G.I. Joe Adventure Team
| Type | Action Figures |
|---|---|
| Company | Hasbro |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1970–1976 |
| Official website | |
G.I. Joe Adventure Team is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The line is well remembered by the inclusion of features such as "Kung-Fu Grip", "Life-Like Hair" and "Eagle Eyes".
Between 1970 and 1976, the Hasbro toy company in the United States released numerous sets of 1:6 scale, 12-inch (30 cm) (a.k.a. playscale) figures, vehicles, clothing, and gear sets which had an adventure theme. Evolving from the military theme that had inspired the original 1960s G.I. Joe action figure and the initial "Adventures of ..." releases of 1969, these figures and sets were usually dressed for adventures in the jungles, deserts, mountains, and oceans. The adversaries were ecological disasters and wild animals, rather than human beings. A shift in sensibilities among parents in the US, notably caused by the Vietnam War, caused a shift from action/military toys to more politically sensitive ones.
The "realistic hair" flocking techniques developed by Hasbro's UK licensee, Palitoy, allowed for a significant shift in identity for the toyline. Nearly every set dealt with exploring exotic locations or accomplishing dangerous environmentally sensitive missions. The Adventure Team era of G.I. Joe also featured such innovations as the Kung-Fu Grip; the flocked hair and bearded figures; the figures with movable "Eagle-Eyes". "Eagle Eye" G.I. Joe was invented by James A. King in 1976. James A. King was a Master Engineer at Hasbro's R&D Dept in the mid-to-late 1970s and a top toy and consumer product inventor, designer and engineer under his own company King Design Associates, which produced additional G.I. Joe products and other toys for Hasbro.
The initial 1970 Adventure Team figures consisted of Talking Adventure Team Commander, Land Adventurer, Sea Adventurer, Air Adventurer, Adventurer (African-American), Man of Action, Talking Astronaut, Talking Man of Action, and Talking Adventure Team Commander (African-American). The second wave of figures in 1974 consisted of re-releases of the first nine figures which now included the "Kung-Fu Grip". The Mike Power - Atomic Man and Bulletman figures were released in order to compete with the popular Six Million Dollar Man figures and Mego's superhero figures released at the same time.
A notable absence in G.I. Joe's early days was an antagonist (although a case can be made for the German, Japanese and Russian figures). In 1976, G.I. Joe and the Adventure Team met new foes from outer space, when The Intruders: Strong Men from Another World were introduced. The Intruders were supposedly super-strong, highly intelligent alien invaders bent on conquering the Earth. These armored caveman-like aliens, although smaller than the G.I. Joe figures, had a button on their backs which could be pressed to make them grab with their "Crusher Grip" arms. These were available in the bearded and gold-armored commander, and the beardless, silver-armored warrior. Up until the introduction of these cavemen-looking armored aliens, Joe and his team had only the forces of nature and wild animals to fight. Now he was pitted against foes who—despite their brutish appearance—possessed keen intellect, and were bent on world domination.
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