GI Joe: The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Don Levine (Preface)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-In the mid 1960s, Hasbro launched one of the most successful toys in the history of its company: G.I. Joe. Michlig chronicles it from its meteoric rise to its seemingly overnight fall because of the antiwar sentiment that swept the nation to its eventual evolution into the small action figures that are part of almost every boy's toy chest today. Much of the book is taken up with the initial concept and design and the quest for historical accuracy. The text also covers the marketing of the toy-how the product was initially pitched, how it was made more appealing with tie-ins to comic books and clubs, and how it was advertised and sold internationally. The numerous illustrations will attract casual readers. This book will be a great resource for students doing case studies in marketing or for those researching cultural icons from the 1960s.
Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

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For those of us who can still remember entire days lost to setting up, commentating on, and living out battles of such profound imagination and carnage that it didn't matter that the brave soldiers fighting weren't real, here's the ultimate guide to the history of the name given to the face of the U.S. military's everyman: GI Joe. This beautifully presented history tracks Joe's origins in the comics of Joe Yank, "Battle cry," and "Battle," through incarnations as individuals in varying battle gear, each with his (and eventually her) own history. The first pitch was made on April 11th, 1963, to creator Don Levine and was based on a concept for a (gasp!) "male Barbie-type doll" (quickly renamed "action figures"). The book details GI Joe maker Hasbro's debate over and inclusion of a black GI Joe in the mid-60s (15 years before there was a black Barbie), which was sold only in northern states for the first few years, and the adolescent fantasies of adult designers that sparked some of the most creative sets and characters. Lots of pictures, posters, and drawings.

Appearing in 1964 at the height of the Barbie era and routed, 13 years later, by platoons of Star Wars figurines, GI Joe was a toy both of and in spite of its times. Despite industrial wisdom that "a boy will never play with a doll," the "action figure" (as Hasbro insisted it be called) was a massive success right out of the gate. Later, when Vietnam soured combat-toys sales (and this reviewer and his little chums were putting Joe on trial for war crimes), the company cannily repositioned its plastic molded hero as an "adventurer." While Michlig's text divulges more about Hasbro inter-office politics than you really need to know, this beautifully designed coffee-table tome is as much a fetish object as the original 1965 Deep Sea Diver Joe.

This book contains more than 200 rare archival photographs and illustrations. It tells the inside story of GI Joe, from his tough scar to his revolutionary kung-fu grip. In addition to a preface by Don Levine, the maverick toyman who defied industry skeptics to create a popular doll for boys, there are interviews with the men and women who developed the original figure and guided him though four decades of service.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811818225
• ISBN-13: 978-0811818223
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GI Joe's history comes alive, November 16, 1999

By	John Medeiros ([e-mail]) (New York) - See all my reviews

This book is so wonderfully written and designed, it's hard to imagine anybody not enjoying it's large closeup photos and detail rich text. The history of one of America's favorite toys is told with relish, humor and a great deal of "insider info". Mr Michlig's love of original design art also is evident in the use of many photos of prototypes, box art and samples. The attractive, large sized volume looks very impressive and tempting on the coffee table too.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great inside story of the joe world., March 17, 1999

By A Customer

For anyone who grew up with gijoe as a back yard play mate this is the book for you. You will be amazed at the behind the doors work that went on to bring gijoe to life. This is a fascinating story of joe and how he came to life his rocket to stardom and then fade to twilight. A must read for any joe lover and collector. 5 stars

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and a tale well told, November 22, 2001

By A Customer

Don't confuse this book with the "GI Joe collector's guides" that exist in various forms. This is a different animal - - gripping, well-written nonfiction, telling the story of a small family-owned business and its leap of faith on a brand new type of toy for boys, the now-ubiquitous "action figure."

The story of the GI Joe product illuminates the story of the toy industry itself. I found this look inside the process of bringing a product to market and maintaining its value over the course of decades fascinating.