Product Details

• Actors: Chris Latta, Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Frank Welker
• Directors: Buzz Dixon
• Format: Animated, Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 17
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Shout! Factory
• DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009
• Run Time: 2190 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002KJ7OE4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,917 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This G.I. Joe set is a dream come true for fans. Finally, the entire classic animated series is collected together, complete with a ton of enjoyable extra features. Add in the very cool, conversation starting packaging and you have a really noteworthy set. --IGN (July 22, 2009)

Product Description

G.I. JOE is the code name for Americas daring highly-trained special missions force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless organization determined to rule the world. For the first time ever, the complete collection of the original animated series is on DVD including the final half of Season Two which has never been on DVD before.

In 1983 Hasbro made a bold statement when it relaunched its classic toy line of military action heroes as an adventure-based team of unique characters, each with his, and her, own specialties. And because it captured the imaginations and hearts of boys and girls aspiring to make a difference in the world, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was an immediate success lasting over 25 incredible years.

Now you can relive the original animated adventures of Duke, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Flint, Lady Jaye and rest of the Joe team with this 17-disc collectors set of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. It is all housed in a premium footlocker package. Inside it includes all 95 restored episodes on 17 DVDs, new interviews, exclusive featurettes, rare PSAs, archival Hasbro toy commercials, the original G.I. JOE 1963 Toy Fair Presentation, fan material, printable scripts and much more! This set also includes a collectible 60-page book, exclusive rub-on tattoos and a 1GB Dog Tag flash drive (USB 2.0) with 2 G.I. JOE silent comics preloaded on the device.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great set, great value, October 19, 2009

By 

Peter F. Oberth "Shakefire.com" (Canton, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Complete Collectors Set [The Complete Series] (DVD)

This is actually a pretty bad ass box set. The original G.I. Joe cartoon has all the makings of classic 80s cartoons; insane and unreal action, real hand drawn animation, cheesy dialogue and, of course, lessons to be learned all around.

QUALITY:
Who cares. It's not the greatest, but did you really expect any better? It was a weekly show, produced at a minimal budget, there is only so much that can be done. Maybe I'll complain when it makes it's way to blu-ray but, for now, it's fine by me.

BONUS FEATURES (AND FREEBIES):
All the Public Service Announcements, Fan material, the original toy fair from 1963, archival toy commercials, featurettes, collectible booklet, some pretty badass rub on tattoos and a 1 GB dog tag flash drive with 2 G.I. Joe comic books contained.

PACKAGING:
The packaging is amazing. It comes encased in a pretty solid camo green box with latch and embossed window showing the G.I. Joe logo. Open it up and there is a fascimile in plastic of a military computer. Lift it up and you have all the goods. The one issue right off the bat is that the lid inside the case to get to all the items is fairly heavy as the underside has a pocket with all 17 DVDs in 2 books. This lid doesn't stay up on it's own so you have to hold it in order to get to the DVDs, booklet or anything else. A small issue but annoying nonetheless.

The discs are well done with full color and exclusive artwork of individual characters on each one. There is an empty slot at the end of the collection for the 1988 movie. Don't fret because it is supposed to be empty, there are still 17 discs as promised. Including the movie would have been a nice touch and it's a shame that they didn't (especially since it's out of print) but it's technically not what you are buying here. The book included walks you through each disc and each character.

OVERALL:
95 episodes of awesome and gnarly 80s cartoon action (yes, I just said gnarly). The 17 discs are put together incredibly well and the box, as a whole, is very well made. The disappointments (none self sustaining lid, somewhat poor quality and lack of movie inclusion) aren't enough to bring down this incredible set. Most sets usually aren't worth the inflated price tag, but this one, at a mere $145 is well worth the purchase. A buck and a half per episode plus all the bonuses? You coudln't beat that price on iTunes.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I want subtitles, January 25, 2010

By 

ISHISAKA "pikachu" (Japan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Complete Collectors Set [The Complete Series] (DVD)

I am G.I.Joe fan in Japan. At Japan,only 34 episode had on aired.
So,I'm very grad can see all episodes with this box set.
However, I cannot grasp contents because English hearing is not so
proud unless English subtitles are displayed. Because I buy that one
if entering subtitles appears, I want to release entering subtitles
by all means.
(Sorry for broken English)

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect set for the G.I. Joe fan, new or old!, October 16, 2009

By 

Justin Bell "GeneralsJoes.com" (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Complete Collectors Set [The Complete Series] (DVD)

As a youngster, some of my fondest memories were coming home after school, sitting on the couch and watching G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero on afternoon television. On a regular basis I would run home from the bus stop, just wondering to myself which episode was going to be on today. Because of these fantastic cartoons by Sunbow, the G.I. Joe and COBRA characters got a new life and a new energy, and seeing them come to life on the television screen filled my impressionable 10-year old mind with joy.

Of course, as with anything we loved as a child, sometimes the rose colored glasses make the cartoon look a little better twenty-five years ago than it does today...there are certain parts of the Sunbow cartoon era that do make me chuckle, now that I'm in my 30's, but that's no reason to turn your back on a piece of animation history.

Back in those days you couldn't tell an animated story quite as maturely as you can today. Stuff like Batman: The Animated Series, The Simpsons, or even Clone Wars wasn't something cartoon writers or producers could even think about, so the folks behind the scenes at the production company had to figure out how they could tell a story about soldiers fighting terrorists without death or without bullets. The end result was an animated adventure that seemed more super hero than military and was, of course, quite campy for a military action/adventure. But if you take a closer look you can see, even amongst the conveniently timed parachutes and odd colored lasers, that this was actually a smartly written show, especially geared towards the under-10 crowd.

Beyond that, though, there's a heaping helping of nostalgia, a nice taste of simpler times where good and evil were a lot more clearly defined. Where you could sit down and watch your action figures jump around on the TV screen for 22 minutes without looking for deeper meaning aside from wondering what rhymes Roadblock was going to come up with, or how Cobra Commander could possibly screw things up worse than he had the previous episode. The cartoon was ludicrous, but it was fantastically ludicrous, and it gave birth to a whole generation of G.I. Joe fans who identify with the characters born on screen.

The best thing is, this set has EVERY SINGLE EPISODE. Every last "Cobra, RETREAT!!!" uttered by Cobra Commander. Every last "Yo, Joe!" by Duke or Gung Ho. Every octive of that catchy theme song that folks know so well, and every "Knowing is Half the Battle!" spoken by each character. Two full seasons, a wealth of 5-parters, and more special features than you can shake a stick at, this boxed set has about everything you could look for in a Sunbow Series collection. If you want a rundown of exactly what this series has to offer, I've reviewed it on my website as well: [...].

While G.I. Joe: The Movie from 1987 is noticeably absent, there is even a slot for it amongst the jewel cases, and even without that dubious end to the Sunbow era, this is one full and complete collection of animated goodness from the 80's.

Whether your a child of the 80's trying to relive your youth, an adult who just saw The Rise of Cobra, and want to explore G.I. Joe's history, or most importantly, a parent who wants some wholesome and enjoyable entertainment for your new young Joe fan, this set is a can't miss proposition. The best, the worst, and everything in between, whatever you want to know about the G.I. Joe cartoon you can find in these discs. I cannot recommend it enough!