G.I. Joe Archives - PS

Sing along with GI Joe!

Mantooth — Mon, 09 May 2011 04:01:00 +0000

This G.I. Joe radio is completely bad ass but I’m confused as to what use the “Sing Along” feature would have to the bearded world adventure…

The post Sing along with GI Joe! appeared first on PS.

1969 Toys R Us Toy Circular

Mantooth — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Here’s another wonderful Toy Newspaper Circular from the good people at Toys R Us, this time it’s from this weekend 41 years ago (ok I timed that part).

It’s a cool trip back to the toys of yester year and while some things have changed, others really haven’t all that much.

Lots of memorable classics such as G.I. Joe, Barbie and the ever popular Fisher Price Little People.

Click Here to browse the 1969 Toys R Us Circular

Other Toy Flyers and Circulars from the 70s

The post 1969 Toys R Us Toy Circular appeared first on PS.

Recovery of the Lost Mummy

Mantooth — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Were i a wealthy man, I would fill a house with wonderful sets such as this….

The post Recovery of the Lost Mummy appeared first on PS.

The Adventures of Don, Bill and Jac!

Mantooth — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:01:00 +0000

“Don Bill Jac” sounds a bit like an obscure early 70s film you’d catch at 4 am, there’s good reason for this as it’s the name of a toyline that could only exist in the 1970s. Don, Bill and Jac consisted of the titular heroes and their “each sold seperately” outfits and accessories.

If you’ve never heard of these toys but find it oddly familiar to you at the same time, it’s because Don Bill Jac was only sold in Italy but it is a clever repackaging of a toy line known to North American kids as “Mr Action” (more on him soon). The results are really quirky and fun, enjoy the 1975 Baravelli “Bill Jac Don” catalog:

Other Foriegn Market Toys

The post The Adventures of Don, Bill and Jac! appeared first on PS.

Palitoy Action Man 1979

Mantooth — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:24:00 +0000

While G.I. Joe was a fond memory for North American kids, he was living large in the UK under the guise of Action Man. Action Man was not only popular but he was outselling Star Wars action figures, which is no small feat.What differentiates the line from the G.I. Joe we knew as a kid is that Action Man never lost it’s military flavour. Sure you could get an Adventurer with a beard but for the most part, Action Man was a clean cut, rough and tumble soldier (and sometimes space ranger) with a multitude of cool outfits and a battalion of groovy vehicles to back him up.

Included in this great catalog are some shots of my pal Bill Frost’s wicked Action Man collection, which includes US characters like Atomic Man and Bullet Man with a UK twist.

Click Here to Visit the 1979 Palitoy Action Man Catalog
More Military Might:

The post Palitoy Action Man 1979 appeared first on PS.

GI Joe Adventure Team Newsletter

Mantooth — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Hasbro was pretty adept at marketing the G.I. Joe line to kids as evidenced by this 1974 newsletter sent to members of “The Adventure Team”. For a $1.50 you got all kinds of cool swag plus this newsletter, which was filled with stories and a pile of material lifted from the Hasbro catalog.

Seeing this stuff blows my mind and makes me wish I wasn’t so darn lazy as a child. This newsletter (complete with letter from Commander Mike Triumph) is a wonderful window into a time when Kung Fu Grip was king…

Click Here to see the 1974 GI Joe Adventure Team Newsletter

Other G.I. Joe Related Links
Also be sure to stick around this weekend for a vintage visit with a cylon and the worst colouring book I’ve ever seen.

The post GI Joe Adventure Team Newsletter appeared first on PS.

Action Man greets his public

Mantooth — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Hopping over to the UK today for this weekend’s mall appearance with shots from a 1979 appearance of Action Man in Blackpool. To those not in the know AM is the UK version of G.I. Joe, although Action Man had more of a paramilitary flavour and was wildly popular, in 1979 he was outselling Star Wars.

Here Action Man presents a “sophisticated video cassette recorder” to a prize winner, fancy! The winner designed the best store window display for Action Man, more on that later.

Send me your mall appearance photos!

The post Action Man greets his public appeared first on PS.

Bear Hugs From Space

Mantooth — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:08:00 +0000

I blogged about my fascination with the G.I. Joe intruder last year. I still don’t get why Hasbro thought an outer space cave man was a good first nemesis for G.I. Joe but I also can’t deny I’m kind of smitten with him.

Above my newest cheap ebay score, a boxed UK version of Intruder. It seems that Palitoy’s Action Man also got him as an enemy (although Action Man would get way cooler space villains to fight later on in the 1970s) and he got a super spiffy box. I really love solid box packaging like this, that artwork makes me smile.

Watch out for his crushing Bear Hug! I have a friend who should also come with this warning…

The post Bear Hugs From Space appeared first on PS.

Bullet Man Trading Card

Mantooth — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:47:00 +0000

The final card I did this go round, Bullet Man was one I really wanted to do because I have a lot of happy memories playing with him. I struggled finding the right image but eventually chose this one so I could shoe horn in my other favourite Joe toy of that era, the Capture Copter.

I don’t have a big G.I. Joe collection but I have both of these items proudly on display.

Previous Trading Cards

The post Bullet Man Trading Card appeared first on PS.

1974 Collegeville Costume Catalog

Mantooth — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

When it came to Halloween costumes, the two biggest names in the 70’s were Ben Cooper and Collegeville. If one didn’t have a specific license, the other surely did.

In the mid seventies, Ben Cooper had a lock on some prosperous licenses namely The Universal Monsters and Superheroes from DC and Marvel houses.

This left Collegeville with some interesting choices and a great deal of “imitation brand” characters. Concentrating on cartoon characters and popular toy brands, Collegeville has a real mix of fun knock off costumes that would be fun to collect.
While looking through this catalog, I was shocked to discover that much of my trick or treating involved Collegeville. It must have had a lot to do with my proximity to a Woolco.

Enjoy the 1974 Collegeville Halloween Costume Catalog

And if you still want to look at Halloween Costumes, check out these other two galleries:

The post 1974 Collegeville Costume Catalog appeared first on PS.