8 GI Joe Figures Based on Real People | List Show #7
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- There have been a ton of GI Joe figures produced and while the vast majority are wholly the products of someones imagination every once in awhile the real world steps in and influences the creation of a character.
For this list we stuck to the vintage line of 3 3/4" figures. We know there are a lot more. Maybe we'll get to them someday but until then Dan counts down 8 GI Joe Figures Based on Real People
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Metal head = Tom Savini? Rowdy Roddy Piper’s figure is CRAZY EXPENSIVE! You’d have to work as an Iron Grenadier to afford it!
Hama was also in the military and is knowledge lent a super air of realism to the filecards, but the comic which in many issues wasn't just selling toys but a legit story, it did get silly in it's later run but there were many a grim and gritty Joe tales in the original run. Hama really, truly, is the keeper of the ARAH lore.
Absolutely. I was honored to finally meet him in person and thank him for his work recently at a comic book convention.
He was in M*A*S*H too.
Hama has also stated that many of the Joe File card he wrote were based on actual people he knew. I remember he saying Stalker was one such Joe.
Tunnel Rat was the most badass Joe in my collection! I also had Super Trooper and that custom one where you got to design your own.
Law of the MP and K-9 duo Law & Order was based on Kirk Bozigian the Hasbro exec who got GI Joe rolling again in 1982 and was the driving force behind a lot of the marketing.
Yup!
The 1987 Cobra Hypnotist Crystal Ball was supposed to be based on actor Vincent Price.
+Blake Cabrera (b1r6989c) Yeah that seems likely.
Vincent Price also appears in Jem and the Holograms.
@@ps-yk8su Truly? That's OUTRAGOUS!
Journalist Joe: Lt. Col. Connor Walters (based on Walter Cronkite) is the father figure head of the GI Joe press corps. You couldn't have Joe Journalists without him. I could see it now. He body slams the toughest, meanest Cobra soldier, points at the battered snake and says "and that's the way it is!"
Leatherneck was made to look like Ron Rudat and Dusty had his name
Wild Bill was named after one of Larry Hama’s friends. I’ve seen mention of Law and Leatherneck already on this list as Kirk and Ron. Dusty’s last name is Ron’s spelled backwards. Sightline, released after this video is named after my late friend (and many other’s in the Joe community) Gary Head.
The original Fridge figure was only available through a mail in offer. His weapon was a metal football attached to a handle by a rope.
I remember that. I'm so glad you remembered that. I think you had to send in some forms and those proof of purchase flags or something. I remember I was in the 5th grade and I kept on asking my brother, "is the fridge good?" and he would reply, "he's ok.." LOL
Bazooka looks like joseph stalin without his helmet
The Fridge was No Joke he was a really really big dude. His SuperBowl ring looks like a bracelet in person.
The Fridge was awesome.
Well that explains why Tunnel Rat is one of the few really good models from that release!
I'm shocked that you didn't mention Rowdy Roddy Piper on this list. Rip HotRod
+KoolDaznyc Yeah I could have put him in but I decided to limit my selections to the vintage line from 1982-1994. Roddy didn't show up until he was a convention exclusive part of the 25th anniversary line in 2007.
@@MrGrimgut Make your own top 8 video if it means so much to you!
When was Roddy Piper in GIJoe
Oh never mind I see 2007
I waited thru the whole video to see Roddy Piper!
The Fridge scored a 1-yard touchdown in that Superbowl. Series 1-3 were my favorite Joes. To be perfectly honest, SGT. Slaughter kinda ruined the Joes for me. Don't hate me. There was one kid in day care that mailed in for Cobra Commander during series 1, he was the man.
Yeah, I know. I watched that Super Bowl. From New England. Where I lived and rooted for sports teams.
I first heard of Sgt. Slaughter from G.I.Joe before I heard of the Pro Wrestler Sgt. Slaughter!
Alan Linn yep. I didn't like him because they tried to make him better than Snake-eyes. No one was better than Snake-eyes
sgt. slaughter was OK in the Cobra-La movie; but earned my eternal dislike in one of the first post-Cobra-La cartoons with the words "shut up Stalker". I doubt it would've been said and/or gotten away with in the comix; but it was about par for the cartoon's direction of dismissing most of the original team, and undermining Stalker's status as the original field commander.
+Toy Galaxy also from Boston area. How times have changed since then
The counter part to the fridge for cobra the freezer lmao
Cutter based on Dewey Evens makes his Red Sox cap make epic sense! wow
and BTW: Cutter is from Connecticut so his wearing a Sox cap is fitting too especially as he’s the team’s Coast Guard rep and they’re big in Connecticut
What about Flint ? He was based on Kris Kristofferson . Kris was a Pilot in Nam who went to Ranger School and was also a Rhodes Scholar .
Wow. Never knew that.
never knew! interesting. I DO know my moither had a thing for him in the 70s...I kinda bear some proof of that lol
@@krismaccall8056 your moither???
Practically every Joe in the original 82-94 run was based on a real person. Almost every one of them was sculpted in the likeness of a Hasbro employee with many of them having their name (or some variation of it) as the figure's file name. An early issue of Tomart's Action Figure Digest (#8, I believe) has a big article showing side-by-side photos of the figures with their Hasbro employee counterparts. As for Owen King, the story from the guys working on the line at that time goes something like this... Stephen King was trying to find whatever was the hot Joe toy that Christmas for his son, Owen, with no luck. In desperation he contacted Marvel to talk to Larry Hama in hopes that he could connect him with the crew at Hasbro about getting said toy. Hama got him in touch with Hasbro and he made his request. The guy in charge of the Joe line at the time (I think it was Kirk Bozigian) told him that they would get him that toy and a bunch of other toys that had yet to be released if he'd write the filecard for Crystal Ball. King initially balked at the offer (I'm-a-big-time-writer,-I-can't-write-copy-for-a-toy) with Bozigian assuring him there are no writing credits on the package, no one will ever know. So King agreed to write the bio for Crystal Ball (which, mentioned below, is based on Vincent Price's likeness) and Owen King got Sneak Peek named after him in the deal. Although legend now has it, that while Stephen King agreed to the deal he actually let Owen write that filecard.
You have most of the details of the story correct, but I would like to correct you on the "I'm too important to write a file card" 'fact' you shared. Stephen King never balked at writing the card because he felt he was too important (if you're familiar with the man and his work, you would realize how stupid that sounds). He was worried that people would get the wrong idea if word got around that he used his influence in some degree to get his son exclusive toys that 'normal' people couldn't get. He didn't want anyone thinking he was throwing his weight around, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you wrote.
Also, from everything I've heard (which came straight from Larry Hama), Stephen King volunteered to write the card after Larry Hama showed him the prototype and the two got to talking about Vincent Price. King mentioned that he had just watched Price in the movie _Baron of Arizona_ a couple of nights back, in which Price's character pretended to be a gypsy. King said something to the effect of "he should be a gypsy..." and his son Owen, who was there, finished the thought "... from Bangor!" They all had a good laugh, and Hama said, "That's actually a great idea, can I use it for the file card?" King said "Of course."
Owen walked away, distracted by some other cool stuff, and King politely took Hama aside, and stated something to the effect of "I'd love to write the card with you, Larry, if that's fine... it's just, you know, we're doing very well financially now and I would hate if word got around that the bigshot Stephen King marched down to Hasbro and traded some file copy for a huge collection of toys for his spoiled rich brat kid, you see." So Larry Hama tells the story now, only because word has gotten around and he attempts to clarify some of the myths and rumors that are floating around.
You mean there was a hasbro employee who looked like the baroness!???😍
I never knew there was a connection between Stephen King and Crystal Ball from the G.I. Joe toy line before!
An interesting addition to the story, in his 1987 novel, "The Tommyknockers", King mentions the G.I. Joe action figures, along with specifically name checking Crystal Ball, at the climax of a sequence when a disappearing trick performed by a kid goes terrifyingly wrong during a neighborhood magic show.
"All the G.I. Joes!"
@@nohomers100 Doh?! I agree this is a bigger story! The model for Barroness would be hailed at all sci-fi con. And we really want to know!
I wasnt expecting to learn so much. I really love this content.
damnyouhussies That's great feedback. Thanks!
+Cobra 6 Python Does that matter? If you're on Instagram check out my account toygalaxy and you'll see a lot of my personal collection.
Scoop was my first G.I. Joe figure! I liked his helmet!
I’m loving these joe videos and I hope you don’t mind but I screenshotted the Hama as god piece! That was golden!!!!!
GI JOE has a special place in my heart.
Mine is Sir Trevor McDonald, he has the balls to interview the Mafia and do a documentary in Death Row.
The Queen & toy collector Oh man, I think you're serious. You actually have a favorite journalist! I wan't prepared for this. Uh... mine is... uh... "Fightin'" Edward R. Murrow!
Ha, I hated sgt slaughter! But now I wish I would have kept my tunnel rat figure!! Howard Beale without a doubt for cobra!!
im not sure what year it was, but in the 90's they had a mail away joe, you just needed to send a picture of yourself with it and they made a gi joe that resembled you.
My brother ordered a Steel Brigade figure but it may have been different because he didn't send in a picture. You filled out an order form with the code name and info you wanted and then they'd send a customized bio with the figure whose body was entirely covered with his uniform, including a full helmet.
www.yojoe.com/action/87/steelbrigade.shtml
Henry Thrun Your comment has cast a permanent cloud over my life. No joke, I read it and felt a little sick inside. Im a grown ass man and now feel a little incomplete. Please say it ain't so: you mean to tell me that I could've sent in and had a GI Joe character made after me or whatever profile I sent in?!? Are you freaking serious. That is THE coolest thing that actually existed during my childhood...and I knew nothing about it! Do you realize having one of those characters made would have changed the course of my childhood. Granted, my social status would still have been measured within the realm of the nerds but that would have been a come-up for me. At least I could have had legendary status within an elite group...of fellow geeks. Lol
Don't be too upset. The Steel Brigade figure had a non-removable helmet/mask combo so you couldn't see the face. The only thing that was unique to you was a file card with your info on it, which was kind of cool, but your face wasn't there or anything.
this the same henry from TFW2005? snakeeyes1975 here. I still have one of the mail away sheets. it was multiple choice stuff, and you could personalize the top 3rd of the card with your info, and it showed the helmeted steel brigade guy..never a picture of a kid. thats not correct.
caplin Grey your picture was to put you in the cartoon... knowing is half the battle... Also super trooper was a mail in.
Dude! Alpine was Bazooka's sidekick not the other way around.
Patton Tank yeah .......this Guy is not getting his shit right
Wow man, as a GI Joe fan I'm surprised I didn't know ANY of this (Besides Slaughter of course). GREAT video! Surprised to hear about Big Boa's origin, I had that figure as a kid and I always loved his look! Awesome list Dan!
+Jcc2224 Thanks! Some of them were obvious and some of them read online or in a book here and there and they just kind of stuck with me. If I could steal a few minutes with one of the actual designers I'm sure there are TONS more that they just didn't talk about or weren't famous people.
Yeah, they base likenesses off of employees all the time. I know for the Star Wars line they made Mandalorian figures based off of employee likenesses and names. Pretty cool stuff happens behind the scenes!
Larry Hama has stated several times that he's based some of the characters off of real people that he knew. See the back letters page (Postbox: the Pit) of #233 to see who he based 'Wild Bill' off of- Bart from TX. There's a pix of he & Hama; he looks like a slightly older Wild Bill.
6:15 I lost it! Great video and awesome editing!
Never was a big bazooka figure fan but I loved him in the cartoon
I had "the fridge"! 😂 I also remember having a cobra Commander that I had to mail away for too that my one friend was always trying to get me to trade him. No deal! Lol!
When you include the Collectors series there’s sooo many more based on popular fans, designers, etc.
G.I.Joe cartoon reporter Hector Ramirez was loosely based on Geraldo Rivera.
It was such a kick - to see Hector Ramirez on both G.I.Joe and Inhumanoids!
He was also on Jem and on Transformers. And Flint and Lady Jaye from GI Joe had a daughter named Marissa who was on Transformers. And a very old Cobra Commander was on Transformers. And the Dreadnoks once formed a band called Cold Slither that was seen with the Misfits on Jem and was listened to by several Autobots. And Sabre Jet from Inhumanoids was Ace from GI Joe. And Checkpoint from COPS was the grandson of Beachhead from GI Joe. They're all connected.
So GI Joe takes place at the same time as Jem. Inhumanoids is very shortly after that. Transformers is a few decades later. COPS is a few decades after that. I'm guessing Hector was dead by then.
@@singaporesammy but they could have had a IDW cinematic universe but nooo.
@@singaporesammy That could be Hector Jr or III.
Never knew bazooka might have been based off Steve Grogan of the patriots but it does make sense .
Barbra Walters. And could you imagine Cobra getting Geraldo Rivera and having him not find whatever he was searching for and Cobra Commander being all,”Geraldo!! Your incompetence is only overshadowed by your stupid mustache!”
William Perry was actually know to be very athletic in spite of his size. He most certainly could run as he lined up as a running back on multiple occasions (infamously scoring a TD in SB XX) and there was video of him, from a standing position, jumping flat footed onto a training table.
I had all of these! Except Rocky of course...obviously. But I did have Big Boa.
I love GI Joe, never missed the show, but to me the comic is cannon without question. Used to tick me off as a kid to see Scarlett with Duke.
Gabe Gutierrez favorite is my favorite journalist hope we get a GI Joe of him!
Poor Dan, it looks like he needed serious sleep lol
I'm really looking forward to that GI Joe Classified Gammon Peters.
Pork Chop Sandwiches!
This channel is hilarious.
sgt slaughter was my favorite. he was awesome in the cartoon.
Blitzer Wolf sounds like an awesome action figure.
The last part was so funny lmao 😆
forgot Dusty & Roddy Piper
And Roddy Piper was a real G.I.Joe fan
I heard that Stephen King wrote Crystal Ball's file card
You're right. I heard it as well.
Yes, Dusty's real name is Ron Rudat, who in reality was an illustrator who drew the art work for many of the action figures and vehicles early on. As a thank you, Hasbro based Leatherneck's facial appearance on him. Also Law (Military Policeman from the 1987 series has a facial likeness based on Kirk Bozigian - a Hasbro executive who was one of the driving forces behind G.I.Joe's return in 1982 as The Real American Hero.
Paul Ley Harris and Crystal Balls appearance was inspired by Vincent Price.
I thought this would be about actual soldiers. That would be way cooler if GI Joe figures paid homage to real American heroes.
IIRC there was a line of 12" Figures (old school Joe style) in the late 90s/early 00s that did that
Law was based on a GI Joe exec and Leatherneck a GI Joe artist also
I remember sending away for the Fridge. lol came with a football that was supposed to be a grenade.
For Dragonfly Helicopter, my buddy's Dad was a AH-1 cobra pilot in Vietnam and was in the MA National Guard as a pilot in their squadron there. Hasbro went out to the squadron and did a photo shoot to get models for the dragonfly. They used his likeness as Wild Bill, the photo they took of him was him geared up with his Cav Stetson on in front of the AH-1. Both of his son's became US Army Helicopter pilots and flew for TF 160, the special operations helicopter squadron.
I'm the president of the David Hartman fanclub here in Glendale. I even met David Hartman once, what a cool guy!
Pretty sure tunnel rat took inspiration from Sergeant Elias play by William Dafoe in the movie Platoon as well!!!...
LOL, My friends and I always thought Scoop was Bill Sagat.
what if hunter s. thompson was a g.i. joe
I think the closest thing to a Hunter S. Thompson action figure was a trade paperback collection of Doonesbury strips from 1991 or 92, which was packaged with an action figure of "Uncle Duke," the character that was based on Thompson (which Thompson hated).
He’d come with a colt python and a barrel of dynamite.
You won't convince me that Outback wasn't supposed to look like Chuck Norris.
What about Law, and Leatherneck, based after Kirk Bozigen, and Ron Rudat?
Still waitin for those Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather Eco Warriors...
Remember how many Big Boa's there were left over?
Tollbooth looks exactly like Hugh Downs
There was a late 80s TV show called, China Beach. I always believed that there was a character on there based off of Tunnel Rat, played by actor Jeff Kober. He had black face paint and a rag on his head. I strongly believe the show ripped from this Joe as they were trying to find characters to fill a show. Tunnel Rat was released in 87, with the show debuting the following year in 88.
Of course, *this* video features some of the best characters - Cutter (has a brown moustache), Bazooka (has a black handlebar moustache), the (brief) Joe member Rocky Balboa (I definitely do like his Cobra counterpart - Big Boa) [I don't know *why* Sylvester Stallone rejected the idea of Hasbro and G.I. Joe using his likeness, which is exactly *why* Rocky Balboa never became a Joe in 1987], Tunnel Rat (below, I'll say what two versions of *him* I like), Sneak Peek (ditto) and Scoop.
OK - the two versions I like, of Tunnel Rat, are his 1987 outfit (where he has a green short sleeved shirt) and his 1991 UK exclusive Tiger Force repaint (where he has a red short sleeved shirt), and the two versions I like, of Sneak Peek, are his 1987 outfit (a red and light grey outfit) and *his* 1991 UK exclusive Tiger Force repaint (where he has a brown shirt, and his trousers are light blue). I've already said, in Toy Galaxy's 'most important vintage G.I. Joe figures', about Sergeant Slaughter.
I do like the figures of Scarlett (the first female figure, and from the very first wave, in 1982), and the late 1991 version of Grunt (wearing a brown short sleeved shirt, dark yellow trousers and black boots, and whose hair is now black, as well as is now flat-top). I even like the 1982 version of Grunt - who wears a dark green military uniform, and whose hair's brown (and hair isn't flat-top). In my world of G.I. Joe, these two versions of Grunt have moustaches (the 1982 version has a brown moustache, and the late 1991 version has a black moustache).
The only two figures in this video, who I *don't* like, are the Fridge (yes, based on 'William the Refrigerator Perry') and Major Storm.
Shame about the Rocky figure that almost was. I wonder if Sly felt like Rambo was the more profitable choice at the time and chose that over Rocky? Rocky IV made bank but reception was mixed and it was becoming old hat. Rambo meanwhile was firmly implanted in the American consciousness at the time and was everywhere.
Dan, Rather not tell you my favorite journalist.
I remember Refrigerator Perry as a special collectible G.I. Joe.
Sgt. Slaughter. The name says it all.
(Hasbro is located in Rhode island so you see the patriots connection)
In "The Toys That Made Us" documentary series on Netflix (highly recommended), Law, of the Law & Order team is revealed to be based on Kirk Bozigian, a top Hasbro executive who pretty much was responsible for bringing the brand back to life in 3 3/4" form.
Larry Hama also did a bit part on MASH playing a North Korean soldier who infiltrated the 4077th, stole some medical supplies, and kidnapped Frank Burns, then kicking Frank out of the Jeep a mile down thw road.
I always thought vintage bazooka without his helmet looked like joseph stalin
Sneak Peek has always been one of my favorites, but this vid only tells half the story, The reason why he was given the name of Stephen King's son was because Owen wrote the filecard for another figure at the time, Crystal Ball, a Conbra Mind reader. As a thank you, they named the Bangor Maine native figure after him.
A special squad of GIJoe investigators might have been a cool idea. This given the relative popularity of spies and special agents.
Favorite journalist? I would totally have bought an Andy Rooney GI Joe figure. Of course I bought every figure from '84-'89, so I'm probably not a good judge.
My favorite journalist is Alan Vickers.
Favorite journalist- Hunter S. Thompson
Maybe some one at Gi Joe hated the Bears and gave Perry that job as a joke
I'm guessing everyone at GIJoe hated the Bears.
HOW ABOUT DON JOHNSON'S GI JOE? That had the same name and outfit for Miami vice
I believe you are referring to Lt. Falcon, the Green Beret. He was introduced in the 1987 animated G.I.Joe movie. It was a pity that they did not bring a Green Beret in the G.I.Joe team until G.I.Joe was already past its prime.
Chuckles. In the movie he says "whoever heard of being shot down by salad" when Cobra la took out their Tomahawk
perfectsplit Don Johnson did the voice of Falcon, but he's talking about Chuckles. Blonde tough guy with Hawaiian shirt and gun in holster character.
@@TheWarriorFrenzy Chuckles didn't say that line in the movie. He had zero lines in the movie. It was actually Law who said it.
Chuckles could be the Manolo character from Scarface.
The John Glenn figure, Robert Crippen... I think they did a Buzz Aldrin too. All real astronauts.
You’re right, plus Colin Powell and a ton of others. But those were 12” figures and this list is focused on 3.75” ones.
Law & Order was modeled for a Hasbro Executive Kirk Bozigian who was responsible for launching the ARAH line
Law and Order...Law was based on a real worker on the GI Joe cartoon line.
you forgot Walter Barabas
I thought Bazooka was based on a buff Freddy Mercury lol. Even the classified version looks like Freddy
I wish we had a Rocky figure
I know. It's completely and utterly ridiculous yet awesome at the same damn time.
So cool I had big boa as a kid
We're going to see G.I. Karen soon enough.
As a child I was always convinced Blizzard was based on Ted Danson. And looking back, there might have been a Ripcord/David Caruso connection
Wolf Blitzer was born to be a Joe.
Doc was also based on a Hasbro designer. For My Little Pony, of all things...
That’s cool.
SGT. SLAUGHTER has a chin like a canned ham
Bazooka reminds me of Freddie Mercury.
I'd argue that till booth is based on Robert Mitchum
Favorite Journalist. Collin Quinn. Weekend Update.
Dennis Miller
Need to even those sideburns up, dan. They're cut to the middle of each ear but your ears are uneven, (most ppls are). Making your burns uneven
I had big boa,Sgt slaughter,bazooka,tunnel rat,sneakpeek,the fridge,scoop an the Hoover craft driver
Dan, I almost didn’t recognize you without the beard bro
Look out Joes... It's Cronk! (and that's the way it was.. )
You mean it's THE Cronk!
Please look at Gijoe figure HIT AND RUN from 1989.the card art. Even as a wee lad I thought the face was Robert Martin Culp. Our very own Bill Maxwell character from THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO.
Exactly. Even as a kid I thought it was the spitting image of Robert Martin Culp.
I'm glad someone else sees. do you think its possible he's the model. not up close in studio but a magazine article or movie poster. I could see the artist putting him in their if it was one of his favorite actors.
or boringly simple, just resemblence.
My favorite Joe figure (s) were Sgt. Slaughter, Low Light, Alpine, Barbeque, Zartan & Torch
The 12" line had a Bob Hope figure.
I always thought Cross Country looked like he was based on Rick Moranis. The real question there would be.... why?
I have a comic where Sneak Peak and Batlledforce 2000 were killed when Cobra commander set oil field on fire.
I'm glad sly backed out.
And now we have Roddy piper for the iron grenadeirs.
I still remember a movie called Survivor that my dad rented once. I don't remember the plot it even if it had one but the kids down the street broke out figures with me one day and there he was, the star of the movie with the word Survivor on his shirt.