this line I don't know.  But, there will be at least one more new post for Rarities month in 2021 that relates to the Power Commandos, though.

2.  2006 Operation Flaming Moth Range Viper

The Flaming Moth figures have been left behind by collectors.  Those of us around at the time of their release remember the acidic taste of the Club's disdain for us upon the figure's release.  And, we also remember the figures being clearance fodder for years as the club struggled to move them.  But, 14 years later, these figures have become obscure.  So, this profile hit a nerve with the generation of collectors who don't have bitter memories of how truly awful the G.I. Joe club really was.

Despite this figure being the 2nd most popular post of the year, it was viewed more than 2,000 fewer times than the number 1.

1. 1984 Manta

I know, I can't believe it either.  But, the Manta is the most popular post in the site's history.  And, it wasn't due to a viral moment or a spike in popularity in a social media group.  No.  The Manta's rise to the top was simply a sustained excellence over the year.  Even 8 months after it's original publication date, the Manta was still among the weekly leaders in site hits.  It never had a huge surge of visitors.  It's just steadily performed for months.  (If you scroll to the bottom of any page on the site, you'll see the top 5 posts visited in the past week and the MANTA was almost always there in 2020.)  And, in September, it overcame the Rarities post about the unproduced Cobra Island Infiltrate set to become the most viewed post since I returned in 2015.

I can't explain why.  Manta's don't seem all that popular.  The photos for it weren't out of the ordinary.  There's just something about the Manta that's kept it consistently drawing viewers since it first appeared.

So, that's it for 2020.  It was a hell of a year.  Let's hope 2021 is less eventful on all fronts.  I've got some fun stuff ahead for the new year.  Aside from Joe, I'm going to take a look at Spinmaster Batman figures, some new Star Wars releases and, or course, tons of Joe items.  I'll be back to my regular cadence next week and already have the posts mapped out into April.

As always, thanks for spending time here, reading my stuff and leaving your thoughts in the comments.  I appreciate all of you!

Terror on the Tundra Mail Away Promo

In looking back on my early days as a collector, I often wondered why I didn't order any mail aways from Hasbro.  From 1992 through 1995, I had money, a checking account, plenty of flag points and a desire to own more G.I. Joe figures.  Yet, I never ordered any mail away items.  At the time, Hasbro offered a combination of classic figures and vehicles from my childhood along with a ton of new figures that, even back then, were really cool and desirable to me.  My lack of interest in these items, though, is quickly refreshed when I look through a booklet like the Terror on the Tundra promotional offering from 1992/1993.  While the booklet features tons of great toys, the prices seem overly exorbitant for the time.  For someone on a budget, it was far cheaper to buy figures and vehicles at retail.  In time, my view on this would evolve.  But, we'll get to that....

The Terror on the Tundra promotional booklet is different from many other promotional inserts because it is an actual booklet.  Traditionally, Joe vehicle inserts and catalogs had been fold-outs.  Terror, though, is a glued booklet of 4 pages with a fold out order form on the back cover.  

The first pages when you open the booklet show the golden Serpentor figure and the 1983 FANG.  In 1992, both of these were long gone from retail.  And, Serpentor's bold look was sure to appease some kids who weren't old enough to have seen the toy on store shelves.

The adjoining page showcases some lesser items: the Battle Bear and Pac Rats.  I was never a Battle Bear fan.  I always found the toy brittle and too small to really be fun.  The front skis really limited it as something that could transition out of the arctic.  Pac Rat, though, were even worse.  I never got more than one of the Pac Rats as a kid as I had zero interest in them.  They couldn't interact with figures and just didn't look that cool.

The next pages include two great toys.  The Cobra Wolf is one of the best designed Cobra vehicles.  The limitation of the front skis as I mentioned on the Battle Bear didn't come into play here since the vehicle was that good.  For the Wolf, I either redid my entire adventure in the arctic, or I'd have Cobra airlift a Wolf onto dry land where it could still use its weaponry.  If you mailed away for this Wolf, you'd have likely gotten the mail in variant.  The most notable difference is the black missile door...which looks kind of odd.  But, this is the source of the harder to find variation.

The Adder came out past my time as a Joe collector.  So, I never had one.  But, it's a solid toy that should get more press.  Some day, I'll buy one just to showcase here.  

Then, we see the worst and the best offering in the mail away packet.  The micro vehicles are terrible and not something I'd have ever wanted.  Above, them, though, is the mail away, no cammo variant Slugger.  This remains one of my grail pieces since it's so stark a difference versus the retail toy.

The big dog, though, is the Whale.  I can assure you that I did ponder buying a new Whale to replace the two heavily worn versions I had in my possession during the 1990's.  The whopping $29.95 price tag, though, was a turn off.  Back then, that was 5 hours of work before taxes.  

The final pages of toys feature the iconic Hiss Tank and some figures.  The Hiss was a staple of any Cobra army.  And, it's long mail away life has helped ensure ample supply of Hiss Tanks even to this day.

The figures are notable for a few reasons.  Everyone's eyes turn to the Ninja Viper.  This aqua green Stormshadow repaint has become a figure du jour among the nuveau collector set.  But, really, this is a somewhat boring redo.  Had this figure been red, it would be a $500 purchase today.  But, it's not.  You will notice the pre-production figure, though, that has his mask painted in.  We'd see this first on the 2000 Firefly figure and this detail would have helped distinguish this figure from the classic Stormshadow mold.  But, this paint application was removed before the figure went to production.

The Iceberg and Hawk, though, are more interesting.  Hawk included a 1991 Cobra Commander gun.  And, Iceberg included the 1990 Rock Viper rifle.  Bagged, both figures are incredibly hard to find today...even harder than bagged Ninja Vipers.

And, then finally, we see the coup de gras: the Gold Head Steel Brigade.  I cared so little about the Steel Brigade figure that I never noticed that this version in the Tundra booklet was different.  The figure was simply too expensive to ever hold my attention.  That seems dumb, now.  But, were this figure not rare, few would care about it.

Look at these prices.  It doesn't seem right that a set of 3 Pac Rats was cheaper than one figure.  But, that was the oddity of the mail away premium.  You'll note the free Micro Figures poster with a purchase of $15.00 or more.  There's a pull out showing the poster that I didn't bother to photograph as I have that little interest in micro figures or vehicles.

To say that I had no interest in mail aways is a bit overstated.  After the onslaught of POTFII toys in 1995, I began to take collecting a bit more seriously.  I tracked down the final figures and vehicles that I could find at retail.  As those began to dry up, frustration set in.  In the wasteland that was late 1995/early 1996 retail, I looked at the mail away booklets again.  Thinking I could finally use up some old flag points, they seemed an outlet to get new toys...even if they were more expensive than I would have liked.  Alas, though, the clock had run out.  Every promotional item I owned had expired in 1995 at the latest.  So, when I finally came around in my desire to buy up mail aways, the ability to do so had aged out.  At one time or another, I thought of simply sending in a filled out form and a check to see what would happen.  Maybe there were still figures left.  I never did this, though.  I'm not sure why as it would have been a "nothing ventured-nothing gained" scenario.

Knowing what we know today, had I mailed in an expired form, it could have gone either way.  If Hasbro still had stock, they might have sent something.  Clearing out a warehouse was better than returning money.  But, in 1994, Hasbro did clear out their mail away warehouse in northern Ohio.  Almost all the bagged mail away figures from the 1990's can be traced to this event.  (A grocer in Ohio bought a ton of bagged G.I. Joe figures and sold them for .99 in their stores.  They're harder to find now, since the price tags wear off.  But, you can still find tons of bagged figures with those old grocery price stickers on them.)  So, it's unlikely that Hasbro would have had any stock left to sell.  G.I. Joe collectors in the late 1990's reached out to Hasbro to see if they had any old stock left over.  But, they did not.

The reason collectors did reach out to them, though, is the same reason that I still might have had a chance at getting something from an expired form: the Hasbro Canada find.  In 1999, collectors learned that Hasbro Canada did have a massive amount of old mail away figures and vehicles that were overstock from the mail in premiums from a few years before.  Once this news broke, collectors quickly filled out the forms, mailed in their checks and awaited full packages of bagged Cobra Officers, Thunders, 1992 Air Commando figures, Crankcases, Motor Vipers, Strato Vipers, Sky Hawks, Nitro Vipers, Keel Hauls and Firebats (to name a few of the items....).  They arrived to great fanfare.  And, again, to this day, almost all of the bagged samples of those figures can be traced to the Hasbro Canada find and the last hurrah of vintage retail Joes that collectors could find.  

In the days of $700 Gold Head Steel Brigade figures, balking at paying $7.50 for one seems foolish.  But, 25 years ago was a very different time.  Even into the early 2000's, bagged version D Steel Brigades were $5 figures.  And, it was not uncommon to find a GHSB included in a lot of undesirable neon figures that collectors of the day avoided like the plague.  Many of my fondest memories of childhood involve getting a package of mail away Star Wars or G.I. Joe figures in the mail.  So, not spending a modest amount to relive that experience seems odd.  (I did partake in both the Han Stormtrooper Fruit Loops promo and the Spirit Ben Kenobi Lays promos shortly after the Joe premiums expired.)  But, I was a college student instead of a kid.  And, it was cheaper and easier to just go to the local TRU to buy a new figure or two.  So, I don't hold too many regrets.  

Like pretty much all Joe paperwork and promotional items that were included with standard figures and vehicles, the Terror on the Tundra packet is worthless.  Dealers sell them for $1.50 and it's probably not worth their time to do so.  You'll often find them in bags of cheap one-price-fits all catalog boxes at various collectible stores.  The booklet is common, undesirable and cheap.  Which, isn't bad.  It's kind of funny to know how expensive these figures were back in the early '90s and compare it to how ridiculously expensive figures like the Ninja Viper are in the 2020's.  But, it's also kind of sad.  Booklets like this hearken back to when Joe was a fun toy line that was accessible to everyone.  Now, it's becoming a hobby that prices out many newcomers.  Joe collectors have always found new heights of snobbery for a hobby that's focused on the 2nd most common boys action figure line ever made.  2020 has just made that worse.

1985 Catalog

In the 1970's and 1980's, kid's toy lines were built around cross selling.  The whole point of packaging and inserts for the toys was to get the child excited about buying more toys from the same line.  Single figures featured all the other available figures on the cardbacks.  And, vehicles and playsets went a step further by including small product booklets that showcased not just the figures but all of the other vehicles and playsets that you could buy.  The best part of these catalogs was that, if you got them early enough, they were the only window into future releases that any kid would have.  There was no internet.  Toy magazines were years away.  If you needed to start lobbying your grandparents for a magnificent Christmas gift in May, the insert catalogs were great ways to show them what you wanted.  The G.I. Joe line included these catalogs from the very beginning in 1982.  Each year, a new one would appear: showcasing all the new toys for that year.  While the most culturally significant of these catalogs for me was the 1984 edition, the 1985 edition brought a greater array of surprises and ushered in the golden age of colossal toys.

The hallmark of a G.I. Joe catalog was the presentation.  The 1984 release featured a prominent Duke card art.  1985 went with a painting of the new class of Joes all raising fists in font of a stone logo with planes flying over it.  This always seemed unimpressive to me as the characters were so small.  But, the artwork seems to be a collector favorite.  

When you open the 1985 edition, the first thing you see is Tomax and Xamot.  Alongside them are Zartan and the Dreadnoks.  It's likely that this place of prominence was intentional.  Zartan had been a keystone item in 1984.  And, recent documentation that shows there were over 1.7 million Zartans produced backs that up.  It's likely that Hasbro wanted Tomax and Xamot to follow in Zartan's footsteps as one of the line's top sellers and were given top billing for that reason.

The next logical unfold from there reveals the figures.  The new, 1985 releases are in the top photo with the carryovers in the bottom picture.  My great lament for this 1985 figure lineup is that the photos are simply too small.  1984 gave kids a pretty clear view of the figures that were released.  The dark background, spread out lineup and offsetting text left the 1985 photos too small to get a good view of the line's bread and butter figures.

From here, the lineup is a bit less impressive.  You see the small battlefield playsets and vehicles.  This isn't to say that these aren't great toys.  But, when you opened up this catalog for the first time, the small pictures of these little items that didn't include figures weren't all that interesting.  Once you absorbed later pages, though, you could come back and drool over the little gems that were included here.

Once the catalog was opened, though, you could flip it over.  And, here, the stalwarts of the 1985 line take shape.  It starts with the new Snow Cat and AWE Striker at the top.  But, since you were likely taking in the whole thing, this top panel was quickly skipped in favor of later sections.

The next section features some carry forwards.  I find it odd that the Bridge Layer actually gets more real estate than the Transportable Tactical Battle Platform.  The TTBP was one of Hasbro's top notch playsets.  But, the Bridge Layer had a fun action feature and was an early release retailer exclusive to boot.  So, it may have gotten more prominence since it was likely already on the shelves when the first catalogs started appearing.

After this, the catalog delivers the goods.  We get our first look at the Cobra Moray.  The purpose of the Moray becomes clear two panels later.  But, this is our first look at Cobra's naval flagship vehicle.  No kid was going to be able to resist the Moray.  But, just in case water toys weren't your thing, the second to last panel introduces the Mauler.  The Mauler was the tank that the MOBAT always wanted to be and filled that primal military need in any collection.

While all of that would be enough of a toyline to give a modern collector a yearly fill, Hasbro saved the bottom panel for the whopper: the USS Flagg.  Something so big and impressive was beyond reckoning to kids in 1985.  But, there it was in all its glory.  You'll note the fun little disclaimer in the bottom left saying some items (meaning the Flagg) wouldn't be available until the fall of 1985.  For, for any kid who got this under their tree, it was an unforgettable toy release.  But, if you were like me, the closest you got to a Flagg was this catalog picture.  Here, I envisioned all the adventures I'd have with the Flagg.  But, 35 years later, I still don't have one.

One thing G.I. Joe catalogs are known for is the many pre-production and prototype figures that appear in them.  As the catalogs were done well in advance of the year and included some items that wouldn't appear on the shelves until later in the season, it was common for some of the toys to still be in the prototype stage.  1985 is no exception.  The most notable and featured differences are the Tomax and Xamot figures.  They appear with the first unfold of the catalog.  Prominently featured, these figures also sport unproduced heads.  The heads are larger and fatter.  To me, they appear as if they may be modified Ripcord heads.  The bodies are slightly different, too.  The figures also feature silver colored weapons...a color that their oft used accessory still has never appeared in.

One other fun item for me with the catalogs are what I call continuity gaffes.  Throughout some catalogs there are figures pictured missing accessories or posed with the wrong gear.  When collectors do this, it is usually either necessity due to missing gear or choice due to personal preference.  With the Joe catalogs, I have to attribute some to laziness and others to the fact that the photographers who took the reference material photos were likely disinterested in their subject matter and were more concerned with getting it done than getting every detail correct.  In the 1985 catalog, the most glaring mistake is on Zartan.  While the figure is actually a production figure in this catalog, he's posed on his Swamp Skier with his chest plate falling off.  It seems a silly error to not correct.  Especially for such an important release in the line's history.  

Aside from Zartan, Steeler appears in the Air Defense photo: wearing the wrong helmet.  In the Skyhawk photo, Roadblock is holding his gun by pivot that inserts into his missing tripod.  The Armadillo features now discontinued Zap as the driver.  But, he and Mutt have switched helmets.  The Silver Mirage is especially out of place as it's being ridden by Rock and Roll, Stalker and the 1982/1983 Snake Eyes figures: all out of circulation in 1985.  Cobra Commander also appears on the Ferret.  On the back side, Thunder is missing his head gear.  Major Bludd is holding Destro's pistol in the Moray spread.  Recondo is holding Stalker's rifle in the Mauler photo.  But, he has his correct weapon in the G.I. Joe HQ picture.  If you look closely, though, the 1985 Snake Eyes is inside the jail cell of the HQ, too.  

The 1985 catalog features several items that carried over from 1983.  The first is the Cobra Trooper.  He was released in 1985: a rare figure who say three full years of retail release.  (4 if you count the straight arm figure.)  Torpedo, Destro, Gung Ho and Snow Job join him as holdover figures.  (As Torpedo was a late 1983 release, his appearance in 1985 kind of makes sense from a cost recoupment standpoint.)  The FANG was Cobra's small vehicle to carry over.  As the Dragonfly was also continued an extra year, this makes sense, too, since it had crossover potential with the Tactical Battle Platform.  The Skystriker (one of the most popular vintage vehicles and a required cross sell for the U.S.S. Flagg) and the G.I. Joe HQ (a playset to placate those who would not get the Flagg) were also carried over.  As a kid, I know I acquired my first Cobra Trooper in 1985.  (Bought him and the ASP at a Kohl's store that was attached to  a mall.)  I have recollections of the Skystriker.  But, as I had the other items, I would have paid them little retail attention.  My focus was always on the items I did not own rather than previously released items that were still hanging around.

G.I. Joe paperwork can be expensive...if it's something rare.  The standard yearly product catalogs are not.  Included with every vehicle sold that year (including the items carried over from the year before), the catalogs are generally ubiquitous.  As kids, we tended to unfold and refold them dozens or hundreds of times.  But, if you bought a couple of vehicles and had four or five of them, at least or two would survive in great shape.  Time was, sellers would include items like old catalogs as a freebie when you bought something.  Those days are mostly gone.  But, these 1985 catalogs in great condition sell for between $1 to $5.  If you grew up with great memories of looking through these inserts, there's no reason not to own them.  But, like many things, the luster of these catalogs has faded with time.  Our resources now are so much better for photos and info that the catalogs are a quaint reminder of how things used to be.  There are high resolution photos of the catalogs online that are far better visual experiences than the real deal.  Hasbro toys in the late 1990's and early 2000's still had some semblance of catalogs.  But, they were not nearly as grand as these vintage items.  Even the later run Joe catalogs in the early 1990's quickly regressed from the highs of the 1980's heyday.  But, that's OK.  There's fewer and fewer items that are cheap reminders of bygone days.  

If you have fond memories of the catalogs, share them in the comments below.

Rarities - Coming Soon Explosion Back Cardbacks

1980's toy marketing was completely different than anything we know today.  Then, there were few ways to get information to your customer.  You could take out expensive TV advertising either on local channel weekday afternoons or on the national networks' Saturday morning cartoon blocks.  You could team up with a food promotion.  You could advertise in comic books.  Or, you could use your sales packaging as marketing cross promotion.  Kenner achieved this with great success with their Star Wars line.  And, Hasbro emulated it with G.I. Joe.  On the back of every figure package was a visual representation of pretty much every figure that should have been available at retail in that given year.  It was a great way to let kids know that there was a whole lot more to the line than the one figure they might get as a present.  At various times, though, Hasbro blocked out some upcoming characters with a 'Coming Soon' explosion.

These explosion backs occurred in two different years, 1983 and 1987.  In 1983, the characters of Trip Wire, Torpedo, Major Bludd and Destro were exploded out.  I recall that both Trip Wire and Torpedo figures were almost non existent until the late summer of 1983.  So, they might have been a case where Hasbro didn't want kids looking for them until they were released.  Destro and Major Bludd are, likely, the same thing.  Destro's look was some of secret until his full appearance in the comic.  They hinted at him, but didn't show him for a few months.  Bludd, though, was a mail away.  So, any kid who collected Joe was aware of him.  But, his carded figure may have been delayed until the mail away was done, so he was blocked out, too.

The reasoning behind the coming soon explosions isn't fully known.  In the case of Kenner's Star Wars line, Lucasfilm specifically didn't want anyone to see the Ewoks (or Jabba the Hutt) prior to the release of Return of the Jedi.  So, they were blacked out on the earliest cardbacks.  (I got a Chief Chirpa figure that had him still blacked out on the back.)  But, G.I. Joe didn't have a movie to spoil.  (Well, it kind of did in 1987.  But, the most prominent movie characters like Falcon and Jinx are showcased while other, more obscure characters are not.)  It could have been that the artwork wasn't ready at the time when the cardbacks were done.  But, this seems like an unnecessary rush.

In December of 1986, my mother took me to Toys R Us.  While I always looked at the Joes, I didn't figure I'd find anything really new.  But, among the carded figures were newly released 1987 characters.  I bought Falcon and Cobra Commander.  I have no memory of who else they might have had on the shelves.  It is likely, though, that because the 1987 figures were seeing a slightly early release for the 1986 Christmas season, Hasbro saw an opportunity to bring back the explosion backs.

Explosion backs are rare.  MOC examples are very pricey and can be ridiculously expensive if you find a highly desirable character on one.  Even loose explosion back cardbacks can be tough to find.  But, once you have one, you kind of have them all for a given year.  To me, the interesting part is the inconsistency of Hasbro's usage of them.  Why just those two years?  Maybe they didn't test well either time and were never brought back.  Regardless the reason, they are a footnote in Joe's retail history.

1994 Joseph Colton Mail Away Insert

The 1990's really brought about the rise of the collector.  For the first time, toy companies really understood that there were people who collected their brands and that they were a demographic worth catering to.  They had money to spend and could offset their smaller numbers with the increased dollars they were willing to spend on high quality or nostalgic items.  Hasbro jumped on the boat with the 12" Joe figures.  And, with 1994 being the 30th anniversary of the original G.I. Joe, they decided to do a series of homages to the brand's roots.  In late 1993, Hasbro began including a mail away promo with 3 3/4" G.I. Joe figures encouraging kids and collectors to send away for their very own Joseph Colton figure.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Cover

For 3 3/4 collectors, this anniversary meant a small figure of Joseph Colton and reproductions of the Marine, Soldier, Diver, Pilot and Astronaut from the early days of the brand.  While the "Action Series" of figures would be sold at retail in individual boxes and a commemorative boxed set, Joseph Colton was only available as a mail away.  At the time, the internet was in its infancy and communication among collectors was heavily influenced by rumors and falsehoods.  Most of these were driven by people trying to speculate in specific toys and drive up demand for something they either already owned or could easily acquire.  And, Joseph Colton was heavily influenced by that.  Adult collectors began hoarding up carded Joes so they could send off for the "sure to be valuable" Joesph Colton figures.  But, Hasbro actually made more of the 3 3/4" figures than collectors could absorb.  And, despite some high early pricing, the figures crashed in value and remain relatively easy to find to this day.

The insert shows a sample of both the 12" figure and the 3 3/4" figure.  The 12" figure is posed on a bookshelf in an obvious showcase of Hasbro's intentions behind it.  They created and marketed the figure for adult collectors of the day.  In looking at the 3 3/4" figure, there are some differences between the figure shown and the actual figure that was sent to collectors.  There are very subtle color differences in the green and brown colors.  The main change, though, is the rifle shown.  Colton is holding an M-16 inspired rifle.  It is a far cry from the 1992 Gung Ho machine gun that was actually sent with the figure.  The weapon shown in the insert was never, to my knowledge, released in any G.I. Joe line.  The sample appears production level, but it might have been a mock up and the Gung Ho weapon was released to cut costs.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Interior Pages

The Colton mail away featured one major change from prior mail aways.  Rather than requiring flag points, it required mailed UPC codes from packaged figures.  The reasoning was that many people had bags and bags of flag points and there would be no need for them to buy up the massive unsold store stock of G.I. Joe figures if the promotion required mail aways.  And, if someone bought a figure and cut out the upc, they could not return the figure to the store.  It was an interesting way to devalue flag points and spur collectors to buy up unsold merchandise.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Back Page

The legacy of this decision, though, is still seen more than 20 years later.  It is very common to find '90's era G.I. Joe figures that are MOC, but with missing upc symbols.  12" collectors and casual dealers who had no interest in retail G.I. Joe figures but had great interest in acquiring more than a few Coltons bought up retail figures, removed the upcs and then dropped the Joes into a box.  In the ensuing decades, as garages, attics and storage sheds have been cleaned out, these figures were put into the marketplace.  Most sell for loose figure pricing and remain one of the most effective ways to buy mint and complete with filecard Joes from the line's final years.

As mail in promos go, this one is fairly banal.  The Colton artwork on the front page isn't spectacular.  And, unlike most other mail away offers, this one only had a form to order the Joseph Colton figures and no other offers were present.  Just being two pages doesn't leave much room for pizzazz.  But, by 1993, the Joe line was in death throes and there wasn't much that was going to revive it.  Colton is a solid demarcation of the end of mail away premiums.  In 1996, Hasbro would start teaming up with food brands for mail aways for their new Star Wars line.  After that, mail aways were mainly retro ways to appease some collector nostalgia for bygone days.  So, this offer is one of the final legacies of the '80's Joe line.