1976 GI Joe Adventure Team Catalog PageOver the weekend, a friend asked me to help him with toy research, which meant going through my catalogue collection.  That sort of activity is always welcome here as I get to thumb through some favourites from childhood. In particular, the 1976 Simpsons-Sears catalogue. In Canada, Sears partnered with a Canadian firm called Simpsons, and it remained dual-named until 1984. 

I had this catalogue as a kid, and as I’ve discussed, they’ve fascinated me since I can remember.  This page of GI Joe Adventure Team, well it’s technically the Super Adventure Team by this point is one so deeply ingrained in my consciousness it gives me endorphins looking at it.

Though many have decried this era as a low point for GI Joe, I counter with the thought that it depends on how old you were. This version of GI Joe was “My Era” because I was five, and trust me, I loved it. Here are my reasons for it:

1976 GI Joe Adventure Team Catalog Page

Mike Power: The Atomic Man was added to GI Joe a year earlier and was a hit. Yes, he was a Bionic Man Knock Off but I still played with him even after getting the real deal from Kenner. He was a cool concept and those clear arms were super neat. We won’t discuss how he runs with one “Atomic” leg.

As big of a departure Mike was for GI Joe, it was nothing compared to what Hasbro had planned for 1976. 

BulletMan, the Human Bullet, had a bad rap in GI Joe collector circles for decades, and it’s so unfair. I LOVED this character and was so excited about what was next with GI Joe. I was superhero crazy as a kid and they obviously didn’t have to be comic book based for me to fall in love with it. However, to be fair there is one character I didn’t get behind.

The Intruder was a really out-there concept and one I’d love to know more about. Joe’s first real enemy seemed to be more of a minion than an evil mastermind. The Intruders probably needed a leader of some sort, it would have helped. However, the Intruder has one great defence, it inspired some amazing vehicles like the Capture Copter (which I got for my 6th birthday) and the Big Trapper, which is wonderful.

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