A quick Summary of Gi joe history

G.I.Joe ('82-'94,'97,'98,'00-Present): The first and original 3 & 3/4" figures. The line lasted until 1994 when it was cancelled and then special Toys R Us Exclusives came out in 1997 & 1998. The 3 & 3/4" line came back in 2000 and by 2002 the line saw new characters and sculpts of old characters. 2007 began the 25th Anniversary and a new era. 12 Inch ('91-'97,'02-'04): In 1991 Hasbro brought the 12" line back to stores. They were large sizes of the 3 & 3/4" characters. There were a few convention exclusives on the off years after the line was cancelled in 1994. The 12" line was brough back in 2002 when G.I.Joe was brought back in full force. Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles ('95): This was the G.I.Joe line that followed the 3 & 3/4" line in 1995. The figures were 4 &1/2" tall in size and had ball joints for the legs instead of the o-ring. The story had a direct relation to the previous G.I.Joe line as shown in the Sgt. Savage cartoon that was released with one of the figures. GI Joe Extreme ('96): This line followed the Sgt. Savage toys in 1996 and the story was set in the year 2010. It lasted for two years and the figures were about 5" tall and had very limited articulation. This line had a direct relation to the previous because Hasbro kept the Sgt. Savage character for Extreme.

Built To Rule ('03-'04): This was a very different line of G.I.Joes. The vehicles were created with lego type building blocks and the figures were full 3 & 3/4" in size. The figure sculpts were modified from their originally created figure from the main line in the fact that each figure had places to attach building blocks on both arms and legs. This line was in addition to the ongoing G.I.Joe SpyTroops story in 2003.

Sigma Scale ('05-Present): In 2005, G.I.Joe made the jump to the larger (approximately 8 inch) scale, replacing both 3 3/4 inch and 12 inch figures in retail stores. With the change, a new cartoon was released as well as a new comic book

G.I. JOE was the first boy's "Action Figure" in the world. G.I. Joe first hit the scene as an 11-1/2 inch "doll" for boys. What made G.I. Joe unique was its 21 moving parts for interactive play. G.I. Joe is named after the movie "The Story of G.I. JOE" which gained great popularity in the early sixties.

Due to the popularity of G.I. Joe, the Hasbro Company that invented the action figure decided to expand the brand’s line in 1967. Hasbro introduced the Canadian Mountie set of G.I. Joes.

Five years after the original G.I. Joe Hasbro was producing all categories of the United States Armed Forces action figures as well as many foreign armed forced. It wasn’t until 1969 that “G.I. Joe” went from being the name of one specific action figure, to the name of an entire line of action figures for boys.

By the 1970s the G.I. Joe brand was doing quite well and Hasbro kept thinking of innovative ways to keep their successful brand alive. It was at this time that they started producing the G.I. Joe Adventure Team, which was comprised of a group of soldiers all committed to the same goal as G.I. Joe.

As the seventies continued to evolve, so did G.I. Joe. He was given flocked hair, and even some G.I. Joes came with a kung-fu grip. It was in the seventies that the first superhuman team member was introduced, his name was Bulletman. Other new team members introduced in the seventies included Eagle Eye and The Defenders.

G.I. Joe found a force that he could not defeat in 1978 when the price of petroleum grew so high that G.I. Joe production was suspended. It wasn’t until 1982 that the line was re-introduced in a smaller size. The smaller size action figures were created as a direct result of keeping production costs lower to accommodate the price of petroleum.

It was also in 1982 that G.I. Joe was licensed with Marvel Comics. This partnership was very lucrative for Hasbro and Marvel with $200 million in combined revenue by 1984. At the time there were uniforms, weapons, vehicles and comic books rounding out the G.I. Joe brand.

Also in the early eighties G.I. Joe found himself fighting a slew of adversaries including the Drednoks. By this time the brand had grown so large that real human characters were being incorporated into the G.I. Joe adventure team. The first was professional wrestler Sgt. Slaughter followed by Chicago Bears legend William “The Refrigerator” Perry.