The Toys That Made US

[cjefferys]

I watched all four last week and really enjoyed them. I only collect one of the four lines covered (SW, and even that one in a limited fashion) but all were very entertaining, really cool seeing interviews with so many of the folks involved in the lines' creation.

[thunderbolt]

That "little joe" went on to be the greatest and most desirable era of GI Joe toys ever ...PERIOD! Pretty sure this line still would of existed without your 12" Joe the 80's had some of the best lines that will never be recreated

Oh and Sideshow brought out some really nice 1/6 scale Joes...based on the 80's characters

Again, in your opinion. It would not have existed maybe as its original SHIELD revamp at Marvel, would have not gotten the toy line that it did. Hasbro probably wouldn't have even existed into the 80s if not for GI Joe in the 60s and 70s.

[C.H.O.A.M.]

And GI JOE wouldn't exist without Barbie. Hasbro wanted to copy the success of Barbie with a line of male dolls marketed to boys. Hasbro used the same concept Mattel used for Barbie with an affordable basic doll with a line of fashions (now military outfits) to dress the dolls in.

You're right. Barbie-- GI Joe-- Action Jackson/WGSH-- Kenner doing SW...

(that's about when my idea of "play" changed)

[C.H.O.A.M.]

I think mego deserves its own episode.

and personally I would've liked more 12" joe in that episode...

[Teemu]

In your opinion. It was a sad day when the 12 inch joe went away and came back a few years later as a sawed off little runt with a lot of the play value lost. Your little Joe would not even exist if it weren't for the original. I doubt a lot of things after 1964 would have even came about, Captain Action, Johnny West, WGSH... etc may have never seen the light of day if not for GI Joe

That "little joe" went on to be the greatest and most desirable era of GI Joe toys ever ...PERIOD! Pretty sure this line still would of existed without your 12" Joe the 80's had some of the best lines that will never be recreated

Oh and Sideshow brought out some really nice 1/6 scale Joes...based on the 80's characters

[GordoCrisp]

I didn't get into the 80s GI Joe line, all growed up in junior high school, you know, but that was a cool episode.

Larry Hama is one cool dude, and I recognized him when they mentioned his appearances on MASH!

Also great was Jim Swearingen in the Star Wars episode. I like humble people.

[Werewolf]

may have never seen the light of day if not for GI Joe

And GI JOE wouldn't exist without Barbie. Hasbro wanted to copy the success of Barbie with a line of male dolls marketed to boys. Hasbro used the same concept Mattel used for Barbie with an affordable basic doll with a line of fashions (now military outfits) to dress the dolls in.

[Werewolf]

I had caught wind of Roger Sweet and his book before but I hadn't read it. He's an interesting character.

Yeah, I think he tries to take full credit for MOTU. I know he created the first figure mock ups out of some Big Jim figures (a barbarian, tank guy and Boba Fett looking guy) and possibly even came up with the He-Man name but it's basically understood that Mark Taylor came up with the original Torak concept that would eventually become He-Man. The whole concept was probably pretty vague at that point in development. Michael Halperin wrote the story bible for the characters in 82 and a lot of what we now know as MOTU was finally really fleshed out.

[thunderbolt]

Nah,while the 12" was the original pioneer,it was nowhere near the awesomeness that was GI JOE: A Real American Hero in the 80's and no comparison.It deserved at the attention it got.

In your opinion. It was a sad day when the 12 inch joe went away and came back a few years later as a sawed off little runt with a lot of the play value lost. Your little Joe would not even exist if it weren't for the original. I doubt a lot of things after 1964 would have even came about, Captain Action, Johnny West, WGSH... etc may have never seen the light of day if not for GI Joe

[palitoy]

I haven't seen the episode but, yeah, there is this long standing very heated debate over who actually created the original He-Man concept.

I had caught wind of Roger Sweet and his book before but I hadn't read it. He's an interesting character.

[Werewolf]

it's really common for 6 people to take credit for one thing. REALLY COMMON.

I haven't seen the episode but, yeah, there is this long standing very heated debate over who actually created the original He-Man concept.

[Iron Mego]

Almost done with the first four eps, just have a few minutes of the GI Joe to watch. I've enjoyed it pretty well, and can't wait to see a Mego episode.

I think the He-Man ep was the most interesting to me, which is a little odd since I never owned any of the toys, watched the show, or really cared anything about it before a few years ago. Actually, from this season Star Wars are the only toys I have a real connection with. I had one hand-me-down Joe, an Adventure Team dude that I didn't play with all that much, and all I know of Barbie is that my sister had some and now my daughter does. It was an interesting episode too, though.

I'm not super keen on the narrator of the show, but the interviews are great, and all the little tid-bits and behind the scenes stuff is really interesting. These toy people are characters!

[palitoy]

GI Joe was one that could have easily been a two-parter. They barely scratched the surface.

Yeah, even when they did an excellent doc about the 12" ones, they only focus on the solider element. The Adventure Team is always glossed over, which is a mistake because it's a great story.

[CrimsonGhost]

The GI Joe one disappointed me, it dwelled too much on tiny Joe in name only, should have spent more time with the original action figure.

GI Joe was one that could have easily been a two-parter. They barely scratched the surface.

[palitoy]

I think my favourite episodes were the Barbie and MOTU ones.

That's coming from someone who thinks He-Man adoration is a bit hyperbolic but I really dig it.

As someone who has interviewed former Mego employees, it's really common for 6 people to take credit for one thing. REALLY COMMON.