We Had That

  GI Joe Outback action figure (Hasbro, 1987) When GI Joe was re-born as a 3 3/4" action figure under the "Real American Hero" banner in 1982, I was immediately on board!  Each year, a new wave of figures and vehicles was released. For the first several years, I was a huge fan who wanted everything that Hasbro offered!  But as the years went on, Hasbro began to stray from the original concept.  The GI Joe team had originally been made up of the military elite, but with each subsequent wave, more and more figures were showing up who didn't feel very "military" to me.  I didn't mind the crazy Cobra outfits as much since they were a terrorist organization, but I thought guys involved with the US Military should look a certain way. Outback on patrol with all his gear! To me, it felt like 1987 was the crossover year for the GI Joe team.  About half of the guys looked great.  Falcon, in particular, was one of the most military-looking Joes of the entire run....

Masters of the Universe vintage Faker (Mattel, 1983) Mattel released the original Masters of the Universe toys in 1982.  Due to their surprisingly huge popularity, Mattel wanted to get more figures on the shelves as quickly as possible.  Although I've read numerous conflicting accounts, from the evidence that I've seen, it looks like the character Faker was the first figure released after the first wave of 8 figures.  He was subsequently included as part of wave 2 and is often listed as a wave 2 figure even though I believe he was actually released between waves 1 and 2.  I'm not sure how long the original Faker was available in stores, but I do know that at some point, he was discontinued.  In 1987, a slightly different version of Faker was re-introduced as part of wave 6, the last full wave of new figures. Masters of the Universe vintage Faker (Mattel, 1983) Faker re-used the molds for He-Man, but cast him in blue with purple boots and fur s...

Masters of the Universe - Ninjor action figure (1987) In the 1980s, the ninja craze was in full swing.  From movies like The Octagon, Enter the Ninja, American Ninja, and Ninja Death Squad to video games like Shinobi, Saboteur, and Ninja Gaiden, to comic books like Daredevil (with characters like Kirigi & Elektra), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Tick (which made fun of the fact that ninjas were everywhere) you couldn't get away from ninjas in the 80s.  Ninjas started silently creeping onto the toy shelves at least as early as 1982 with the Eagle Force character "Savitar," but it was GI Joe's "Storm Shadow" that truly brought the ninja action figure to the masses in 1984.  Remco had Ninja Strike Force, Hasbro had Ninja Warriors, and Soma had Master Ninjas. GI Joe "Storm Shadow" - Masters of the Universe "Ninjor" - Eagle Force "Savitar" The original Masters of the Universe toys first came out in 1982....