How Many Parents Or Kids Do You See Buying Gi Joe?

[Lady Jaye]

Again today, while in Wal Mart, I went to walk around that huge SuperCenter and was going back the the toy aisle when I saw some lady and her teen headed toward the checkout lanes with two baskets full of stuff. I sense X-Mas shopping done early, or they stole a credit card, whichever you prefer. Anyhow on top of one basket were several packs of GI JOE figures, including the Snakes Eyes cycle.!!! Took me off guard since I figure it's just nerds like us buying them up.

 

So the main point of this thread is to ask; how many parents and/or kids do you see actaully buying GI JOE product????

[blazer8100]

I think its just us geeks, I rarely see any parents or kids looking at them, and my buddy and I bought every army builder of the single packs from brooks all at once the clerks looked at us a little wierd, and since we bought them the display hasnt even been touched

[Action Figure Soundwave]

I am no Nerd !

 

 

But when it comes to Parents buying for their kids , very rarely, cause they don't want to buy "Military" or "Gun" related things, because they are violent.

 

Now I do know Collectors who are Parents. and buy them for themselves.

 

And Kids are always looking but hardly buying.

 

 

The main cause of it being like this is, There is no promotional cartoon for GI Joe, no 30 minute Commercial like there was in the 80's. After all the violence in the 90's with guns, You never see any regular cartoon that is military oriented. Which also explains why alot of times they becom shelfwarmers.

[Blackjack]

Since I am a night owl, I very rarly ever see children shopping in the toy aisles. I usually go to Wal-Mart around 2 or 3 in the morning, so the only people I ever see in the toy aisles are adults. They could be looking for their children something, but I figure they are fellow collectors, like myself.

 

I wouldn't call us "geeks" for collecting toys, though. Sure, there was a time when I was in Junior High and High School, that I was embarassed to be seen buying toys, (and as a result, I missed out on alot of cool stuff) However, I am no longer embarassed to be seen by someone I know buying toys, since Toy Collecting has become quite popular.

 

I was one of those kids who never outgrew buying toys. When all my friend "claimed" to have stopped buying toys, I continued. There has never been a time in my life that I didn't collect one type of toy, or another. (with the exception of this past year, but that is only because I am unemployeed, and seeking a job. So all my $$$ goes only for Nessesities. And as much as i like to think of GI Joe as a nessesity, food comes first.)

[gscbr]

I think its just us geeks, I rarely see any parents or kids looking at them

by that logic I may be the only person who brushes his teeth since I don't particularly see other people buying toothpaste, but I know they probably do.

 

same with Joes. this is a strange question, because how many of us are actually waiting and watching to see if parent buy Joes? if we spend 5 minutes a day in the toy aisle, that leaves nearly another 12 hours Target or Walmart is open that we aren't in the toy section and parents can be buying them.

 

But when it comes to Parents buying for their kids , very rarely, cause they don't want to buy "Military" or "Gun" related things, because they are violent.

 

way too generalized and stereotypical to actually apply. the parents who don't buy their children Joes because of violence may actually be the rarity, not the other way around. without actual statistics, such an assertion is not even speculation, just opinion.

 

all I know is that the Joes in my area move quite well, and the other day while picking up a few of wave 5 at Target a few kids who didn't stand past my knees started talking to me about Joes, about how they collected them and have a bunch. they even knew the difference between the new sculpts and the "old ones" from the comic packs, as they called them so eloquently. considering it was likely these kids didn't have jobs, I'd say it is more than likely their parents probably bought a couple of the few they said they had, even if no one has ever seen them do so.

[Lady Jaye]

Dude gsbr, yes or no, No need to analyze the others replies.

@loll@

 

But that's a great story of the kids talking Joe with you. Hope more kids get into them and then the line will really take off!!!!! Keep em interested!!!! That's the kea!!!

 

And Blackjack I am with you, I never outgrew my collection. There were some dark times, mainly Jr High, but I outgrew that as well and came back to collecting!!!

 

And while it may be more popular, it's still a minority!!!!

[Interpol]

I've seriously never seen another person in my WalMart toy aisle. It's crazy.

[DPrime]

Hasbro's not selling the Joe line like they used to. There's no show behind it, kids aren't as interested. And I don't say that because I never see kids buying them. The fact is a lot of stores don't carry the line, or if they do, it's very limited. Kids need to know about the product if they're to buy it.

 

And I think the term geek doesn't really apply!

[Lady Jaye]

Does nerd????

@loll@

 

Well which is why I asked, Cause this was cool seeing a mom buy I guess her younger kids GI JOE's!!!! SSo maybe there is hope. But I agree they need a cartoon, made by Sunbow!!!! Oh and put it on KidsWB, not on the cartoon network!!!!! That is if they really want it to suceed and not fail like the MOTU cartoon did.

[Blackmada]

I don't recall seeing anyone else ever buying Joes for the last few years.

 

I did see someone around 18 years old spot some Joe toy and made a comment about how he did not know they were still around but he did not buy any.

 

Last week I was walking into Wal-Mart and had a Cobra t-shirt on and some teenager I did not know yelled "Hey Cobra" at me. That was cool. Maybe he collects them too or just recognized it from his childhood.

[DOCHOLIDAY56]

I guess its just me.............BUT----MEIJERS---WALMART---TARGET--KMART

 

The various TRU----i go to ------------I ALWAYS SEE SOMEONE BUYING GI JOE-------TEENS---PARENTS AND KIDS ALIKE!!!!!!!!!

 

NOT EVERY TIME -----BUT RANDOMLY!!!!!

 

G I JOE IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL!!!!!!

 

 

DOC

[Lady Jaye]

That's good to hear Doc, maybe it will be like the old days yet again!!!

[Lady Jaye]

Last week I was walking into Wal-Mart and had a Cobra t-shirt on and some teenager I did not know yelled "Hey Cobra" at me. That was cool. Maybe he collects them too or just recognized it from his childhood.

 

Maybe a lil of both, He sees you in the shirt and it reminds him of the good ole days. So he takes a stroll in an aisle he hasn't been through in years. And there they are, the GI JOE's of his youth, only different. This time they look more military like and come in 2 packs. He has some money to burn so he buys a pack. He gets home and opens em, and is in love once again.

 

See your shirt could be the catalyst in a kids re-introduction to the GI JOE line!!!! Or maybe I just put to much thought into things!!!!

 

@loll@

[Dieselboy M]

this year i've probably seen two or three instances of kids buying, or at least looking at and being into joes. two were fairly recent, so i remember them pretty well. the first was when i went into walmart and the whole of wave 4 was there. but, there was also a kid there... made me nervous. as i started getting the wave 4 packs, and he noticed i was scrutinizing the packs (i do that 'cause i'm particular about the paint jobs), he started grabbing some, handing them to me asking if i need that one. hehe, it was cute actually, and he'd point out ones that he liked. well, he obviously didn't know the difference between the waves, but i'm just glad he wasn't interested in the wave 4 ones i needed.

 

his mom came into the aisle and told him "let's go". and she said he can get some next time. so while it wasn't a case of an actual purchase, at least he's a kid that likes g.i. joe.

 

then not long ago at a toys r us, there was a kid and his younger brother. the younger one was trying to decide between which one to get. i don't remember exactly, but i think it was between the kamakura/destro pack, and the jinx/slice pack. i think the kid chose kamakura. i didn't see them actually buy it or not. but, again, another case of kids liking g.i. joe.

 

I was one of those kids who never outgrew buying toys.  When all my friend "claimed" to have stopped buying toys, I continued.  There has never been a time in my life that I didn't collect one type of toy, or another.

i'm exactly the same, i never stopped loving toys. ever.

 

I think its just us geeks

And I think the term geek doesn't really apply!

Does nerd????

i think there's still a lot of people who misunderstand what being a geek today is. it's a term for being a fanatic of something. like being a movie geek, or star wars geek, or g.i. joe geek, or toy geek in general. it's being a diehard fan. it's not the same as being a nerd. a nerd is someone who's just dorky, or also someone who's really, really smart.

[DPrime]

i think there's still a lot of people who misunderstand what being a geek today is. it's a term for being a fanatic of something. like being a movie geek, or star wars geek, or g.i. joe geek, or toy geek in general. it's being a diehard fan. it's not the same as being a nerd. a nerd is someone who's just dorky, or also someone who's really, really smart.

 

Yeah, I suppose that's true. But there are those who take collecting to the extreme and suffer socially because of it, and that's not cool at all. I just like TFs and GI Joes, and the occasional other thing that piques my interest, but I'm not obsessed over it. I just like 'em is all.

 

But maybe that's a "fanboy" I'm thinking of. Eh, whatever. It's all derogatory anyway.

[xhairs]

every time i go shopping at wallmart, TRU,and target i all ways see all ages buying joes. the best is to see the young ones buying them. it shows even that there is no new cartoons for g i joe on right now besides the dvds that there still buying them.

[Blackmada]

If my shirt is going to get poeple buying Joes maybe I should start driving my HISS through town.

[Lady Jaye]

Your HISS????? Please post some pics!!!!

[revsears]

Sometimes but working with kids, i've learned the main thing they like is video games. And when i worked at the day camps all the kids loved comics even the girls, but they didn't know where to get them. I let em read from my collection and some of the guys thought joe ruled but oddly enough they seemd to like dreamwaves megaman better than anything else (again video games)

 

I think a video game would be even better than a toon for the joes, if it was good.

[Lady Jaye]

Hmmm a GI Joe video game?? Hasbro are ya listineing??? You need a video game, a good one. Have Capcom whip ya up one, they did it before!!!!

[Draven79]

Yeah i'm no nerd. I look a little like a jock rocker, or a Boston Red Sox though. lol

Seriously I have noticed a lot of kids buying or looking at Joes lately. Intrest in the line seems to be a high point with kids and collectors are a huge portion of the market now too. That's why Hasbro is going to try and make the main line more throwback to the glory days of RAH from here on out.

Draven

[Lady Jaye]

(In a Mr Burns voice) Excellent!!!!

 

I hope that Habro realizes that the line is really picking up, and that they need to give all they got in terms of sculpts and availability. Oh and give us some classic desighned figures.

 

I want to see a Lady Jaye like the cartoon!!! What is it with making the girls wear jump suits????? Give here dark army pants, a light green shirt, brown gloves, open blouse if need be, brown combat boots, and her javelins!!! Oh and no hat!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zanzibar]

when i used to have a Kmart in my area, some average person would ask me who im buying the toys for, i said for myself. happens at Walmart too.

i dont see parents with joes in their basket when im at Walmart, but i did happen to run into a fellow army builder guy. damn he was gona take the 4 packs of 2003 Viper/AV packs, but i persuaded him to give me 2. i also bought the 4 packs of Neo Viper/NV commander.

[Lady Jaye]

No one has asked me yet, maybe becuase they think I'm buying them for my kid or something. If they only knew I have no kids and these are for me!!!!! Ha ha!!!

[Dieselboy M]

i don't get that so much 'cause i think they assume it's for my kid, which i don't have. but sometimes when i'm buying a lot, they get curious. i have no shame in proudly telling them it's for me. i sometimes even mention how i do action figure photography and comics. it can be a little weird though when i'm buying barbie or girl's stuff, but it doesn't phase me. i'm shameless like that, i never had problems getting maxipads or tampons for girlfriends.