The evolution of the GI Joe action figure and the action figure collecting craze fuelled by internet GI Joe stores

                                                                                         

The Hasbro company in the early part of the sixties right in the heat of the cold war situation, introduced a new line of toys which coined the term action figures. These toys were named GI Joe and were modelled after American soldiers in World War II and were of the similar dimensions as the Barbie doll figure which was a big hit with young girls who fancied having dolls. The GI Joe series on the other hand targeted young boys by incorporating a military and action adventure theme which most boys of a young age are fascinated with.

The original production included a series of 12 inch male figures which wore US military uniforms and had 21 moving parts. These figures were named action figures in order to give them a separate identity to that of the placid Barbie dolls that were in vogue. With time, military equipment pieces, arms and artillery, vehicles and even large sets were manufactured for theme based play using these action figures. A story line was created later which featured antagonists that were lacking until then. The story centred on the unabated conflict between the elite GI Joe team and the vicious cobra gang.

The first year of production and sales saw the GI Joe action figures being launched in a few retail stores initially, and then spreading across stores in America at a rapid pace with increasing popularity. There were GI Joe stores that were set up for selling these action figures exclusively as the line expanded and the number of figures grew.

These toys were ideal for imaginative play for boys at a young age and were a huge hit not only in America but soon expanded into GI Joe stores in Europe and other parts of the world as well. The popularity waned when the Vietnam War happened and everything associated with warfare and military lost its appeal and by the late seventies these figures were out of production.

The popularity sparked on and off until the time when collecting action figures became an obsession with children and adults alike. Those young and old men who grew up playing with GI Joe action figures and were careful enough to preserve them so that one day , their children could use it, suddenly found them a great way to earn money. The more vintage and rate the figure was, the more money it fetched. With the advent of the internet, the selling of collectibles and toy action figures reached a peak as there were many websites that specialized in buying and selling these figures.

The most popular collectibles that were bought and sold for huge amounts of money, were the GI Joe action figures, the fact that some of them dated back to the sixties made them sell for as high as a few thousand dollars. The price of a vintage GI Joe action figure could touch 5000 USD easily.

The less damaged and battle scarred it is, the more money it would fetch. There are many online GI Joe stores that buy these figures and pay handsomely for them. They then sell these for a greater price. EBay is another website were mass buying and selling of GI Joe action figures takes place.

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