G I Joe (1964)

G.I. Joe was a line of military-themed action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro beginning in 1964. The figures were a series of 12" articulated dolls produced by the Hasbro toy company. The Hasbro prototypes were originally named "Rocky" (marine/soldier), "Skip" (sailor), and "Ace" (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. The initial product offering featured members of the four branches of the armed forces consisted of Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, and Action Marine. The G.I. Joe name no longer referred to one specific character but to a range of toys. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term 'action figure.'

Stan Weston, toy creator and licensing agent, brought the idea of a soldier action figure to Don Levine at Hasbro. Hasbro immediately saw the potential in a doll, or 'action figure,' for boys, sort of as an answer to the popular Barbie line of dolls for girls. In 1964, Hasbro launched the G.I. Joe line of World War II action figures. At that time, the G.I. Joe figures were approximately the same physical scale as Barbie dolls - 12 inches, or 305mm, tall (also known as 'playscale'). The line was known as Action Man in the United Kingdom, which evolved into a separate set of toys.

In 1965, a black "G.I. Joe" figure was introduced in select markets. In 1966, soldiers from other countries (France, Germany, England, etc.) joined the G.I. Joe lineup, and Hasbro decided that the entire toy line would be named G.I. Joe. A Project Mercury-like space capsule and silver-suited astronaut figure was also added to the series. In 1967, G.I. Joe talking figures were introduced. Around this time, the only full-sized female G.I. Joe action figure (a nurse) was produced. Accessory packs containing additional gear and clothing were also released.

The name G.I. Joe was created by David Breger when he was asked to do a comic strip for United States military magazines during World War II. Breger came up with the title "G.I. Joe" from the term "G.I." His strip debuted June 17, 1942 in the military's YANK magazine and Stars and Stripes newspaper.