Joepedia:G.I. Joe vs. Cobra

After 1978, G.I. Joe disappeared from the toy shelves. G.I. Joe was all but forgotten. Then in 1982, he came back...

The G.I. Joe/Cobra theme began in 1982 with the A Real American Hero series and this is how the new G.I. Joe era came to be called.

It began with a series of 3.75" action figures, the file cards and then there were the comics. While the new action figures were real dwarfs compared to their original 12" incarnations, the level of detail given to the characters and storylines was an instant hit.

The storyline involves an elite operations team, codenamed G.I. Joe, who is tasked with stopping Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. An equally memorable animated series began in 1985 and would help the new G.I. Joe garner more fans.

A Real American Hero reigned for 14 long years but it seems all good things must come to an end. All toys, cartoons and comics came to an end.

Then came 1997, Toys R Us celebrates the 15th anniversary of A Real American Hero with The Real American Hero Collection. While not an overwhelming success, it continued to feed interest into the A Real American Hero incarnation and remind everyone why they liked it in the first place.

Thanks to The Real American Hero Collection and a new comic series started in 2001, G.I. Joe lived once more. Hasbro started a second generation in 2002 with the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra series that included Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom. In 2005, the Joe/Cobra theme takes a different turn with the Sigma 6 series of 8" action figures.

2007, Hasbro brings back the original A Real American Hero concept in time for its 25th anniversary, followed by the animated Resolute take on the characters. With a new movie planned for 2009, G.I. Joe is going to be around for a long, long, long time.