Space… Big Jim’s Final Frontier – Part 1 Heroes

Mattel Launched Big Jim in 1973 as a sportsman. This separated the line from being an adventurer like Hasbro’s GI Joe Adventure Team or the Western themeing of Marx’s Johnny West lines. Inside Mattel, Big Jim was always viewed and often described as “Barbie for Boys.” Much of the design work was performed by Carol […]

GI JOE: THE ORIGINAL CROCODILE HUNTER

In 1969 when sales of war toys were waning, one of GI Joe’s new assignments was to go up the river into the Mouth of Doom. This early mission was shown in the sales brochures to advertise Joe’s new mandate. Hasbro even put this quintessential set as one of the images on the military footlocker […]

The Twelve Inch Tall Giant

In 1968, Americans and Russians were blasting into space trying to beat each other to the moon. This excitement spilled over into toys also. Mattel supplied this demand with its space themed line Major Matt Mason. I know that at this point, some people are getting a little excited since Major Matt was only about […]

Go Big or Go Home – Part 2

In part one, I reviewed several of the GI Joe Real American Hero sets with large accessories. On the GI Joe Duke with Desert Surfer, I forgot to mention one of the reasons this set intrigued me (in case any of you have not put the connection together.) GI Joe Adventure Team Wind Boat Action […]