G.I. Joe: America's movable fighting man
Encyclopedia
G.I. Joe: America's movable fighting man is a line of action figures produced by Hasbro
. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces. The term G.I. stands for Government Issue and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers (predating the action figures), especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure
".
The driving force behind the concept was Don Levine, who in 1963 was creative director of Hasbro Toys. Stan Weston of Weston Merchandising Corp., a product development company, approached him with the idea of a military-based toy line that would include figures and many accessories. Stan Weston credits Larry Reiner, then head of the games division at Ideal Toys, with the notion of an articulated figure, based on conversations he had with Mr. Reiner regarding the concept. Sam Speers, then of Hasbro's product development team, is primarily credited with the specific almost 12" tall articulated figure design as produced by Hasbro; his name appears on the patent
# 3,277,602 "Toy figure having movable joints", assigned on October 11, 1966. The all-important packaging graphics
were sub-contracted to Thresher and Petrucci Art Studio, a company based nearby that had previously produced freelance work for Hasbro.
The Hasbro prototypes were originally named "Rocky" (marine/soldier) "Skip" (sailor) and "Ace" (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. One of the prototypes would later sell in a Heritage
auction in 2003 for $200,001.
The initial product offering featured members of the four branches of the armed forces as follows; Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot and Action Marine, with accessory sets immediately available for each branch. It was correctly assumed that competitors would try to emulate or outright copy the concept, so the idea was to offer a broad range of accessory items from the very start.
The ongoing situation in Vietnam
, and the growing anti-war sentiment of the late sixties signaled the end of the early years of G.I. Joe; by 1969, he was no longer a soldier/sailor/pilot/marine, but rather an Adventurer; he was marketed under the "Adventures of G.I. Joe, and the line consisted of Adventurer, black Adventurer, Aquanaut, and Talking Astronaut. Instead of military sets, the mostly recycled materials from earlier years were given names such as "Fight for Survival" "Danger of the Depths". "Mysterious Explosion", "Secret Mission to Spy Island" and "Mouth of Doom". Everything would change the following year, as G.I. Joe received lifelike hair and beards, courtesy of Hasbro's U.K. licensee; Palitoy. See G.I. Joe Adventure Team
for more information on the later series of G.I. Joe.
For more in-depth information and specifics, please refer to the books listed in the reference section
version of the basic soldier was offered; it was simply a caucasian feature figure molded in brown vinyl instead of the pink used otherwise. Some very early issue figures appear to have eyeliner, and these heads seem more prone to shrinkage than later variants. In 1966, a European
"foreign" and Japanese
head version was released, with the advent of the 6 "Action Soldiers of the World' releases. In 1967, talking variants were also released. Late Black, Red, Blonde and Brown talker heads were of a softer vinyl, essentially the same as those used for flocking in the Adventurer series introduced in 1970.
The figure was held together by means of elastic
, wire hooks and metal rivet
s. Pivot pins were made of a ribbed plastic, which was pressed into the adjacent limb section, allowing the limbs to rotate as well as hinge at pivot point. Even this specific method of attaching the appendages was patented as a "Connection For Use In Toy Figures" (patent # 3,475,042, October 28, 1969).The hip balls were made of a softer vinyl that allowed movement while retaining the surface friction required to maintain a pose. This level of attention to detail was of course costly to manufacture, and had caused product development no end of grief to devise, as simple as the end result seemed. The fact that so many still exist intact after more than forty years is a testament to the production quality that Hasbro demanded of its manufacturing plants. Cheap imitations of Hasbro's product did not bother with such detail, resulting in figures that lacked anything like the poseability and longevity of G.I. Joe.
There were in fact a number of variations in construction and markings of the figure as produced in the first few years, the fine points of which can be found in the listed reference books. The most obvious are variations in the trademarking on the right buttock, three of which are illustrated. Another obvious variation was the early bodies with slotted shoulder joints and smaller feet than those of just a year or two later. Others include less obvious variations in hand detailing, coloration and size; some early figures had no trademarkings at all; some have brass rivets on all or some of the joints. By now, many figures suffer from the effects of age, and exhibit stress cracks in some joints.
was released in the UK market in 1966.
-ethnic variant (offered about a year after the original release) . The figures in the adjacent photograph are from the 1964 & 1965 period, but the fatigues included with boxed figures typically did not have pockets, those came with the carded accessory sets.
The "Action Soldiers of the World" releases of 1966 came in deluxe and small sets. The six offerings were: German
Soldier, British Commando, Russia
n Infantryman, Australian Jungle Fighter, Japanese Imperial Soldier, and French Resistance
Fighter. The deluxe sets were a window box format that contained the dressed figure, and all the attendant accessories. Down the left side of the package was a dynamic graphic of the included figure in action, with the package contents listed below. The small sets were split between a narrow boxed-dressed figure with only helmet, appropriate jacket and trousers, and boots; and a separate carded set that included all the accessories/equipment to complete the set.
, with real rubber 2-piece wetsuit; a deep sea diver, with rubberized suit, bell helmet, weights and other detailed accessories, a landing signal officer
and others. The air force sets included a scramble pilot, pilot with working parachute, dress uniform; an astronaut
with Mercury space capsule
. The marines set included communications, paratrooper, beachhead assault, medic, and dress uniform
. All authentic G.I. Joe clothing, and many of the early cloth accessory items, carried the "G.I. Joe™" or "G.I. Joe®" tag sewn into the neck of shirts and jackets, the inseam of pants, the left or right inseam of sweaters, and so on. Early items were produced in Japan, then all production was switched to Hong Kong, and this change is reflected in the tags. Weapons and other items were also typically stamped "Hasbro®", often with country of origin.
illustrated was one of the few offered, beginning in 1965. It was of sturdy construction, available with a trailer, in which the searchlight was mounted; a 105 mm cannon was mounted in the position occupied by the searchlight in the provided photographs. The Sears exclusive version of the jeep did not have the green rims, but was otherwise identical. There was also a sand colored variant sold as Desert Patrol. Hasbro also produced a Crash Crew Fire Truck. Hasbro granted a licence to Irwin in 1967 to manufacture seven vehicles; a small jet fighter, jet helicopter, motorcycle and side car (in a couple of color combinations), DUKW
, armored car, personnel carrier w/mine sweeper, and a German staff car. These were of the blow-mold variety, and suffered from lack of detail, disproportionate scaling, and longevity as a result of the cheaper production method.
In 1967, Hasbro sold but did not market two sets with vehicles under the Action Joe header. One was a police and motorcycle set, the other was a race car driver. Both were discontinued after poor market reception. The race car is similar in design to the more elborate motorized version sold by Palitoy in the UK around the same time.
variants. The body itself is simply the Timeless Collection
, with a revised copyright, skin tone and head mold.
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces. The term G.I. stands for Government Issue and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers (predating the action figures), especially ground forces. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
".
The Birth of a Legend
The Hassenfeld Brothers (Hasbro) of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, began selling the first "action figure" targeted especially at boys in the early 1960s. The conventional marketing wisdom of the early 1960s was that boys would not play with dolls, thus the word 'Doll' was never used by Hasbro or anyone involved in the development or marketing of G.I. Joe. "Action figure" was the only acceptable term and has since become the generic description for any posable doll intended for boys. 'America's movable fighting man' is a registered trademark of Hasbro, and was prominently displayed on every boxed figure package.The driving force behind the concept was Don Levine, who in 1963 was creative director of Hasbro Toys. Stan Weston of Weston Merchandising Corp., a product development company, approached him with the idea of a military-based toy line that would include figures and many accessories. Stan Weston credits Larry Reiner, then head of the games division at Ideal Toys, with the notion of an articulated figure, based on conversations he had with Mr. Reiner regarding the concept. Sam Speers, then of Hasbro's product development team, is primarily credited with the specific almost 12" tall articulated figure design as produced by Hasbro; his name appears on the patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
# 3,277,602 "Toy figure having movable joints", assigned on October 11, 1966. The all-important packaging graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
were sub-contracted to Thresher and Petrucci Art Studio, a company based nearby that had previously produced freelance work for Hasbro.
The Hasbro prototypes were originally named "Rocky" (marine/soldier) "Skip" (sailor) and "Ace" (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. One of the prototypes would later sell in a Heritage
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auction Galleries is the world's largest collectibles auctioneer and the third largest auction house, with over $700 million in annual sales and 600,000 online bidder-members...
auction in 2003 for $200,001.
The initial product offering featured members of the four branches of the armed forces as follows; Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot and Action Marine, with accessory sets immediately available for each branch. It was correctly assumed that competitors would try to emulate or outright copy the concept, so the idea was to offer a broad range of accessory items from the very start.
The ongoing situation in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and the growing anti-war sentiment of the late sixties signaled the end of the early years of G.I. Joe; by 1969, he was no longer a soldier/sailor/pilot/marine, but rather an Adventurer; he was marketed under the "Adventures of G.I. Joe, and the line consisted of Adventurer, black Adventurer, Aquanaut, and Talking Astronaut. Instead of military sets, the mostly recycled materials from earlier years were given names such as "Fight for Survival" "Danger of the Depths". "Mysterious Explosion", "Secret Mission to Spy Island" and "Mouth of Doom". Everything would change the following year, as G.I. Joe received lifelike hair and beards, courtesy of Hasbro's U.K. licensee; Palitoy. See G.I. Joe Adventure Team
G.I. Joe Adventure Team
G.I. Joe Adventure Team is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The line is well remembered by the inclusion of features such as "Kung-Fu Grip", "Life-Like Hair" and "Eagle Eyes".-Vintage Adventure Team:...
for more information on the later series of G.I. Joe.
For more in-depth information and specifics, please refer to the books listed in the reference section
Head variations
Four hair colors were offered in 1964; Blonde, Auburn (Red), Brown and Black. Eye colors were specifically matched to hair colors; Blonde and Brown hair came with brown eyes, Black and Auburn hair came with blue eyes. In 1965 an American-ethnicAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
version of the basic soldier was offered; it was simply a caucasian feature figure molded in brown vinyl instead of the pink used otherwise. Some very early issue figures appear to have eyeliner, and these heads seem more prone to shrinkage than later variants. In 1966, a European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
"foreign" and Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
head version was released, with the advent of the 6 "Action Soldiers of the World' releases. In 1967, talking variants were also released. Late Black, Red, Blonde and Brown talker heads were of a softer vinyl, essentially the same as those used for flocking in the Adventurer series introduced in 1970.
Basic figure
The figure was loosely based on the artist's mannequins still available today; the basic figure had multiple points of articulation, previously not found in any children's toy. The advertising claimed "21 points of articulation", however, if one actually counts each individual pivot contact point, there are 19; head-to-neck, neck-to-torso, shoulder-to-torso (2), biceps-to-shoulder (2), elbow (2), wrist (2), torso-to-pelvis, hipball-to-pelvis (2), thigh-to-pelvis (2), knee (2) and ankle (2).The figure was held together by means of elastic
Elastomer
An elastomer is a polymer with the property of viscoelasticity , generally having notably low Young's modulus and high yield strain compared with other materials. The term, which is derived from elastic polymer, is often used interchangeably with the term rubber, although the latter is preferred...
, wire hooks and metal rivet
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
s. Pivot pins were made of a ribbed plastic, which was pressed into the adjacent limb section, allowing the limbs to rotate as well as hinge at pivot point. Even this specific method of attaching the appendages was patented as a "Connection For Use In Toy Figures" (patent # 3,475,042, October 28, 1969).The hip balls were made of a softer vinyl that allowed movement while retaining the surface friction required to maintain a pose. This level of attention to detail was of course costly to manufacture, and had caused product development no end of grief to devise, as simple as the end result seemed. The fact that so many still exist intact after more than forty years is a testament to the production quality that Hasbro demanded of its manufacturing plants. Cheap imitations of Hasbro's product did not bother with such detail, resulting in figures that lacked anything like the poseability and longevity of G.I. Joe.
There were in fact a number of variations in construction and markings of the figure as produced in the first few years, the fine points of which can be found in the listed reference books. The most obvious are variations in the trademarking on the right buttock, three of which are illustrated. Another obvious variation was the early bodies with slotted shoulder joints and smaller feet than those of just a year or two later. Others include less obvious variations in hand detailing, coloration and size; some early figures had no trademarkings at all; some have brass rivets on all or some of the joints. By now, many figures suffer from the effects of age, and exhibit stress cracks in some joints.
Trademarks and Copyrights
Aside from the obvious trademarking on the right buttock, other aspects of the figure were copyrighted features that allowed Hasbro to successfully pursue cases against producers of cheap imitations, since the human figure itself cannot be copyrighted or trademarked. The scar on the right cheek was one; another, unintentional at first, was the placement of the right thumbnail on the underside of the thumb. Early trademarking, with "G.I. Joe™", was used through some point in 1965; the markings changed once G.I. Joe was a registered trademark; "G.I. Joe®" now appears on the first line. Subsequently, the stamped trademarking was altered after the patent was granted (in late 1966), and assigned a number; 3,277,602. Figures with this marking would have entered the retail market during 1967. G.I. Joe figures manufactured in Canada, had two variants on the U.S. production of the first three types. You may also notice that the Canadian version pelvis has an extra ridge immediately above the buttocks. This mold was the version used by Palitoy (without the trademarkings) when Action ManAction Man
Action Man is an action figure boys' toy launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "moveable fighting man": G.I...
was released in the UK market in 1966.
Packaging
The original 1964 basic figures came in a lidded box, with dynamic graphics that illustrated the specific branch of the military offered; the enclosed figure was not dressed as illustrated, but came with basic fatigues, boots, cap and dog tag as appropriate to the branch. The side panels of the box had photo illustrations of accessory sets available to fully kit out the enclosed figure, a well thought out marketing ploy (known in the industry as the 'razor and razor blade' concept, where the toy (the 'razor') is sold 'as-is' and consumers pay separately for the accessories (the 'blades')). The background coloration depended on the branch; wood grain was used for soldier/marine, bright yellow was used for pilot, and blue was used for sailor. A folded leaflet was included in the box that illustrated all four branches, and all accessories (similar to this 60s Action Man version), along with a user's manual. The illustrated box examples are reproductions of the original packages. From left to right: Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and an African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
-ethnic variant (offered about a year after the original release) . The figures in the adjacent photograph are from the 1964 & 1965 period, but the fatigues included with boxed figures typically did not have pockets, those came with the carded accessory sets.
The "Action Soldiers of the World" releases of 1966 came in deluxe and small sets. The six offerings were: German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Soldier, British Commando, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Infantryman, Australian Jungle Fighter, Japanese Imperial Soldier, and French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
Fighter. The deluxe sets were a window box format that contained the dressed figure, and all the attendant accessories. Down the left side of the package was a dynamic graphic of the included figure in action, with the package contents listed below. The small sets were split between a narrow boxed-dressed figure with only helmet, appropriate jacket and trousers, and boots; and a separate carded set that included all the accessories/equipment to complete the set.
Wooden footlocker
As with Action Man, during the 60s, G.I. Joe had a wooden footlocker to store his accessories in. The overall dimensions were identical to the Action Man item, but the details varied. The metal hinges and clasps were of different manufacture; the hinges did not have a built in stop to prevent the lid from falling back. The insert tray was of a yellow simulated grain plastic, instead of the white version of Action Man. There are green cords (age-bleached in example) attached to each end of the footlocker for carrying purposes. The lid had a G.I. Joe logo decal, and spaces to write one's name, rank and serial no. The lid had a decal insert that itemised all the Combat Soldier accessories it contained, matching the actual tray layout. In 1969, each figure had its own footlocker; Adventure locker, Astronaut locker, and Aquanaut locker with a new lid cover decal that illustrated two available outfit sets for each line. The insert trays for Aquanaut and Astronaut were different than the mold previously used, allowing for an outfit on the right. The Adventurer tray matched the earlier version. All three had different lid insert decals, as appropriate.Outfit and accessory items
G.I. Joe had a wealth of outfits. Some came in deluxe sets with a figure, others were sold in carded outfit/accessory sets (see 40th anniversary sets for examples), as with the soldiers of the world sets. For complete lists of all available sets and permutations, it is recommended that you utilize the reference material. Each branch of the U.S. military was represented with outfit sets; The navy sets included a frogmanFrogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
, with real rubber 2-piece wetsuit; a deep sea diver, with rubberized suit, bell helmet, weights and other detailed accessories, a landing signal officer
Landing signal officer
Landing Signal Officers are naval aviators specially trained to facilitate the "safe and expeditious recovery" of naval aircraft aboard aircraft carriers. Originally LSOs were responsible for bringing aircraft aboard ship using hand signals...
and others. The air force sets included a scramble pilot, pilot with working parachute, dress uniform; an astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
with Mercury space capsule
Space capsule
A space capsule is an often manned spacecraft which has a simple shape for the main section, without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric reentry....
. The marines set included communications, paratrooper, beachhead assault, medic, and dress uniform
Dress uniform
Dress uniform , is the most formal military uniform, typically worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; with order insignias and full size medals...
. All authentic G.I. Joe clothing, and many of the early cloth accessory items, carried the "G.I. Joe™" or "G.I. Joe®" tag sewn into the neck of shirts and jackets, the inseam of pants, the left or right inseam of sweaters, and so on. Early items were produced in Japan, then all production was switched to Hong Kong, and this change is reflected in the tags. Weapons and other items were also typically stamped "Hasbro®", often with country of origin.
Vehicles
Hasbro did not produce many vehicles for the early series G.I. Joe. The "Five Star" JeepJeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
illustrated was one of the few offered, beginning in 1965. It was of sturdy construction, available with a trailer, in which the searchlight was mounted; a 105 mm cannon was mounted in the position occupied by the searchlight in the provided photographs. The Sears exclusive version of the jeep did not have the green rims, but was otherwise identical. There was also a sand colored variant sold as Desert Patrol. Hasbro also produced a Crash Crew Fire Truck. Hasbro granted a licence to Irwin in 1967 to manufacture seven vehicles; a small jet fighter, jet helicopter, motorcycle and side car (in a couple of color combinations), DUKW
DUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
, armored car, personnel carrier w/mine sweeper, and a German staff car. These were of the blow-mold variety, and suffered from lack of detail, disproportionate scaling, and longevity as a result of the cheaper production method.
In 1967, Hasbro sold but did not market two sets with vehicles under the Action Joe header. One was a police and motorcycle set, the other was a race car driver. Both were discontinued after poor market reception. The race car is similar in design to the more elborate motorized version sold by Palitoy in the UK around the same time.
40th Anniversary reproductions
Starting in 2003, Hasbro began releasing large boxed sets that contained both a boxed figure, and a large or small window boxed related outfit set Some sets came with a few carded accessories instead of a window box set. One soldier footlocker set was released; the large outer box has a diagonal stripe with "Timeless Collection" as did all 40th Anniversary sets. The 40th packaging was almost identical to the original items, with the addition of "Anniversary Edition" to all boxes, and "40th" imprinted on all plastic items to clearly distinguish them from original items. All literature and boxes contain the amended copyright "© 1964,2003 Hasbro, Pawtucket, RI 02862 USA." These sets typically retailed for around $30 U.S. There were 23 general release sets all together; numbered 1-21, and 30. Others numbered between 22 and 29 have been released through collector clubs at premium prices (23; Combat Soldier, and 25; Pilot Dress Parade) since the general releases were cancelled. The figures were generally available in all Blonde, Black, Brown and Auburn hair variants, with the appropriate eye colors. A few sets came with American-ethnicAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
variants. The body itself is simply the Timeless Collection
G.I. Joe: Timeless Collection
G.I. Joe: Timeless Collection is an action figure and accessories set reproducing Hasbro G.I. Joe product themes of the late 60s- early 70s.-Introduction:In the tail end of the 90s Hasbro built on the renewed interest in authentic reproductions of G.I...
, with a revised copyright, skin tone and head mold.
Packaging
All 40th Anniversary sets came in a large green outer box. The figure box is on the left, with the actual figure visible from the back. There is little to remark on them since the contents of the package are identical in all aspects to original 60s variants, except as noted above. The overall attention to detailed replication of the original items and their specific layout in the packacking is of an excellent level, unlike the Timeless Collection items that often were slightly off in terms of scale and detailing. All sets came with the appropriate user manual (both figure and outfit/accessory), but none came with the equipment manual (fold-out leaflet) that depicted all available accessories for all four branches.Figures
The figures enclosed with each set came in all available hair colors; some sets contained American-ethnic figures, and the box illustrations matched accordingly. All figures included dog tag. All soldiers and marines came with tall brown boots; all pilots came with tall black boots, and all sailors came with short black boots. The clothing varies slightly from one set to another within each branch (as did original production 1964–1968). All reproduction clothing carries a modified neck tag to indicate China as country of origin, as opposed to Hong Kong or Japan of original issue. The following is a list of clothed figures contained in sets 1-20, and #30.- 1: Army; Green Fatigues, no pockets, green plastic cap. #2: Sailor; Denim shirt/pants, no pockets, white vinyl hat. #3: Marine; Camo fatigues, no pockets (stitched outline front pants pocket), green plastic cap. #4: Pilot; Orange jumpsuit w/side tabs, blue plastic cap.
- 5: Army; Green Fatigues, shirt pockets w/buttons, green plastic cap. #6: Army; Green Fatigues, shirt pockets w/buttons, green plastic cap. #7: Sailor; Denim shirt/pants with pockets, white cloth hat. #8: Marine; Camo fatigues, w/pockets (no buttons), stitched outline front pants pocket, green plastic cap.
- 9: Marine; Camo fatigues, no pockets (stitched outline front pants pocket), green plastic cap. #10: Army; Green Fatigues, no pockets, green plastic cap. #11: Marine; Camo fatigues, no pockets (stitched outline front pants pocket), green plastic cap. #12:Pilot; Orange jumpsuit (no side tabs), blue plastic cap.
- 13: Pilot; Orange jumpsuit (no side tabs), blue plastic cap. #14: Army; Green Fatigues, stitched outline front and back pants pockets, green cloth cap. #15: Sailor; Denim shirt/pants (no pockets), white cloth hat. #16: Sailor; Denim shirt/pants (no pockets), white cloth hat.
- 17: Marine; Camo fatigues, no pockets (stitched outline front pants pocket), green cloth cap. #18: Army; Green Fatigues, Shirt pockets (w/buttons), stitched outline front and back pants pockets, green cloth cap. #19: Pilot; "Goldenrod" jumpsuit w/sidetabs, blue plastic cap. #20: Marine; Camo fatigues, shirt pockets w/buttons, stitched outline front pants pocket, green plastic cap. #30: Army; Green Fatigues, no pockets, green plastic cap.