July 21, 2003

Although several sources have claimed that G.I. Joe has been the most successful action figure line for young boys, the cartoon series inspired by the DVD collection have been even more popular. The two mini-series collected on the DVD are A Real American Hero, the first G.I. Joe cartoon series released in 1983 and The Revenge of Cobra, the second mini-series, which aired in 1984.

The booklet incorporated in the DVD explains much of the history behind the cartoon series and its interconnections with the comic book, the commercials and the action figure line. G.I. Joe was the first action figure toy line for boys and was created in the 1964. At the time Joe was a generic military character without any opponents. The action figures were twelve inches tall and very articulated.

Hasbro produced several figures, at first mirroring military corps and divisions from the United States' armed forces. Eventually, G.I. Joe figures added adventure-based figures, such as mountain climbers, and other professionals such as cops and firefighters. In the 1970s, the oil crisis hit, and suddenly the cost of manufacturing large action figures became prohibitive.

Inspired by the 3 ¾ size Star Wars figures, Hasbro began preparing for a similar scale action figure line based on its successful G.I. Joe franchise. However, this time, the smaller joe figures would have an opponent, the terrorist organization known as Cobra. Cobra was not a specific country or group. It was a new fictional opponent. However, the Joes themselves were still truly American.

Another difference was that this time, each figure was unique. They were not the standard Joe. They each had their personalities and functions. To promote the new line, Griffin Bacal, Hasbro's advertising agency, proposed that the toy line be supported with a comic book series, commercials for the comic books, a cartoon series and commercials for the action figure line. Hasbro adopted this mix campaign.

Commercials for the comic book series published by Marvel began and marked the first time a comic book series had any television advertising. The toy line began and was also supported by toys. Both appeared in 1982. In 1983, the first five-part cartoon mini-series began appearing on television. The show was syndicated, which allowed it to by pass the strict guidelines for series aimed for children.

In A Real American Hero, we are introduced to several early G.I. Joe characters, some from the new line appearing in 1983 and some from the next year's run, such as Duke. The story focused on Cobra's Mass device, a machine capable of teleporting armies, buildings and military gear anywhere in the world. Three rare elements fuelled the device. The Joes and Cobras raced each other to gather the elements.

This storytelling device allowed the creators of the shows to split the characters into teams, which allowed them enough air time for their personalities and functions in their respective camp to be explored. Obviously, this strategy allowed kids to identify with each character and develop favourites, which he would then pressure his parent to buy for him at the toy store!

I guess this ploy worked, because the next G.I. Joe mini-series, airing the next year, repeated the storytelling device with a plot that was almost a carbon copy of the first one. This time, both the Joes and the Cobras had to retrieve pieces of a weather controlling device that had split into three exotic locales. Again, specialized teams were sent to cover the jungle environment, the arctic and a secluded island.

Whereas the first mini-series had to introduce each character, this one only had to brush up on old favourites, while letting the new guys, take the lead. The cartoon introduced Hasbro's new toys and characters to kids who then had to "update" their collections. This formula was probably very successful for Marvel and Sun Bow, the animation studios producing the cartoon series.

The strategy developed by Griffin Bacal for Hasbro was copied by several other toy manufacturers during the 1980s with varying success. By the end of the decade, the quality of the toys, the stories and the animation itself seemed to have diminished. Whereas tenure Japanese studios once handled animations, like Toei, new animation studios from South Korea and other Asian countries got in the game.

Broadcasting rules on children programming were also reinforced and halted the progression of exclusive toy-based television shows. Toy-based shows were legal, but broadcasters began demanding a greater emphasis on educational contents and a restriction on the violence within the shows. Concurrently, producers hired psychologists to verify the contents of shows to guarantee that they were secure for kids.

Psychologist, broadcasters, governments, are not writers and artists. When outsiders edited and monitored the creativity of the real artisans, the story stopped attracting kids. Simultaneously, toy makers, began watching the contents of the cartoon series more closely. Whereas in the past, they would ask for the appearance of a specific characters and toys in the shows, they went further.

Toy makers began thinking of themselves as creators and anything that would portray their properties negatively was edited. The back story and space that existed in the past were squeezed out and the series stopped attracting kids. The generation of kids that grew up watching the toy-based cartoons of the 1980s grew up and became adults.

Spoon-fed original contents in the1980s, much of the material produced thereafter left them disenchanted. Occasionally series for these big kids, such as Aeon Flux, The Maxx or Spawn would show up, but their only success was going into the extremes not seen previously. The catch was not enough to sustain their interests. Only series going in total directions, such as the Simpsons and Ren and Stimpy caught on.

In the late 1990s, a new wave of contents, exploring the glorious 1980sn began to return. G.I. Joe has been at the forefront of this movement. The line had survived the 1990s by catering on the generations that had come before the 1980s' kids. The twelve-inch figures were back. Characters were again generic figures without any distinct personalities and only differentiated by their military expertise.

Hasbro and Kid Rhino, a specialized manufacturer and distributor of home-based entertainment caught onto the new nostalgia-based demand for the 1980s G.I. Joe line and began releasing many episodes on video tape. There has been success with the home video and DVD release of the G.I. Joe Movie, the new 3¾ line, containing a mix of old toys, variants, and new toys and the new G.I. Joe's comic book.

Unlike other restored 1980s cartoon series, such as Hasbro's The Transformers, G.I. Joe restorers seem to have found better source prints that resulted in a higher quality output on DVD. The extent of the restoration has also been tamed. In the Original Transformers DVD, containing the More than Meets the Eyes mini-series and more, scenes were edited to such an extent, that hardcore fans boycotted the set.

Characters were removed. Backgrounds were changed. Colours were re-coloured. Sounds were re-mixed and so on. The original series was not exactly original. In G.I. Joe A real American Hero, none of those problems occur. The sounds and colour are fresh and elements were left untouched. However, there are some square artifacts that appear occasionally.

The first DVD edition of A Real American Hero, released in March 2003, contained no extras. The new edition reviewed contained interviews with writers Ron Friedman and Marv Wolfman, each, on one disc from the set. The interviews are very informative and give fans lots of insight on the creative process behind the cartoon series. What's interesting about them is that they discuss the series as a whole.

There are Easter Eggs to be found at this time. There probably aren't any. There are 5.1 audio options for however. The transitions and layout art used in the DVD are interesting, but their execution very poor. It is all based on 3D animations. However, the textures are weak and the models bad. Check out the smoke cloud coming out of the F14 jets once the DVD starts to see some very poor work.

The DVD comes with a Snake Eyes action figure based on the one sold in 1982. Snake Eyes is one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters in the comic books, the toys and the cartoons. It is not a collector's item, but it's fun that the DVD is tied with the cause of its existence. Perhaps again, Hasbro is trying to reintroduce its toy line through animation! A review of the Snake Eyes action figure is available here.

Coolstreak Cartoons Inc.

Copyright © 2003. Use of material in this document—including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication—without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.