The Top 24 G.I. Joe Figures... From the 90s!

This is a guest article written by my little buddy, Al. He's a fan of G.I. Joe himself, and was let loose on my collection. I gave him the task to find his favorite figures among the later ones, the ones from 1990-1994. There's a lot that could be said about the demise of the original G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero toy line, and the way it ended was down right sad. But, as Al points out, there are a lot of gems here. Surprising ones even. 

The entire article is written by Al, and he has also taken the pictures. So, not a lot of work done by me. Which, honestly, is just the way I like it. 

Read on for the list of the top 24 G.I. Joe figures from the 90s!

A Different, but Similar Perspective on Nostalgia

Every once in a while, I go on various quasi-philosophical rants. I guess it comes with the territory of finally growing up. You see, there is nothing that says adults can't enjoy playing with toys just as much as kids. It's just that we play differently. One of my students (the same who made this one for me) asked me today how long it was since I last played with toys. I had to admit, I played with toys almost every day. When ever I pose my action figures, sort my collection, or even just look at my toys - am I not playing? And in the broader sense, am I not playing with toys when I goof around with my smart phone, installing various apps, playing candy crush, and so on. Is this not play? When I get together with friends to play board games or cards, can't this too be considered playing with toys? 

We play different than the kids, but we absolutely play. 

The biggest difference seems to be that kids dare to admit that they are playing, but adults tend to camouflage it behind fancy words. "Us, playing? No, we're just having an 80's theme party, and the He-Man cartoon looping in the background is just to be authentic". "Me? I'm not playing, I just had to get the Back to the Future Lego for my bookshelf". "These are not toys, these are expensive cars/porcelain dolls/model trains/bicycles/fishing poles/etc..." 

Another difference is of course that we tend to analyze our interests. I did that a month ago, in an article on nostalgia. I'm not sure I thoroughly got to express what I actually felt, but the essence of it is that the 80s were such special times for plastic toys that they more or less created the modern toy collector/pop culture nerd. 

One of my fellow enthusiasts, G.I. Jigsaw, wrote a comment that I felt was worth reposting in its entirety:

I often ask myself, why am I still collecting toys in my 40s. 

I was 6 when Star Wars and it’s Kenner lineup was released, 11 when GI Joe – ARAH was released. These were fantastic toys, and I spent many hours playing with them. A year or so later, I gave up on buying toys, though I still loved them, and eyed them at the store. 

I think you hit the nail on the head – it was a convergence of forces that make the 80s toys so beloved. Quality, story, sheer numbers, and technology. Though the 12 inch GI Joe is loved by many, the size of the Kenner Star Wars line really allowed kids to “buy them all!” As for GI Joe, I had read that the strategy of the first few waves was to allow families to get the entire series for under $100. It worked.
I do like the new as much as the vintage, mostly because they didn’t have those toys when the movies came out (Predator, Alien), but also like the creativity of new stories (Gears of War (left), Walking Dead).

I love the craftsmanship of toys. They are works of art in my opinion. The sculpting and detailing are phenomenal. I still enjoy the simplicity of the Star Wars Kenner line.

Like you, “I collect vintage toys because I have potent, and delightful memories of playing with these toys as a kid.” My family didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but my parents somehow managed to get me some of the toys I loved, because they saw my brother and I playing with them all the time.

I even specifically remembering when and how I received most of them. Those memories carry over to the new Gentle Giant Jumbo Kenner figures (example to the right). The ones I loved as a kid (Death Squad Commander, Jawa) were the first ones I purchased. Interestingly, I never like Death Star Droid or Walrusman and to this day, I still haven’t purchased those GG equivalents. I remember going to Child World on a Friday night when my dad bought me the Kenner TaunTaun and Hoth Han. It is the reason I preordered the GG Hoth Han so quickly.

Around the time I was moving away from toys, I already had an Atari 2600. It didn’t overwhelm me but I can see how today, video games and the internet capture the attention of kids faster these days. They are also a great babysitter by parents, unfortunately. There are two years olds that can navigate an iPad better than me. 

I still think the quality is here today, the same as back then. I do think some of today’s toys are very original – but the larger figures (6 inch Gears of War) and cost of plastic puts a price tag on toys where parents couldn’t buy them all.


I am also “glad I was invited to the main show - as a child in the 80s - to experience it first hand, and I'm glad to be around now, for the after party.”

Make sure to check out G.I. Jigsaw's blog. He writes about toys, comic books, and has made some really cool dioramas. 

Thanks for the comment, G.I. Jigsaw.

Arctic Masters of the Universe?

The winter came suddenly for my buddy JP. Being a resourceful person, he chose to see opportunities, where others would simply complain, barricade the door and hibernate until the spring came and rescued them. JP took his toys outside for a photo session. Now, I have reminded him to get a better camera. Still, these pictures aren't half bad for a phone.

Click on in for pictures of toys outside in the snow!

Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles

Today we're all treated to a guest article from my good friend, Aaron.

An enthusiast like my self, Aaron has unique knowledge on several vintage toy lines. What's cool is that Aaron has very specific passions. He's an avid collector of anything Indiana Jones, for instance. He's also getting increasingly better at writing about his hobbies, which has led to him starting his own blog. It's absolutely worth checking out. Leave him comments, and encourage him to continue writing.

But like all good people, Aaron isn't a one-trick pony. It's not just the Indy toys. He knows a thing or two about more obscure toy lines as well.

Like Sgt. Savage. This is where I'm at an absolute blank. I believe I have a Sgt. Savage figure, I know the toys are slightly bigger than G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero figures. I know they were released sometime in the mid-90s. I know the story is set to World War 2. And that's it.
Luckily Aaron steps up to share his knowledge on Sgt. Savage!

Read on!

The Math Behind Soundwave

Back from a short vacation, I will start regular update on Monday, so don't expect a massive Figure Friday article this week.

I got contacted by Aaron Santos a few weeks ago. He's a physicist and author who has chosen to focus his expertise on the funny sides of life. He has a blog where he answers practical math questions in a rather amusing way, and he asked me to send him toy-related math questions.

This is how it went:
http://diaryofnumbers.blogspot.no/2012/07/operation-toys-and-bacon.html

It's well worth the read. In fact it's hilarious to see Aaron describe how size-changing Transformers would work in reality.

JP's Leap Day Omelet

Happy Leap Day! Use the chance to do something you've never done before! A day like this only comes around every four years. So why not take some risks? It doesn't have to be something dangerous. It could very well just be a new recipe, using a few different ingredients, or maybe even removing an ingredient.

Today, my friend JP shows us how to work a "low-risk change" into his lunch, as he shares his recipe for egg white omelet.
It looks like a really tasty one, specially with the inclusion of vegetables and cheese filling. I'm a bit weirded out by the lack of egg yolks. I always  use the entire egg for my omelets, but I would be a hypocrite if I didn't like the idea of altering recipes. Specially on a day like this!


Read on!

Figure Friday: Roxi's Zarana Costume

I'm not entirely finished with Halloween, and neither is the Internet. All though the massive surge of pictures of costumes, carved pumpkins and facebook profile picture changes have slowed down, there's still that lingering feeling that we really love Halloween. We love to dress up, we love watching others who took their time to make great costumes.

I'm definitely in the latter category. All though I like dressing up in costumes, I rarely find time to make a proper one.
My friend Roxi, on the other hand, is in the former category. She's extremely creative and a skilled artist, so I wasn't really surprised to see such a great costume from her. Never the less, worth writing about, worth showing, and worth the praise. Roxi also took the time to write a bit about the process of making - and dressing up in this great costume, as well as sharing a few very relevant thoughts on women who cosplay.

Read on for more!