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February 1 is G.I. Joe Day

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Today is G.I. Joe Day. In February of 1964, toymaker Hassenfeld Brothers (later shortened to Hasbro) introduced its first doll specifically intended for boys at the American International Toy Show in New York. The company hoped to duplicate the success of Mattel’s Barbie, which had been introduced in 1959 and sold a record 351,000 units in its first year.

But there was a problem. Parents wouldn’t buy dolls for their sons. Playing with dolls was considered a girl’s activity and boys generally wanted nothing to do with that. Some parents feared it might cause them to become effeminate and possibly even homosexual.

In a brilliant bit of marketing, the toymaker solved this issue by coining the term “action figure,” which has been used for countless toys since. It further masculinized the toy by making it a military man, G.I. (Government Issue) Joe. The name came from a 1945 American war film called The Story of G.I. Joe.

GI Joe Day

They also placed a scar across his right cheek. Not only did it denote manly ruggedness, combat and valor, but also enabled Hassenfeld Brothers to copyright the toy. (A generic human figure cannot be copyrighted.) The scar made it an identifiable character as did a production glitch that gave Joe an inverted thumbnail.

Four original G.I. Joes were released in 1964. An African-American soldier followed in 1965. “America’s Moveable Fighting Man” had a patented twenty-one points of articulation. Unlike standard toy soldiers, one-third the size and made of hard plastic, the Joes were fully poseable, allowing more creative play.
The Joes had been introduced while the U.S. was in the middle of an undeclared war in Vietnam. As it escalated and casualties mounted, the toys that had symbolized the brave fight against all foes, Communist and otherwise, lost their luster.
Women picketed the 1966 toy show in New York, holding umbrellas that read, “Toy Fair or Warfare?” Sears later dropped all war toys from its catalog. Fearing a boycott, Hasbro (which had shortened its name in 1968) phased out military uniforms and added flocked hair and beards. By 1970, the company had replaced the war-oriented Joe with the G.I. Joe Adventure Team.
gi joe day There were individual Land, Sea and Air Adventurer Joes, along with the more generalized Adventurer Joe and the mysterious Man of Action Joe. The kung-fu grip was born. Hasbro upped the merchandising quotient by selling props for scenes like White Tiger Hunt, Revenge of the Spy Shark, Secret of the Mummy’s Tomb, Capture of the Pygmy Gorilla and Sandstorm Survival.
We don’t know if kids became bored with every aspect of playtime being mapped out for them or if Hasbro was ahead of its time in roping parents into buying ancillary items, something that seems normal today. By 1976, the Joe brand was in trouble. Hasbro tried to cash in on the superhero craze by adding BulletMan to the lineup and throwing in a villainous caveman from outer space for good measure.
Nothing worked and production shut down in 1978. Joe was “furloughed,” according to Hasbro, never expected to return. But the stratospheric profitability of Star Wars merchandise would give Joe one more chance. Shrunken to the same size as those action figures–a little less than 4 inches tall–Joe came back on the scene in 1982.

In an inspired feat of cross-promotion, Hasbro produced a television cartoon called G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero as a vehicle to sell toys. It debuted as two five-part miniseries in 1983 and 1984 and ran as a regular series from 1985 to 1987. The show introduced new heroes, villains and storylines, spawning an ever-increasing number of action figures and turning viewers into avid collectors.

Each episode concluded with a Joe teaching kids valuable lessons like, “don’t go with strangers,” “don’t paint your bike in the garage,” and “blind kids can find lost kittens, too.” The kids would say, “Now we know!” and Joe would reply, “And knowing is half the battle!”

Now you know.

Copyright © 2017 Worldwide Weird Holidays

January 13 is National Rubber Ducky Day

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national rubber ducky dayToday is National Rubber Ducky Day, also known as Rubber Duckie Day. It is always celebrated on January 13th. While we could find no official birth certificate, we discovered some cool facts about the classic bath toy.

In the late 19th century, the burgeoning rubber industry introduced rubber tires, bouncy balls and all manner of molded items. The first rubber duck–a decoy, not a toy–was patented by George Nye on October 26, 1886.

The first patent for a rubber duck toy was issued on May 8, 1928, to L.L. Smart. It was weighted so when it was tipped, it would return to its upright position.

During World Wars I and II, rubber became a valuable commodity, subject to rationing.  Manufacturers began to make rubber duckies of cheap, readily-available vinyl plastic, but never changed the name. (“Vinyl plastic ducky” doesn’t have the same ring.)

The rubber duck as we know it was designed by Russian-American sculptor Peter Ganine, who patented the “uncapsizeable duck” on April 26, 1949, and reproduced it as a plastic floating toy.

national rubber duck day

Ganine was also known for his elaborate chess piece designs including the three-dimensional chess set featured on the Star Trek television series.

On February 25, 1970, a Muppet named Ernie on Sesame Street sang an ode to his favorite toy. “Rubber Duckie” reached 16 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“Rubber Duckie, you’re the one. You make bathtime lots of fun. Rubber Duckie, I’m awfully fond of you.”

A shipment of 28,000 rubber ducks and other toys bound from China to Washington State went overboard in a storm on January 10, 1992.

Some floated north and became trapped in the Arctic ice pack, which slowly moves east. The trapped ducks traveled up to seven years in the ice before thawing in the North Atlantic and floating on to the eastern U.S., England, and the world. They’ve been washing ashore ever since.

Thousands are still floating today. The next time you go to the beach, you may find one waiting for you. It will have faded to white but will otherwise be ready to trade the open seas for your bathtub.

Happy National Rubber Ducky Day!

Copyright © 2017 Worldwide Weird Holidays