What do you think, with the very strong emphasis on character figures, do you think that GIJoe is stronger as a character figure line, or a vehicle line, or does a balanced blend lead to stronger success and fun?
Sure, from my experience, the old cartoon still resonates with fun animated characters. All the voices lent to those cartoons really add some likeable character that did translate over to my toys. Serpentor, would often yell, "this I command" in my battles, but his animated snake throwing move was hard to do with the toys slithering snake. And even to this day, Wild Bill's cartoon persona is hootin' and hollerin' when I get that old helicopter pilot in a chopper.
But then, all these guys weren't just jumping into their generic jeeps to take on Cobra. GIJoe was jumping into the AWE striker, or in my case back in the day, the Tiger Cat. And they weren't attacking Cobra's planes and tanks, that was a Night Raven and a STUN. Even the vehicles started to take on their own personalities of sorts, such as the iconic HISS.
Without the human element, the figures, characters, we would just have little green army men. But without unique figure-interacting unique vehicles, we would have almost have to have little super hero figures running around. Maybe the enemy isn't bringing any armored HISS tanks any more, so, we're all on foot with figures that are all up-armed and armored themselves. Slap on some little jet packs and get it done? Perhaps that is why the spring fired missile launchers and other action accessories are back in style? Does this mean that the makers of this stuff today know that the figures need "more" of something?
Perhaps that need is simply vehicles. Vehicles for imagination. Good designs that transport and inspire.
Is GIJoe an either or line, a character or vehicle line? For success, I think it needs both equally.
In today's more electronic world, perhaps there is even another layer of all-encompassing interactivity that can really bring GIJoe to the forefront, rather than the property side burner.
About HQ icebreaker
- icebreaker
- This is a very random bunch of thoughts based from my collecting of GIJOE: A real American hero figures and vehicles. Contained here are memories, experiences, recent thoughts, completely random thoughts, and other random things on top of that. While one company has made, and makes, our shared interests, we all add into that interest with our own creativity. You, the reader, will find many, many, excellent sites among the links to see what other GIJoe fans are doing, hit them up! For GIJOE stuff that is more random in topic, you'll find it here.