Although vac-metal chrome figures like Star Wars' C-3PO were amazingly cool, a new type of toy would put it to shame;. color-changing plastic. The first toy I ever had a chance to own made of this space age material was G.I.Joe's Zartan, the master of disguise. Zartan's character was established in the animated mini-series as a roguish, Australian accented, all around scoundrel and mercenary. The biggest promise I ever broke happened one fateful day at Children's Palace. I encountered the Zartan with swamp skier box at a pricepoint of about $4.99, which as I recall was a little over twice what a carded G.I.Joe figure sold for at the time. I had to have him, but how could I convince my mother to buy him, I was already invested in LEGO, & Star Wars. So I asked my mom if I could have Zartan, and in a contract I ended up breaking, she had me swear up and down that I would never want another G.I.Joe toy as long as I lived. I suppose my life would be quite different if I hadn't started down the long dark road which was G.I.Joe. My life would have been forever changed if I had kept my promise, as Star Wars and LEGO would fade into memory and I would grow into a normal adolescent who had no time for "childish" toys. For the most accurate archive of G.I.Joe figures and vehicles visit YoJoe.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Master of Disguise
Although vac-metal chrome figures like Star Wars' C-3PO were amazingly cool, a new type of toy would put it to shame;. color-changing plastic. The first toy I ever had a chance to own made of this space age material was G.I.Joe's Zartan, the master of disguise. Zartan's character was established in the animated mini-series as a roguish, Australian accented, all around scoundrel and mercenary. The biggest promise I ever broke happened one fateful day at Children's Palace. I encountered the Zartan with swamp skier box at a pricepoint of about $4.99, which as I recall was a little over twice what a carded G.I.Joe figure sold for at the time. I had to have him, but how could I convince my mother to buy him, I was already invested in LEGO, & Star Wars. So I asked my mom if I could have Zartan, and in a contract I ended up breaking, she had me swear up and down that I would never want another G.I.Joe toy as long as I lived. I suppose my life would be quite different if I hadn't started down the long dark road which was G.I.Joe. My life would have been forever changed if I had kept my promise, as Star Wars and LEGO would fade into memory and I would grow into a normal adolescent who had no time for "childish" toys. For the most accurate archive of G.I.Joe figures and vehicles visit YoJoe.com
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Really diggin' the blog so far, Pauli!
ReplyDeleteG.I. Joes were probably my favorite action figures back in the day. Not necessarily because of the cartoons, which I only had a medium level of interest in, but because they were the easiest to disassemble.
I remember hanging out with my friend back in elementary school and taking apart GI Joes and sorting out torsos, arms, legs, crotches, heads, and putting them back together as custom Joes.
Ah, those fancy polymers!
ReplyDeleteNever wanting another G.I. Joe, though?!? Sacrilege!