Today is G.I. Joe Day!
I love G.I. Joe. I was one of seven kids in my family, and we always had plenty of G.I. Joes and Barbies around. My sisters and I also had plenty of Ken dolls too but we preferred Barbie date G.I. Joe instead.
Here are interesting facts about G.I. Joe.
This iconic toy first arrived on store shelves in 1964.
G.I. stands for Government Issue.
The name G.I. Joe itself came from a 1945 American war film called The Story of G.I. Joe, starring Ernie Pyle and Robert Mitchum.
The success of the Barbie doll inspired G.I. Joe’s creator, Stan Weston, to create a male military version of the girl’s toy,
Due to rising cost of plastic, Hasbro made the action hero smaller. G.I. Joes were shrunk to 12 inches in 1976.
There are over 500 different G.I. Joe characters.
By: Dianah Gibson