Popular Mechanics: Yo, Joe: How a 12-Inch Soldier Doll Became a Toy Legend
Ronald Reagan and Marvel helped create the famous action figure, and Star Wars held it back.
If you’re under 30, your most prominent associations with G.I. Joe might be Channing Tatum or the Rock. Joe, though, has been around since 1964.
At the time of his debut, Joe mirrored the culture of the nation—just like Barbie did in 1959. Joe was a role model to generations of children and a boon to Hasbro, the toy company who produced him. But he was also in a constant struggle.
Here’s how G.I. Joe got started, and how the action figure (a term coined for Joe to avoid the word “doll”) maintained its relevance for half a century.
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WNU Editor: I wish I had one as a kid.
