1982 Hasbro G.I. Joe A Real American Hero Catalog

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After the Adventure Team closed up shop in 1976 and Superjoe said Goodbye in 1978, the G.I. Joe name reemerged in 1982, a good deal shorter but fueled by a renewed surge in patriotism. G.I. Joe was no longer a man but a team name, a covert group that protected the world, as we would […]

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[sprytel]

My older brothers were really the 12" GI Joe AT era... all my 12" Joes were either hand-me-downs or flea market finds. I absolutely adored Super Joe, which seemed like a dream marriage of Mego and GI Joe... but they were gone from the pegs so quickly. I actually felt jealous that all the "cool toys" were before my time.

But I still clearly remember my mother showing me an article in the paper about how Hasbro was going to re-launch GI Joe. I was excited but skeptical about the details. The size of Star Wars figures? You can't change their outfits? Then they hit the toy shelves and all my doubts disappeared. I remember I got Breaker, Flash, and Grunt from the first wave. My only minor disappointment was the articulation made it a little weird for them holding their guns (but they quickly fixed that with the later figures).

While I still probably have more fondness for the older GI Joes (you never forget your first!), there is no denying that RAH was "my" GI Joe line. And gosh darn it, they were phenomenal.

[Mr.Marion]

Imo RAH didn't start cooking with gas until 1984-85 but there definitely is some demand for the first couple waves.

[Werewolf]

Wonderfully iconic and fun toys. Scarlett and Snake Eyes were definitely the stand out figures of the first wave for me.

BTW: Anyone else been collecting the GI JOE retro figures? I know the line has been kind of hit or miss with people but the new Scarlett is terrific.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I held out on GI Joe: RAH for what seemed like years, but it was really only a year and a half or so. I wasn't much of an "army" guy, but the first TV mini-series really hooked me, and then I was all in. My first purchases were Zartan, Duke and Blowtorch. Joe was the line my friends and I all liked equally, and we would coordinate who was asking for what, and who got to play who every year when catalogs like this would come with a low-cost vehicle or accessory. Great times.

Chris

[Werewolf]

. I wasn't much of an "army" guy, but the first TV mini-series really hooked me, and then I was all in.

Same here. I never had any army men type toys before RAH. I loved the cartoon. To this day I am miffed we never got a figure of Long haired Sunbow Zartan.

[Nostalgiabuff]

i was all over this line when they hit shelves. I remember getting quite a lot of them for Christmas that year. i hung in for the first several waves and then outgrew toys. that jet pack was my favorite Joe accessory

[nvmbrsdoom5]

I'm still very into the Retro line, I'm anxious to get the FANG soon hopefully

I agree with Scarlett and Snake Eyes, those two really stood out to me back in '82, and I thought Flash was super cool! Honestly I loved all of the first couple of waves of Joes, by 1984 I started to be a bit too old for them unfortunately.

[Myoldtoys]

I wasn't much of an "army" guy

These toys hit at the perfect time for me and my friends. Wearing camo was all the rage in our small town. We would get groups of kids together and play war out in the farmers fields. I can still remember the day we decided to pick up a bunch of walnut balls and use them for grenades. I can still hear the sound of my friend’s brother yelling “oooooooohhhhh” when someone lobbed one and hit him. The war was over after that hit. That was also about the same time we talked the local armory into letting us “borrow” actual army uniforms including boots for a school talent show. Five of us did a gun drill routine (likes the movie Stripes). They even lent us M1 rifles to twirl the day of the performance. We were 11-12 yrs old. There’s some fun that would not be possible today. And we also collected and played with the ARAH figures. I still have nearly every figure from 1982 and 1983.

[B-Lister]

I really think they missed a opportunity for them to be an international team right from the start.