One of the first hurdles Prupis had to clear was the price of petroleum. However, his idea was met with resistance from Hasbro executives. It would feature science fiction-inspired weapons like laser artillery and jet packs, next to realistic depictions of tanks, rocket launchers, and submachine guns. Joe reboot, code named “Operation: Blast Off” on internal memos, was a Mission: Impossible-style toy line that had one foot in the future, with the other grounded in contemporary military technology. An Uphill Battleīy 1979, Hasbro’s Head of Boy’s Toys, Bob Prupis, was ready to bring Joe back. Sales began to slip over time, so, in 1970, Hasbro changed Joe from a soldier to an “action hero,” trading his tanks and jeeps for inflatable rafts and a patented “kung fu grip.” By the time the line was cancelled in 1976, Joe had become something of a superhero, incorporating fantastic elements like the chrome-plated Bulletman and the bionic limbs of Atomic Man, who battled The Intruders, a group of cavemen from outer space. Joe began life as a nearly 12-inch military toy in 1964, creating a whole new category of “action figures” for boys that rivaled Mattel’s Barbie doll in popularity. With so many facets to the fandom, we thought it was time to fill you in on the history of this influential media monster. Joe: A Real American Hero was one of the driving forces in kid’s entertainment, conquering the worlds of comic books, animated television, and tiny toy action figures. Its purpose was to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. Joe was the codename for America’s daring, highly trained special missions force.
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