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Why Did G.I. Joe Fail When It Should Have Been Unstoppable?

Loving The 80s

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What really happened to G.I. Joe in the 1980s? From its rise as a toyline and cartoon phenomenon to the decisions that led to its downfall, this video breaks down the hidden story behind G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Discover how Hasbro, Marvel Comics, and a series of unexpected choices shaped one of the most iconic franchises of the 80s… and how it all went wrong.

00:00 Origins of G.I. Joe
02:30 Rise, War Impact & Decline
05:00 80s Revival & Marvel Breakthrough
07:45 Building the G.I. Joe Universe
10:15 From Comics to Cartoon
12:45 Peak Success & Iconic Characters
15:30 The Movie & Backlash
17:45 Decline, Cobra-La & Legacy

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#GIJoe #GIJoeRealAmericanHero #LovingThe80s #80sCartoons #80sNostalgia #Hasbro #MarvelComics #LarryHama #CobraCommander #SnakeEyes #80sKids #RetroCartoons

20 Comments

@Rendezman562 6 months ago (edited)

I remember running home every weekday after school, just to watch GI JOE , HE MAN ,Transformers, and Thundercats, before doing my homework

@joeconcepts5552 6 months ago

I wish the cartoon just lasted the whole time, but don’t forget that stretch of the toy line and comic went on for 12 years straight, which outlasted pretty much every one of those ‘80s toy lines. Remember that in the US, the Transformers G1 and G2 both came and went within the span of those years. Still pretty impressive.

@44excalibur 6 months ago

Larry Hama was the last writer that Jim Shooter approached to write the G.I. Joe series for Marvel Comics because Marvel had already done several comic book titles based on toys before, such as Micronauts and Shogun Warriors, which had failed, and no writer at Marvel wanted to take on yet another comic book based on a toy line. Hama was successful with G.I. Joe because he simply took his Fury Force concept, which had previously been rejected by Marvel, and adapted it to G.I. Joe, simply changing the names and appearance of the characters.

@marcelljackson2868 6 months ago

Its sucks cause that cartoon could have last a long time it's so many characters that deserve a mini series backstory I always wanted to see how the Joe's and cobra came to be

@magazine-retriever 6 months ago

I really don’t understand why Sunbow failed. Sunbow animators brought Hasbro’s vision to life.

@44excalibur 6 months ago

Snake Eyes was actually based on a man that Larry Hama had met while serving in the Vietnam War named Robert "Bob" Light, a helicopter door gunner with the US Army 1st Airborne Division. Hama described Bob Light as a tall, blonde man who wore Ray Bay aviator sunglasses, which is why Snake Eyes was always shown in the comics as a tall blonde man with sunglasses whenever he wasn't wearing his mask.

@mrjones5025 6 months ago

The mispronunciations of Sunbow and Serpentor make me think that the narrator is either AI or doesn’t really love the 80s.

@KyleKing-vx4by 6 months ago

WOW!! Chris Latta was Truly a Voice LEGEND!! He Really brought those characters to Life!! Cobra Commander, Starscream were Absolute FAVORITES!! RIP🌟✨💯👏👏❤️🌹😎😍🕺💃🙏

@jamesrfb 6 months ago

The cast changed every year. If they had stayed with the original Joe figures and not the mostly loser ones who came afterwards the cartoon could have gone on for several years.

@gwfbagel3811 6 months ago

I did not know how much input Shooter’s Marvel had into the whole GI Joe concept. Great story.

@VisionStudios1 6 months ago

Great work

@snakes3425 2 months ago

My top 5 Reasons Why GI JOE ARAH ended the way it did
1. Backlash to the Death of Optimus Prime, the Invaders episode, and Hasbro caving to the angry parents
2. The decision to switch from Sunbrow to DiC
3. Canceling the movie's theatrical run in favor of a direct-to-video release
4. Not adapting the Cobra Civil War storyline from the comics into the movie when the last episode of the show introduced the Coil and showed that there were rumblings of discontent within Cobra towards Serpentor's rule, and basically set up that tensions between Cobra Commander and Serpentor were going to come to a head.
5. The rise of TMNT and Hasbro's attempts to compete with it

@hankhackbuschiv1638 6 months ago

I was so upset as someone who was born in 87 that the 3 and 3/4 inch figures ended in 94 i felt half empty when it came to my toys because i couldn't get joes for very long and i loved those toys

@oddcreatureX 6 months ago

RAH actually had an amazing life span. Larry Hama had the comic among Marvel's top 10 books for years, the toyline lasted for over a decade, and heck it had TWO NES games. He-Man, Transformers, Thundercats and numerous other 80s franchises had zero.

@raymondsheffield5366 6 months ago

Why are you saying "SUN-BAUW"? It's SUN-BO (SUNBOW).

@Scarecrow_811 5 months ago

Skybound is doing so good with the IP.

I was never into G.I. Joe, my brother got me into G1 Transformers when I was little. I’m 32, wanted to, but didn’t grow up in the 80’s.

@perfectsplit5515 6 months ago

Does anyone remember the Simpsons episode involving the creator of Malibu Stacey, where she says,
“Please release me from your Kung-Fu grip!”
My fellow college buddies were laughing about that for days!

@danleonhart1 6 months ago

You forgot to mention the disastrous Snake Eyes origins movie. Snake Eyes is a Gaijin. Face heavily disfigured from helicopter explosion during early military service. A true origins movie I envisioned should've been inspired by Universal Soldier and Batman Begins