Jump to content

Your very first G.I. Joe figure?


Cthulhu5k

Recommended Posts

For me it was the Tomax/Xamot double pack. I had never had a G.I. Joe figure before but I asked for it. On one special Christmas, in between opening up some Masters of the Universe stuff (Castle Grayskull, Point Dread, etc), I found it and was enthralled.

 

While I loved the Crimson Twins, the one thing that got me was the SKYHOOK. It was basically a bigger version of what are called ziplines today, but the SKYHOOK somehow embedded itself in my childhood brain. The idea of mirror image twins also was too much to resist and I couldn't help but ask for it. And that Christmas night, all He-Manned out, I broke open the package, read the filecard, and then started on a long journey of really appreciating the Joes, Cobra, and all the various incarnations they had throughout the rest of the '80s and '90s.

 

Good times. So, what was yours? Were you a fan from the beginning?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 70
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Flash was my first, quickly followed(by like 2 days thanks to B-day money) by clutch/vamp and rock & Roll. Funny I never had a snake Eyes until ver 2, never did see the original until I grew up and started collecting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately I was a late bloomer as well...not as late as that guy, though.

 

My first was Eco-Warriors Flint, followed up by Cesspool. My real love for military toys didn't hit 'til my brother joined the Army, so my GI Joe collecting was really...weird growing up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me it was Downtown followed by Snake Eyes V.4. I took them everywhere and always played with them. So much so that I had to re-buy Snake Eyes twice due to excessive play. Unfortunately my orginal exploded when he fell just right...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I might have had some before him, but the first one I remember was Countdown. Something about his not-quite-science-fiction motif and accessories fascinated me. I recall him 'flying' all over the house.

 

It wasn't until years later that I read his file card and realized that he's got a really lousy personality. @loll@

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sci-Fi.

 

And , no......I was not a fan at the beginning. I bought the figure withthe idea of using it to make a Robocop custom......but never got around to that. Bought a COBRA Viper next and there was no looking back after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sci-Fi.

 

And , no......I was not a fan at the beginning. I bought the figure withthe idea of using it to make a Robocop custom......but never got around to that. Bought a COBRA Viper next and there was no looking back after that.

 

It's funny you should say that ARROW; I used to play out the original Robocop movie with my Sci-Fi. Guess who I used for Alex Murphy; Chuckles. (lol) Seriously, and of course Clarence Boddicker and his gang were played by, you guessed it...the Dreadnoks! Good times...

 

My first G.I. Joe figure was Snake-Eyes back in 1983, I remember getting upset when I lost his tiny uzi in my grandmother's living room carpet. Snake-Eyes was always and is still my favorite Joe, no matter how over-used or over-exposed he was and/or is. And I remember it was a big deal for me when they started coming out with "Swivel-Arm Battle Grip". It seems like my brother had a couple of straight-armers before that, but I don't remember who they were. So yeah, I'm one of the old-timers from the beginning, at least the beginning of the 3-3/4" era...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a great topic for this time of year!

 

For Christmas in 1984 i got Dusty, Airtight and Ripcord, along with the Snow Cat and the Tactical Battle Platform. From that moment on, and my father still blames himself, lol, I've been a Joe fan and a toy collector.

 

These toys are all pretty beat up from years and years of play and enjoyment, but strangely enough for a four year old kid, I always managed to keep all the accessories for the figures. I still even have the little tripod piece for Dusty's gun.

 

I also got Optimus Prime G1 that year, because I pulled a Ralphie from A Christmas Story and blanked on Megatron's name when my parent's asked that crucial question. But, I grew to love OP just as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heres my "first Joe" story...I wrote this a lil while ago...sooo long ago, 25 years or so and I remeber my G.I.Joe kid days better than I remember yesterday. I dont know what it was but G.I.Joe hooked me soo hard that I can NEVER forget some joe memorys of where and when I got certain things..

 

I have been into GIJOE since day one. I believe it was second grade, when Scott Harris came into class and told me his dad was going to buy him ALL the new gijoe toys after school. I was baffled..what were they!??! scott assured me they were sooo much better than the star wars figures I had at the time. "They have Guns that look real and they move in the knees and arms!! they even have HELMETS!! wait til you see the vehicles, dave!! they look just like real soldiers!!"

 

 

Thats how it started.....I remember that day like it was 5 minutes ago. My skin was crawling..how could I, convince MY DAD, to buy ME all the new gijoe toys too? I havent even SEEN THEM!! I would come up with something..."it would be brilliant" I thought.."I'll ask dad to take me to K-mart for some school supplys..and BINGO!! lets look at toys dad Ive been GOOD!" ..yes..YEEEhhEEsss...that will work I assured myself..

 

I get out of school,and wait for dad to come home. As soon as he wakled in the door I told him about my "much needed" ruler and protractor. He asked why I didnt ask my mom to take me...think fast dave..."because I wanted my dad to take me" my father smiled and said "cool, son...gimme a minute and we'll go.."

 

Ok it was on... I opened it up..were are GOING TO K-MART...now..how do I convince him to buy me ALL of these GIJOEsthat I had NO IDEA what really were..what were they going to look like? how cool were they?!? OMG it was killing me..

 

We look at the ruler..got one..yea yea..im dyin here..heres my chance.."dad..lets look at toys! Ive been good!"..ok I got it out...He looks at me like im up to something..my god..hes onto me...Scott Harris will have them ALL and I wont HAVE ANY.....

 

we walk to the toy aisle..and right next to the star wars guys are these new figures and boxxed vehicles that say G.I.JOE.. A REAL AMERICAN HERO....

PRAISE ZEUS!! Scott was right! dear lord please tell me that I can have some of these!! I was franticly lloking at the FLAK, RAM, HAL, ZAP,SNAKE EYES, GRUNT...OMY they have a MORTAR SOLDIER!! I was completly stoned at age seven on this drug called GIJOE.. How will I convince him to buy these for me?? how can I do this..?!??!?!?

 

I looked at my dad and his eyes were as big as mine..He was reading the filecard for Snake eyes..."David..these are really COOL...THEY ARE WAAY BETTER THAN YOUR STAR WARS GUYS"......I was awestruck.... "This guy here..AA...Snake eyes..WOW..he is pretty neat..look at that uzi..it looks REAL, David!"

 

This was my chance....I seen how it worked...I knew I had an "in".. you see my family has a long lineage of military history. My great grandfather is written about in many history books about what he did at the battle of Mons in WWI. everybody in my family was pure military....here was my chance....

 

"dad..Ive had star wars guys forever...these guys are like soldiers..like you and grandpa..and great granpa!...Dad can I get some of these?"

It was perfect..I pulled it off without cracking a smile..my puppy dog look was an 11 on a 10 scale....

 

Then One of the most GLORIEST moments of my life...

"David...WE'RE Gettin' you these..these are quality toys David, and now youll have soldiers to play with instead of those dumb ol' star wars things"

just like that...I renounced my love of my star wars figures and right there in the Kmart aisle I was a total GIjoe convert.

 

I didnt even have a say in the matter....I stood there SHOCKED..I couldent move..my dad put the HAL in the cart..THEN he put the FLAK and the RAM in the cart.

"David..you better grab one of each of those figures!!..I'll get this stuff!"

I grabbed GRUNT..SNAKE EYES...SHORT FUSE..ZAP...STALKER...every guy that was there...

My dad put the MMS and the vamp in the cart "David! this jeep will pull the artillery pieces around!!" He lovved this more than I did...I didnt have to do anything!!

He said "here look, read this ones filecard on the back of the box..THIS guy is the LEADER!" it was HAWK....HOLY $HIT...his code name is HAWK..how cool....

 

I...I..was the proud owner of ALL (that I knew of) ALL the GIJOE stuff...I had it ALL..

My dad put stickers on while I opened joes...we played together, on the front room floor only to break for dinner, and then it was bedtime...my first full day of gijoe..

 

The next day at school, I couldnt wait to tell scott harris that I was as cool as HE was now... "scott..my dad took me to K-mart and bought me ALL the GIJOE STUFF! you were right they are the BEST,SCOTT! thanks for telling me...do you want to come over and bring all your GIJOE stuff and we can have a HUGE war?!?!"

Scott replied.."My dad didnt take me...I didnt get any of them..but my dad said mabye for christmas Ill get some"

 

Just wanted to share a Joe story with you all. I have a HUGE joe collection, and the entire marvel run minus two books. My dad bought me GIJOE stuff up until he died when I was 15..the last thing I got was the Mudfighter. I played with that stuff waaay too long. But I can almost reciet every filecard and blueprint from memory. I remeber GIJOE better than anything else in my life. I had the defiant, drome.. heck..i can count on one hand what I DIDNT have...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first G.I. Joe was Dusty in the summer of '85.

 

I was aware of Joes thanks to my friends who had guys like Torpedo, Firefly, Spirit, Recondo, and the boring '82-'83 Original 13 @smilepunch@

 

But it was when my aunt visited for a holiday, she bought me my first Joe and I remember picking him out of an entire wall of carded Joes. We went to the beach that day and I promptly lost his bi-pod (which I wouldn't get back until 2000 as an adult collector getting back into the hobby!). It was great, the beach was a gigantic desert for my new desert trooper!

 

I still have the original, all beat up and weathered down, but it's a badge of honor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heres my "first Joe" story...I wrote this a lil while ago...sooo long ago, 25 years or so and I remeber my G.I.Joe kid days better than I remember yesterday. I dont know what it was but G.I.Joe hooked me soo hard that I can NEVER forget some joe memorys of where and when I got certain things.. *snip*

That was an awesome story, man. It's really cool to hear how you and your dad were able to share GI Joe, and I'm glad you shared your memory with us. I don't think there IS such a thing as playing with them too long when they're that special to you. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember getting Flash, Grunt, and Rock N Roll for Christmas in 1982. I had gotten a Star Wars FX-7 figure as well; guess which toy didn't get a lot of play time.

 

Grunt got flushed down the toilet, I'm not sure what happened to Flash, and Rock N Roll is still in my collection.

 

to SnakeEyes 1975: awesome story man!

 

Yo Joe and Merry Christmas!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was about 5, it was 1982, and my Aunt who we were visiting in San Francisco bought me the Cobra trooper (my first Joe and really one of my first toys in my memories) to keep me occupied in the airport as we were waiting to fly home. 26 years and several thousand dollars (maybe even hundreds of of thousands when I really think of it, damn) later I am still "occupied" to say the least. @razz@

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Find Action Figures on Ebay


×
×
  • Create New...
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE