Toys! at The Henry Ford

Inspired by an action-adventure television show, G.I Joe represented the average soldier, evoking memories of fathers' experiences in World War II and the Korean War. G.I. Joe play allowed boys to identify with an all-male world of heroic action, to imitate the real world of the adults, and to connect with their fathers. In 1965, G.I. Joe was a top-selling toy.

By the late 1960s, as the unpopular Vietnam War escalated and antiwar sentiment increased, sales of military toys dropped dramatically. Hasbro soon transformed their G.I.Joe from a soldier to an "adventurer."

Hasbro
Providence, RI
Date: 1964-1965
ID: 91.301.2
Gift of Michael G. Hobig

G.I. Joe Doll
G.I. Joe literally stood head-and-shoulders above the small cast metal and plastic soldiers of previous eras. When introduced in 1964, "America's Moveable Fighting Man" was 11½ inch tall and fully jointed. He could be easily transformed from crouching in a trench to throwing a grenade. But G.I. Joe was never marketed to his young male audience as a doll--Joe was an "Action Soldier," with the scar to prove he was no sissy.

Hasbro
Providence, RI
Date 1965-1978
ID: 91.301.3
Gift of Michael G. Hobig

G.I. Joe Footlocker and Accessories
G.I. Joe and Barbie had something in common: they each came with an array of clothing and accessories designed to increase parents' spending. But instead of party dresses and sports cars, Joe had uniforms, jeeps, weapons, canteens, gas masks, and binoculars.

ID: 91.301.7

ID: 91.301.8