GI Joe Documentary: The Story Of America's Movable Fighting Man

Here's a step outside of the sort of action figures I normally discuss. One huge caveat: I am not the copyright holder of this documentary. I bought the DVD 21 years ago and recently searched for it online to find that it's sort of disappeared, which is a shame. It's really good and is uploaded here for the benefit of other collectors. If you are the copyright holder and would prefer it come down, please let me know and I will do so.

Now, back to the show...

Hear the story of America’s first movable fighting man first-hand from the creators of the GI Joe Action Figure. This two hour documentary film captures personal interviews with members of Hasbro’s original creative team as they tell the story of GI Joe’s inception to his current position in the competitive toy market. See the inspiration for some of the best-loved accessory sets and discover the extent of Hasbro’s efforts to achieve realism in the equipment and uniforms for GI Joe.

Presented in this documentary are:

Don Levine, Product Development, Hasbro 1963
Sam Speers, Designer of the GI Joe Figure, Hasbro 1963
Janet Downing, Artist, Hasbro 1963
Jerry Einhorn, Marketing, Hasbro 1963
Sam Petrucci, Box Art Illustrator 1963
Steve Soulos, Marketing, Hasbro 1963
George Eiseneberg, Box Art Illustrator 1963
Bill Lansing, International Marketing, Hasbro 1970
Kirk Bozigian, 3 ¾ GI Joe Marketing, Hasbro 1980
Tom Griffin, Television Advertising

This program is packed with vintage GI Joes and digitally re-mastered Hasbro commercials from the archives of the Griffin Bacal advertising agency. Also included are excerpts from the 1964 GI Joe marketing film used to introduce Joe to the toy industry. You will see some one-of-a-kind GI Joe prototypes and visit a GI Joe Convention. Bring GI Joe home again in this entertaining and memorable film. Whether you are a committed collector, or just want to reconnect with your childhood friend, this documentary is for you!