Toy Questions Part 2: Super Joe

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Another recurring contributor to my mail bag is Super Joe, I get email from folks from time to time that say:
"I had this 8 inch tall Micronaut, he lit up, who was he?"- His name is Luminous and he's part of Hasbro's short lived GI Joe revamp called Super Joe. Luminous is clear like a Micronaut so the confusion is genuine.
"I remember this big Lizard that walked but if you hit him with a flash light, he stopped"- That's Terron, the big "get" for 1978 that many attribute to ruining the Super Joe line.
I think the big problem with Super Joe is he just didn't have the name recognition, kids didn't get that this was GI Joe and without some sort of tie in (ie TV show or comic book) he just became somewhat swept under the carpet next the Superfriends and Star Wars.
It's a bit of shame because Super Joe has some neat ideas, look for more on him at the site in the coming months.







DVD Alert!
The Comedy goldmine known as Cinematic Titanic has released another live DVD, their last live DVD (East meets Watts) was the best I had seen by the former MST 3K gang.
Add to this that their latest victim, Alien Factor, is actually a pretty fun and creative film in it's own right. What happens when a space ship full of alien convicts crashlands in Baltimore.
You can see the first five minutes here and what's even cooler you can download the whole movie at their store for $10.00. If you're a fan, please support quality comedy and laugh your *** off.

For more Fashion Mockery and 70's toy love visit us at Plaid Stallions.com


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[spamn]

Wow, I've never seen or heard of the Rocket Command Center or the other vehicles. Did they actually get produced?

[jds1911a1]

yes the rocket command center was produced they still show up on ebay from time to time

[MIB41]

Yeah. It doesn't help that the figures were not manufactured very well either. Virtually impossible to find one with the limbs still intact. I have the original Super Joe in the black outfit and the Shield figure. All disassembled of course...

[cjefferys]

I love the Super Joe line, but yeah, I remember them having a pretty low profile back in the day, which I'm sure didn't exactly help with the sales. Why do some people consider Terron responsible for ruining the line? I think he's awesome, even as a kid that was the one Super Joe item I wanted the most. But then again, I'm biased toward big monsters.

[palitoy]

Wow, I've never seen or heard of the Rocket Command Center or the other vehicles. Did they actually get produced?

Oh yeah, I missed out on one in a Canadian box not too long ago. Probably for the best, it's HUGE!

Why do some people consider Terron responsible for ruining the line?

I read it in one of those book about G.I. Joe that interviews former Hasbro employees, Terron was late to the Christmas 1978 market and then it was kind of a poor seller. It was supposed to be the "big Item" but it sunk Super Joe.

I hate that most books give a whole paragraph to the line.

[cjefferys]

I hate that most books give a whole paragraph to the line.

Totally agree. Even worse was when Tomart's first Action Figure hardcover price guide came out, the line was completely ignored and left out!

[AAAAA]

Yeah Terron was expensive to manufacture and did not always work , My mother had to ship a quite few of the returns Terrons to Hasbro from the department store she worked for.
, Super joe was the FIRST interactive action figure line ,
an its technology was still in its infancy.

[Spyweb007]

Terron used to scare the hell out of my grandma's cat, she would hide under the table as it walked towards her, and then freak and run away

I had almost all the Super Joe stuff, even the rocket Command Center which I picked up at either a yard sale or flea market as a kid. I sold everything a couple years ago, wish I hadn't though, I should have transferred them to some Famous Covers bodies or something.

[sprytel]

Super Joe was one of my very favorites as a kid, and close enough to Mego scale for me to play with them all together. The bodies have not held up well over time... but the kung fu grip and the look of the bodies were better than Mego, in my opinion.

The Darkon was my absolute favorite from the line. Sure, he looks just like Super Joe Commander... but he's green! And he has a cool helmet and sword! I'd love to find one of those for a reasonable price and restore it.

[kryptosmaster]

I swear I had a SuperJoe when I was a kid but for the life of me I don't know what happened to it. I may have only had it for a few months and it was a victim of our cross-country move toy purge.
Rich

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I remember these being EVERYWHERE for a short time when I was a kid. I had a few of the figures, and always wanted the big command ship thingie. Gor got a lot of mileage as a bad guy too.

They're one of the lines I'd love to do Mego customs of. (Gotta figure out how to do the light in the torso though.)

Don C.

[kryptosmaster]

With the way everything seems to get remade today I'm surprised Hasbro hasn't trotted out a Classic SuperJoe Limited Edition Collector's set.
Rich

[cjefferys]

Yeah Terron was expensive to manufacture and did not always work , My mother had to ship a quite few of the returns Terrons to Hasbro from the department store she worked for.

My Terron is unused, and I've always been a bit tempted to take the cardboard insert out of the battery compartment and pop some batteries in to see if it works. But based on your comment, plus the age of the toy, I'm guessing the chances are good that he wouldn't work anyway.

[Joe90]

With the way everything seems to get remade today I'm surprised Hasbro hasn't trotted out a Classic SuperJoe Limited Edition Collector's set.
Rich

With the less than stellar (by Hasbro's Point of View) sales of the 40th GI Joe line, I don't think we'll ever see a reissue of Super Joe -- with his "One-Two Punch!"