February 1st, 2024, marks the 60th anniversary of G.I. Joe. The military toy that coined the term “action figure” began very differently, as a generic soldier in 12-inch scale with realistic gear.
Today, we mostly know it as “A Real American Hero,” a slightly futuristic military force with distinct characters and specialists, fighting against Cobra, a massive independent terrorist group determined to rule the world. In celebration of six decades for all Joes, including odd sub-iterations over the years like Sgt. Savage and G.I. Joe Extreme, Hasbro took the day to reveal some new, upcoming figures in the 6-inch Classified line.
Go Ninja Go Ninja Go
Ninjas have always played a major role in the Real American Hero story, stemming from pop culture’s fascination with them in the ’80s. Red ninja Jinx played a significant role in the G.I. Joe animated feature, and even includes a blindfold to recreate a key scene. On the other side, Cobra’s Night Creepers add a martial arts militia to the enemy forces.
The Dreadnoks were born of another ’80s sensation, the Mad Max movies, which influenced a ton of pop culture with its post-nuke, biker-meets-sports-gear-meets-modified-monster-trucks aesthetic. Allied with Cobra, these psychopaths favored power tools over guns, and heavily modified off-road vehicles. Today’s additions to their ranks include the pyromaniac Torch, and the illegal poacher Gnawgahyde, with his pet warthog.
Like most of the Tiger Force figures, the upcoming Roadblock/Tripwire two-pack will probably be a Target exclusive, and features repaints of previously released figures. In the case of Tripwire, the original figure came with modern and classic bomb squad gear — this one only includes the classic look, though he does come with an updated remote drone. Roadblock is based on his original look, now with what appear to be actual tiger claw marks on his face.
Finally, there’s Doc. Every war need someone to treat injuries, and G.I. Joe has a guy with the most obvious code name they could think of. (If they named him in the usual Joe style, he ought to be called “Band-Aid” or “Tourniquet”).
Expect preorders for these to drop later this season.
