“YO, Joe!”
The 1980s were filled with exciting toy commercials, but few grabbed kids’ attention like G.I. Joe. Even though I mainly collected Star Wars and He-Man toys, I was still a huge fan of the G.I. Joe animated series and the action-packed commercials. Every commercial was filled with lasers, vehicles, and enough action to make you believe a battle against Cobra was happening right in your living room.
What I remember most about the commercials was their creative battle sequences and the excited children playing with them. The villains were over-the-top evil, and the heroes always won, and every vehicle was creative and cool. Looking back, I honestly wonder how many young boys eventually joined the military because of G.I. Joe. The series celebrated teamwork, bravery, and heroism, making being a soldier seem exciting and noble. Whether through the cartoons or the toy ads themselves.
Here are some of my favorite commercials.
G.I. Joe “U.S.S. Flag Aircraft Carrier”
To G.I. Joe fans, THIS was the equivalent to getting the Millennium Falcon for Star Wars fans or Castle Grayskull for He-Man fans! This was the “Holy Grail” and was one of the largest toy sets ever created! If YOU owned this, you had an amazing childhood.
GI JOE Skystriker
One of the most used vehicle in the animated series, the Skystriker was also a must have for fans!
G.I. Joe Snowcat
The animated series always had some creative machines mixed with practical and this was one of them. Growing up in Northern Canada, this vehicle made total sense to me and I wished I owned it!
G.I. Joe Sgt. Slaughter Triple T Tank
This was the perfect and most obvious crossover for the series. Sgt Slaughter, (Robert Rudolph Remus),was an easy move from the popularity of Pro-Wrestling where his character was loved by fans to the animated kids show.
GI JOE Joe Headquarters Playset
Every series “good guys” needs a base to operate from, and higher priced items for toy makers, and this is a perfect place for the Joe’s to defend against Cobra from!
G.I. Joe – Cobra Terror Drome
On the opposite side, the “bad guys,” need a base of operations to launch their evil plans from and this combines the practical with the fantasy elements G.I. Joe is known for, including some interesting snake type designs.
GI Joe Action Stars Cereal commercial (1985)
Many successful animation series sometimes got their own cereal which was a colorful box with their favorite characters that help balls of SUGAR and other unhealthy chemicals! It may have been a bad start to your mornings but this was another part of what made the 80’s FUN!
GI JOE MOBAT, Dragonfly, VAMP
The Vamp and Clutch were one of my favorite characters! The vehicle was cool, and had a powerful gun and was driven by a cool bearded hero! What else do you need?
What was YOUR favorite G.I. Joe toy? LEAVE A COMMENT!
You can watch FULL episodes of the 80’s G.I. Joe cartoon on the official YouTube channel below:
